Inspiriration needed

[tramcar trev]

I have secured an LGB Chlorodont 4 wheel tram that I am going to convert to a scrubber/works car. It will have vibrating pads of track cleaner on the pickup skates. I will Australicise ( big word for the day) it some how; replace the windows with opaque panels maybe remove them and put a water tank inside, could I make the tank working maybe metho as the cleaning agent? No scrub that idea, 1 spark and it would go up in flames; put the headlights down on the front panel, put a bank of resistances on it to enable slow speed running etc.... I can use the spring bow collector, we had them in Hobart until the 1960's.... I plan to tow a tower trailer with it.... seeking inspiration I can only find pics of tower trailers horse pulled or on a truck chassis.... I may have to create my own on a 4 wheel chassis. Someone posted some pics of a 4 wheel flat wagon kit that I remember were quite nice that I could put an overhead work tower on....

Anyway I know I can count on my fellow forumites for inspiration, mind you I don't want to rip off others designs without permission.

 

[ge_rik]

I've often wondered if there was something I could do with the disposable battery powered toothbrushes which we use. Never taken one apart but I assume it might be possible to use the vibrating head mechanism - it would probably be small enough to mount on a skate.

Rik

 

[Dtsteam]

Not what you were looking for I know, but after laying all those setts, how about one of these :

 

[themole]

Trev, just get the hack saw out, and go for it. Alyn

 

[tramcar trev]

I've often wondered if there was something I could do with the disposable battery powered toothbrushes which we use. Never taken one apart but I assume it might be possible to use the vibrating head mechanism - it would probably be small enough to mount on a skate.

Rik

I was thinking along the same lines but the new ultrasonic ones are even smaller especially when you strip away the handle and other non essential components... Its great when minds think alaike...

 

[tramcar trev]

Trev, just get the hack saw out, and go for it. Alyn

Yes I remember now you have already done this Alyn.... Nice job too.....

But I have hit a snag! LGB runs on 18volts, my tramway is 13.8V.... I'll try it and see if it will run if not then I have a major undertaking ahead of me either trying to remotor it to 12V or somehow converting the 13.8v to 18V on board.

 

[PhilP]

13.8V is about two-thirds of full rail voltage of LGB, but how fast do you want to run??

I would think you will find you can run plenty fast enough..

 

[tramcar trev]

13.8V is about two-thirds of full rail voltage of LGB, but how fast do you want to run??

I would think you will find you can run plenty fast enough..

That's a relief!!!.... actually I want to run reasonably slowly....

Unfortnately my wife's disposable "ultrasonic" tooth brush has disappeared. It turned up on the workshop floor and was very dirty so I suggested she buy herself a new one....... BUT when I eventually got it apart (some skill with a razor saw required) it has the perfect makings of a vibrating track cleaning device. As a preliminary trial I glued a thin slice of rubber abrasive to it and held it against some brass track and gently slid it along. In a word WOW!!!!!!!!! brilliant results!!!! I'll power it via an LM317, its 1.5 V.
As I always do things the hard way I am thinking of making my own cleaning pads using silicone rubber mixed with 1200grit carborundum. That way I could make custom pads with enough elasticity to slip over some sort of "holder' on the end of the toothbrush mechanism...
Its getting bigger than Ben Hur, next step; confer with Mr De Mille

 

[schienenkönig]

What's about a tower car?

At he moment I'm building a tower car with a 4 wheel car. It is a freelance model.

​

The car is not ready yet.

Here a link how it was made: Tower car in G scale

Here a link of a water car: Water car - G scale

And last a track cleaner, we had in Wuppertal: Track Cleaner 3241 Wuppertal Tram

 

[KandNWLR]

What comes to mind is a combined water sprayer (containing for example, de-natured alcohol to clean the track) combined with a rotating brush behind it. I´m sure one of you guys can come up with something :-\ ???

 

[tramcar trev]

I have posted re my converted LGB tram here: http://www.gscalecentral.net/kit-building-bashing-scratch-build/from-lgb-tram-to-aussie-scrubber-car/msg308168/#msg308168
and here: http://trevs-tramway.blogspot.com.au/search?q=track+clean

But I now will finish this with a battery as well as overhead power. It stands to reason that if the track needs scrubbing that continuity with dirty track is not going to be ideal...

 

[Tim Brien]

Yes I remember now you have already done this Alyn.... Nice job too.....

But I have hit a snag! LGB runs on 18volts, my tramway is 13.8V.... I'll try it and see if it will run if not then I have a major undertaking ahead of me either trying to remotor it to 12V or somehow converting the 13.8v to 18V on board.

Trev,
LGB will run down to just a few volts, so 13.8 will most likely seem like a Bondi tram on its final run for the day. As regards catenary work towers, LGB did two based on full size four-wheel flatcars (not the version on the short feldbahn field railway car). The two versions came in grey (in the LGB Tram Maintenance set) and a standalone orange version. The tower structure is similar to Alyn's second photo only on a longer (tram length) flatcar.

If you cannot search images then I will see if I can find my orange version, as the tram set has gone to some one who appreciated it more than me (his dollars were too attractive).

 

[Tim Brien]

Peter,
brilliant work. I am now sorry that I sold off all my trams as your links inspire one to the charm that trams possess.

 

[Tim Brien]

Trev,
when is the prison tram appearing on the tramway? Loftus tramway museum has a nice one. You could even replicate the escape hole used in the 'tram'break all those years ago.

 

[tramcar trev]

Yes I believe 948 to be unique.... Only in Sydney would they carry prisoners by tram.... Gregh (an expert in animated figures) should build it with an animated Darcy Dugan escaping....
Looking more closely at the picture it has a single trolley pole yet on bogies so I may assume it is actually a converted N class car or maybe just bits of an N car.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18055899


Prison tram

N class tram

If I started to model Sydney trams in G I`d need 3 lifetimes but the way things are going with the constant maintenance needed on my overhead I may well have to mass produce a batch of Funeral tram trailers all concealing a battery with the overhead purely for keeping up appearances...