Motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Yes, some great lateral thinking with very practical connotations - and the weathering is very effective! I know you said Aristo Centre Cab - is that the U25 bogie Mike?

Hi Mick
No the U25 is a lot longer wheelbase. The centrecab one is extremely compact for a motorblock, in fact it is probably the shortest available , that I can find anyway!

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Very interesting thread and very nice work on the stock cars, but your live steam C16 should pull that consist ok without assistance.

You may find the the springing on the drivers needs sorting/ adjusting to ensure all the drivers are "driving on the rails. The pilot truck can also be too heavily sprung and take weight off the drivers. If all this is correct then I suggest you check the steam operation/valve timing of the engine, as this is a reasonably sized engine with plenty of power available so should pull well.

I had an Accucraft C16 myself and it was a very good puller.

Good luck.

Hi Rod
Thanks for comments
Unfortunately my C16 is the electric version with the early motor with the too high gearing, so it has the pulling power (on inclines) of a used teabag.

 

[trammayo]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Cheers!

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Mike this is such a great thread. Innovation, good modelling and a great railway. Yes I bet they looked funny heading round alone! And you have acheived your objective a nice good looking long rake without loads of loco on the front. Excellent work!!

Many thanks Ian. Yes stock cars on their own way around with mooing sounds is quite an experience....now that's vache power!

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Found the following image on the back of a book that I have. 'Narrow Gauge Pictorial' Vol IV. It covers nearly all of the Rio Grande Reefers, Stock cars and tank cars. The whole set of volumes of the pictorial editions are a real good resource for anyone interested in the Rio grande.

Anyway, the image sort of shows why I wanted to motorise some of my stock cars.............I wish!

 

[Richie]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Good to see your Cattle cars out on your newly ballasted tracks Mike not a pine needle in sight
How does your train perform on the down grades with all those power trucks ?

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Hee hee
Glad you noticed the new ballast Richie. If you see my postings on the 'Ballasting for effect' thread you see that I have run out of the different types of ballast that I use and that the local suppliers no longer stock it! But I have found a source of great 2mm - 5mm dark grey granite for only £1.50 for a 25kg bag

Back to the motorised stock cars, the motor blocks in the cars in actual fact help to stop the loco from running away in front of the weight of all the cars behind it.They do run faster than going up the grade but do not speed up too much when going down.
I am going to add more weight over the unmotorised bogie in each car as they are a little unbalanced in that department.

 

[Montblanc]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

A very nice job, Beavercreek, and particularly interesting for me, because I'm planning something very much in the same line. I got myself a new LGB Mallet Uintah, a very fine model, but a bit undermotorized (one motor only). I wanted to scratchbuilt a motorized boxcar to provide some extra power.

My concern is about the difference of speed between the loco and the motorized car, with the risk of damaging the gears. I followed a discussion on this forum about double heading, and it seems to be an issue. I don't like the idea of damaging the Mallet. Any views ?

Jean-Pierre

 

[stockers]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

I got myself a new LGB Mallet Uintah, a very fine model, but a bit undermotorized (one motor only). Jean-Pierre

I am not aware that any Uintah mallets were made with one motor. Check it out as it sound like someone has removed one. Should not be difficult to get a spare. These locos normally pull really well.

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

My concern is about the difference of speed between the loco and the motorized car, with the risk of damaging the gears. I followed a discussion on this forum about double heading, and it seems to be an issue. I don't like the idea of damaging the Mallet. Any views ?

Jean-Pierre

Hi Morvan

The difference in speed is important. It was pure luck for me that two different manufacturers (bachamnn Annie and Aristo centrecab block) and totally different types of running gear actually move on the track at very similiar speeds. Unfortunately the same is not the same for my Accucraft C16 which goes a lot slower and is like a dead weight for the motorised stockcars which just spin their wheels when going up my heavy incline!

If a loco has a traction tyre or two then a lot of extra effort to over come the drag of the slower motor or force from behind for a faster motor can cause internal gear problems. This happened when I tried to use another Annie being pushed by a USAT NW2 diesel. Although the Annie does not have traction tyres it obviously did not like being 'pushed' by the stronger, faster loco and stripped a gear tooth! If it did have traction tyres then it would have probably stripped all the teeth!

 

[Montblanc]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Thanks a lot Beavercreek for the information, that's very clear. Stockers, the new series of LGB Mallet Uintah (2010) definitely has only one motor! The Sumpter Valley Mallet, new 2011 item, has two.
So I would have to rely on luck, since I cannot compare the Mallet with my own Bachmann Annie, having equipped it with a BBT drive, which makes it a much better runner than the Uintah. I don't think I will take the risk. My best choice would probably be to try to add a second engine to the Mallet, if I can find one.

 

[stockers]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

The 23881 Uintah mallet should have two motors - if yours has one you have been done!
Check this link - http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...6sDABg&usg=AFQjCNHnSzOIZ-uWQX__cdvSv9KBUXFTCA

 

[bunnyrabbit03]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Yes, Alan is absolutely correct. Look here (page 42):

http://medienpdb.maerklin.de/pdf/lgb_neuheitenkat.pdf < Link To http://medienpdb.maerklin...f/lgb_neuheitenkat.pdf

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Hi Morvan
to be told that you have been done is a little harsh even if you have. Old and new version do have two motors, one in each block. Can you just 'push' the running gear around by hand on one of the 'blocks'?

 

[Montblanc]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Alan, you seem to be right!
I was mislead by a description on another mail order site :
http://www.lespetitstrains.com/php/...SION=XRFF8425&ID_CATEGORY=361&ID_PRODUCT=2735 < Link To http://www.lespetitstrain...61&ID_PRODUCT=2735
Anyhow, I am surprised that I have to place the throttle very high, not far from top power, to get the same speed as my Bachmann Annie or even my LGB Mogul. This conforted me in the idea that there was only one motor.
This lok is brand new, I purchased it myself in a hobby store in Lyon. Someday, I will open it up, just to make sure.

Jean-Pierre

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

This lok is brand new, I purchased it myself in a hobby store in Lyon. Someday, I will open it up, just to make sure.

Jean-Pierre

Just check if you can move the running motion by hand. If one block doesn't move whereas the other does, then you have a missing motor. If both block motions cannot be moved by hand then you have a motor in each block!

 

[Montblanc]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Of course! Silly of me? and the answer is: two motors! Tks a lot.

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

No probs!
I too have a uintah and also a sumpter valley mallet. They both are now equiped with tyres to help them attack my heavy inclines.... BUT they are not the greatest pullers. The uintah one is the weakest of the two. I may put more weight in the uintah side tanks but I do not want to put too much strain on the motor blocks.
Unfortunately they are too slow at any speed setting to use my newly motorised stock cars!

 

[Montblanc]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Yes, the Uintah is definitely slow? I confort myself with the idea that the prototypes were probably not very fast either

 

[stockers]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

That is probably correct. The Mallets are geared fairly low - should be better for pulling but obviously, no top speed. as you say - like the originals. Adding weight to LGB should not be a problem. So long as they still slip before the motors/gears stall you should be OK. Having said that, I would have thought they should pull pretty well anyway.