Railbus Project

[trammayo]

Recent threads on this type of rail vehicle, prompted me to look at my own efforts some five years ago.

Before I took a look at railways a little further west than Ireland, I was inspired by the TV series ?Down the Line?. Indeed, I still have a yearning to build a model of the Gulflander but it was another motor that took my fancy back in 2005. It was an AEC based railbus with charabanc style seating with doors to each row. Mine is central gangwayed with rear platform.

Mine incorporates a Donegal ?look? pulling a coach and parcels van, with an air of antiquity sported by the prototype ? and all painted for my emerging railway!

Early in 2006, I mocked up a full-colour drawing in Word, using mainly Autoshapes. (Pic. below)

I built a basic ladder chassis from stripwood and ply having decided I could make the rear wheelset from flat mild steel bar (hole saw to cut out the discs, bolt through the middle and turn in the lathe).

Drive was to be worm and wheel (cheap set of plastic gears from Always Hobbies) and a Como motor from the same source.

I also decided that the body would be relatively easy to separate from the chassis so I built a simple plywood floor on which to build it on.

The body is built from Obechi Ply, balsa, stripwood and card.

Once I had turned the 40mm diameter to the desired profile, I removed the mounting bolt an drove in a piece of nylon to provide the insulation and then ?chucked? the wheel(s) to bore out for a 3mm axle (Piano wire). One wheel was forced onto the axle then mounted in a simple carrier made from scrap Perspex and a piece of wood as a spacer. As the axle was pushed through, the gear wheel was driven on and then the opposite wheel.

and .......

 

[trammayo]

..... I didn?t want the motor mounted vertically but because of the large diameter gear wheel I had to mount it through the chassis. So that took care of the drive, now to the bogie. I realised that plated wheels were far better conductors that a mild steel version so I ordered a set of Bachmann 25mm ones. The bogie is simply made up from scrap Perspex (old number plate) ? axle boxes glued on and the bolster bolted to the side frames. Being plastic meant it was all insulated so the bolts provided a suitable mounting/wiring point for the contact strips.

The chassis and underside of the floor were painted before assembly. As a rolling chassis it was given a few turns around the garden to prove its capabilities. I secured the floor to the frame and then commenced to build the body.

It does have seats and the cab is fitted out and, my only regret is not having passengers and driver! If I had had internet access then, or knew about Garden Rail, then things might have been a little different! As it was, I added a few embellishments around the engine compartment.

Brass wire was used for handrails and cab door handles etc. Signwriting is WordArt printed on a lightweight photopaper, glued on and varnished in situ.

 

[trammayo]

The parcels van is a simple box with my home cast W irons and the remaining pair of 25mm wheelsets. The three-compartment coach is two-axle and all are couple using link and pin.

Below - first time out - on my first portable (outdoor) layout.

Mick

 

[trammayo]

Oh - the bits around the engine compartment were inspired by oft quoted (alledgedly) engine driver on the West Clare after a (another) derailment - "Off again, on again, gone again - Finnegan" - or so the story goes!

Mick

 

[Rhinochugger]

.............. oft quoted (alledgedly) engine driver on the West Clare after a (another) derailment - "Off again, on again, gone again - Finnegan"

In the days of the Telegram, when the art of communication was, as my English teacher frequently reminded me, to be 'precise, concise and succinct'.

 

[whatlep]

Fantastic models!

 

[adeshers]

Excellent build Mick - did it run as well as it looks?

 

[trammayo]

Thanks for comments.

Ade - in answer to your question - No! The bogie wheels sometimes skid because there's too much friction from contacts and the worm wheel tends to migrate to one side (still in mesh). It growls a little but that a bonus sound

Mick

 

[gregh]

That's a great model. The 4 wheel van really adds to the atmosphere too.
Thanks for the detailed description of the build.
Throw the pickups away and put a few AA cells under the floor and it will run perfectly.

 

[trammayo]

Thanks Greg.

Yes, you're right about ditching the track pick-up! I've done that once with another model I made (although I can substitute a track pick-up box van or a battery carrying truck).
The reason for that was my use of auminium for the loco wheels. It was a case of frustration - wanted steel bar stock to make wheels, rang stockist's - yes we have plenty of 40mm bright - made 50 mile round trip and none in stock! Got the ali from UK (weight saving idea:thumbdown

All I need to do is put a socket on the tail end and put the batteries in the box van.

Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees! I have always concentrated on track power (up to now!). Watch this space - cheers Greg.

Mick

 

[tramcar trev]

Here is a rather unique prototype to model "steam rail motor No1" aka the Coffee Pot..... not sure of its exact status as we speak it was up for major overhaul. Runs on the Pitchi Richi Railway.... sort of outback south Australia...

 

[trammayo]

Nice pic Trev - shades of Lancashire & Yorkshire - dinky motive power!

 

[Rhinochugger]

There's just been a review of an 0n30 version in one of the mags.

 

[gregh]

Here is a rather unique prototype to model "steam rail motor No1" aka the Coffee Pot..... not sure of its exact status as we speak it was up for major overhaul. Runs on the Pitchi Richi Railway.... sort of outback south Australia...

I've always wanted to build one. I think the easiest way would be to use a power block for the back bogie and freewheel under the 'loco'. Sould be able to get RC stuff under the carriage and batteries under the seats. Maybe a little speaker in the boiler.
Anyhow dream on........

 

[tramcar trev]

Here is a rather unique prototype to model "steam rail motor No1" aka the Coffee Pot..... not sure of its exact status as we speak it was up for major overhaul. Runs on the Pitchi Richi Railway.... sort of outback south Australia...

I've always wanted to build one. I think the easiest way would be to use a power block for the back bogie and freewheel under the 'loco'. Sould be able to get RC stuff under the carriage and batteries under the seats. Maybe a little speaker in the boiler.
Anyhow dream on........

I have seen a 5" live steam model and it was rather nice.... The Pitchi Richi guys I'm sure would help out with drawings etc....

 

[themole]

There was one of those steam railmotors running in South West (Namibia) in the early 1900's. Alyn

 

[whatlep]

There's just been a review of an 0n30 version in one of the mags.

Railway Modeller. February issue I think. Looked like a very neat little model.

 

[trammayo]

That's a great model. The 4 wheel van really adds to the atmosphere too.
Thanks for the detailed description of the build.
Throw the pickups away and put a few AA cells under the floor and it will run perfectly.

Well, I've done just that! I bought four of the cheap motor/worm drive/axle units intending to make some small battery powered items. I tried the existing motor on four AA cells and it was somewhat underpowered.

The wheels are 40mm in diameter (home made) but, as they were fitted to a 3mm axle and the new motor units had 3mm axles, I decided to find out if they'd work in my railbus.

I stripped the body off the chassis, removed the motor and axle, and set about altering the wheels. As made, they had a boss on the inside to stp them wobbling on the axle. I removed the bosses in the lathe and fitted some new nylon insulation in one wheel before drilling out to 3mm. Given the elastic nature of the nylon, the resultant hole actual makes a nice interference fit on the axle.

Mounting the new unit, I decided to place it at an angle of 45 degrees and this has given plenty of clearance. I tried 6 volts and the bare chassis went quite fast so I had a go with just two cells. The resultant speed seemed OK so I re-assembled everything (having previousley removed the wires and pick-ups from the bogie.

The battery box with combined F/R switch is ex Meccanno. I can nicely get my finger underneath without lifting the railbus completely off the track. When I get round to it I'll put a switch in a more convenient place.

I retested it and found that it was binding on the odd R1 curve so I pressed the wheels nearer together and this solved the problem. It will pull the coach (as in the following pics) but, as there was a broken coupling on the coach and the parcels van, I wasn't able to run all three. It will mount my 1 in 30 gradient (trestle section) by itself OK but with the coach behind it slows it down.

I suppose a purpose-built parcels van with speed control and four AA's might be better!

 

[mbiff]

loverly model

 

[gregh]

Nicely done. Now sit back and watch it circulate. Nice pics of your line too.