Rockery Ridge in the snow

[Richie]

Thats just what i want to build Mike the USAT model does look very nice but i could never understand why they didn't add a tender and a flangger under the bodie the price has also put me off more than a loco . The idea i have is to get a Bachmann boxcar kit a Bachmann Annie tender clad the box car in wood and have ago using an old fan out a computer for the rotar .

 

[Richie]

Basically the USAT rotary is a bit of a bodge up just being a maintenance of way boxcar with a fan glue on the front. The fan blades look very good but really they need to be fixed to a proper scatch built body with a tender behind. It is supposed to be a steam snow plough but there is no evidence of a steam engine inside the boxcar - no smoke stack or firebox etc. It wouldn't be hard to make a much better model using the USAT fan bits.

Steve do you know if USAT sell the fan parts as spares ?

 

[beavercreek]

Yeah...if it had not been for the extremely good deal that I got then the price would have sent me off as well.
I am converting a tender to go with it which will also have another motor block inside it for more ooomph!
The computer fan will not be powerful enough...take my word for it...I had to upgrade the USAT motor as it it did not have enough 'torques' (as Clarkson would say). I used a pitman that was about the same size as the USAT one but much beefier but not more speedy.
You will also find, maybe, that the number and angle of the fan blades has a lot to do with the snow shifting ability more smaller blades is better.

 

[beavercreek]

Richie
Apparently the fan bits are available but you might have a long wait!!!!!

 

[Richie]

Richie
Apparently the fan bits are available but you might have a long wait!!!!!

Cheers Mike will try and look into getting the Rotar from USAT , Had a feeling the computer fan wouldn't be powerful enougth i do have an old Bachmann loco motor this might do .

 

[Richie]

How do you get on with the Aristo Mikado Richie? I bought mine about 4 years(ish) ago and had to rewire it, direct shorts. I contacted Aristo and they said they'd had a production problem and would have done it for me but the postage would have been way high. I'm left with 2 of the 4 control switches working, power on/off and the smoke fan. I don't run it that much but it is quite a good loco, I like the smoke it pumps out.
Cheers,
Kim

Hi Kim
Funny you should ask that when i got my loco about 3 years ago i couldn't get it to run when i set all the switches in the right position , but found when i changed the switch from track power to battery power the loco worked had been wired up wrong in the factory ( Got the loco cheap off E Bay so wasn't sure if it was a factory second ) got my self one of the sound tenders to go with the loco but the steam sound and bell were awful so have now fitted a DALLEE sound board . The loco it self runs really well on my line which has 8ft dia curves i do find on some corners the front pony truck rides at an angle and that the flange knocks the shoes on the sleepers which justs happens to be Aristo track .
Cheers Richie