Things to do with an 0-4-0 playmobile chassis

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green park

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I bought an 0-4-0 playmobile chassis from the bring and buy at the exeter show to knock up a quick electric loco for running at short notice when the kids are round. having limited previous success with motors and meccano gears, i was delighted to acquire this nice smooth, quiet, sorted chassis. first i built a box to screw it up into, then a cab and bonnet, all from scraps of mdf and ply. then i stuck on some cardboard panels and wire handles as i prefer a "cluttered / busy" look to my locos. not sure what voltage these motors should run on but it gives a nice speed when connected to a 9volt battery. heres a few pics of the build so far. ...martin
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Excellent work, was pondering what to do with the Playmobil block I had also acquired, mine is an ex RC one that runs on 6 Volts.

If you have a few moments, dimensions etc would be most helpful thanks.
 
You're right, they form a good basis for a bash. Here's what I've just done with the same chassis.
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Rik
 
They are very usful units - like your use of material to hand (a man after my own heart). It should be a really useful loco - looking forward to further postings.

I used two to make a generic Heisler loco - quite powerfull I think (pulled eleven items of bogie stock around my line without any problems.

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playmofire said:
Very neat custom there, Mick.
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I agree - an interesting model with some really good detailing. Looking forward to seeing it in its final livery.

Rik
 
wow, rik & mick, what superb scratchbuilding. extra wheels offer more possibilities clearly. had a run round with some wagons 2day and as walt said, they can be run on 16v, and i did think it was a bit too slow on the 9v battery, so may have to put in one of those small maplin 12v gel ones. i use one for my steam blower so will try it out. looks a bit grim in all black so might do it in green maybe. the hole in the front of the bonnet is for a white LED i have. will have to google it to find what battery / resistors it needs. i think they take more power than coloured ones dont they? am also playing around with some 555 IC chips to make an oscillator for some sound. not a real sampled sound, just a throbbing chug sort of noise. the loco is 10cm across, 20 long and 16 high arthur, probably Gauge 1 sort of size i suppose. heres 2days pic... thanx, martin..
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Very businesslike! Really looks the biz heading those open wagons.
What are the Maplin gel batteries you're referring to? I use the blue Li-ions from China, but I fear they may no longer be able to be sent by air mail

Rik
 
ge_rik said:
Very businesslike! Really looks the biz heading those open wagons.
What are the Maplin gel batteries you're referring to? I use the blue Li-ions from China, but I fear they may no longer be able to be sent by air mail

Rik
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I agree with Rik & Playmofire - have you got a colour scheme in mind? :thumbup: I would also be interested in the Maplin battery - have you got a cat. number? Meanwhile, keep posting your progress!
 
Nice one....
 
hi guys, the battery i use for my steam blower is the maplin 12V 1.3Ah SLAOrder Code: MM22Y and as you can see in the pic, it will fit this loco with room to spare. it can keep the blower running all afternoon so should run this loco for long enough. it does not say gel battery on the website, but i have been told thats what they are. they do them in different output powers, mine is the lowest at 1.3. the dimensions are on the spec page and i was told NOT to charge them from a car batt charger so i got the maplin one 12V Sealed Lead Acid Battery Charger 350mAProduct Code: LL30H. luckily i have a maplins in town so can peruse. also, they have increased in price since i bought mine about 4 yrs ago. i used one of these batts in a gauge1 hymek to pull six coaches no problem. would certainly buy again. found some nice dark green paint so may use that now i have finished sticking more bits of card all over it. ....martin
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Thanks Martin. I'll have a look at Maplin's site. Our nearest is a 135 mile round trip!
 
Thanks for the info Martin. It should certainly provide plenty of weight for adhesion but does require a fairly large and squarish body shape to house it. I'll bear it in mind for my next build, though I was thinking of going for one of the smaller Southwold Sharpies.

Rik
 
strangely enuf, we popped over to to avon valley railway today and there a couple of these shunter types there. a ruston hornsby and a barclay. ...martin
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green park said:
hi guys, the battery i use for my steam blower is the maplin 12V 1.3Ah SLAOrder Code: MM22Y and as you can see in the pic, it will fit this loco with room to spare. it can keep the blower running all afternoon so should run this loco for long enough. it does not say gel battery on the website, but i have been told thats what they are. they do them in different output powers, mine is the lowest at 1.3. the dimensions are on the spec page and i was told NOT to charge them from a car batt charger so i got the maplin one 12V Sealed Lead Acid Battery Charger 350mAProduct Code: LL30H. luckily i have a maplins in town so can peruse. also, they have increased in price since i bought mine about 4 yrs ago. i used one of these batts in a gauge1 hymek to pull six coaches no problem. would certainly buy again. found some nice dark green paint so may use that now i have finished sticking more bits of card all over it. ....martin
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How do you control the speed?
 
dan, i do not have any control over the speed at the moment, only the on / off switch. it trundles around so slowly its no problem to catch and stop. i do not need it to do any real shunting, but of course it would be nice to vary the speed. i had the slide switches mounted in the bonnet but they looked so ugly i have taken them out so might put a toggle switch in the cab with an extension on it to act as a forward / reverse lever. thanx...martin
 
well, thats probably as far as i am going with this loco for now. maybe cut up a cd case for some window perspex maybe a number or name and if my sound thing works, i might put it in later on. seems quite a humble effort compared with the amazing variations you guys have made from the basic chassis. nice to have something unique though isnt it. heres a few pics of her now... martin
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Very characterful - the livery adds the final touch.
Nice one!

Rik
 
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