| Author |
 Topic  |
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
 Posted - 04/01/2012 : 11:01:25 PM
|
Hi all,
I will be posting my progress on the current challenge build here.
As I noted on the other page, I have opted to try and use an HO Bachmann trolley drive mechanism to power a 1934 Ford-bodied rail truck. This is a styrene and die-cast 1/43 friction drive 'toy' wrecker truck from my collection.
The reliable old side valve 75hp flat-head V8 should give the illusion of enough grunt to operate efficiently...
Here are the major components.
The Bachmann HO drive mech. The wheels measure out at 14" diameter, and the wheelbase is 3' 5" which is probably a bit small, but once again, I have not enough spare cash to purchase a new Black Bug, Black Beetle or similar, so I am again, using what I already have on hand...
A bit of surgery to the firewall, in order to accommodate the Bachmann mech.
Here I have performed the necessary chassis-ectomy.
The cab sits pretty nicely, eh?
Now, complete with bonnet (hood) and radiator....
I have just extended the chassis with some styrene profiles, tried the modified seat, and the cow catcher for fit, and located a figure that will probably suffice as a driver - after a bit more surgery!
My initial cut and shut seemed to be very inspiring, and looked like the rest of the 'bash was going to be a breeze; but as the bloke said about the best-laid plans of mice and men.......[:-banghead]
More tomorrow.
Thank you,
John.
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
desertdrover
Engineer
USA
11261 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 09:38:57 AM
|
I had posted this in the other thread.
Hey John, don't give up yet. The front truck most surely has to pivot to make it work and take the turns. Just try to raise the vehicle to where the front truck has room to pivot, and build the rest around that height.
If you are going to have the drive unit in the front you will need to have the rear wheels pivot.
Why can't you place the drive unit in the rear, and a pivot truck up front?
|
 Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
 |
|
|
BigLars
Fireman
USA
7363 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 10:33:54 AM
|
| Who said you need a back to the truck? Shorten it up and put a coupler on the back and add a small 14 foot flat car. |
|
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 6:31:14 PM
|
Hi Louis and Larry,
Thanks for the input, guys.
Louis, I can't lower the drive mech. (to allow it to pivot) by enough to clear the chassis level. The mech is quite high, compared with its length.
Larry, a "short-ee" is another possibility...
Thanks for the suggestion.
John
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 6:58:40 PM
|
Hello again,
Progress update:
I have over-sprayed the beautiful gloss black finish of the '34 Ford with a matt red oxide primer undercoat.
This will have two distinct advantages...
1) It will make it easier to see, and therefore more distinct to photograph,
2) It will also provide a base coat for the 'chipped paint' effect that I intend to add...
Here you can see the interim rear axle bearings, cut from a couple of pieces of sheet styrene. They are only a test, in order to estimate the correct height that I shall have to build the correct ones. I want to build and use the original-style Hotchkiss drive, even if it is only a dummy.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A bit of a think overnight, and in the wee small hours, I finally hit upon an idea that just might work![:-idea]
I occurred to me that I could make the whole Rail Truck as an un-powered vehicle, and add a trailer, which will contain the drive unit.
This could be permanently attached to the rear of the 'Truck and be able to supply the motive power to the whole unit...pushing it along the track!
Thinking, thinking, thinking....[:-glasses]
John
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
|
desertdrover
Engineer
USA
11261 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 8:07:34 PM
|
John, what I meant was why can't you raise it up to fit a standard pivoting truck under the front of your truck, and move the drive unit into the back with a box or other items covering it? I under stand that there is no way it would look right with the drive lifting the whole truck up that high.
And, then there is you own suggestion, where you can have the truck pushed by a drive unit in another type of rolling stock. That would work. |
Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
|
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 8:41:41 PM
|
Hi there Louis,
I agree that your moving the drive unit to the rear has merit, and I even tried it out as a test yesterday.
The 'Truck looked a little bit weird with the tiny tandem drive on the front, as well as on rear, and it was hard to visualize it with a prop-shaft drive from a three-speed gearbox.
I really wanted to revert to a large-wheeled single drive axle, which would be more prototypical - even if the 'Truck itself is not following any particular prototype.
Thank you for your suggestion.
John
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
|
visman48
Fireman
USA
4481 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2012 : 9:03:18 PM
|
I was holding off comment to see where this would go, the later comments seem to go the way I was thinking. Mount the motor unit in the slot in the rear if possible, at least thats where I would mount it. Then do a smaller dual wheel mount for the front. You could then build the bed flat with a load, tools and junk to hide the mech.
Les |
|
|
|
andykins
Fireman
United Kingdom
3873 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 08:29:29 AM
|
i have to admit, i like two of the ideas.
one, put the drive in the back, and smaller truck on the front.
the other, make it dummy, and have something pushing it.
that aside, ahhhh i can see the truck now :P glossy black is a pain to photograph, another method is to strip the paint work off, these diecasts have ALOT of detail often covered by thick paint and glossy coatings, that being said i left one diecast truck in some break fluid for over a week, and all i could get off was the "decal" printing on the sides..... grr
:D |
"Is it really "rivet counting" if it's regarding NBW castings?"
Unknown |
|
|
|
on30critter
New Hire
42 Posts |
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 6:31:25 PM
|
Hi blokes,
Thanks to Les, Andy and Mike.
Andy, I agree with your comment that some of the die-cast paint jobs are very thick - and difficult to remove! I share your experiences with trying to strip them off....[:-banghead]
This one however, was not too bad, so I opted to just over-spray it.
Mike, thanks for the link. I have been following Louis' wonderful Rail Truck build. He is an excellent modeller...and I still find it hard to believe that he works in HO...[:-eyebrows]
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Following a small hiatus, due to ongoing family concerns, I can now move back to my own little 'bash for a time:
Time for some 'lateral' thinking....
Deciding to try making a (Water Gin) trailer to house the HO drive mech., I set about the task of chopping up a couple of 35mm film canisters...(Remember them???)
I then joined them, end-for-end, cut a slot to accommodate the drive mech., and after the adhesive set, I squashed them up slightly in the bench vice. I then cut a few lengths of Paddle Pop stick and secured them inside, in order to hold the ovoid shape.
Meanwhile, I set to work on the base. The timber floor is scribed sheet wood, and the risers are I-beam styrene.
Here, the frame is ready to paint and fit to the floor. The yellow thingie on the left is a piece of 2mm EVA foam, which will be painted, and fitted under the water tank. This should 'squash down' underneath the bottom edge of the tank, and simulate the wedge-shaped carrier.
Here, the tank has been wrapped with rivet-embossed 0.005" styrene. The unintentional 'wrinkle' finish is due to my overuse of solvent adhesive. It will aid in making a rough, rusty surface for my 'old' tank...
The ends have been cut from 0.020" styrene sheet.
The components of my "Water Tank" drive unit.
Building up the 'balloon' ends of the tank with Selley's Spakfilla Rapid.
The ready-to-test run Water Gin. The head of the 3mm screw that secures the tank to the drive unit will be covered with a filler hatch - later.
That's all for now, guys.
Will catch up again later.
I am currently trying to visualise the construction of the Hotchkiss drive for the (dummy) rear axle....[:-bigeyes]
John
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
|
desertdrover
Engineer
USA
11261 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 8:11:37 PM
|
Nice work with simple products at hand.
How did you get your rivets, do you have a rivet embossing machine, or does it come that way?
I tried an old sewing machine for that use once, but couldn't get the best results from it. |
Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
|
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
|
|
desertdrover
Engineer
USA
11261 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 8:49:28 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by anubis51
Hi again, Louis.
I use pounce wheels (as used by cloth machinists) to emboss rivet detail in thin styrene and card.
Here is a link to one source:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/grifhold-aluminum-pounce-wheels/
John
Thanks John. I have those for building craftsman wooden structures. Never thought of using them for styrene. What am I thinking? 
I guess it would work on the thinner sheets of styrene.
|
Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
Edited by - desertdrover on 04/04/2012 8:50:43 PM |
|
|
|
on30critter
New Hire
42 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 9:24:36 PM
|
| Wow, that Water Gin car is a great idea and you did a super job on the construction. I like the way you squashed the tank to make it look oval. What size are those I beams? |
|
|
|
anubis51
Crew Chief
Australia
932 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2012 : 9:42:21 PM
|
Hi there Mike,
Welcome to the "Dark Side" of freelance railway modelling...
Thanks for the compliment, but it's a long way from being finished yet. I have still to add tie-down straps, a ladder, brake hand wheels, a filler cap, some weathering, and some lettering. Oh yeah, and some couplers!
The good thing about a Water Gin is that it is just as happy behind a goods (freight) consist, a passenger car, or any other 'critter' that you can name.[:-bouncy]
The I-beam styrene is 3/16" or 4.8mm. I am currently using Evergreen, but Plastruct is just as good, as well as being a bit cheaper.
Always remember "Life Begins at On30!
(Maybe I should make that my profile signature....)
John
|
Time is the Gauge of Existence |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Critter / Railcar Challenge - My Rail Truck
