1:43 radio Controlled Traction Engine

[Giles]

Hi, I'm new here, and although I certainly can't match the craftsmanship demonstrated in many of the posts here, some may find interest in a few of the things I've built.

About ten years ago, I started converting 7mm scale lorries to radio control - not because I'm particularly 'in to it', but because I have a thing about moving trains and static, non-working vehicles. My idea of a railway is one where the whole enterprise works together - or as much of it as possible! The lorries were intended to move as realistically as possible, with three-point suspension, and good slow-speed characteristics so as to aesthetically blend in as much as they could.

Anyway, the conversions were very successful, and I'm glad to say that other people have started creating their own as well.

I recently thought I would try something a little different, just to see how viable it would be, and bought a white-metal kit for a small traction engine, with a view to doing a conversion. This would involve not only making the wheels go round, but also driving the the motion - so making a working crank-shaft, con rod, eccentrics etc..... Also, because it would need to work on an exhibition layout (Denton Brook) it would need to operate for a full day on one charge (or as near as I could manage, at any rate).

This is the result. It is driven from a 5v 150rpm motor, 10mm x 22mm, mounted transversly in the firebox. All the gears are laser cut from acrylic, and the motion is silver-soldered construction. The wheels are the originl white metal castings, machined up, and with neoprene tyres glued on.

The Lipo battery is mounted under the canopy.

TE1 by giles favell, on Flickr

Video here:
http://youtu.be/a6ofQC2ASCo

[Design-HSB]

Welcome Giles,

successful model and also the function I like very much.

[Hauk]

Hi, I'm new here, and although I certainly can't match the craftsmanship demonstrated in many of the posts here, some may find interest in a few of the things I've built.

Welcome, Giles!
I have with great interest followed your radio control projects on RMWeb and thtough the pages of difenrent magazines.

Fascinating and inspiring stuff, and I look forward to you posts here!

[Chuck Doan]

That is just wonderful! Beautifully made.

[Ray Dunakin]

Very cool! Excellent work!

[SandiaPaul]

Wow this is very cool, an excellent model!

[finescalerr]

Has everyone seen the video? If not, watch how the model operates by R/C. -- Russ

[TRAINS1941]

Beautiful model.  Love the video that is really cool!!

Jerry

[Design-HSB]

After i got the inspiration for my Cakebox model on the RM web, I had already seen other contributions from Giles. Here is a link about the great construction of his model, in the RM web.

[Giles]

Thank you folks - it's been a fun one to do!

I shall build another one at some stage, incorporating what I've learned on this one - and to that end, I've been experimenting with differentials. I've built two different types, just to see how they went, and how viable they were.
The smaller one is a cluster of four bevel gears (Mod 0.3) and this has an overall size of just over 13mm x 8mm, and the larger one is a spur gear type (also Mod 0.3 gears) with a cage size of 7.3 x 18.3mm diameter. Both work well, but the spur gear type was more trouble to make, and not quite as thin as I should have liked.


Differentials 1 and 2 by giles favell, on Flickr


Differential 2 by giles favell, on Flickr

[finescalerr]

Your photos are linked rather than uploaded to this site. Eventually those links will break and the thread will have no photos and that will frustrate thousands of people. Please upload rather than link your photos. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Wow, nice work!