Entry posted by MinerChris
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One of the reasons that is most off-putting for people to move to finescale is the additional job of replacing the wheels of RTR stock in order to get things running. Inevitably this leads to a back-log of items in the gloat box of things waiting for wheels, alongside all of the additional kits. So far I have used the conventional methods of replacing coach wheels with replacements, sending wheels off to Gordon for re-profiling and attempting to build a replacement chassis (with only partial success,) however there are situations that require some more elaborate thinking.
One of the problems with the track plan of St. Ruth, and even the real Penzance, is the lack of crossovers to release Loco’s arriving from up country, or bringing empty coaching stock in from Long Rock depot or Ponsandane. To combat this in real life, exemptions were granted to propel stock up and down the line and to allow coaches to be gravitated into the platform.
Naturally we heavily rely on propelling in the schedule, but the addition of the new sea siding allows us to explore the other option. Several solutions were composed for this, including running a series of magnets in a channel beneath the base-board, but for now it was proposed to place a motor in a coach, and rely on a good knowledge of the location of section breaks, and the strength of the DG loop, to perform the operation.
The basis for the “gravity coach,” uses a combination of pieces from a Farish MK1 and one of the motorised bogies from the infamous parcels DMU, so called as there are several others using said DMU for similar, rather than the intended purpose. Initially the wheels of the DMU were replaced with drop in wheelsets, and a mock up tested to ensure that the whole train wouldn't buckle off the rails when run.
Initially the coupling arrangement was removed from one end of the MK1, in order to produce a flat floor for the DMU chassis to sit on. Then a suitably shaped hole was filed into the floor for the gears to fit through. Essentially the remainder of the work was filing the body and the chassis so that the two gave a good fit.
The MK1 bogie was reutilised, but with the addition of the pickups from the non-driving bogie of the DMU, and some suitable holes through the floor and interior for the fixed wires to pass through. These are connected to the chassis via a IC socket, and a new fixing fabricated from some PCB, which provides power to the motor via new wipers (isn’t DCC isolation wonderful?...) and with that, what must surely be the most complicated conversion of a MK1 is complete, for now.
All in all although temperamental, does produce the required effect. Certainly at the shows that we have utilized this, much amusement is caused behind the backscenes by moving the coaches a little, causing putners to say “I’m sure those coaches just moved on their own…”
The other unusual conversion just completed concerns the Dapol Class 22. From conversations on the VAG I believe that it is possible for the wheels supplied to be turned down, albeit presumably without thinning the wheels down due to the spoked wheels.
Instead of this, taking inspiration from Nigel Hunts Manor kit, I have turned pinpoints onto an extended axle driving wheel using a mini drill, and pushed these onto the existing muff. At the same time, these received a polish, in order to attempt to avoid the rusting which will affect electrical pickup.
This may seem daunting (especially considering the price of a wheel-set,) but the pinpoints in the bogies are fairly generous and shorter pins can be paired with longer pins to even the wheel set out to the required length.
As the wheels are 8mm compared to the required 7mm, the wheels are much more noticeable, and has the effect of lifting the loco up by 0.5mm, However when matching it up to a MK1, whilst noticeable, it is less so.
Whilst there are simpler methods of changing the wheel-depth, these are certainly more satisfying and at the very least are a means to an end.
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