Entry posted by halfwit
1,431 views
I've made up the High Level 'Rustler' gearboxes for these two locos. They are etched in nickel silver and come complete with 2mm axle material, brass bearings and plastic spur gears and a brass worm. Instructions cover two sides of A4, including some very clear exploded diagrams. Reduction is 97:1.
The gearbox is made up of two main parts, the main part that holds the motor and a swing arm that transmits power to the rear axle.
Here is the main part, in the flat on the left, and folded on the right;
Note that on both parts the brass bearings have been soldered in place and filed flat on the inside edges, and also the strengthening wire (which needs a trim) running across the folded frame. All folds were formed with flat nosed pliers and are strengthened with solder.
The swing arms;
Again the bearings are soldered in place before bending. The spacer plate can be seen in place on the right hand part.
Both parts now with the gears fitted, when assembling note that there are two 18t gears that are interference fit, these are fitted later onto the axles;
The right hand gearbox has been treated with Birchwood Casey Super Blue and will be fitted to my own loco, partly as an experiment to see if I like it and partly because I may finish it with an open cab. The swingarm has also been attached to the main body, the pin to do this can be seen on the left hand side next to the second stage gear.
The pin is made up from the 2mm axle material supplied and a etched washer. To solder the washer to the axle I first drilled a 2.1mm hole in a piece of wood using a bench drill to ensure squareness;
Then used a smear of Powerflow flux and some 188 solder to make the joint. (Liquid flux might have seeped down and tarnished the axle). The axle was made overlength and trimed afterwards.
Some usefull tools;
The X-Acto square is light and accurate.
The tapered ream came from Squires. Its not the ideal tool for opening out accurate holes in etches, the taper is a little to great, but as long as your carefull and work from both sides it works well.
The small countersink is a leftover from my machine shop days and is great for deburring.
Next up will be the inner frames, when you can see just how the compensation system works.
Paul.
-
5
-
1
3 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now