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Treble-0-Lectric Baby Deltic


divibandit
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Hi all,

I'm a 00 modeller normally, but our club is refurbishing an old 2mm layout, in fact we have 2, and I'd like to contribute.

I have a Lone Star metal bodied loco (as above) that is missing it's chassis. 

Does anyone know if a proprietary chassis will fit or can be adapted? Or even if dummy bogies can b e had...they are similar to class 20 bogies.

 

Steve

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To motorise as simply as possible from RTr parts I suspect the combination of a Farish class 24 or 25 mechanism, 'dressed' with bogie frames from a Farish 20 (BR Lines for such spares) if you can stomach the four feet underlength distance between bogie centres.

 

If you don't know, the original mechanism was a horror. Imagine a double shafted XO4 style armature stretching from end to end of the body shell. Each axle separately driven by a rubber band over the motor shaft and (with a twist) around the axle. I believe this to have  been the UK's first RTR all axles driven twin bogie model of any sort. The reliability about on a par with the prototype... (Which the Lone Star employees could see and especially hear, when these locos deigned to work, from their factory alongside the ECML in Hatfield.)

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As an aside, when we moved to our previous house (30 years ago) we met the next door neighbours. The husband saw my 2mm stuff and said “ah OOO”. On further questioning, it appear he made the dies for the Lonestar plastic track.

 

Tim

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I would have thought the best chassis would have been a Dapol Class 73.

 

This has the correct Bogie centres and the bogie wheelbase is only 3" out or 0.5mm

 

This assumes the two are the same scale. As I recall wasn't 000 supposed to be 1:150?

 

You could always wait for the DJM Baby Deltic and use the chassis from that...

 

Chris

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The drive was inspired by Athearn's HiF drive (high friction?), derided in the magazines as "rubber band drive", but more reliable than a lot of expensive locos.

The worst change, to my view, was the open bottom on the bearings. If the rubber band gave out the axle would fall straight out.

 

Mine is still downstairs.

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The drive was inspired by Athearn's HiF drive (high friction?), derided in the magazines as "rubber band drive", but more reliable than a lot of expensive locos.

The worst change, to my view, was the open bottom on the bearings. If the rubber band gave out the axle would fall straight out.

 

Mine is still downstairs.

 

It wouldn't if you left it on the track!

 

Stewart

Edited by stewartingram
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Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your informative replies.

I did have the chassis many years ago but alas that has long disappeared. I remember the drive mechanism and it's split axle pick-ups and drive bands.

Argos, that CLAG website is very useful...thanks.

As far as waiting for hell to freeze over, it will take about 14 years according to The Eagles!

 

Thank you all again for your advice.

Steve

 

ps, I have a Kirdon Electric LMS1000 which has two pulleys, one on the motor shaft and the other on the gear shaft driving the wheels. There was a Mamod type spring band between the 2 but when that gave out eventually a friend suggested using 0-rings and it works perfectly which brings us back to Lone Star's drive mech again.  

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I would have thought the best chassis would have been a Dapol Class 73.

 

This has the correct Bogie centres and the bogie wheelbase is only 3" out or 0.5mm...

Better choice in that respect, but there's a potential fit issue because the 73 body is essentially a simple cuboid, while the 23 has the nose end style common to EE designs. So that would need checking out as a potential impediment to a fit.

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Hi all,

I'm a 00 modeller normally, but our club is refurbishing an old 2mm layout, in fact we have 2, and I'd like to contribute.

I have a Lone Star metal bodied loco (as above) that is missing it's chassis. 

Does anyone know if a proprietary chassis will fit or can be adapted? Or even if dummy bogies can b e had...they are similar to class 20 bogies.

 

Steve

 

You'll need to do some work to the body as the original chassis formed the bottom section of the body. So you'll need to extend the sides downwards and also provide the buffer housings on the nose ends.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lemoncat1/2290275642

 

As a period piece, they have a certain charm.  Reasonable ones regularly turn up on ebay and that's where I would start.  Drive bands are 1/8" wide slices of 1/2" diameter neoprene tube.  Beware though, the motors do lose magnetism, the symptom of this is running very hot.  In good condition, they will scoot around a Lone Star layout at a fair old rate of knots but don't expect slow running.

 

 

http://www.lone-star-diecast-bk.com/OpenDay.html

 

If you want a scale model of a Baby Deltic, resin castings are available which do look quite decent and the body could sit on a modified N gauge chassis.

 

If you want a working replica of a Lone Star diesel which will function without too much TLC, I would be inclined to mount the Lone Star bogie frames on the guts of an N gauge loco, something like the old Minitrix Class 27.

 

In the early days of 2mm Finescale, people did reprofile the Lone Star wheels to finescale standards but the smaller flanges didn't resist the sideways pull of the belt drive so converted locos were found to be prone to derailments.

 

Overall, the quality of the product is impressive. Lone Star items don't seem affected by the "mazak pest" so survive very well. The locos are held together by proper brass screws. The belt drive was chosen as it was a pragmatic solution to sourcing a range of gears and then having specialist workers assembling them. Lone Star (a.k.a. DCMT) were primarily a toy manufacturer.

 

2017 saw the 60th anniversary of the launch of the "Lone Star Locos" range. Possibly the first comprehensive 2mm system with digital control. Up to ten channels were available...

 

The motorised OOO "Treble-O-Lectric" range came along in 1960.

 

Mark

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The drive was inspired by Athearn's HiF drive (high friction?), derided in the magazines as "rubber band drive", but more reliable than a lot of expensive locos.

The worst change, to my view, was the open bottom on the bearings. If the rubber band gave out the axle would fall straight out.

 

Mine is still downstairs.

A friend used "rubber band drive" in several scratchbuilt  models of the Irish A Class diesels during the late 60s early 70s.

 

The locos were fast and had good traction by the standards of the time with all axles driven. From memory the frames and bogies were scratchbuilt in brass though may have used Athearn axles bearings and drive components.

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To motorise as simply as possible from RTr parts I suspect the combination of a Farish class 24 or 25 mechanism, 'dressed' with bogie frames from a Farish 20 (BR Lines for such spares) if you can stomach the four feet underlength distance between bogie centres.

 

I would have thought the best chassis would have been a Dapol Class 73.

 This has the correct Bogie centres and the bogie wheelbase is only 3" out or 0.5mm

 

The Derby type 2 (24) is accurate 2mm scale for length, but I think you'll find that the Baby Deltic is the same length so is slightly shorter than it should be, so fitting an accurate chassis even to 2mm scale may not work. Accurate to :148 scale would be even further out.

 

This assumes the two are the same scale. As I recall wasn't 000 supposed to be 1:150?

Nominally 2mm - 1ft, 1:152 though a lot was half-size copies of 00 R-T-R, though the electric powered locos were all-new tooling and design. The Japanese use 1:150 scale for 3' 6" and metre gauge prototypes.

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I think Lone Star had a certain way with publicity. The Treble-O-Lectric brochure is a good example. It's got a very modernistic feel, fitting in with the optimistic nature of the time.

 

And it only cost tuppence!   "Dad, can I have one of these trainsets, they're only small..."

 

post-7249-0-75344300-1520070364.jpg

 

post-7249-0-99661400-1520070399_thumb.jpg

 

post-7249-0-75184000-1520070406_thumb.jpg

 

post-7249-0-58072700-1520070394_thumb.jpg

 

Mark

 

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I think Lone Star had a certain way with publicity. The Treble-O-Lectric brochure is a good example. It's got a very modernistic feel, fitting in with the optimistic nature of the time.

 

And it only cost tuppence!   "Dad, can I have one of these trainsets, they're only small..."

 

attachicon.giftreble-o-lectric leaflet page 1.jpg

 

attachicon.giftreble-o-lectric2a.jpg

 

attachicon.giftreble-o-lectric3a.jpg

 

attachicon.giftreble-o-lectric4a.jpg

 

Mark

 

They really did copy everything from Triang. Couplings, coaches too short for no reason, ...

 

I turned up some of these in a box during a tidyup last night. Cute to see, but really, motorising the Baby Deltic? Naah.

 

Chris

Edited by Chris Higgs
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When I was kid I had a whole push along Lone Star  system .I suddenly had a dream that lone star made it electric .About a year later it all came true .Sadly I was into other things by then .Its the only premonition I have ever had so no wins on the National . :stinker:

Edited by alfsboy
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They really did copy everything from Triang. Couplings, coaches too short for no reason, ...

 

I turned up some of these in a box during a tidyup last night. Cute to see, but really, motorising the Baby Deltic? Naah.

 

Chris

 

I agree, best kept as an entertaining vintage trainset. Colin Allbright was talking about building a Lone Star layout. One of the plastic vac-formed layout bases is on ebay at present but it's a lot of money for something that will be quite fragile.

 

There is a resin body available for a Class 23 Baby Deltic. I've not seen it in the flesh.

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