motorising plastic kit prairie.

[Jeff Smith]

I did notice the slight bumps.  Perhaps a lower ratio g/b,  80:1 two stage like Branchline's Multibox?

[melmerby]

10 minutes ago, Jeff Smith said:

I did notice the slight bumps.  Perhaps a lower ratio g/b,  80:1 two stage like Branchline's Multibox?

It's already got a 2 stage Branchlines gearbox but it needs more speed, not less!

I think the motor is possibly not good/fast enough.

[5050]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

IMO The motor/gearbox combo could be better, the motor is hardly rotating at the speed in the video, there is a certain amount of cogging.
 

It's a Mashima 1220 (external brush, can motor), could do with being more powerful & higher revving.

I've found that Branchlines gearboxes with their metal gears, are more noisy than the equivalent High Level ones.  Saying that, the ones I have used work well, especially with a good running-in with a toothpaste/grease mixture, and have survived several years of start/stop shunting puzzle exhibition use.  I make them 'splittable' with brass or aluminium tube spacers and 10 (or 12?) BA nuts and bolts to enable the chassis to be taken apart during construction.  See here -

 

 

 

[33C]

On 07/02/2020 at 02:22, midlands said:

ah yes, but i'm not planning to use any plastic running gear or wheels, nor the plastic chassis, but rather mount the body on a complete and running donor chassis, from a cheap damaged rtr model perhaps, or another source?

Thanks for the pointer though I havent given up just yet .

Why bother making something you can buy RTR? Take the Prairie body, a Triang 2-6-2T or Jinty chassis, a bit of card and turn it into a 39XX. A lot easier and something completely different!

[hayfield]

7 hours ago, 33C said:

Why bother making something you can buy RTR? Take the Prairie body, a Triang 2-6-2T or Jinty chassis, a bit of card and turn it into a 39XX. A lot easier and something completely different!

 

There are many instances where the chassis on RTR locos are not up to the quality of the body

 

A clear example is my Mainline 57xx. A super Loco let down by an average chassis

 

I have one with a Comet chassis, Markit wheels, Buhlor motor and 2 stage gearbox. No contest between before and after. However when you use superior quality products you expect improvements

 

Granted I do sometimes wonder is it worth it on some conversions using lesser quality items 

 

On the other hand, I do agree with those who say why buy an expensive kit when there is a RTR body available made to a standard that will be hard to replicate, but if you enjoy building kits its a different equation

[melmerby]

9 hours ago, 33C said:

Why bother making something you can buy RTR? Take the Prairie body, a Triang 2-6-2T or Jinty chassis, a bit of card and turn it into a 39XX. A lot easier and something completely different!

Not sure how you arrive at a 39XX using any bits of a 61XX body?

By the time you have produced new tanks, new bunker, new cab & hacked the boiler about, there ain't much (anything?) left of the 61XX

 

 

 

[33C]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

Not sure how you arrive at a 39XX using any bits of a 61XX body?

By the time you have produced new tanks, new bunker, new cab & hacked the boiler about, there ain't much (anything?) left of the 61XX

 

 

 

Not going to be a scale model by any stretch of the imagination, but use wot u got to get wot you aint! Won't win any prizes but close enough is good enough for me!

[David_Belcher]

On 15/11/2020 at 10:29, hayfield said:

 

There are many instances where the chassis on RTR locos are not up to the quality of the body

 

A clear example is my Mainline 57xx. A super Loco let down by an average chassis

 

I have one with a Comet chassis, Markit wheels, Buhlor motor and 2 stage gearbox. No contest between before and after. However when you use superior quality products you expect improvements

 

Granted I do sometimes wonder is it worth it on some conversions using lesser quality items 

 

On the other hand, I do agree with those who say why buy an expensive kit when there is a RTR body available made to a standard that will be hard to replicate, but if you enjoy building kits its a different equation

Modifying RTR stuff and bashing/building kits is good fun and you do get the "I did that!" feeling of satisfaction. I have a thread on here about my Caprotti Black Five which ticks those very boxes. Plus, apart from 71000 I don't think *any* locos with that valve gear (ditto Lentz* & Reidinger for that matter) have ever been available off-the-shelf in 00 so kits and conversions are the only options?

 

David

 

*The Rovex D49 dropped a clanger here IIRC.

 

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, David_Belcher said:

Modifying RTR stuff and bashing/building kits is good fun and you do get the "I did that!" feeling of satisfaction. I have a thread on here about my Caprotti Black Five which ticks those very boxes. Plus, apart from 71000 I don't think *any* locos with that valve gear (ditto Lentz* & Reidinger for that matter) have ever been available off-the-shelf in 00 so kits and conversions are the only options?

 

David

 

*The Rovex D49 dropped a clanger here IIRC.

 

Gresley P2

Unfortunately Railroad design so not very authentic looking.

Edited November 21, 2020 by melmerby