hayfield Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 I managed to find on eBay a near complete GEM 00n3 Isle of Man no 11 "Maitland" loco less instructions and a coupling rod Please can anyone help me out with a copy of the instructions please The other thing is it comes with a whitemetal chassis which takes a Triang XT60 motor, I am a little concerned about the longevity of the chassis, any thoughts please Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierview Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 John Branchlines produce a replacement etched chassis for the old Gem IOM 2-4-0T kit. You might consider one of those with a decent modern motor and gearbox. Barry 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 I've got a spare XT60 if you want to keep it original. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 6 minutes ago, roythebus1 said: I've got a spare XT60 if you want to keep it original. roythebus1 Thank you very much for the offer, I have actually dug out an old one which has been upgraded with a 5 pole armature and a Romford worm gear, but the one thing that concerns me is the longevity of the whitemetal chassis which has no brass bearings. Had brass bearings been used I might have had a go. Thanks again, now I just need a set of instructions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Maybe bore the chassis out to take Romford bearings? :) Meanwhile, I recently found my K's Motorail bogies we spoke about a couple of years ago, along with some of the Motorail transfers if you're still interested. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 Yes please, PM me with details of how much you require Thanks john Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 (edited) I would check the chassis is "Square" i.e. Whether the axle holes are at right angles to the long axis of the chassis and in line with the horizontal axis. Just pop a wheel on an axle in the holes and see if the wheel hits squarely all round the hole and doesn't touch one side and leave a noticeable gap the other. Also pop a couple of long rods 1/8" probably, Knitting needles maybe, and check they are in line as you look end on. They should also be in line with the top and bottom of the chassis. If that's good I would use the White metal chassis. If not opening out the axle holes off centre to take 1/8 bearings might cure it. Might need mesh adjusting, but it should run nicely. A Brass chassis would be my next option. Buy an etched kit for side frame templates, make some decent frames of thick brass, (Re sell the etches) use nice square section spacers make it square and solid it will run for years if its square and well meshed. 3rd option can you use a proprietary chassis, re wheel and /or re drill the chassis to get the right wheelbase? Usually the most reliable option. 4th option, etched chassis. Ideal for a static model. Very few work well and those need a lot of maintenance, Its a cheap and nasty form of construction, akin to thick sheet plastic /Plasticard chassis (which is another left field option, just use BLACK plasticard so the paint doesn't flake off (Massive problem with etches and solid brass spacers screwed together). Edited June 25, 2023 by DCB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, DCB said: I would check the chassis is "Square" i.e. Whether the axle holes are at right angles to the long axis of the chassis and in line with the horizontal axis. Just pop a wheel on an axle in the holes and see if the wheel hits squarely all round the hole and doesn't touch one side and leave a noticeable gap the other. Also pop a couple of long rods 1/8" probably, Knitting needles maybe, and check they are in line as you look end on. They should also be in line with the top and bottom of the chassis. If that's good I would use the White metal chassis. If not opening out the axle holes off centre to take 1/8 bearings might cure it. Might need mesh adjusting, but it should run nicely. A Brass chassis would be my next option. Buy an etched kit for side frame templates, make some decent frames of thick brass, (Re sell the etches) use nice square section spacers make it square and solid it will run for years if its square and well meshed. 3rd option can you use a proprietary chassis, re wheel and /or re drill the chassis to get the right wheelbase? Usually the most reliable option. 4th option, etched chassis. Ideal for a static model. Very few work well and those need a lot of maintenance, Its a cheap and nasty form of construction, akin to thick sheet plastic /Plasticard chassis (which is another left field option, just use BLACK plasticard so the paint doesn't flake off (Massive problem with etches and solid brass spacers screwed together). DCB Thank you for your input and we all have our favourite methods As you can see there are no brass bearings and using it as is, in my opinion is asking for trouble. The reason for a U shaped axle hole is the gear wheel is pushfitted to the axle Also the gap between the frames is very restrictive on motor mounts/gearboxes. As I said at worst I have an uprated 5 pole XT60, but do I want a model with a limited life expectancy ? I could fit brass bearings and get them square as I have a Hobby Holidays chassis jig, therefore I could solder in brass bearings squarely matched to the coupling rods, but I still may have meshing issues in the way the chassis is designed Using the older style brass bar type of chassis like the whitemetal reduces the option of using a gearbox/motor mount With the amount of complaints on this site over the quality/longevity of modern RTR chassis I would rather cobble together a whitemetal chassis I don't recognise the issues you state about etched chassis, in my experience its the opposite. I started replacing my K's brass bar chassis with Perseverance etched chassis years ago. As far as Branchlines chassis are concerned, I have built a few in 4mm scale and 0-16.5. They have been excellent I need to have a chat with Branchlines, certainly I will buy an etched chassis. They sell a chassis completion pack as well as a body detailing pack. As with this kit I have a set of Romford wheels, I also have a selection of motors, its the gearbox details that is important to me, I have two or three working Branchlines gearboxes and they are on a par with High Level gearboxes I do accept what you say about paint adhesion, but that goes with any type even plastic Thanks for your input but with an etched chassis I have a decent chassis building jig Edited June 25, 2023 by hayfield 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 5, 2023 Author Share Posted July 5, 2023 Thanks to Pierview alerting me to the Branchlines chassis A Branchlines chassis has arrived, . The chassis is very good value at still £25 plus postage (as it was in 2018) As it is I found the missing GEM coupling rod, so once I am happy with the chassis I will try and sell it I asked for the gearbox they used for the motorising pack 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 5, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 5, 2023 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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