Lorna Doomed...any tips??

[drt7uk]

At the end of my tether with my Hornby Dean Single, Lorna Doone. To overcome the terrible traction, I put bullfrog snot on the driving wheels (this version has no traction tyre to begin with). Initially this worked pretty well but it's not as good as an actual traction tyre, if anything it gives it too much grip which causes it to judder and be very noisy.

 

Has anyone else found a better solution? Have you found a way to add weight to it?

 

Or should I just hope that someone does a decent retooling soon. Rapido's incredible Stirling Single shows how it can be done, i.e. with a lot of diecast.

 

I'm not after miracles, just to pull 4 coaches (weights removed) up a modest incline!

 

Thank you

Edited July 5, 2023 by drt7uk

[PeterStiles]

Mine sits in a display cabinet to make my wife (named after the book) smile. That's worth the money it cost.

[K Hatton]

I wonder if DCC concepts powerbase system may help you with this? 

 

I've never used it myself so can't comment on how "good" it is but it seems the kind of thing that would give your engine that extra grip you are looking for. 

[Pete Haitch]

I came across one that had been fitted with a tender drive with all axles connected to same gear-train.  Tender top and coal-load were a little on the high side to provide room.

[MikeParkin65]

Didnt the Tri-ang original have 'Magnesion' fitted? :)

[Flying Pig]

5 hours ago, drt7uk said:

Have you found a way to add weight to it?

 

 

Is there anywhere in the body to add weight?  Weight in the smokebox could be balanced by the method of a weighted tender leaning on the loco-tender coupling (the design of the coupling seems to be amenable to that with a bit of packing).  The only slightly complicated part of this is that the front two axles of the tender have to be given enough up and down movement that they don't carry any of the weight.  That could be done by modifying the outside bearings or by mounting the axles on a loosely fitted truck with inside bearings (it wouldn't need to be very sophisticated).

[adb968008]

14 hours ago, K Hatton said:

I wonder if DCC concepts powerbase system may help you with this? 

 

I've never used it myself so can't comment on how "good" it is but it seems the kind of thing that would give your engine that extra grip you are looking for. 

I found the juice wasnt worth the squeeze when I tried that system.

 

it works in theory, but its a lot of effort in track modification for a handful of locos, and a lot of effort if you have a lot of locos.

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by adb968008

[GWR-fan]

While perhaps not simple solutions,  either replace the driving wheels with a traction tyre fitted set or as seen in a You-tube video,  run the loco with a Bachmann "City" class loco and many, many coaches may be hauled.

[33C]

Or, bin it and get a proper Triang one.

 

(or just change the chassis to a Triang one. Take out the magnadhesion magnet, which causes drag, and replace it with a nice block of lead. Works a treat!)

[Phatbob]

Get a powered coach chassis from Replica Railways (http://www.replicarailways.co.uk/menusep4/menuchass) and make up a powered coach to run behind the loco.  I have a powered BG and it'll drag anything!

[drt7uk]

Thanks folks, good tips! I'm going to try changing the plastic wheels on the coaches to metal ones and seeing if this helps fix the issue, before I modify the loco itself

[melmerby]

23 hours ago, 33C said:

Take out the magnadhesion magnet, which causes drag

Only has an effect on steel track.

In essence it's the same as the DCC Concepts Power Base.

[GeraldH]

I have read elsewhere on the forum that steel rail has a higher coefficient of friction than nickel silver?  Would replacing the track on the gradient with steel rail help? I'd be interested to know as I have some pretty ferocious gradients on the BNR.

[adb968008]

9 hours ago, GeraldH said:

I have read elsewhere on the forum that steel rail has a higher coefficient of friction than nickel silver?  Would replacing the track on the gradient with steel rail help? I'd be interested to know as I have some pretty ferocious gradients on the BNR.

I have some silly gradients to, I “roughed up” a section of nickel silver track with a file, it added about 1 coach to an average train, so it was noticeable… but so is the sound !

Weight in the loco works, 10g 20g self adhesive car wheel balance weights from ebay will help. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by adb968008