Whats the best way to mount central bogie on articulated coaches?

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody

 

I've just been informed that I have a set of Bill Bedford Gresley Articulated non corridor coaches on its way for me to build - As far as I can tell its sides only so I'll have to build underframes and was wondering how to mount the shared bogie?

 

I need to find out whether there are any tight radii it needs to go round but I'd like it to be as close coupled as possible (builders pride and all that) and thought about maybe using the excellent 2mm assic bogies.

 

So I was wondering:

a) how to create an articulated joint between coaches that will be reliable, unobtrusive to look at and strong enough to withstand exhibition use and my clumsy father...

B) if anyone could offer any pointers on the best way to mount the bogies onto a scratchbuilt underframe...

 

Hope someone can help

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[BernardTPM]

Being Gresley, the prototype would have the single pivot system, but whichever system you choose, you'll have to open the gap up.

[Mike J]

Hi Simon,

My N gauge Silver Jubilee set was made using a centre pivot mounted on the bogie. The coaches have a coupling arm that sits over the pivot, one above the other. I was (too) generous in making the gap 4mm, and with hindsight I could have (and might still do) closed this up slightly to 3mm. The train runs round 12" radius curves without any problem and has the between coach baffles the hide the articulation gaps.

Good luck with your project.

Mike

[66C]

Hi Simon

 

The Kemilway web site has downloadable copies of their instructions. These can be found at:

 

http://www.kemilway.com/kemilway-manual.html

 

The file you want for the articulated arrangements is bogie1_assembly_guide_for_gresley_bogies.pdf - the articulated pivot is shown on the last page.

 

The other documents are very useful for anyone building Gresley coaches as they contain very detailed drawings.

 

Regards.

[billbedford]

The original coaches had castings mounted in the centres of the inner headstock which were shaped like spherical cups. These were 'stacked' so that cup on one coach fitted into the cup on the other which in turn fitted into a spherical housing on the bogie bolster plank. The bogie pin passed through the middle of this arrangement to keep everything together.

 

On the model, perhaps the easiest way to arrange this connection is use fairly long strips on metal with a hole for the bogie pin at one end. If they are attached to underframe only at their inner ends, then they can be bent in a lazy 'Z' shape to adjust the ride hight of the two coaches.

[Guest stuartp]

Have a look at the workbench link in my sig - currently cluttering up the bench and generally doing my head in is an LMS triple. OK, it's OO but the principle is the same, it's single pivot and because there is no overhang and lateral displacement of the coach ends on curves it handles 2nd radius curves (17" or thereabouts) with almost scale separation. It's got bowed ends though which I presume the Gresleys don't have.

[Etched Pixels]

The closeness depends how clever you want to be. If your pivots are near the four corners of the shared bogie with a bar behind them and a spring pushing the bogie away from the end you'll get close coupling. On the straight the spring keeps the bogie back, on a curve the bogie twists and one of the four pivot points pushes against the bar and the bogie is pushed forward widening the gap.

 

There are some other ways to achieve the same effect as well.including a central pivot point on each coach which is a slot not a hole and a pair of guides on the coach floor into which a second upward prong from each half of the bogie fits.

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

Thank you for your help and suggestions on this - when the kits get sent sent down to me I'll see which is the most suitable to use and chart progress on a workbench topic

 

Thanks again

 

Simon

[jwealleans]

Can I offer this idea, for which I claim no credit - I read it in an article by Steve Banks.

 

This is a Quad-Art, running on ABS bogies. There's a 12BA bolt soldered to the bogie which sticks up through the centre. The coaches are then placed over this and a nut screwed down from the top (that's the fiddly bit). On the coaches there's a brass plate with a hole in it (goes over the bogie pivot) and a slot. There is a bolt through the coach floor which slides in the slot, allowing the gap betwen coaches to be adjusted. The bolt locates in a captive nut inside the coach. Photos probably explain it better than I can:

 

 

 

You'll notice that one connector has a washer soldered to it - that sets the ride height for both coaches. That one is also double thickness for part of its length (the part under the coach floor); this allows the other connection to sit on top of it and keep the coach floors level with each other.