Chris Higgs

There isn't any, as the gearbox is all attached to one frame of the loco and so is live to that side of the loco. That's why you get the cantilever gearbox affair on 2mm locos. The gears themselves are on an insulating muff with stub axles either end, so there is no connection between the two frames. Chris

Yes it is. It's the only sensible option for the Class 03, the 08 will take the 10mm Faulhaber/Maxon, although I don't mess around with those when doing test builds. Chris

And here are some shots of the Class 08 chassis. This has a three stage reduction giving a total of 50:1, driving onto centre or rear axle (or both). It can also be built with a two stage reduction onto the rear axle of 39:1. I was hoping that the use of the etched outside frames (not shown) would be optional, but it turns out the Association extended axles do not extend far enough to cope with the massively overwidth Bachmann offerings. So the etched will have to be used, and the bonus is that will produce a much higher quality result. Chris (actually the etched outside frame can be seen lurking top centre in the background)

Here is the next chassis, for the Bachmann BR 03 and 04 shunters. Both this and the Class 08 are now ready for production. Chris

One thing you should not expect an RSU to do is to create those solder fillets used to reinforce the inside of joints. I have found them to be generally quite useless in that regard.

Almost no time at all. As soon as it fizzes I take the power off. But of course it depends on the volume of metal being soldered how long it takes. Like Andy, I also use the Carrs 179 paste - the idea of temperature-graded soldering is a bit of a joke with an RSU as it heats up so quick. If you can buy/borrow some of this, I think this may be the solution to your problems.

My RSU is from the now defunct Dean Sidings- I think the owner's brother made them in his garage. It just has a three position switch with no indication of the voltage/current. I tend to use the highest setting, except on small parts which will be simply vapourised on that setting! Avoid any temptation to apply more and more heat if it is not working. I find that one way or another that only leads to trouble. Have you tried normal soldering with your paste to prove it is OK? I have no experience of Eileens, the Carrs costs an arm and a leg but it is well worth the money, and lasts for years in 2mm modelling. Perhaps you should also start with some larger pieces of metal before working on smaller detailing parts. Loads of people tell me an RSU is only useful for small detailing work but it is not so. I use my RSU for all my etched kit assembly and getting admiring comments from people like Tim Schackleton about how neat the soldering is. Chris

Richard, I only ever use my RSU with the tin foil and hardboard method. Using a thick metal plate I generally find useless. I only use Carrs solder paste, which works fine for me with no flux (it has it in already). If you are burning the tin foil then you have it on too high a setting. Some solders, especially the cheaper ones, can be rendered useless by ioverheating them, which an RSU certainly has the capability to do. Other than that, I can only say that a lot of techniques you have learned with a nomrla iron have to unlearned with an RSU. I know with mine I have to work hot and fast to get good joints, and remember to stop your soldering by taking off the power, not by moving the iron away. Chris

I have indeed seen comments about some failing to maintain a consistent RPM at a fixed voltage. They are clearly cheap and cheerful. The 2mm SA has a new motor dimension 8x10x15 which sparkled in the tests we put it through before stocking it. At a tenner its a pretty good price and will go in a lot of smaller locos - being 8mm wide it will fit (just) between the wheels. Chris

You are not comparing a level playing field. The Fleischmann is a lot cheaper in Germany, where is comes from - they just rip you off in the UK with the prices for this stuff. My 146 bought in Dusseldorf was quite a bit less than my Dapol HST (bought in the UK), even using today's incredibly bad exchange rate with the pound so weak. At a more typical exchange rate from the past, I could have bought a couple of 146s for the price of the HST.

As an update, it has been decided to release the chassis range as Association shop items, the first of which will be the 57XX, 14XX and Class 03. Watch the shop notes and the Association website for more news in due course. Chris

In which case, looks like the 10.5mm wheels will work. Which is nice, as the 10mm ones would have looked a tiny bit undersized.

Actually the 2251 body is to 1:148, so the scale driving wheel diamater would be 10.64mm. But rounding up is a dangerous thing here. The O/D over the flange will then be 11.5mm, definitely more than the prorotype, and whether that will fit inside the splashers I do not know (not owning the aorementioned loco). At some point, the AGM if not before, my chassi ethc has to be matched to the body to see whether everything has worked out as expected Hacking 1.5 from the rear of the etch will impinge upon the rear spacer, which has specifically been positioned to match the Peco location hole. So really not quite as easy as it sounds.

Never fear. I have discovered that the 2251 chassis could also be built with other combinations of spur gears which have near enough the same centres. 20:28 using M0.3 20:37 using 100DP -altohough you diefinately want the 10.5mm dirvers in this case Chris

Oh well. My interest just plumetted from low to zero. However the 2251 chassis is the correct wheelbase for a 'proper' Dean Goods, although if there was any mileage in it, I'd be likely to produce a different chassis as the frames are a lot lighter on the Dean, just as they are on a 57XX compared to a 94XX.

On the 14XX yes, it was lowered. This should leave more of the cab free of motor. The 57XX is different as I am only doing the middle axle drive version at present, which is not the one you built.

Don't stock up yet, I might change my mind! At the moment, it's looking like this: For the 14XX - the new Asscoation motor (3-257) it's about the only thing that will fit in. This motor was pretty impressive in the tests we ran, and out-performed a whole lot of larger beasts. You could reuse the Dapol motor as it is the same size, although I would hardly recommend it. Class 03 - 3-257 or an 8mm coreless motor Class 08 and 57XX - the above or 1016 coreless motor. The 08 may well take even bigger motors, such as the Tenshodos. I think you will find Julia was owed a favour by the Ixion/Dapol conglomerate, whereas you probably are not. Chris

Yes, but that was as a one-off. If ten people come asking the same question, the answer may well be different. Chris

Possibly for the GWR locos - although I understand there is another solution under development for the Manor. Almost certainly not for the WD, as fancy valve gear is not in my scope, and we don't have the wheels either. The only one I have done any work on is a chassis for the Farish 61XX - that would provide all the common parts for GWR locos such as the 43XX, Manor and Hall. Also in my mind are the Farish Jinty, Dapol Q1, and the Farish Bulleid pacifics. Chris

The 57XX, 14XX and 03 are all very close now. These are my priority as they are the easiest to get bodies for. At least, the 57XX you can buy from BR Lines or others, and the other two are at least cheap if you have to buy the whole loco. The Class 08 exists only as computer artwork. So a while away as there will be one or two test etches to do. There are plans for more.

I would have to check if the gearbox fits inside a Dean goods firebox. It was specifically designed quite high to match the height of the driveshaft on an Ixion/Dapol 3500 gall GWR tender.

Far too much work for far too few sales, I fear. The Peco one is indeed non-typical, as it's ficticious!

They were happy enough to supply Jubilee bodies, I have a box full to prove it. Still. we shall see. I think it depends on whether they have bodies over when they decide to stop production, which it is rumoured they will.

As I mentioned in the first post, the motor is just there for testing, and so see if the same gearbox design will work OK in a tank engine. In the final loco, it will be in the tender, with a UJ to the loco. Let me know how you get on buying a number of bodies from Peco. When someone else iterested approached them, they soon starting backtracking after hearing we wanted more than one. Which is whty the design has not progressed very fats, it dosen't get much priority if there is no chance of me getting a body to match it. Chris

Yes the hidden end of the gearbox has a bearing just like the end you can see.