LynxModeller

Thanks John, That article is wonderful, very interesting and informative to read - thanks for sharing. Richie

Hi John, Thank you for the response. I need to have a bit of a read up, but what is the difference between CSB and beam compensation? @andrewnummelin I'll have a look at the HLK hornblocks. Hadn't realised they did them. Richie

Hello all, I have been reading rmWeb for a number of years and have built a couple of very simple kits in that time, but having decided to have have a go at scratchbuilding, I decided to rejoin and post, both to share what I was doing and also to seek advice. I am starting a new layout from scratch, no existing rolling stock and therefore I have decided to build a small coach and locomotive as a demo to see how I get on. I am waiting on the lasercut coach parts coming back, so I am currently designing the chassis in CAD (Fusion360) and will think more about the body, once I have successfully built a powered chassis that runs without problems! This is 5.5mm scale, three-foot gauge design, based on a Kerr Stuart locomotive provided to the Lough Swilly Railway in Ireland - although the layout will be Wales based if I proceed. 5.5mm in 3ft gauge, uses 16.5mm trackwork, but in terms of size, sits part way between OO and O gauge. So my first question (and I appreciate there is probably no single right answer) to those of you who have built chassis from scratch before, how should it be sprung? I am thinking that a compensated chassis, with sprung horn blocks is the way to go. Given its is a shunting loco, smooth operation will be key. I have not built a compensated chassis before, but have just acquired the Flexichas book by Mike Sharman from Amazon for reference. But any thoughts/views/suggestions/pitfalls to avoid would be welcome. I will be using Markits wheels/axles/cranks - the model is an outside frame design, and my plan is to pair it with a High Level Kits Loadhauler 80:1 gearbox and 1426 Motor (possibly with a flywheel), driving on either the front or rear axle of the six driving wheels. Is there any benefit to driving more than one axle from the single motor? Again, my thought is to include pick-ups on all wheels if possible. Thanks in advance. Richie