Narrow Gauge Diesel conversion from HO.


I think I will make a tool for accurately re gauging the loco wheels. Two metal bars with slots for the axels and a middle spreader and adjustable screw at the top from spreading
 
O'le 96 GE is doing well on her proving runs, running for a couple of hours pulling some cars without derailment. The gauging of these is particularly critical, maybe a few hundredths of a MM? I expect it's because the HO wheels are thicker so the flange ways etc are critical dimensions. 90 is next, then I have a new (to me) chassis to narrow gauge. I would like to install sound as I appreciate it in the Blackstone K27. As to the sound speaker size, I think I'll have to cut away the bottom fuel tank area of the chassis and install it there. Almost enough at the aft, but not quite enough.
 
My track work must be improving as my Blackstone K-27 Mikado seems to negotiate the turnouts, tight curves and grades quite nicely. It may be a while before I get to the remaining un converted Kato done. I would like to make one of these with sound as I like it a lot with the K27. Finding room for a speaker may be interesting. Mounting in place of the fuel tank requires removing a lot of the body casting! Possibly some room at the back near the aft door, which could be left open.

Cheers: Tom
 
My best runner, ole 96 ground to a halt the other day. The Cliffs Notes version is a piece of grit got through the open bottom of the truck and jammed the gears. This stressed one of the couplings which then started to slip on the shaft. Complete disassembly and popped the bottom off of the gear box and scrubbed in an alcohol bath till it ran smoothly, lubed and re assembled. The male part of the coupler, inside the flywheel got a drop of CA. So far it's working. I'll leave this loco running for hours, so it has. a lot of time on it, also not being new before it's transition surgery.
 
747flier said:
My best runner, ole 96 ground to a halt the other day. The Cliffs Notes version is a piece of grit got through the open bottom of the truck and jammed the gears. This stressed one of the couplings which then started to slip on the shaft. Complete disassembly and popped the bottom off of the gear box and scrubbed in an alcohol bath till it ran smoothly, lubed and re assembled. The male part of the coupler, inside the flywheel got a drop of CA. So far it's working. I'll leave this loco running for hours, so it has. a lot of time on it, also not being new before it's transition surgery.
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Can I please see a pic of Ol' 96?
 
747flier said:
Under the aegis of the old Bill Clinton homily: "Even a blind hog can find a chestnut now and then". I re assembled the locomotive with the narrowguaged trucks. This required some adjustment and re engineering of the pickup system. I fully expected no action or a failure of the smoke testing (smoke leaks out).

However the loco smoothly and silently ran in both directions! With all the weight will be a good puller! . So now I have to design an appropriate shell to more or less White Pass specs. The GE 90 "Shovel Nose" would be a good candidate, though the Montreal Loco Works that now grace the D&S still in their mostly original WP paint, would be fun as well.
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First person scale models already has both the GE 90 shovel nose and Dl535 shells ready to print.
 
I like doing my own models and have designed and printed and using both GE90's in original and rebuilt configurations. Currently I have three running and one unmodified KATO chassis to convert. I've had better luck with Soundtraxx mobile decoders rather than the Digitraxx ones I started out with, smoked a couple of those. An advantage of the KATO chassis is it is very heavy, but I would like to work in sound, but space is marginal for a decent speaker. Perhaps I might set up a dummy to run backwards as a "B" unit with sound?
 
Wa Hail, here is O'le 96 tooting around the oval.
IMG_2871.JPG
 
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