tooter goes big time...


It is. :)

There's a neat railroad feel and sound when the steel wheels roll on the rails and clickey clack over the joints.
 
I suppose you could pile some dirt under the outside rails to "bank" the turns. I would be afraid that if you rely on braking to stay on in the turns then someone may not apply enough braking and hurt themselves. Just a thought.
-Art
 
Yeah, I'll likely be the only engineer, and will be pulling this flat car to carry passengers...

6df5356e.jpg


I have some of these 4 wheel brake kits on the way...

brakes.jpg


I did try an experiment by sticking some boards under the outside edge of the curves and it helped a lot. So between banking and brakes the issue should be minimized.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don't think so... but thanks for the offer, Rico. :)
The MOW utility pullcart is going to be grey, and the flat is going to be a wooden high sided mining car that passengers can ride in. Our 2 1/2 year old grandaughter is crazy about trains, and so far she has no idea what's going on over here... ;)
 
Filmed another track test... :)

[YOUTUBE]KyMFcmdnweA[/YOUTUBE]

The track is 70 feet long now with enough at the bottom of the hill to slow down safely now. :)

Loosening up the valve spring suspension so that the wheels track the rail irregularities better, and banking the corners by shimming the outer ends of the ties has made the cart able to go much faster without tipping. :)

I need to attach the camera to the cart, because I'm having trouble henging on while holding the camera with one hand.
 
Nice... but expensive. ;)

I tried another test run with a helmet cam strapped onto the cart...

[YOUTUBE]_7HmHLQpcMs[/YOUTUBE]

I has no recording volume control so the sound gets overdriven. The curves are banked 2 inches now and the cart handles them much better. :)
 
Been working on the drive mechanism for the pull cart and came up with a simple design that powers only on the pull stroke and freewheels the rest of the time. I'm putting together a one way clutch bearing with a small gear which will ride along the loop of chain between the two axles...

ba876ea3.jpg


The gear will be mounted on a small arm that's sprung so that it does double duty as a chain tensioner much like a bicycle derailler wheel.

The lever is just a piece of pipe with bicycle handlebar grips on it...
IMG_5591.jpg


The unknown variable is how much leverage will be needed to power the cart up the steep grades. Traction won't be an issue because it's all wheel drive. But I'll need to come up with an adjustable fulcrum for testing. :)
 
Is that sprocket going to replace one of the ones on the axle or will it be a separate sprocket in the middle somewhere? Did you look into using a bicycle gear system of some kind?
 
Hi Jay, :)

The gears on the axles are both solid...

IMG_5534.jpg


...so the chain will constantly be in motion. The freewheeling gear will travel along the upper side of the chain loop, and will lockup to engage the chain only on the pull stroke. The rest of the time everything will be coasting. The gear is done now...
IMG_5605.jpg


...so I'll be designing and fabricating the parts to attach it to the pull handle. The gear will be mounted on one end of a short arm to form a pivoting T at the bottom of the pull handle. On the other end of the short arm will be a spring which will keep the gear in contact with the chain and tension it much like a derailler wheel keeps a bicycle chain taut. This is because the arc of travel of the pull handle will be different from the shape of the chain loop, so the spring arm will constantly compensate for the difference.

Some steel trucks and brake kits just came in...
329ecc63.jpg


So one of the brake kits will be adapted to the pull cart to control the speed on the steep "roller coaster" descents. ;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
How bout mounting a chainsaw without the bar on that thing?? You would have to gear it down some unless you really wanna fly, but its pretty well already set up for what you are looking to do....just a little noisy.
How much $$ would a guy be lookin at for 1 section of track like you have with rails, ties and tie plates?? How long are the rail sections, 10-12' or so?
 
Shoot for the work you would put in mounting the chainsaw u could make a custom exhaust and eliminate the noise... There are also a lot of just straight chainsaw blocks online that you could order and put the rest of the engine together yourself :)
 
CbarM said:
How bout mounting a chainsaw without the bar on that thing?? You would have to gear it down some unless you really wanna fly, but its pretty well already set up for what you are looking to do....just a little noisy.
Click to expand...

I'm going the simple quiet low tech human powered route. :)

How much $$ would a guy be lookin at for 1 section of track like you have with rails, ties and tie plates?? How long are the rail sections, 10-12' or so?
Click to expand...

RMI (rmirailworks.com) sells unassembled undrilled 10 foot 1 inch tall straight steel rails with plastic ties, plastic pregauged rail plates, and stainless steel rail joining hardware for $11 a foot. Rolled into curves, add $7 per 10 foot section. Drilled rails, add #2.70 per 10 foot section. Also add freight which can be expensive. RMI moved their factory only 40 miles from where I live so I hauled everything myself and saved the freight. :)

240 feet of steel rails weighs about 800 pounds, and enough plastic ties to fit weighs about 1,200 pounds. The wye turnout is about 100 pounds.

Aluminium rail is cheaper, but you will need to use plastic rail plates isolate the rails from treated wooden ties if you use them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've heard stories of folks finding those "Rascal" type scooters in the trash. When Medicare gives them away, they don't have much value to the owner (or relative) when something as simple as a battery goes dead. But then Greg would have the whole battery thing to deal with, too.

I prefer the human powered notion, also.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JazzDad said:
I prefer the human powered notion, also.
Click to expand...

It will be a nice way to combine the fun of railroading with the benefits of outdoor exercise. :)

We're actually working concurrently on two completely different railroad vehicles. While I'm doing the pull cart, a friend of mine is designing a multi-speed pedal powered prototype railbike. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top