I agree 100%. That's why I've gotten into a lot of older brass and even things like the old Mantuas and Athearn Blue Box. Most of it is also pretty simple to upgrade too. That's why I just put Maxon can motors into two Consolidations and my Russian Decapod.
That's pretty interesting. Definitely a bigger boiler on the F-1 and the I-2.
. Needless to say after taking out the gearbox and unscrewing it into pieces i realized that the only way to actually make this thing reliable is to build my own brass gearbox...tbc
The pick ups look like they are attached to the brake rigging. Never seen that before and they look like they would be delicate.It's been a while since i actually sat down and did some modeling, but past Sunday i solved my electrical short problems on the F-1. Besides trimming the pickup tabs on the insulated side of the wheels, i found out that front guiding truck wheels keep touching the main frame while traveling on even slightly uneven tracks. I'll have to trim some brass from above the guiding wheels. At the same time i put the NWSL gear box together and fitted that inside the main frame.View attachment 235079View attachment 235080View attachment 235081View attachment 235082
Finally after well over two years since i started to work on the project:That is until i started to actually run the locomotive around the layout. It made a few circles until the gearbox took a
That's exactly how they are attached. The insulation between the sides hides the wire which is separated inside the insulation sleeves. They are delicate, but because they are hidden, even a derailment should not cause any problems.
Unfortunately i'll probably have to build a metal copy of this trashy NWSL. I have the gear already on the axle and that was a major PITA to do. I'll try to build close to a copy so it will be an easy drop fit just like the Original.NWSL gearboxes are
Hope you show your build. I imagine the precision has to be there so interested in your technique.
I'll keep you guys posted.
If you scroll a few pages, i think i posted few pictures of the NWSL gear box. That one had two idle gears to keep the motor shaft level. I'm basically making close to original version, but with brass, this will give me freedom to shape the cylindrical part the way i want it inside. The whole problem with the NWSL box was how flimsy that cylindrical part was (where the worm gear sits). If i screwed the box tight, the shaft with worm just didn't want to spin, but if i untightened the screws, the worm gear was spinning both metal sleeves which were supposed to keep the worm gear in position, it was one big mess. Even instructions said to keep the screws not tightened up all the way. That doesn't make any sense, no gearbox in anything that i know has loose bolts or nuts. It was just a
-ty design. This is what the inside of NWSL gear box looks like:
Ah, got it now. Thanks! Yeah, I agree that if a design requires slop added, then it is cr@p. I get confused when I go to the NWSL site and try to find worm gears. I get pictures of spur gears so am not sure what to order.
Yeah, their site is just about useless when it comes to figuring out what is what. I've had the same problem. Your best bet is to talk with more experienced modelers, or find their products in a store or train shows. I have no clue how older guys navigated through their product line, but back then there was a catalog available.
