|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 8, 2007 23:51:34 GMT -5
Below are some builder’s photos of my 0-4-0 battery powered porter. Hope to have it running soon and you can follow my progress at www.mylargescale.com look under the kit basher’s forum for 1” scale porter.   [imghttp://1stclass.mylargescale.com/rangerjoel/Inch%20scale/drive%20rods%20and%20guide.JPG][/img]  Some day, I hope to build a live steamer as well but this seemed like the cheapest way to get into the hobby. (So far, the three 12 volt batteries have been the most expensive component of the engine! Joel |
|
|
|
Post by patyoung on Jan 9, 2007 12:16:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 11, 2007 22:54:21 GMT -5
I spent another pleasant weekend working away on my porter. A lot of time was spent gluing on more rivet detail and then several hours were devoted to a search for suitable steam dome and smoke stack material. The steam dome was made from a hair care product bottle that I found at a local drug store. The sand dome was made of PVC pipe with a small plastic bottle cap glued on top. Finally, the stack was made from two plastic funnels that I picked up at an auto parts store. Total cost of all three was under $10.00 with the hair care product being the most expensive item.   I also have been working on the cab floor and sides but don’t have any photos to show yet. Joel |
|
|
|
Post by Harlock on Jan 12, 2007 2:43:09 GMT -5
On the cheap! Love it. Can't wait to see the finished cab. I see you've got an elevated railway of some sort in the background too...
Did you make the rolling stock as well?
|
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 23, 2007 20:17:15 GMT -5
Ok, I had some time to spend out in the garage again so I set to work on the cab of my loco. The entire cab is made of 1/8” and 1/16” thick styrene sheet that I picked up at Tap Plastics. The sides were scraped with a razor saw so they would resemble wood. The roof is made of a series of ½” wide strips glued to the frame and then covered by a sheet of 1/16” thick plastic.  The coal bunker is also made of 1/8” plastic and is screwed to the cab floor.   I also laid down about 30 feet of track and gave the engine a test ride. It pulled me, but it defiantly needs some kind of speed control and may need to be changed from a worm drive gear to a conventional gear and sprocket system. As soon as I can borrow a good digital camera, I will try to shoot some video. Joel ;D |
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 23, 2007 20:21:33 GMT -5
And, yes there is an elevated "G" scale track in the background. You may know that "G" stands for gateway scale. You start using it and then some one introduces you to "the heavy stuff!!!
Also the cars were made by me using comercial trucks.
Joel
|
|
|
|
Post by Harlock on Jan 23, 2007 20:51:01 GMT -5
Heh, kind of like gateway drugs. HO is a good gateway drug too.
|
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 29, 2007 23:31:56 GMT -5
Lots of progress to report tonight. To start with, I found a can of automotive primer paint at the hardware store that is a very nice shade of grimy black. The whole loco was re painted with this and it looks much better. Once properly weathered, this loco should look great.  Secondly, I used some brass bar stock to make a trailing truck. Some of you may recognize the wheels as those found on old Lionel standard gauge locomotives. These were drilled out to accept a 3/8” axle.   I also installed a pilot beam and some foot rails to the front. A numberplate was cut from a rather large 2” diameter peace of brass round stock and a brass number was glued onto it.  I then turned my attention to the headlamp. I made a trip down to the local dollar store to find a cheap flashlight to use as a reflector. They did not have one, so I bought a melon baller instead and used the “ball” part as the reflector. The rest of the lamp is made of pieces of styrene and bits of brass.  Finally, inspiration struck the other night when I was trying to figure out what I was going to use for a speed control. Because this loco has a worm drive transmission, it could not be controlled by a simple toggle switch as I had originally planed. I looked at some of the alternatives available from various manufacturers before I realized the answer to my problem was already in my garage. I have been using an Aristocraft radio controlled train engineer system for my garden railroad. It’s designed to be hooked up to a transformer and operate between 18-24 volts. After some experimentation, I discovered that it would work at 12 volts as well. Using the Aristocraft controller solves a couple of problems. It rated up to 10 amps so it can handle plenty of power. It is equipped with a momentum feature that gradually cuts power to reduce damage to the loco’s drive train. Finally, it’s remote controlled so I don’t even have to be close to the engine to keep it under control. That’s all for now. Next project will be to install the bell. Joel ;D |
|
|
|
Post by GoldenSpike53 on Jan 30, 2007 18:46:30 GMT -5
Coming along good....
...but one question. Are you going to leave the counter-weights on the drivers you used for the trailing truck? I guess as long as they are light enough and the weight in that area doesn't cause the wheel to thump too much, it will probably be okay, but you might want to check that out to make sure. Just drilling out some of the counterweight would probably be enough if it's an issue, since you also have the crank pin area there as well. Anyway, the casting is probably very light as well, so it may not make any difference in any case.
Dale
|
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jan 30, 2007 19:04:59 GMT -5
Hey Dale,
The counterweight is just a thin strip of metal. I may get around to filing it off one of these days. At the speed this thing runs (about 2-3 mph) I don’t think it will cause many problems. The counter weights on the full-sized drivers are also only ascetic and don’t actually counter balance anything!
|
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Feb 14, 2007 21:27:32 GMT -5
It’s done! (Mostly) ;D I had to change the sprocket size and add some weight so it’s a little slower than I would like, but hey, it’s a first attempt. Below is a link to Youtube with a short video. The not at the end is referring to a park that I work at in Sonoma. It’s always nice to know the ranger who issues the special use permits. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_ZXySVuUiE |
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Jun 12, 2007 10:52:14 GMT -5
It’s taken a wile to scratch together the money for a loop of track, but I finally did it. ;D Below is a Youtube link to a video that I shot of my 4 ¾” gauge loco in action. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIxveus-ZgEJoel |
|
|
|
Post by Harlock on Jun 12, 2007 16:43:16 GMT -5
Wow, looks great! Looks like EVERYONE's having fun. P.S., Magnificent 7 music is perfect.  |
|
|
|
Post by rangerjoel on Oct 11, 2008 12:10:41 GMT -5
Well, it’s been a while since I have posted and I now am a member of the Redwood Empire Live Steamers and have access to a 7.5” Gauge track. As a result, I have begun to build a second porter in this larger scale. Again, it will be built on a budget. The cab, deck and smoke box and water tank will all be made of ¾” plywood sheathed in 22 gauge sheet metal or aluminum. Power will consist of 2 24 volt electric motors and 2 deep cycle marine batteries.
New thread to follow soon.
Joel
|
|
