Kirley's Projects

[Hunslet 102]

Top job on the parcel van Kieran,just like the real thing

[David Holman]

A very fine piece of work indeed.

[Kirley]

Testing the traction of a cut down Class 55 chassis.

 

I cut down two Hornby Class 55 chassis to fit Silver Fox A Class bodies. They will be numbered A7 & 045.

 

The "weight" in Class 55 is provided by thin strips of steel and I used all of them in the A Class in the hope of getting good traction especially on my layouts very sever inclines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enniscorthyman in Tips & Tricks suggested replacing the Hornby traction tyres with Marklin ones.

 

I decided to carry out a test using one chassis with Marklin tyres and the other retaining the Hornby ones.

 

I videoed the tests and you can see for yourself the results.

 

 

On reflection I should have given the Marklin tyres a longer time to bed in.

 

I can make it work but the amount of weights required on the front bogie causes me concern.

 

I would welcome any suggestions on how to address this problem.

[BosKonay]

I've added weight and applied Bullfrog Snot to my A's. It's not perfect but it helps. Maybe some day St. Paddy will bring us an all wheel pickup all wheel drive diecast chassis'd A class

[Train model]

Beautiful work it's only a suggestion but I got an a class lately with a roco chassis not sure what model has flywheel motor the only way to go

[Glenderg]

I had thought about perhaps using both powere bogies, but you'd have to add pickups and its an expensive option. You could try both chassis, for pig iron, to see if the additional tractive effort would, in theory, help.

 

Would spreading the additional weight by attachint to the underside of the body roof help spread the load more evenly rather than attaching it directly to the bogie?

[enniscorthyman]

I put the new traction tires over the Hornby ones and tested them

on the incline of the deeps layout with 12 ballast and two plough

Vans and found she got up ok but did slow a bit.However the incline

on the deeps is not as steep as on yours Kirley.I will try and post

video later.

[irishthump]

Would spreading the additional weight by attachint to the underside of the body roof help spread the load more evenly rather than attaching it directly to the bogie?

 

I read that the weight should always be over the centre of the chassis for maximum adhesion to the rails even when only one bogie is powered.

[enniscorthyman]

Sorry I cant seem to show a39 on video as photobucket wont load

it from my i pod.Will try it via youtube tomorrow.

[jhb171achill]

Ah, Enniscorthyman, this means you'll have to come back to Downpatrick to film it again!

[enniscorthyman]

Ah, Enniscorthyman, this means you'll have to come back to Downpatrick to film it again!

I would love to see her again,and I am trying to see If I can get up to

DownPatrick at Easter.

[enniscorthyman]

A bit of video of A39 with new traction tires.

[video=youtube;bwSUbrgIj-k]

[jhb171achill]

That's a lovely looking layout, Enniscorthyman.

[enniscorthyman]

That's a lovely looking layout, Enniscorthyman.

It's nice alright and I wish It was mine.

I bet the real A39 does not have this problem with traction.

[WRENNEIRE]

I would love to see her again,and I am trying to see If I can get up to

DownPatrick at Easter.

 

[jhb171achill]

The real one's a real beast and has lifted nine bogie vehicles at Downpatrick with total ease. That, in itself, is nothing compared with what they did in traffic...

[Kirley]

A bit of video of A39 with new traction tires.

.QUOTE]

Thanks Eamonn for sharing, no problems on that layout especially as it does not have my "Mountains of Mourne".

[Kirley]

I read that the weight should always be over the centre of the chassis for maximum adhesion to the rails even when only one bogie is powered.

 

That's an interesting suggestion, I'll relook at the amount of weight mid Loco to see how that works. Thanks to everyone else for their input.

[Hunslet 102]

Kieran,weigh your Hornby weights that you are using,then see if you can put heavier weights into the same area.I use heavy duty washers that I can pick up in work in place of the suppliers weights in some loco's,as some of the weights supplied are not up to much.

[irishthump]

Kieran,weigh your Hornby weights that you are using,then see if you can put heavier weights into the same area.I use heavy duty washers that I can pick up in work in place of the suppliers weights in some loco's,as some of the weights supplied are not up to much.

 

Try and get your hands on a roll of lead flashing. It's soft enough to be cut with a heavy scissors and can be folded in shape easily.

[BosKonay]

This stuff is very handy, you can use it to fill gaps, pour into spaces and even glue in 'sheets' to the underneath of chassis

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/LIQUID-WEIGHT-FREE-FLOWING-WEIGHTING-SYSTEM-FOR-MODEL-RAILWAYS-AIRCRAFT-BOATS-/400562211820?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5d435e4bec

 

Very handy for filling up tenders too to add weight and improve pickup connection...

[Broithe]

A bit cheaper and non-toxic - http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=DLBD-38 - might be slightly less dense, though, I suppose.

[Kirley]

I knew if I put on enough weigh I could over come the slipping wheels problem.

 

SORTED

 

 

She just glides up the hills like something from the Swiss Mountain Railway.

 

 

One problem solved ... now where to hide all that weight?

[Glenderg]

Great to see Heath Robinson alive and well at Kirley Jct!

[Train model]

Love the class 80

[Kirley]

For those who have been following my goal of getting a modified Hornby Class 55 Chassis under an A Class to tackle inclines on my layout with a heavy load my latest attempt was a bag of weights slung over the front bogie and this worked (See above). The weight in the bag was just under 100 grams and my two chassis weighted A7 =393 g and 045 = 388g.

 

This would mean an overall weight of almost 500 grams per Loco. I haven't weighted an MM 071 yet but it would be interesting to see how the weights compare. There must be some mechanical engineers out there who could work out the maximum weight that a Hornby motor could take to keep it under traction.

 

 

I decided to try my two existing A Class Locos to see how they would cope with the same load on the steepest incline.

012 which has a Class 55 chassis and minimum weight went OK on the flat but could not reach the summit of the steep incline.

 

023 managed the inclines fine if you give it enough power. The difference being that it used a Hornby Class 52 chassis which has a metal weight forming the cab floor at each end. ( Sorry I haven't a picture).

 

 

 

 

 

So now it's a matter of getting the weight dispersal right but concealing that amount of weight will not be easy so back to the drawing board/test bed.

 

I have heard of a modeller in the South Down area who used two power bogies on a Class 55 chassis, now that would be something to see!

[Georgeconna]

Love the reverse Curve Kirlry.

[patrick]

I have four silver fox A class on Hornby class 55 chassis. While their haulage capacity is limited its sufficient to haul 13 wagons or 4 coaches, the maximum length trains practical on my layout which has no gradient. The biggest problem I had with them was because only two axels are powered they are very susceptible to loosing traction on even slightly uneven track where one or two wheels can loose contact with the rail. As regards adding weight to a locomotive, just be sure that when the load is too great the wheels should slip thus preventing the motor overheating and burning out.

[BosKonay]

What kind of gradients are we talking about kirley?

[Kirley]

What kind of gradients are we talking about kirley?

 

Don't know Stephen, as you know practically no pre-planing went into this build so levels were made to allow trains to pass over/under each other. But looking at other layouts my inclines are quite steep as the pictures above shows.

[BosKonay]

Gradients are a bit of a dark art! Your videos and experimentation are very useful indeed. When I first planned gradients on my layout, I got the woodlands scenics 2% and 4% grades. I was actually shocked at how little you could pull up a serious gradient - even with modern locos like the 181s or 071s. In the end, I all but removed gradients entirely, and kept things on the flat, tho I do plan a helix and storage level underneath the terminus, so am watching with interest! I've seen excellent reviews of the DCC Concepts powerbase too (their undertrack steel plate and magnet system)

[Train model]

Hi Kieran I was on to the guy that sold me the a class and he is going onto the web to find what model was used.I cannot take it apart because it seems to be glued so hope the loco never brakes down.I sent you my e.mail address so if you contact me I have it pulling 12 coaches at a very low speed.i cannot up load videos on the site

[Kirley]

Finally got around to finishing some model lorries I have been building.

 

 

The Scandia is a repaint of a RTR model. Not really happy with my outcome of the Road Transport Image lorries but they will do for filling up the Haulage Yard.

 

 

 

I have cut down the footbridge to keep it in proportion with the building and am adding or should I say trying to add guttering to Glenderg's building. A fiddly job especially when then seem reluctant to stick.

 

Edited January 27, 2014 by Kirley

[Kirley]

Hi Kieran I was on to the guy that sold me the a class and he is going onto the web to find what model was used.I cannot take it apart because it seems to be glued so hope the loco never brakes down.I sent you my e.mail address so if you contact me I have it pulling 12 coaches at a very low speed.i cannot up load videos on the site

 

Will do Michael

[Train model]

http://youtu.be/CYMqHl1FwrM

 

Sorry for the delay