2e0dtoeric Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Most of us know that the rough side of a piece of hardboard makes a good track cleaner, and how to convert an old truck into a track cleaning car. BUT - How do you get a loco to pull or push the car around? You can use the 'Armstrong' method, and push it around manually unil the loco decides the track is clean enough for it to keep going – but what do you do if there are areas you can't reach without climbing over or under things? You can keep a stick handy, for prodding and pushing, whenever the loco stalls, but that isn't really practical either, as it is easy to derail something. Then I had a 'what if' moment. I had previously purchased a 'dead' Bachmann 66 diesel, for use as spares. On investigation, it looked as though someone had tried to solder in a home-made blanking plug, using a 3” plumbers bit, so the circuit board looked like a piece of charcoal. Having taken it to bits, I located the red and black motor wires, and tried them with the usual PP3. The motor whizzed merrily, and the drive wheels went round, and I began to wonder if I could 'drive' it via radio control, as I have spare receivers and servos. I have a fair stock of old railroad mk 1 coaches in LMS colours I had refitted with metal wheels, so I chose the tattiest one, and tried to get the roof off. It proved to be easy, once I'd removed the brass screws from underneath, close to the bogie frames. There is also a little tab at each end of the roof, but that is easily pinged out. Then the cream-coloured fake compartments panel lifts out – and the two coach sides fell off! That was easily fixed by some tiny dots of poly cement. Then a problem – none of my batteries would fit into the available space of 30 x 25mm! By chance, browsing another website, I found some long, thin lithium polymer batteries intended for paint-ball rifles. They measure 16 x 16 x 165 mm, and can deliver 1300mah, wth a peak of 25 x C, or 32.5 amps – more than enough! There were no tiny JST plugs and sockets in my junk-box (they are too small for my normal use!) so I used a failed on-off switch lead for the socket, and a disused (nicad) charger lead for the plug, to transfer the power from the coach to the loco. It doesn't look very pretty, bt it's not intended for show! After some experimenting and swapping around, I had all the power and radio components in the coach, and there's even room for a servo and switch, for reversing, so I have speed AND direction control. In the images, the long blue bar is the lipo, the orange box is the radio receiver, the red one is the speed controller, and you can see the various wires and plugs. I need to make up a small plate for the servo and switch, and fit it into the space at the end of the coach. Will it work on the track?? Well, that's Q.E.D. But it does on the bench! /media/tinymce_upload/751446d4d59d74c52fb07284a68aaeeb.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/e81e184a623ac2d2854f40d16c01d550.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 What a brilliant idea Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 Just to add to this, and include a bit of trivia -Tried this today, with the top off, while I was messing about, and with a particular bit of test gear - called a Wattmeter - connected in between the battery and the speed controller.With the Bachmann 66 wheels slipping, because I was blocking it with a hand, the motor was pulling 0.35 of an amp, and 4.4 watts of power, from the nominally 11.7v battery that can deliver 1300mah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 Well, that was the mark 1. There was one small problem with the idea - when I put the servo for the reversing switch into the coach - no matter how I oriented it, the roof wouldn't fit on!So - after some head-scratching and pondering, I remembered there was a company that specialised in really micro-radio ntended for indoor radio-controlled aircraft, and having found an perused their site, found the ideal solution -A REALLY tiny receiver, available in various configurations (in the software) to give speed control, direction, and up to five switched outputs (on/off for lights, etc).The receiver works from 4.5 to 12v input, and can run up to 1.5 amps load for the output.I've soldered the power wires on (so I can find it again after I've put it down!) ((green is +ve because I can't find any floppy red in my odds and ends box!)) The two motor outputs are marked by little dots of solder, and the very fine wire at the other end is the antenna.As you may guess, it was not easy to get a good image!/media/tinymce_upload/6152929704ea25393c30deeb5bbf5f2b.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo1707820979 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Thumbs up for inventiveness and determination, 2e0. And thanks for the photos. The track cleaning subject will always be a live one, I suspect.Best wishes with the project. Jimbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 Haha! This began as a 'junk-box' project, but seems to have snowballed. The micro-receiver cost £30, and the long narrow battery another £12!Still, as I put earlier, if/when it works, it will be a dual-function 'train'! 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go_West Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 Hi 2eolike the idea must be a runner I'm sure if you keep at it this must work I did a similar thing with the radio gear from one of those radio controll micro cars that come in a coke type tin these are smaller I think and are on that web action for about £5 But the transmitter is a short range unit.ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 It works!Sorry about the mess in the kitchen, it was the only longish flat space I could find that obviously does NOT have a 12v supply!Full details on the You-Tube vid, if you haven't already found them on this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitter Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 Yes, excellent work. Will be watching out for a report on it's cleaning performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go_West Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 2e0looked at the video and as you say it works I wonder if others will want oneKen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 "Another way to clean your track" - Spit on it! No, I am just joking! 😆 How will you get the roof back onto that Hornby RailRoad mk1 LMS Brake Coach, with that stuff inside of it? Have you got to drill holes in the chassis of the coach, in order to get the pads touching the track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Why bother with the roof it's just a track cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Putting the roof back on, will make it look better. It discise all that stuff inside of it and make it look like coach and make it look better on a layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 I wouldn't, I'd just run it for a short time until the track was clean then put it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 That is probably what most people would do, but what if you wanted to park it up, in a siding? Then the coach would need the roof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 Ah, you've all missed the important bit!The coach is just the storage space for the battery and radio receiver. The cleaning coach is an old short-wheel-based Green Triang one, already in existance, and you've seen pics of it!The radio coach didn't have the roof on while I was testing and checking, for ease of access. I had to trim a little 'tag' off one end to stop it from locking 'on', so now the roof slips on and off, (for battery charging) but won't FALL off. There is plenty of room inside, for the mk 2 control system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 I have missed the important bit, or are you not talking to me? Oh, so this Hornby RailRoad LMS mk1 Brake Coach couples up to the Tri-ang Coach? I don't think I have seen pictures of htis coach before. Well at least you can get the coach roof back on, to make it look better and more realistic, depsite all that inside of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 Just for Jacob!/media/tinymce_upload/329a867bd8bff9051736f1b4eeb219fc.JPG/media/tinymce_upload/bf06f5771a3f98f818f6303446da7211.JPG And - you HAVE seen the Green Triang coach - lying on it's side, showing the hardboard pad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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