Tinkering with HOn30

2009-06-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Out of nowhere I finished the DL Plymouth

A small layout

2008-10-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

I will keep this post updated as I go. I usually model in N scale and have been running these HOn30 chassis on a N scale layout. I decided to build a small proper HOn30 layout. It is only 13.5" x 24" and is based on a plan in the Oct 1979 MR. I have built this same layout twice in On30 so you could say it is a favorite of mine. You can see some of the On30 versions here:

http://www.carendt.us/scrapbook/page37a/index.html

This is a overall shot of the drawn plan.

And here is the basic shapes in place.

Soon as copper PC ties arrived from Fast Tracks I started laying code 55 rails.

The tightest curves are 3" radius and the grade is about 4.5%. The Porter will turn this sharp, but will need a longer drawbar to it's tender. The Porter doesn't have compensation in it's chassis so I will run the Plymouths only on this layout.

Here is a quick video of the 7 ton Plymouth giving the layout a spin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4uEzh8sqcc

Since I want to keep things looking "Eastern" I guess it will be a coal hauler with a truck dump and bin at the top and a very small processing plant at the bottom.

The rockwork has started on the left side of the layout.

Another Plymouth

2008-09-23T04:47:00.000-07:00

Well I'm on a roll now with these small chassis so it's on to another Plymouth, this time a 7 ton DL model. I used drawings from the Sept/Oct 2006 NG&SLG, but instead of a -2 model (low cab) I modeled a taller cab that hides the motor.

The chassis has double worm reduction with a total ratio of 210:1.

Again using Nigel Lawton's 10x12mm coreless motor.

This is round one of etching the body.

Basically it was a test etch to check the fit, but I got lucky and everything worked out so I kept going with adding details.

Still more to add... This locomotive is only 1-5/8" long!

Porter is done

2008-09-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

Finished up the paint and Neolube.

Lightly weathered with dirt colors and good old powdered graphite.

In the end I do wish I had added compensation to the rear driver, but feel with the siderods it would be out of my skill set. Maybe next time? I am happy with the see-thru frame and the fact it has many details that a Bachmann On30 porter doesn't.

Almost time for paint.

2008-09-17T03:51:00.000-07:00

Still a few small details to add, but here we are.

Up and running

2008-09-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

Gave the porter it's first taste of electricity tonight. No pick-ups yet so I wired up the tender. Here is a quick video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo8Eyp4RbcE

Not as quiet as I thought it would be, but still an improvement.

And a few shots showing where I'm at, everything mock-up for the photos.

You can see the gap between the tank and cab, just like the prototype.

The rear end looks like a Volkswagen with the hood (trunk) popped. This is the only problem area, hopefully the tender, crew, and other clutter with help hide it.

Rubberband man get down.

2008-09-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

After receiving another bag of goodies from Nigel Lawton I set off to try and quiet down the spur gear drive that was used on the Plymouth chassis. On the Porter I will try this rubber band set up.

The reduction from the motor to the lay shaft is 8.5:1, that coupled to the 14:1 of the worms gives a grand total ratio of about 119:1. The small and large V-groove pulleys were bought from Nigel and the center compound pulley was turned on a lathe as one piece.

The motor is a 10x12mm, 12 volt coreless also from Nigel.

Can't wait to see it run!

Porter tender

2008-09-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

The tender is finished.

As said before this is built on a Kato N gauge truck with axle point 4 wheel pick-ups to be later connected to the locomotive. It is filled with small tungsten cubes for weight.

On to the Porter

2008-09-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I had a Grandt Line On30 8 ton porter way back before Bachmann knew what On30 was. That locomotive is long gone, but I did still have the instructions and they include scale drawings and many details. I used those Grandt line drawings to start planning my HOn30 version.

The plans were scaled to HO and then imported into AutoCAD where I basically traced over them to create artwork for etching. This was the first test etch I came up with.

The drivers are 7mm and from a N scale Atlas/Micro Ace 2-6-0. 2 of the drivers needed to be bored out to 1.5mm while the other 2 drivers were bored to 2mm for bushings. The insulator bushing were then lathed down to a 2mm od.

Here are more porter parts.

And now with the cab sides soldered together.

This is where things sit right now.

This is a pretty small locomotive at about 2" long and 1" wide. The finished locomotive will have a "tender" that is slightly smaller than a stock porter item. It will have parts from a Kato truck that will let it have 4 wheel axle point frictionless electrical pick-ups.

More later...

Proving it will work.

2008-09-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

I started out by finding a chassis for the Plymouth that would run nice and slow, I found inspiration here:

http://www.nigellawton009.com/MPD18.html

But I wanted more than a 46:1 gear ratio. So I set off etching parts for my own chassis and ordering gears and motors from Nigel. To reduce the ratio even more I found these small gears inside a Radio Shack "ZipZap" mini RC car steering linkage:

Here they are adapted to the chassis:

And a quick video of it running:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LDjoc6wmdM

Now the gear ratio is 84:1. With the proof of slow running ability I can now start on my 8 ton porter. This chassis above will get put under a resin copy of the Minitrains Plymouth.

There has to be a start...

2008-09-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

After modeling mainly in N scale and playing around with Z and On30 I figured why not try HOn30. I had worked in HOn30 before, but it has been many years. I want to eventually build a mini layout with a clay or gravel pit using a steam shovel to load V-tip cars. Once I figured out a good running chassis for the AHM minitrains Plymouth, I then continued with what I really wanted, a 8 ton saddle tank porter.

Here is will document these adventures as time permits.