3D printed Pannier Tank

[PhilP]

Really very good. Another interesting project.
Regarding the motor and gearbox assembly. Where do you get these from? I am fairly new to modeling and I am interested to find a source of reliable motor/gearbox assemblies.
Thanks.
Tim

He is making his own.. How reliable? We will hopefully get a report back!
It is one of those things that people are scared of (like 'quartering').. Being methodical, having played with Meccano (or equivalent) helps. Mainly everything needs to be square, parallel or at right-angles, and you need to mesh the gears with just a little play. - Should not be tight..

A number of suppliers do a selection of gearboxes (or frames) and motors.. Here in the UK, you can get 'Como Drill' motors and gearkits from the likes of Maplins'. - A good start of something to play with.
IP Enigneering does a 'wooden' laser-cut motor-mount / gearbox. Check the websites..

HTH
PhilP.

 

[Alan B]

Really very good. Another interesting project.
Regarding the motor and gearbox assembly. Where do you get these from? I am fairly new to modeling and I am interested to find a source of reliable motor/gearbox assemblies.
Thanks.
Tim

Tim i make my own as it is always difficult to get correct sizes for the models I make, also there are so few suppliers here in Oz and the range of parts is small. I buy the actual gears from IP engineering and the motors locally the gearbox casings I designed and printed myself I am working on some casings for double ended drives for diesels similar to a Aristocraft motor block. Its a little difficult now that Mashima has ceased manufacturing motors so I am looking for a new supplier of motors I will keep you posted how I go.

 

[Alan B]

He is making his own.. How reliable? We will hopefully get a report back!
It is one of those things that people are scared of (like 'quartering').. Being methodical, having played with Meccano (or equivalent) helps. Mainly everything needs to be square, parallel or at right-angles, and you need to mesh the gears with just a little play. - Should not be tight..

A number of suppliers do a selection of gearboxes (or frames) and motors.. Here in the UK, you can get 'Como Drill' motors and gearkits from the likes of Maplins'. - A good start of something to play with.
IP Enigneering does a 'wooden' laser-cut motor-mount / gearbox. Check the websites..

HTH
PhilP.

Phil the first prototype gearbox I made about a year ago has worked faultlessly and has done many Km around my and other railways. The only real test of reliability is time and at this stage I am very happy with the result time will tell.

 

[PhilP]

Excellent news Alan..
We do not always get a follow-up on these things..

The 'scratch-building', axles diameters, bearings, gears, motors, etc. is a bit of a mystery to me.. Except for replacements in the commercial kit I repair..
I did spend many happy hours with Meccano in my youth, and have never been afraid to take things apart!

The scratch loco's I have purchased, have all been disappointing on the drive front.. Motors thrash, gears scream, and everything tends to rattle!
Probably why they were sold!!

This is one of the things putting me off investing in a brass-etch kit. - I might spend a not-inconsiderate amount of money on the kit. Invest many hours in construction, and then end up with something which disappoints when moving.

 

[Timbo]

Hi, thanks for the points referencing motors and gears.
In the first instance I will "adjust" the motor/gearbox assembly that I have. The worm is fine but the gear on the axle needs moving very slightly to line up with the worm. There is no adjustment available for the axle so I have ordered a tiny allen key to move the gear. If that fails then I will need to disassemble the axle assembly and fit a replacement axle assembly with an "adjustable" gear.
I am hoping in this way to generate experience/confidence to tackle larger things.
This is one of the things that I like about railway modeling. One is always on the learning curve.
Cheers,
Tim

 

[Alan B]

Hi All
Ive done a bit more work on the pannier tank still plenty to do inside the loco but needed to pretty it up for a 3D printing demo in a weeks time.



I got the engine number plates 3D printed in Brass at Shapeways they came up really well.

 

[Rhinochugger]

eRe

Hi, thanks for the points referencing motors and gears.
In the first instance I will "adjust" the motor/gearbox assembly that I have. The worm is fine but the gear on the axle needs moving very slightly to line up with the worm. There is no adjustment available for the axle so I have ordered a tiny allen key to move the gear. If that fails then I will need to disassemble the axle assembly and fit a replacement axle assembly with an "adjustable" gear.
I am hoping in this way to generate experience/confidence to tackle larger things.
This is one of the things that I like about railway modeling. One is always on the learning curve.
Cheers,
Tim

Remember that you need a certain amount of play between the worm and the gear.

I have a battery driven diesel that used (we won't go into the current problem) an IP chassis and motor/gearbox.

I invested in a Mk2 home made gearbox with a different motor (more suited to the battery power and gearing).

The gearbox was a pretty crude 'U' bent strip of aluminium (I was out of work at the time - so had time but no money) and thus the worm did not properly align with the gear - it was at a slight angle. However, having adjusted the motor so that that there was the requisite play between worm and gear, and because the gear was reasonably wide, the whole thing purred perfectly, and I stalwartly refused to try and improve the alignment.

I also refused to put a picture of it on the forum

So, the point to my rambling, is that a degree of play in the mesh is the most important thing - you can get away with plenty other misalignment

Edit - ah, so , how to adjust the mesh. Ease off the motor mount screws, insert a small piece of packing either top or bottom between motor and gearbox, and tighten them back up. The thickness of shim / packing will determine the mesh - crude but effective

 

[Hal Farsed]

Really very good. Another interesting project.
Regarding the motor and gearbox assembly. Where do you get these from? I am fairly new to modeling and I am interested to find a source of reliable motor/gearbox assemblies.
Thanks.
Tim

Hello Tim, I've found the Slaters FD01 useful for a worm/final drive. If you look at the Pdf youll see its all brass/steel construction and of excellent quality. The input drive shaft is 2mm and amusingly the axles it fits on are either 3/16" or 1/8" (Does any other country mix Imperial and Metric sizes as freely as GB?) depending on wether you use the supplied sleeve. If using a geared MFA motor you'll need a Graupner 2mm/4mm coupling. Works for me!

https://slatersplastikard.com/assets/pdfs/MotorGearboxFlyerFeb13.pdf

 

[Timbo]

eRe

Remember that you need a certain amount of play between the worm and the gear.

I have a battery driven diesel that used (we won't go into the current problem) an IP chassis and motor/gearbox.

I invested in a Mk2 home made gearbox with a different motor (more suited to the battery power and gearing).

The gearbox was a pretty crude 'U' bent strip of aluminium (I was out of work at the time - so had time but no money) and thus the worm did not properly align with the gear - it was at a slight angle. However, having adjusted the motor so that that there was the requisite play between worm and gear, and because the gear was reasonably wide, the whole thing purred perfectly, and I stalwartly refused to try and improve the alignment.

I also refused to put a picture of it on the forum

So, the point to my rambling, is that a degree of play in the mesh is the most important thing - you can get away with plenty other misalignment

Edit - ah, so , how to adjust the mesh. Ease off the motor mount screws, insert a small piece of packing either top or bottom between motor and gearbox, and tighten them back up. The thickness of shim / packing will determine the mesh - crude but effective

Hi,
I fixed the problem with the Allen key. The gear was slightly out of alignment. Now it runs powerfully and smoothly.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[WSRbloke]

Hi Alan,
that's a very nice little pannier tank. Would you consider sharing your stl files with people like me who have their own 3d printer but who are not as talented as you with cad design. I've tried to design in cad but just can't get my head around it!
Regards
Ron