Gemini - a battery Fairlie.

MRail

MRail

16mm etc - Live steam, battery & trams
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In response to a question, here are some details about my Fairlie loco No 22 "Gemini".

Some years ago, JD Models advertised a tram loco which looked exactly like a pair of Lehmann "Otto" locos back to back, but with tramway skirts hiding the works. I've no idea of the chassis details.
This picture stuck with me, and early this year my loco finally came to be.

After struggling with chassis conversions for 32mm gauge (yes I'm awkward), I decided to go for a pair of Essel rod drive chassis, as I had used previously on my Playmobil diesel conversion. The outside frames mean the loco is gauge adjustable.

I had collected several Otto locos, and two sets of cylinders and motion where mounted onto the Essel chassis frames. Andel centre buffers were fitted between the cylinders.
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More to follow...
 
Two Otto bodies were cut across the cabs, after measuring and juggling motor positions.
These were mounted on Plasticard running plate, with a good deal of trial and a lot of error, until it all looked more or less right.

The I found the motors couldn't swing far enough for my 2'6" curves, so the sides of the boilers had to be cut away at each end. The resultant gap was covered by a section from a Porter saddle tank.

The firebox was represented by joining the boilers with a U section of plasticard, which houses the batteries. Further batteries are housed in a side tank, 12 AA NiMH in all, making 14.4V.
A charging socket and selector switch are fitted under the footplate at one end.
Control is completed by a Brian Jones MAC 5 and a 2.4G receiver, under another side tank.

Paintwork is Phoenix/Precision GW green, as specified for Accucraft locos. The ubiquitous Trimline has just started to peel away, despite a touch of paint on the corner joints. I plan to re-do it with a new roll of gold colour.
ede9bda3f5b24f7b85e0da3a0da7400a.jpg
 
A final pic in service with a consist of cut 'n shuts from Lehmann starter coaches.
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Finding a suitable name gave me a challenge. I dithered about looking for a palindrome that sounded plausible, finally giving up and going for Gemini - the twins - and number 22.
This was next in sequence anyway.

She (they?) runs at a sedate speed with good haulage power, and a reasonable duration, which I have not yet managed to time.
 
Something of an addendum, the Playmobil diesel referred to in the posts.
Mechanically similar under the body to the Fairlie.
So far No 10 "Vale of Clutter" has alkaline cells, and the 18V gives her a good turn of speed.
Visitors have called her the "Glacier Express"!
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I think that's all.
 
oberinntalbahn said:
Brilliant Rob, reminds me of the little Pechot-Bourdon Fairlie. I prefer the chimneys on yours though :bigsmile:
Click to expand...

Thanks all for the positive comments.

Nigel, I considered the Pechot loco, but as you say, wasn't sure about the chimney, and some pics seem to show a huge dome in the cab. (I've saved your pic for reference).

Being a fan of the FR, it had to be a Fairlie, in name at least!
A 50th birthday trip in the cab of David Lloyd George, in charge of the injector, cemented my preference.
- was it really 12 yrs ago?!?

A couple of (poor quality) video frames from a 16mm field trip:-
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Can't match up to Little Wonder though - but I can dream!

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And...

If you're not fed-up yet, Gemini can be seen on the move in a previous posting:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEqwTN4xIz0 At approx 2min 20sec.
 
JonathanJ said:
Like the loco, but fascinated by the coaches. Are the bodyshells from these -
http://www.champex-linden.de/lgb_pr...0467cf6/a17747cf295d7ba0852569df006e3e10.html < Link To http://www.champex-linden...0852569df006e3e10.html
(the toytain coach 93401 with the balconey at one end only),
back to back and cut down to five windows only?

Jonathan
Click to expand...

Spot on Jonathan! My (nominally) SM32 line has sharp 2' 6" curves, and long coaches tend to tip over.
Some years ago GRS produced a kit containing a solebar and bogies for a pair of these coaches.
I believed they would be too long, so I did my own cut 'n shut, with a kind of dovetail step in each body.
The combines used the complimentary goods van.

More recently I've built a pair of 6 window versions for my 45mm tramway.
def9b1ed09b240238986b4c4b54f2dfd.jpg

A brief trial on 32mm wheels suggests this length would have been OK after all.

Rob G
 
MRail said:
Spot on Jonathan! My (nominally) SM32 line has sharp 2' 6" curves, and long coaches tend to tip over.
Some years ago GRS produced a kit containing a solebar and bogies for a pair of these coaches.
I believed they would be too long, so I did my own cut 'n shut, with a kind of dovetail step in each body.
The combines used the complimentary goods van.

More recently I've built a pair of 6 window versions for my 45mm tramway.

A brief trial on 32mm wheels suggests this length would have been OK after all.

Rob G
Click to expand...

Thanks - somehow I missed the sentence in your earlier post that read "A final pic in service with a consist of cut 'n shuts from Lehmann starter coaches "... Give me the answer and I'm straight onto it.

Looks like the longer green ones retain the original chassis rails from the four wheeler, but not sure about the red ones? Have you found reasonable source for just the bodies/roofs/trimmings, or is your workshop littered with sliced off 4 wheeler axle guards? Now I can't decide whether I like the 5 or 6 window version better...

Jonathan
Edited to correct the quotes which had somehow gone wrong.
 
JonathanJ said:
is your workshop littered with sliced off 4 wheeler axle guards?
Click to expand...

Spot-on again!
I recently had a clear-out, and recycled & disposed of a number of single window sections, but the axleguards are in a box somewhere, looking potentially useful.

The green coaches have solebars screwed together through smoothed down buffer beams .
The red are cut short as required with a thick plasticard piece across the join.
Both types can be a little floppy, but are supported by the body - "the sum of the parts" etc.

At first the red coaches, being then the longest on my line, seemed enormous, but a 16mm field trip soon showed how short they are compared to scale 30ft vehicles.

On my dumbbell system, they normally run in consists of three, and passing loops are sized to suit.
Running a double set of all six requires some traffic management.

Attached pics show the original 2005 build with Brandbright wheels in Cambrian plastic bogies, replaced by Tenmille white metal following stability problems. 16mm centre buffers from Andel are mounted on the original pivoted carriers. The green versions have LGB bogies and wheels to 45mm.
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Rob,

Thanks for all that, very useful info. Having a long hard think before I jump in and buy some coaches as present for the saw - rake of three 5 windows probably best fit for my trackplan, but I'm on 45mm, and bit of extra width would probably help them mix with other stock, so might wind up breaking out the plasticard for a scratchbuild rather than trying to widen the lehmann shells - by the time I've replaced the roof and railings, in addition to the bogie cut'n'shut, there won't be much left. Certainly worth mocking up to have a look anyway.

Thanks again,

Jonathan
 
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