Motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

That is probably correct. The Mallets are geared fairly low - should be better for pulling but obviously, no top speed. as you say - like the originals. Adding weight to LGB should not be a problem. So long as they still slip before the motors/gears stall you should be OK. Having said that, I would have thought they should pull pretty well anyway.

You would have thought so Alan but the Uintah slips its wheels (even with tyres!) with more than 5 or 6 cars up the incline (15%). I suppose I could add the weight and make a motorised car (like I did with the stockcars) with a big switched resistor to drop the available voltage to the motor block in the car so that its speed more or less matches that of the Uintah mallet.

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

The evening was lovely and mild yesterday so had a chance to do an extended test of the newly motorised stock cars in a consist of other (yet to be customised and weathered ) stock cars. Ran it at very slow and medium speeds and everything was just dandy. Annie looked good as the sun went down so let her carry on while I had me supper and then a little night running.

The stock cars that are very black and new looking have yet to be customised to look nearly like the real Rio grande jobbies and then weathered like the first three.
The climb towards Pointrock... a stern test for the Annie but she has a lot of help from the 3 powered stock cars behind

Through Arbour Summit

Into and through Point Rock

Down from Point Rock and onto Beaver Creek

Into Beaver Creek yards

That tender looks a bit plasticy at the moment but will be heightened and also have some real coal added and then weathered with the loco

 

[tramcar trev]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Interesting solution.

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Interesting solution.

Hi Trev

Thanks Trev
I have had one problem with the Aristo centrecab block. It is a metal cased block and I did not know that the two halves are insulated from each other and are live! I found this out when one of the cars began to falter at certain parts of the layout. The trackwork was fine so it was the car at fault. On taking the block out I discovered that the block truck A frame mounting screw that mounts the whole thing to a wooden block inside the car, was 'shorting' across the two halves of the block. A quick remedy and everything is back to working.
I then did the same with the other two motorised cars.

 

[MR SPOCK]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Wow those pics are showing a really impressive railroad there, very nice, I can see where the sun has been shining out of these last few days haha, them new cars look well at home, ​

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Wow those pics are showing a really impressive railroad there, very nice, I can see where the sun has been shining out of these last few days haha, them new cars look well at home, ​

Thanks Pete
There will be a rake of nine when finished, including the three powered ones plus a caboose and maybe a flattie. That was something that no single steamer could have even thought of dragging up my inclines.

 

[MR SPOCK]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

There will be a rake of nine when finished, including the three powered ones plus a caboose and maybe a flattie. That was something that no single steamer could have even thought of dragging up my inclines.​

​

from the pics and video there dont look like any hills there at all, I got a hundered foot long uphill drag just to achieve ten inches, all the rest is downhill haha,​

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Beavercreek needs the motorising some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Hi Pete
Ha ha

There is a 36" climb over about 35ft with part of the climb at a steeper pitch than the first section (about 15% incline at the max). The part where the trains come out of the tunnel by 'Lorraine's Diner' is already about 3 ft into the climb at a lowish gradient and then it just gets steeper and steeper. The angles of the camera or video camera shots belies the gradient. Trust me it is steep...thats why I have triple heading or these 'helper' stock cars.

It starts by the decking and then keeps going up to Arbour Summit

 

[steven large]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

wow....awesome!!! :love:

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Thanks for comment Steve.
I am in the middle of weathering the other 8 stockcars and the Locos to make up the 'cattle' rake. But projects have been put on hold for the time being.

 

[chris m01]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

I've seen this working I must say they are a great solution to the problem. Like the sound effects too.

This is probably a better solution than adding weight to the loco as it reduces the strain on the loco motor and gears.

 

[Mr B.]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Hi beavercreek,
Just been reading this thread, very interesting way of powering your stock cars.

I have a scratch built two coach rail car that requires a better motor than the battery operated bogie with no speed control and just an on/off switch on the front of the cab! It is a bit uncontrolable as you can imagine and I am getting fed up with chasing after it to stop it!

Do you have a part number and/or a supplier for the type of motor block you used.

Mr B.

 

[beavercreek]

Re:Needed the motorising of some rolling stock to 'help' weak locos up slopes.

Hi Mr B
I used the blocks from the Aristocraft Centrecab as they are very heavy, powerful and have the shortest wheelbase of any from USA Trains, Aristocraft or LGB with those attributes. The wheelbase more or less exactly matches the freight car bogie wheelbase.
I bought a few in from the States when Aristocraft had them in stock but they are out now. I have not been able to find any dealer that has them in sotck over here or in the States. What I have done is to cannibalise Centrecabs themselves for the blocks.

 

[beavercreek]

It has been a long time but I forgot to post up a photo of the modified rooves

Stock cars now with modified side roof walks...the Bachmann plastic ones are gone and replaced with metal grab-irons

 

[beavercreek]

I might have a few 'non motorised' stock cars going spare if anyone might be after one or two....

 

[beavercreek]

To round up the thread a few photos from the summer to show the stock cars in action doing what they are meant to do.
All three are now chipped with ESU decoders so that they can run on DCC or DC.
The parameters have been set to mimic the acceleration/deceleration characteristics of the Arsto block in RS3 and also the bachmann Anniversary 4-6-0.

In the photos two converted stock cars are being used to `help` an RS3 with a decent rake of cars, up the incline and to help to hold her back on the down slope.
The train was being run with DC and another train, with a GP9 heading, was on the same line. They were balanced with load so that it took along time for one to catch the other.

Out of Arrowhead tunnel and beginning the climb to Arbour Summit  view of front and rear section of train



Wide view showing whole train with the converted, motorised stock cars at the rear


Winding its way through the switches at Beaver creek yards

 

[supagav]

Nice Mike, looking good! I don't know if its just the photos, but I really didn't realise that your grades were that fierce! It almost feels like you can justify the dynamic brake sound on those Phoenix boards! The railroad is looking lovely

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Gav
Yes the incline is 10+% (the diner gives a little clue!). So you can see the reason why I built the 'helper' stock cars and also I now have a couple of 'helper' passenger cars as well (also DCC-ed).
Thanks for the nice comment but the photos were from last year...I can't honestly say that the winter has done it any favours!