My tram is running more than 292 km in 17 days and a question to it.

[schienenkönig]

In an empty, not used salesroom the scouts tram lay out is running for more than 17 days. Every day from 10 to 19 o'clock. The tram need round about 38 seconds for a complete ride. That means 849 rounds where made during a day. It started on the 26th March and goes on till the 20th May 2015. (If the shop is not sold)

It has only a timer clock. The length of the track is ~ 18,10 Meters. That means in 19 days it made 292 km = nearly 182 miles. And that means marks comming onto the curved tracks.

The shop window.

The tram with the trailer in the middle is the oldest of my models. I had to change only the scates and one time the brushes to the motor. The tram is nearly 18 years old know. The shape from the front part is different to the first scartch build. I'm really surprised, that this modell run all the time since 1987. And now when it does the propper job, I had only once a failure with it. The coupling felt into the tracks and the motorcar runs into his trailer. After a circle the train derailed and suck. The wheels still running an made marks into the rails. A 3mm screw whre lost.

After 17 days of service I noticed a wearout at the curved tracks. It left these little chips near the rail, mostly on the outer rail. At the straight rails, you see only a pile of black brass chips.

Have you had similuar experiences with the tracks?

Peter

 

[spoz]

Wow! Impressive peformance - I'm not sure you're going to get too many people with more experience of continuous running than that, although I suppose a few shops might. We used to have one here which ran a Stainz around a (large) loop of track in its overhead but I don't remember getting showered with brass filings! Reflective of the real world of course where both track and wheel wear are significant problems, and our curves are much tighter (relatively) than theirs.

Are you sure the black on the straights is brass, and not from of the plastic rail chairs? Sometimes get mine hit by wheels with deep flages, particularly if the wheel is worn a bit.

 

[Madman]

Impressive performance. You did not mention the catenary wire nor the pantograph, wearing. How are these two items holding up ?

 

[dunnyrail]

Some years back I got a Stainz that had been running in a Restraunt for many Years. The wheels tyres were well worn, bearings sloppy and the Valve Gear was also sloppy with elongated holes in the Rods. But it still ran perfectly. I would imagine that over the years it had run many miles. I have also seen LGB Rail that I believe had been used at Beconscot which was showing signs of severe wear. I would imagine that there would have been similar filings in the Track had one the oportuninty to look. To my mind such extreme use shows the durability of oyr large Model Trains. Unless we have a 24/7 365 Running on our lines,mwe are unlikely to see such wear in our lifetimes.

Very interesting post, presumably to raise funds for the Scouts?
JonD

 

[playmofire]

That's very impressive and a tribute, too, to your scratch building skills.

Is the black actually carbon dust?

 

[PhilP]

Have you thought of running in the opposite direction for have the time to reduce uneven wear?

The 'cafe' Stainz would wear horribly on one side, unless you could get the owner to run either way round..

 

[Rhinochugger]

It probably is more severe on the sharper curves, and obviously reflects one of the aspects where our models deviate from 1:1 trains/trams.

The flanges only ever do some work in 1:1 scale where a check rail is installed.

Incidentally, slightly wandering, the Docklands Light Railway has a top speed of around 50 mph, because its wheel profiles are designed to a sharper angle due to the use of very tight radius curves.

 

[trammayo]

I see it as rather prototypical. I remember Leeds had a continuous water fountain on a certain section to provide lubrication for the flanges.

Equally, there was a large batch of trams equipped with EMB Pivotal trucks - one axle per truck. They were cross linked so, in theory, they would always return to the straight.

It all worked fine with new equipment and new rail. However, when worn it was a different story. The Transport department decided they might be better working like a two axle truck - probably the longest rigid wheelbase of any (then) conventional street tramway.

They were so bad they left shims of track behind on a tight curve!

 

[Gizzy]

I was given some old LGB brass track that had been in the window of my local model shop for around 25 years.

A Stainz used to regularly trundle along the track controlled by an LGB shuttle.

The track was mainly straight lengths with a couple of R1 curves in a 's' bend.

I fitted the track in an extension to my layout, but noticed trains bumping when travelling along this section due to the wear of about 0.5 mm.

The track was replaced but it is still in use as a MTS programming track....

 

[schienenkönig]

@ Spoz: "Are you sure the black on the straights is brass, and not from of the plastic rail chairs?"
It looks like dirty brass parts. The plastc chairs are not touched.

@ Madman:" You did not mention the catenary wire nor the pantograph, wearing. How are these two items holding up?"
At this show the pantograh is not touching the overhead wire. Our wire is a "flying" wire. That means ist is not really fixed at the ends of the boards. At normal use with the kids steering it, we watch the line and repair it, when it is loosen. In the shop I'm only be there once a day to see, that the tram is running. Of course the pantograph is used very often during the last sessions and it has deep marks. (Photo comes tonight)

@ dunnyrail: "Very interesting post, presumably to raise funds for the Scouts?"
Hopefully, yes. They told me that they are willingly to pay a bit for the scouts.

@ playmofire: "Is the black actually carbon dust?"
One track is blank brass, the inner one is black on the top of the track and it is a bit smeary.

@ PhilP:
"Have you thought of running in the opposite direction for have the time to reduce uneven wear?"
Excelent idea. I have done it over the weekend. To night i'll check the first results.

@ all, thanks for your interests. To night I'll add some new photos.

Peter

 

[schienenkönig]

Her are the Photos of the old pantograph.

This damage came with the normal use. And it hasn't had the same distance like now. I dont'nt now, how long this pantograph was in service but the overhead wires layed in zick-zack, like the original tram overhead wires.

The wires shaped waves into the pantograph. The upper compensator will be replaced with new brass metal. This time I will use square ones, May be 3 x 2 mm. I'm not sure, will see!

But... Ebay is sometimes a helper. Found this working tram tractor. Very simple made. It said G scale self made working loco.

I expected a LGB Motor with it, but it is "only" a playmobil motor. It arrived with 3 figures and a barrel. It has two front lights an a red tail lamp, working.

I got it for 26,95€ including postage. The pantograh is "new" and the motor runs fine. SO I do have a spare part pantograph. Normal price for that is about 27,50€. An also I do have 3 spare parts to repair the upper compensator. It was orderd by Sommerfeld on a modell exhibition in Cologne.

Peter

 

[TheMartin]

Yes we've had similar! May - June last year we had an LGB Stainz running on R1 curves in our window display and had brass filings and black dust. In Christmas 2013 we had a simple end to end with a shuttle module no filings but huge amounts of black dust.

Trains ran pretty much all day everyday too.

This Christmas we went for GN15 in the window however we hooked the whole display up to a button outside the window so that it only activated if someone pressed it! http://suttonboningtongallery.com/about/christmas-window-display-santas-sleigh-launching-station/