[MOC] Narrow Gauge & 9V

[M_slug357]

Hello fellow train heads,

Today I have for your viewing pleasure a 9V system that's been adapted for Lego narrow gauge (4 stud wide) track:

NG: 9V shunter (3) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

Here's the engine up close:

NG: 9V shunter (1) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

And the underside:

NG: 9V shunter (2) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

 

Now here's a video of it in operation:

NG: 9V shunter (vid 1) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

 

It's pretty finicky in operation at the moment, so I'm looking for your input on ways that I can improve this system!

The two main areas that need help are 1) the engine's traction and 2) the electrical pickups.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

~Nick J~

 

[CaL]

Hi,

I remembered, that the German builder Reinhard “Ben” Beneke once made some power pickups.

Maybe his solution does help?

Here is the link to his Brickshelf-archive:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5465030

 

regards

 

carsten

[Capparezza]

Hah, nice one! Funny little engine!

I think all metal wheels would work best, power pickup can be done by pickups on the axle.

[Paperinik77pk]

Veeery nice!!! If I may ask, what kind of 9v motor are you using inside your locomotive? 

I also love to create some very small narrow gauge locomotives and it is really interesting to me how you created the powered rails - I could get rid of 9v batteries and get control of my locomotives once for all! 

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by Paperinik77pk

[Hod Carrier]

Lovely little engine. I do like that very much.

Ultimately weight helps traction, so having a tiny little loco without any onboard power or control features does limit how much adhesion you're going to get. To get the best out of the 4-wide scale TRAXX loco I built I needed the weight of the loco plus that of the PP3 battery, SBrick and even a 2x6x2 weight brick to make it run properly.

A few initial thoughts occur to me. I'm wondering if a chassis redesign might help to get more from your loco. Powering both axles might help with power transmission and reducing the wheelbase from 7 to 5 studs might help reduce any friction you're suffering in the curves. I also found with my TRAXX that the LEGO traction bands are appalling, so I swapped them for rubber O-rings of equivalent size and there was much less wheelspin as a consequence.

What's the problem with power pick-up? Are the pick-ups themselves not staying in contact with the rails or is it something else? If it's a question of contact, you really need to try and get them as close to the line of the axles as you can. Short of making the wheels conductive (which would remove the option to use traction bands), I can't immediately see another way. Maybe you need to think outside the box a bit. How about overhead collection using a pantograph or trolley pole with common return through the track?

BTW, are my eyes deceiving me or is that wagon self-steering? It looks fairly long and might be a significant source of friction.

Edited March 1, 2018 by Hod Carrier

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Amazing shape! Very nice work!