How do you convert a non-motorized train to 9V?

[Jones]

So I picked up a display-quality 4708 at a yard sale and while it's not my favourite train ever, I like the look of it, will definitely make use of the platform in my town, and I'd like to try converting the train to my 9v system.

(Before I continue, yes I know that 4708 is a licensed set but since my question is train-related, it seems like my post belongs in the trains forum, where I imagine most of the train experts lurk. I also tried searching both forums and couldn't find any explanation to my question.)

On one of the last pages of the instructions, there is a diagram showing how to convert the train to 9v, but I'm very confused. It looks like it's asking you to put FOUR motors on the train. That can't be right, can it?!? I looked up the existing 9v trains on Peeron and all of them -- which are much bigger, by the way, --- only have one motor. For this little train I would need four?

So if those four motor-like apparatuses displayed in the picture aren't all motors, what are they? I searched on bricklink and didn't find anything except the train wheels. Is that first part the motor and the other three something else? If so, what? Again, I couldn't find anything else like it on the inventory lists of other 9v trains.

Sorry if this is a dumb or obvious question ... I don't have a ton of experience with trains. Thanks for your patience and for any help!

[Zorro]

There are parts that look like a motor, but they don't have one. They weigh a lot less too.

I think you might be confusing with these...

[Guss]

On the pictures you're showing, it says that there is 3x one type of "motor" , and 1x another type, I think the 3 are what Zorro is talking about, non motorized wheels , and the last one is a motor.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Guss

[Jones]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I can see on bricklink/peeron there is such a part as non-motorized wheels:

But clearly, this two-wheel set above is not the same thing as the larger box with four wheels shown in the instructions. What part is that?

Thanks again

[Zorro]

In most train sets, you should build these yourself.

This is a 12V example

http://www.peeron.com/scans/7740-1/4

Edited October 14, 2008 by zorro3999

[Eilif]

the "X3 box" is not a box. It's nearly impossible to tell from the terrible instructional picture, but it's a construction consisting of two of the above pictured wheel sets, the wheel cover piece

( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=2871 ) and a coupler ( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=4022) attached to a "black train bogie plate" ( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=4092 ). There may be a couple of other bricks and plates in there, but it's nothing you couldn't build yourself.

The instructions are odd because, IIRC, the wheel cover piece was only included with 9V motors.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Eilif

[Moose]

If you look at the second have of the picture, the train engine, you will notice that at thge back end of the train, the wheel set is longer - this is the motor. The other three are smaller in size and the directions should have shown how to construct those, those are the normal wheel structures on cars like a flatbed or cargo car for trains. I hope this helped

[Freddie]

The two-wheel sets, of which you need three, are called bogies. All long train cars use them to ease cornering, reduce friction and improve handling. When building them, don't forget to use a 2 x 6 plate to mount the buffers on! That'll keep them at the standard height, and make the bogies much more solid. The earliest 9V-trains also had a single 1 x 2 plate on top of the 2 x 6, opposite of the buffer, just for good measure.

The single one large bogie you see, is the motor itself, here fitted with decoratives and a buffer with coupler. That's what they look like before mounting them onto the train. You've probably also noticed that some trains have two of these motors, while in fact the second one is a "dummy", which is just a bogie built in such a way it replicates the motors' looks.

We train hobbyists also usually place the motor as far front of the train as possible, to further improve handling in corners (pushing vs. pulling) because then there won't be any wheels in front of the motor "hunting" for the rails. You probably won't notice it, though.

[Jones]

the "X3 box" is not a box. It's nearly impossible to tell from the terrible instructional picture, but it's a construction consisting of two of the above pictured wheel sets the wheel cover piece (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=2871) and a coupler ( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=4022) attached to a "black train bogie plate" (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=4092). There may be a couple of other bricks and plates in there, but it's nothing you couldn't build yourself.

The instructions are odd because, IIRC, the wheel cover piece was only included with 9V motors.

Ahhhhhh! Many thanks, Eilif! That makes complete sense. I checked out those bricklink parts and they look exactly like what would be needed to build the "X3." Man, train parts aren't cheap, though. The motors cost more than many sets!

Thanks to everyone who helped out. Moose, there actually weren't instructions how to build the 9V parts in the original instructions because the original set was a decorative train only. That last page in the book was just a (very vague, as it turns out) guide as to how one could transform the 4708 to a 9V train with additional parts not included with the set. I guess that's why the drawings were so "ghost-like." They depicted phantom parts!