Cog model railways

[nkp174]

I've recently been checking into cog railway models...and not finding much. What I have found is a video on youtube of an "HOn3" rack & pinion setup consisting of a locomotive and a coach. There is a second video with a Thomas the Tank engine cog locomotive...both videos are Japanese. I've been unable to find these on the internet. Anyone have any ideas?

Otherwise, I am familiar with the LGB cogs...but I'm hoping to find something HO scale. I've also ridden cog railways in both Switzerland and at Pikes Peak.

Thanks.

 

[Mountain Man]

I've recently been checking into cog railway models...and not finding much. What I have found is a video on youtube of an "HOn3" rack & pinion setup consisting of a locomotive and a coach. There is a second video with a Thomas the Tank engine cog locomotive...both videos are Japanese. I've been unable to find these on the internet. Anyone have any ideas?

Otherwise, I am familiar with the LGB cogs...but I'm hoping to find something HO scale. I've also ridden cog railways in both Switzerland and at Pikes Peak.

Thanks.

Sounds like a very challenging scratch-building project, roughly on a par with the early California desert monorails.

 

[doctorwayne]

Sounds like an oversize axle gear would work for the pinion part of the equation, although cramming the rest of the gearing into an HOn3 loco might be a bit of a challenge. If you could find a "pancake" motor that ran slowly enough (and smoothly enough), it might save some space. The rack might be more difficult. In one of the mills where I worked, we had cutting torches that ran on a long track (basically an inverted "U") that utilised the rack and pinion idea - these were about 20' long, in 10' sections. The rack was steel, about 3/8" wide, but I imagine it would also be pretty expensive. You might want to check out old typewriters for rack material - these can be had for next to nothing nowadays. :-D

Wayne

 

[nkp174]

Hmm...interesting ideas...

I was primarily looking for RTR or a kit...but an oversize axle gear would definitely do the job. A rack can be obtained from Fleishmann whom I've found offers an N-scale cog system.

Primarily what I'm looking into this for is that we will probably be having an addition to our family before too long, so I've got to start thinking about the Thomas the Tank Engine layout. My inclination is to build a loop for the 4-6-2s and 4-6-0s, as well as a branchline for Thomas, and perhaps a small cog railway. I'm also debating over whether to use Atlas code 100 track, peco streamline track, or to use atlas code 83 and get a lathe to cut down the flanges on my OO scale british trains.

I'd love to add a cog railway to it...but I'd prefer to have either a realistic cog locomotive...or "Godfred", the Thomas cog locomotive.

Perhaps I'll pick up a Bachmann N-scale dockside, add a new axle gear, build a new boiler/cab, and drop it onto Fleishmann's rack track.

I'd then add an automatic reversing unit and then it wouldn't require attention.

 

[doctorwayne]

I've had good success turning down oversize flanges using a cut-off disk in a Dremel. You don't even need to disassemble the loco in most cases, but you do have to ensure that none of the cutting residue ends up in the mechanism. For the drivers, position the loco so that the cuttings drop away from the loco - a vacuum cleaner nozzle suitably positioned can help, too. Apply power to the loco so that the drivers are turning at about half speed, then, with the cut-off disk running at high speed, gently touch the side of the disk to a wheel flange. Do not touch the edge of the disc to the wheel at any time, and use only light pressure. It's also a good idea to alternate between drivers in order to avoid overheating any of them, an important consideration in all cases, but even moreso with plastic driver centres. To turn down the flanges on non-powered wheels, remove the axle from the loco, then chuck one wheel in an electric drill, while using the Dremel to turn down the flanges on the opposite wheel.
I used this method to turn the flanges on this IHC Mogul: the new, low-profile flanges are not knife-edged like regular flanges, but the loco still tracks beautifully on my code 83 track, and would probably work on code 70, too.

Wayne

 

[nkp174]

Wayne, thank you for the great idea! I can also use that technique on my old rivarossi hudson...so it'll stop bouncing on code 83 track.