1/8 scale Locomotive

[siderod]

1/8 CP Red Barn UPDATE

Hey everyone…changed my mind on the 1/8 scale unit I wanted to build…now it’s going to be a CP RED BARN…commonly known as a SD40-2W, SD40-2F or SD40-2FW. It will be powered by 6 wheelchair motors, 3 or 4 12V batteries and the related controler and wiring. It will have working headlights, ditch lights, rear light and classification lights, as well as MAYBE number board lighting. I need ANY AND ALL pics you can provide…any diagrams would be great, anything that might help! Please guys, sooner the better!

OH, and did I mention I plan to build it for UNDER $750.00 Canadian!

Happy Canada Day to all you Canucks!

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Siderod,
Do you have the wheelchair motors yet?
Another alternitive may be electric scooter motors.

 

[siderod]

A guy in my club has about 20 wheelchair motors in his barn, all in MINT condtion..free of charge!

Another guy in the club has a british class 40...he has 8 GM truck supercharger motors in it!! THAT THING WILL PULL!!

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Can't beat the price of the wheelchair motors.
What are you going to use as a speed controller and reverse switch?

 

[siderod]

i have access to what we call a "Black Box"...like a controler made by 4qd...but this is actually one from a wheelchair. All motors will run into that, then i can use a simple rotary knob for throttle and a toggle for direction, OR i can use a joystick that only goes forward and reverse.

Still working out the logistics of that. They guy that owns the supercharger Class 40 is a marine electriction...he's going to do all my wiring for me. He wired his loco, with 4 batteries, a 24-12VDC reducer, 12V amplifier, 8 motors, sound card and 2 speakers AND working vacum brakes!!


Anyone got pics?

 

[Matthyro]

Now this will be a very interesting loco. Tell us more about 1/8th scale. Does this mean it will run on 7 1/2 inch track gauge? Yup, it is Canada Day and a beautiful one at that. We are so fortunate to live in a country like this.

 

[siderod]

To allow some variation, the track is 7-3/8 to 7-1/2, and our rollinst stock and locomotives have a gauge of 7-1/4. That allows for some variation and slight machining tolerances. My loco will probably be just SLIGHTLY above 7-1/4.

I'll dig up some pics and post them so you can droool....we got a LIVE STEAM mikado! And i got to drive! several times!

 

[siderod]

Been a slight change...saw the "weelchar motors" i was planning on using and getting for free...sweet merciful crap, they were freakin 1.5 feet long and 6 inches in diameter...jezusss!!

you'd be damn lucky to cram 1 per truck, let alone 3!

SO, i'll probably need to buy ones from cannonball ltd...110 canadian a piece...so my budget is going up, damn it!

 

[Chessie1973]

Those wheelchair motors are designed for extremely high torgue but low speed.

Ever seen the comercials where they tow a fukll sized ford econoline van with one of the power chairs?

Those chairs have one motor per drive wheel and usually only have two drive wheels.

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Wow! I thought the starter motor I used on my 4-4-2 was large.
There has to be a suitable motor for less.
With having 6 motors, How many horsepower motor do you really need?
Do you think 1/3 HP per motor would do the job?

 

[NYC-BKO]

That wil be one impressive scratchbuild, LOL
Here is a link with drawings they have no dimensions but I figure them to be at 3 1/2 sixteenths to the foot. trainiaxindex.cjb.net/

 

[siderod]

Wow! I thought the starter motor I used on my 4-4-2 was large.
There has to be a suitable motor for less.
With having 6 motors, How many horsepower motor do you really need?
Do you think 1/3 HP per motor would do the job?

There are better motors that are alot smaller...like cannonball motors, 75USD each. OR i could go the route of someone else, GM Truck supercharger motors for 150 USD each! lol

I'm not sure about HP ratings, but the bigger the better :thumb:

Actually, i was just thinking about bench grinders, washing machines and furnaces...i got an idea!

 

[storm]

That wil be one impressive scratchbuild, LOL
Here is a link with drawings they have no dimensions but I figure them to be at 3 1/2 sixteenths to the foot. trainiaxindex.cjb.net/

if u look on the first page where u pick diesel loco it sayed 1:55 i dont know what that woudl be in feet with out figering it out

 

[siderod]

Okay, an update!

I was in the garage with dad's father's day present...a Trademaster 1/3 HP, 3.0 Amp, 3450 RPM sealed ball bearing 6-inch 2-wheel bench grinder I paied about 60 bucks for. I was grinding a piece of hardend steel oxygen pipe, making it into a milepost for the 1:8 railway, for which the red barn is for. I was making sparks and lots of noise, which is good. I was standing there, thinking about the locomotive, motors, my limited money...and then it hit me...literally, it hit me. A bug hit the side of the grinding wheel and smacked me right in the face! :curse: So i stopped to scrap the bug guts and blood off my face, and i looked at the bench grinder...the it really hit me...the idea that is! i measured the motor and it SHOULD fit quite well in a truck. It has a driveshaft on each end, so i mount it and put a chain off each end to an axle. i can use the sprokets to reduce the 3500 RPM to something more suited to the scale.

AND, i can get the ENTIRE grinder for 60 Canadian...almost half the cannonball motors. AND i can sell parts of the grinder to fund it further!

Watchya think?

Sound cool?

Any other ideas?

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Siderod,
If the grinder motor has a field winding and brushes to the armature (AC/DC motor) It will work.
You can rewire the motor with the armature in parallel with the field to make it run on 48 Volts DC. Reversing the direction of the motor can be done by reversing just the polarity of the field windings . 4 twelve volt batteries wired in series would easily fit in your loco.
I wonder how much reduction is in the gearing of a circular saw . (or an Electric drill)

 

[siderod]

i'm not about to shell out bucks to rewire a motor...and the grinder runs on 110V house current, so i'm almost sure thats out of the question...oh well, someone suggested a starter motor per axle, that is my next look-see.

MOnday, i'm visiting the electric motor repair place...seeing what he has kicking around.

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Siderod Rewiring a motor such as an electrc drill motor to run on 48 volts is a matter of dis conecting a couple of wires and running them outside the case to run to your reverse switch.
Please excuse the crude drawings.

 

[KCS]

That wil be one impressive scratchbuild, LOL
Here is a link with drawings they have no dimensions but I figure them to be at 3 1/2 sixteenths to the foot. trainiaxindex.cjb.net/

this page wont show up on any of my puters and i've tried everything. i want to see the drawing also b/c i'm pretty much doing the same as "siderod" except a piece or two at a time as the material become's avalible to me. anyway anyone can help me with veiwing these drawings? i wanna get as much as i possibly can on the subject b/c i am thinking of just buying a set of print's and build every single part like the prototype. as in the U.S i am going to go with 71/2" gauge b/c 85% of live steam layouts in the u.s are 71/2".

Charles