HOn3 locomotive shops

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
I was cleaning up and organizing my train stuff, and I found a new motor that is just a tad smaller than the original motor. You want the biggest possible motor that will fit. bigger motors tend to be more powerful, and have beter slow speeds. this motor has very slow starting speed, and what looks like a very appropriate top speed. the gearing on this model is super smooth. I have cheated a ground wire from the articulated frame to the frame at the rear of the locomotive. I'm looking at adding electrical pick up on the insulated side of the drivers, but there isn't much room down there, so I may wait and see how well it runs. I cut off the brass coupler housing, as a first step to mounting a KD on this locomotive. I'm studying it to come up with a plan to paint this. I don't think basic black will work. it needs a Russian iron boiler, lots of bright work, a varnished wood cab, and perhaps a dark red color like the Baldwin Lake color that was popular. I'm going to have to learn some new painting methods. this locomotive can be a Guinea pig for painting my On3 4-4-0s . the black rubber flexible coupling on the shaft was not so flexible after 35 years. PFM had included a replacement, but it had petrified as well. I was able to use a piece of tubing from a pediatric central line on the shaft wide enough to fit a larger piece of tubing which I believe was for a nebulizer. it is super flexable, and allows great movement of the shaft, so the articulated frame can move very freely.

A40A 2-6-6T mechanism.jpg


A42A Mason bogie  w new motor #1a.jpg
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
I aquired another Hon3 engine, before I got the last one modified and painted, so I'm getting behind. The new (old) locomotive is a nicely painted PFM / United C&S 2-6-0. this is an early model, and was tender drive. the motor ddid not work, but likely I would have remotored it anyway. I removed the straight stack with the bear trap cinder catcher . PSC makes two different Radley Hunter smoke stacks, and I hope to get one of those for this critter. in the mean time, I have a Bachman stack from a On30 Porter 0-4-0, which I can shorten, and make a credible stack till I can get my hands on a Radley Hunter stack.


I have cut a blank of heavy brass stock, which is a tolerance fit in the motor hole in the tender. I'll use JB Quick to glue the brass bar crossways in the motor opening, which will give me a base to mount this tiny gear head motor from Microlocomotion.com the motor is has a 4:1 gear ration, which will give this locomotive awesome slow speed capability, and it's top speed will be reasonable. the locomotive will be a little loud, at top speed, but that is a worthwhile trade off good slow speed operation in my book. this is going to be fun.


Both locomotives will need some extra electrical pick up on thier insulated side, and both need HOn3 KDs installed, which is going to be a bear. painting the Mason Bogie will be a bear, as it is so fancy it really deserves a fancy paint job. The 2-6-0 needs a green cab with a red roof, and a #2 pencil graphite job on it's smoke box. this is going to be fun!


A52a 3-6-17 NG shops #1.jpg
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
started painting on the body of the Mason Bogie today



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Did the tank, stack , and headlight in basic satin black. Will do the boiler in an attempt to match Russian iron.

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This is where It is right now. This could work pretty well, or be horrible. We will see.

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Making progress on the Mason Bogie. Need to get its electrical path sorted out, and do a little touch up work, as well as numbers and letters.

Don't even know this ones number, but I think it belongs on the varnish.


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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
IMG_0996.JPG


Had to clean my workbench off before the Grandchildren visited for the Ecilipse I got couplers on the Bogie as well,and it just needs letters and numbers, and a shot of gloss.


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On the C & S 2-6-0, I had to unsolder the brass casting of the draft gear box. Mark the line where the coupler box would go, and then grind a slot in the brass tender end beam with a grinder in a dremil.


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i moved the truck out of the way while grinding. The slot was not quite flush with the bottom of the tender frame, so I cut a styrene shim, before placing an HOn3 coupler. And marking the screw location

Then I drilled a hole slightly smaller than the self tapping screw KD thoughtfully provides wit HOn3 couplers, and used the screw to mount the coupler.



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This IMG_1009.JPG

The coupler is a pretty good fit.
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member





here is a link to the Mason Bogie on the work bench after replacing the motor for as second time, the first motor was too fast, and had poor slow speed control. this one is to fast, but has excellent slow speed control.
 

zathros

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Anything that can be photographed so much bigger than life and look so good is fantastic. Wow!! These Locos are superb!! I am amazed how well that runs at low speeds. Those brushes could get hot though. I am sure you have it set up right by looking at the video, so smooth. What kind of electric motors are these? :)
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
These are gear reduction motors I got from Eldon; at Microlocomotion.com.

Sadly Eldon has passed away. He found surplus motors of various types.


I realized I did not have a finished picture of the little 2-6-0

B657F49C-2B7B-407E-AA54-0A9DA1B507F7.jpeg
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member


I have ordered one of these. It has been a while since my last HOn3 locomotive ptoject. I'm retired now, and am spending the winters near my daughter in Texas. My space down there is limited, so I'm doing all HOn3 there. It has always been a side show.



I have been working on adding on to a portable I started years ago , also documented in this section.
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
The Toma kit
Has arrived suprisinly quickly, I ordered it as soon as it was available, a good thing as the second run sold out in less than a week . My first HOn3 locomotive aquisition in years .


Live has been weird. The wife moved to take care of her folks, which led to us having a long distance marriage , until coved shut down the schools . I retired, and the wife retired, as she is a pediatric nurse practicioner and was exposed to covid all the time.

We have a little place in a quiet nook of the big city, as well as the lake house on Kentucky lake.

We are working toward selling the farmhouse.






I have limited space in the big city, and am doing all narrow gauge there , as it takes up less space

Here is the 3D printed body of the porter. Minus the details that haven't been added yet on the pre assembled mechanism , that is fine .

To my knowledge , this will build into the smallest , best running HOn3 locomotive ever.

 
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