18v Battery Power

I recently saw a post about 18v Battery Power being used on model trains as a source of motive power, the sort you might use on a drill or any 18v tool really. I did have a broken electric weed eater which I abused in wet conditions stupidly wrecking the motor (situated right near the blade & thus the air cooling method almost attracted the water). I salvaged the battery plugs & wired up a Radio R/C train controller which had an input voltage of between 6- 28vdc which I have been wiring up to various diesels. I did find a "Low cost Reversible Speed Controller 6 to 28V FC 3A" on Trademe for $10 from a chap in wellington and have so far used it on the Ka build, it lacks remote control so once she goes there's no stopping it, on the other hand there's no more having the train jerk on bad patches of track which caused considerable headaches and stole the "fun" away. This morning when testing the "Ka" I was able to straight away focus on lining up the wheels & correcting the wobble rather than scrubbing track clean of bird poop and then still having to go back over missed spots.

In the future I have a crazy plan of running a single track alongside the 7.25" starting from the other side of the shed following the 7.25  downhill, alongside the fence and perhaps once at the bottom a return loop initially, since its not going to be electrically live I'm thinking about cheaper rail alternatives such as aluminum rail or some L section of some material?

Ozito 18v

Dx easily makes room for the battery, with 2 motor bogies it lasts about 3-4 hours

The smaller locos that can't fit a battery will have to drag these W wagons, the wagon top sits in place securely on the chassis held with a friction fit.

The tender holds the battery, the single motor chassis lasted an hours running today and battery is 3/4 full, before I took the photo I wired up the carriage lights to the Ka, with the speed on minimum the lights turn on while the loco remains stationary.

Trademe Seller - "chripy" $10 NZD Low cost Reversible Speed Controller 6 to 28V FC 3A

Pretty empty train for the school holidays, the lights need to be in the end corridors when running, and then also the main lights when at a station etc. Since the lights are 12v led strip that runs the entire length putting out way to much light I will reduce the light strip into small sections

Plate Girder Bridge Continued

 The bridges cosmetic & safety team have really gone overboard with the inclusion of 3d Printed sleeper straps. If I were really serious about detail I would spend the time doubling the number of sleepers, Its tempting to print some sleeper ends at the very least.

Also of note is the TR logo on the Dixie, I asked my brother to print a black and white logo of the approximate size, then carefully cut the letters out and simply trace the outline using a fine pencil on the locomotive. 

Actually painting is quite nerve wracking, but with a very small & fine brush I carefully filled in the dark blue around the pencil line. All in all it came out better than a decal would have.

In this shot, pre handrails, just visible below the fuel tank is a switch that controls the LED 3v lights. Turn the loco upside down and a 2x AA battery cradle can be accessed. Main headlight driven by track power.

*Update* Later that day..
Inspired by the post, I popped into the local model shop and purchased 1.2mm music wire and promptly went about installing them.
The handrails are cemented only to the chassis.
The cab, long and short hood joins are removable.

Lego Chain attached to the handbrake, not quite scale.

All efforts now reside on detailing her rear end, and underneath the chassis, pipping etc.

1:24 Dxb, automatic coupler

Showing off further DX progress, had hoped to have the bridge painted but will wait for a sunny day.

Cab & ditch lights added. a new front hood with modern door handles. I managed to get the manual uncoupler lever working, safety is still a thing after all.

1:24 DXB Build

Showing off a new 1:24 build, this time continuing will the Dx model of which I intend on painting in the "bumblebee" livery. 

"Bumblebee Livery"

It's been a challenge to build this from within my 7mtr house bus, the 3d printer sits comfortably above the bus engine with the fillament spool resting on the gear stick. These rainy days have helped p

rovide good detailing time. 

Features working cab doors and seats, the front hood is an old one I had spare, I intend on redoing this. The control stand is from an older generation that I printed a year or so ago. Still lots to do, working on installing some LEDS and finishing the handrails which i've been using 1.5mm brass

Showing further progress, more sanding and painting and printing.

1:24 Seats

Making a drivers seat is next on the list, I don't have exact dimensions but the dimensions are based on my 1:24 people. It swivels and the backrest tilts like the real thing.

NZR DX (General Electric U26C)

After many delays & other locomotive projects getting in the way the DX in its original form gets priority. This time things are different with the UP Box printer up and running, I can print larger sections now & after some test prints one can presumably assume nice warp free prints, time will tell of course. knowing this I've designed the loco in sections, the chassis, nose, cab & main body will be printed and assembled separately, allowing for slight variations across the board.

At this point the front cab door will also print separate, allowing for it to be fixed it in place or make add a hinge using fine wire, which I think could even be achieved in nz120, for 1:24 I anticipate no real issues.

A quick print of the Cab & door, as suspected its rather simple assembly, even the door latch works.. 

Yes, hes literally glued to the phone..

More sections finished

Getting closer

Thus we rush boldly forth into functionalism madness, festina lente

Panels close and open, I ended up using 0.5mm brass wire for the hinge. Very snug fit.

Doors open, not sure why I primed the Cab, as this will be reprinted.

It's at this point i'm kicking myself for not printing the side doors on the engine section, I may as well print a phase 1 Dx, and will include the feature. I might still at least print the top part of the engine for the current loco

Not long before we get to see my take on a GE (Ordered through the National Electrical and Engineering Co Ltd, Part of the Cable-Price-Downer group) v12 2750hp diesel power plant poking through under the engine hood. Since everything comes apart I'm saving heaps of time & coin on masking tape.

No sanding or cleanup at all, removed the support material, a quick spray with Tamiya Fine Primer then allowed to touch try 2 minutes before it was fixed to position. Couldn't be happier.

The orange however is simply too dark, Rather the running board edge has the correct tinge of the ginge.

It took 4 coats to find the right shade, $14 each time, but worth it.

This time the top panels have slightly thicker hinges, held to the body by 0.5mm brass rod in a staple like fashion. And of course the addition of side service panels. I'm still experimenting with the exact hinge method to be used here.

2nd Dx Longhood, cab & nose mostly done, orange section is just a place holder until that section prints. In fact just to complicate things why not have the doors open to reveal stacks of batteries, of which i've no picture nor have I ever seen em in person.

Final colours

Best photo I have of the actual prototype, picture taken indoors, so gave me the best indication. Picture is copyrighted, borrowed from "NZ Railway Historical Group"

It took a good week to install a reliable working side door panel, and 20 minutes to install the rest. Drilled a 0.56mm hole through the body & into the 2mm wide door, and installed 0.51mm brass rod to act as the hinge.

Engine printed & installed

Second 1:24 Dx mostly printed, just need to reprint the front hood, the control stand as it first made an appearance, the actual controls will be free moving.

After more painting its starting to look very sharp, need to think about glazing & lighting

More lights added

Early morning shot, The handrails are not glued, but rather can be removed in order to remove front, rear hood & cab