Fleischmann N scale Cog engine reviews?

[nkalanaga]

"Even if it is a coffee grinder"

I have some old videos of the Furka-Oberalp Railway, including a cab ride from Brig to Oberwald.  On the rack sections, the prototype can sound like a coffee grinder, at least from in the cab.  And these were modern (at the time - late 1980s) locomotives.

[Lemosteam]

@nuno81291 , That motor looks dimensionally the same as an old Lifelike skew wound 5 pole motor.  I have repowered several locomotives with them and they have high torque and smooth slow operation.  Some engines have longer shafts than others, and I might have one you could buy reasonably.

I was stocking up on them with cheap eBay loco purchases to repower a fleet of Minitrix K4's prior to the Bachmann K4 release.  It would seem I no longer need all of them.  They fit well into Minitrix 0-6-0 locos as well.

Here's one I did and at the beginning of the video you can see a long shaft in the chassis.  I had to ream out the Minitrix worm gear (similar to the one in the photos) to 1.5mm ID.:

[nuno81291]

Thanks everyone, I placed an order for the starter kit and a few pieces of the rack flex. Looking forward, haven’t bought a piece of n scale gear for a few years now. Build thread to follow although will be more of a diorama/layout than ops based layout. Now to invest in an optivisor for my young yet unsteady hands 

[peteski]

Now to invest in an optivisor for my young yet unsteady hands 

You are going to wear the Optivisor on your hands!?  That is a brilliant idea - why didn't I think of that?! 

But seriously, I find the Optivisor indispensable if my hobbies.  It really makes things easier (to see).   I also have one of those illuminated magnifier lamp with a circular fluorescent bulb, but I almost never use it. I prefer the Optivisor and the lamp is only used for illumination.

Hopefully your re-entry into N scale will not be frustrating. We are here to offer solicited and unsolicited advice. 

[nuno81291]

Pete I have hours on my hands most could not fathom for my age, between countless of hours on a guitar and being a contractor up until a few years ago I have made a living with them, like some
Members I have arthritis and a more or less permanent tremors. I guess that’s why I finally get to live a childhood of some sort I never had. Not to mention multiple back injuries (fractured and fused T11/12) I don’t ask for pity but HO has been more kind for my affliction, at the end of the day I am happy to be excited to try my hand (haha) again and hopefully I can bring to fruition what is floating in my head. One thing is for certain I do not have space for an HO diorama of similar proportions...as you know Pete Mass real estate within 95 corridor is borderline crazy   

[peteski]

Pete I have hours on my hands most could not fathom for my age, between countless of hours on a guitar and being a contractor up until a few years ago I have made a living with them, like some
Members I have arthritis and a more or less permanent tremors. I guess that’s why I finally get to live a childhood of some sort I never had. Not to mention multiple back injuries (fractured and fused T11/12) I don’t ask for pity but HO has been more kind for my affliction, at the end of the day I am happy to be excited to try my hand (haha) again and hopefully I can bring to fruition what is floating in my head. One thing is for certain I do not have space for an HO diorama of similar proportions...as you know Pete Mass real estate within 95 corridor is borderline crazy   

I was just injecting some humor into my post. While I'm lucky that my hands were not subjected to any heavy wear, I do have an idea of problems that can interfere with hobbies which involve precision miniature work.  I was diagnosed with essential tremor about 10 years ago. Thankfully it is really mild and a medication I take for another ailment, as a side effect reduces the tremor. While nowhere as bad as you, I sometimes have days where trying to do some precision tasks (like soldering wires onto a SMD 0402 LED) are better left for another day.  So I have some inkling of how difficult things would be if my tremor was much stronger and the finger joints were stiff.

I have nothing against larger scale model trains, but I'm also glad that you are attempting to dabble in the Nice scale again. 

And yes, I'm fully aware of the crazy real estate prices in Eastern Mass. 

[nuno81291]

Pete I meant no disrespect, your vintage looking fire engine in N? Is perhaps the finest painting and assembly I have seen, easily up there with mmagliaros astounding 0-6-0. You are truly a master with you hand and ability to recognize deficiencies in models, I very much look forward to your posts (let alone you are a masshole like me ) rock on man, your work is well up there (you won a tamiya award I believe) it is my honor to have you poke fun at me... lord
Knows the world could use more of it. a 0402? I don’t think I could even see the points to solder let alone not fry every one in an order.. hence the point of the OP, I am good with my hands if it comes to a guitar but unfortunately need an n scale mechanism to function well if it will not be a static model in my house 

[peteski]

Pete I meant no disrespect, your vintage looking fire engine in N? Is perhaps the finest painting and assembly I have seen, easily up there with mmagliaros astounding 0-6-0. You are truly a master with you hand and ability to recognize deficiencies in models, I very much look forward to your posts (let alone you are a masshole like me ) rock on man, your work is well up there (you won a tamiya award I believe) it is my honor to have you poke fun at me... lord
Knows the world could use more of it. a 0402? I don’t think I could even see the points to solder let alone not fry every one in an order.. hence the point of the OP, I am good with my hands if it comes to a guitar but unfortunately need an n scale mechanism to function well if it will not be a static model in my house 

Thanks nuno81291! Yes, those are my models.  Like I said, my problems are mostly under control, but I do have off-days.  There are different degrees of disabling conditions and mine is mild. But having to deal with it from time to time does make me realize how lucky I am, and that others aren't as lucky while they still manage to do some decent modeling.

Reading your post in the Lounge section I was also surprised that you are a 20-something. Life must have been really hard on you to wreck your health so badly.  When I read about your health problems earlier here I thought you were in your 50s or 60s.

[delamaize]

The layout that started me buying the Rack and pinion stuff was this layout:
 (First Layout)

http://www.carendt.com/micro-layout-design-gallery/good-ideas/#13

My plan was to "Germanize" and Electrify this, and try to make it an automated point to point layout. It's never really got past the idea stages though.