looking for a Kato Mike toaster.

[victor miranda]

forumers,

I am looking for some one who routinely pulls long trains.
... or trys to haul them with a kato mike.

If I could find the guy who does slow melt-downs of Kato Mikes
that would be perfect.

AND...

who is willing to post here about the test/demonstration.

I want to transform a kato mike from the mild mannered machine everyone knows
into a super hauler...

I've made one attempt.
it seems successful and is living with its owner...
since I do not know how to toast a mike
I am hoping to find some one who has.

perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

victor

[victor miranda]

well, no one is jumping at this opportunity?

yall don't trust me?

I am planning to replace the toasted motor...
I hesitate to use the word free.... 'cause unless you live near me...
someone has to pay the postman.

[brokemoto]

I do live near enough to you, Victor.  I do run Kato mikados.   The problem is that my pike is too small for long trains.  The steepest grade of any length is one-point-two percent, although there is one short one that is one-point-seven.  I run only shorter trains over that section of track as it is.   That part of the pike is also too small for long trains.

[peteski]

I suspect that there aren't all that many Kato Mikado users (especially toasted ones) as you were expecting Victor.  But give it a week or two - many members don't check the forum very often. 

[victor miranda]

Hi brokemoto,

I have an idea for adding a pair of ball bearings to the Mike.
while I plan it to be a drop in change....
in that it can be changed back if you are willing to press the worm
back onto the old shaft.
and I have a mike or two (the real number is a state secret) to give it a trial....

my thinking was to find some one who runs Mikes near the limit.

If you want this change added to one of your  Mikes,
I am willing... I doubt you will see much benefit for the effort however.
(this is the problem I face,  I have not been able to toast a mike.)

Hi Peteski,

in my past, I have learned that I am unable to catch fish using a baited hook and string.
I may find someone. 
How else does one make a second post adding a detail that was left out of the first post?

I may get overrun....

victor

[peteski]

You only allowed less than an  hour between your initial and second enticement post.  I suspect that in that time not many people even had a chance to read your first request, much less people who would even own a Mikado.

[victor miranda]

one of the things I enjoy about you peteski is when
I know what I wrote wsa not at all what you heard.

this is one of those cases.

remember.... I fish with a net.

victor

[peteski]

Yes, when it comes to certain things (like critique and understanding of mechanical model design), our minds seem to work in a similar way, but when it comes to other things, we don't seem to connect at all.  That's ok, I won't contaminate this thread any further. 

[glakedylan]

victor
I have one, I believe, in my storage area...I will check tomorrow and let you know
thanks
Gary

[mmagliaro]

This may be hard to prove, Victor.  Hot as I've seen some Mikados get, I have never actually succeeded in
burning one up.   And even if you put your improvement into an engine and it runs for "some time" under
very heavy load, we still don't really know what it has accomplished.

A better validation might be to simply take one from somebody who pulls painful trains with a Mikado, do a baseline current measurement pulling a big load, then put in your ball bearings and verify that the current draw goes down.  If that happens, then I would say your modification is a success.  The current is proportional to the heat generated, after all.

How much longer the motor will last after that, who can say?  But I think if you drop the current by 25% or more,
you get the blue star.

[victor miranda]

Yes, when it comes to certain things (like critique and understanding of mechanical model design), our minds seem to work in a similar way, but when it comes to other things, we don't seem to connect at all.  That's ok, I won't contaminate this thread any further. 

ummm...
Peteski,

You are welcome in my threads.

You drive me nutz sometimes and you are welcome, cause I can't imagine I do not have the same effect on you.
I was only letting you know that I can see the communication issue.

When you and I do not see each other clearly,
and that does happen.
I often wait a while before I post.
(not advice for you, just what I do)

You have earned enough of my respect that you are not being ... irksome?... on purpose.
So I have to consider why it bothers me when it happens.

I am not in control of this thread nor of you.
take my word for this.

You are welcome here.

victor

[victor miranda]

hi glakedylan,

ok, I look forward to that.

can you share the details of how you ran your Mike?


Hi Max,

if you can get a Kato mike hot,  Max, that is part of what I want to know.
I've put an extra TT axle on a mike and hauled a long train... if 25 cars is long.
I did not get hot... lightly warm maybe.

so I know I can reduce the current draw with the ball bearings.
That reduction may not be enough?
there may be more involved?

  looking around.



 

[randgust]

I have a GHQ L1 mod with a traction tire, which is pretty much like gluing the wheels to the rails.   The motor gets warm and you can feel it through the heat sink that doubles as a boiler.   But its a show pony, not a workhorse, and doesn't get much of a regular workout to ever accumulate any serious hours.

I'd think the prime candidates for working them hard would be these GHQ L1 kits, just sayin'.

It weights 168 grams with the tender, and pulls 34 grams at the drawbar for 20% adhesion.   For comparison a Kato C30-7 weighs 114 and pulls 21.   That's as much of a serious load as you'll ever put on a Kato motor.   

Also for comparison, my Life-Like Berkshire weighs 114.2 and pulls 7.5 for a miserable 6.6%.    And people still debate me about wheel material!

[victor miranda]

RandGust,

you are a lot of what I seek...
want to fit some parts into your mike?

It may seem I have started flapping my mouth a bit pre-maturely
I will have to make a few pieces

If you know the motor will not heat up will you run it more?

victor

[victor miranda]

here is my idea about to be installed in one of my Mikes.




last night I tried three chassis
the one I pick for this is #1:--- 100ma 3.5v and 55 sec per lap
a fully assembled #2 ----------- 175ma 4.6v and 54 sec per lap
and a chassis like the first #3: 130ma 4.6v and 55 sec per lap

after adding the ball bearing assembly pictured
#1 is going at 90ma 3.1v and at 58 sec per lap

I plan to add a traction tire axle and haul some cars
and compare it to the #2 loco, which has a traction tire axle.