Kumata Brass Patients are being healed!!!!! Update

[nstars]

One of the problems Ron did not mention is also the ridiculous sized worm. The large size requires too much torque from the motor. In other words. fixing the existing drive will always result in poor performance.

Marc

[u18b]

And, yes Marc,  the astonishing thing is that a Kato SD40 worm seems to have the exact tooth spacing.

So you could theoretically replace the whole motor and worm.

I actually THOUGHT about constructing a whole new truck assembly out of brass.... but MAN!  By the time you did that, I could have cut up two Kato RSC-2 mechanisms, added an extra axle to the trucks and had a high quality low friction mechanism when it was all done.

(but this is not even my loco).

There just doesn't appear to be an easy fix for this loco.

[u18b]

And Mike, I do retract my objection to rotating the truck guts.

Yes, the bolster would be moved, but all you would have to do is drill and tap new holes in the shell floor for the proper bolster placement.

So yes, I think your idea could be done--- but I'm not seeing how it solves anything.

[delamaize]

And Mike, I do retract my objection to rotating the truck guts.

Yes, the bolster would be moved, but all you would have to do is drill and tap new holes in the shell floor for the proper bolster placement.

So yes, I think your idea could be done--- but I'm not seeing how it solves anything.

In theroy, If I understand your explanation correctly could it put more of the weight on at least one of the drivers, maybe give it more traction? Another option is maybe to flip it, and file down the slots the idelers sit in to allow a little more vertical motion, and possibly put some more weight on the drivers?
Again, I am just spouting ideas based on what I understood from your explination, and ideas poking around in my head. Maybe I can track one down sometime, and test my theroys....

[u18b]

Hi Mike,

You just described one of the secrets to working with the Bipolar.



By raising axles 3 and 4 by filing their slots higher, then all the weight is then distributed to axles 1 and 2.


But the Centipede is different.  The problem is that dumb bolster.  It should NOT be behind axle 2.
If you were to file on the truck frame and raise axles 3 and 4, then with the weight balance point BEHIND axle 2, then the truck will now tilt until the idler touches the rail.  Because the truck tilted, axle 1 would come OFF the rail.  So actually, traction would be less not more.

[delamaize]

Hi Mike,

You just described one of the secrets to working with the Bipolar.



By raising axles 3 and 4 by filing their slots higher, then all the weight is then distributed to axles 1 and 2.


But the Centipede is different.  The problem is that dumb bolster.  It should NOT be behind axle 2.
If you were to file on the truck frame and raise axles 3 and 4, then with the weight balance point BEHIND axle 2, then the truck will now tilt until the idler touches the rail.  Because the truck tilted, axle 1 would come OFF the rail.  So actually, traction would be less not more.

But what if the whole thing was flipped, and the piviot, In turn, was over axel 3, but in the axel 2 position? I'll have to sketch it out later tonight and post it....

[u18b]

OK.

I just cut and flipped the section in question.



Now, the bolster is STILL behind the driven axle.   

[chicken45]

Wow. This is some great stuff!

[peteski]

Ron,
after you flipped the power truck, the powered axles are on the inside end of the 4-axle truck.  The body pivot is now over #3 (powered) axle. That is perfect. All you have to do now is to make sure that the spring in the bolster of the leading 2-axle truck is strong enough to barely allow #1 and 2 axles to touch the rail. That way a large portion of the body weight will be carried by #3 and 4 powered axles.

[delamaize]

Ron,
after you flipped the power truck, the powered axles are on the inside end of the 4-axle truck.  The body pivot is now over #3 (powered) axle. That is perfect. All you have to do now is to make sure that the spring in the bolster of the leading 2-axle truck is strong enough to barely allow #1 and 2 axles to touch the rail. That way a large portion of the body weight will be carried by #3 and 4 powered axles.

So, move the body piviot to the orginal position as orianted to the shell, and....well......Peteski pretty much read my mind. Even still file out the former 1 and 2 carriers to allow more floating. In theroy, it should put all the weight on the former, 3 and 4 (drive wheels) and the pilots.

[u18b]

I'm really sorry.... 

and I'm almost scared to bring this up....

But in light of you guy's praise.....

Y'all do know that I cut and flipped a JPEG.  I photoshopped the photo for instructional and discussion purposes.

[peteski]

I didn't notice the Photoshopping.    I trusted your excellent reputation and didn't even bother to closely examine the photo. 
Still, sounds like this solution is worth pursuing.

[delamaize]

I didn't notice the Photoshopping.    I trusted your excellent reputation and didn't even bother to closely examine the photo. 
Still, sounds like this solution is worth pursuing.

So another stupid idea, What if one was the shorten the distance between the motor and the worm, putting the weight of the motor closer to the worm. What, if any diffrence would that make?

[u18b]

Yes, Mike,
I thought of that.  That is absolutely do-able.

[Lemosteam]

What if you were to attatch a bent brass strip directly to the sides of the gear tower in such a way that it cleared the worm (think block letter T without the bottom):
________
|              |
|              |
|_          _|
   |        |
   |        |

... and then attached the shell to the top or side surfaces somehow.  This would put the weight of the shell centered directly over the two driven axles.