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Wednesday 8 May 2013

A very long time coming....

Hi All,

It has been a long time since the first post on this blog as the HO scene has taken precedence, but now after a number of meeting of the H&B design team things are coming together.

Basically the entire project has been started again, including a redesign of the basic loco shape as well as deciding to go petrol/diesel electric as opposed to the original petrol mechanical drive.

To reign in the project cost and to expedite it's completion a few aspects have been changed and simplified including the inclusion of pre fabricated parts so as the simplify the construction, and also the inclusion of more 'off the shelf' items. The idea behind this is that once we have completed one loco, we intend to create a DIY loco kit and sell on the National market as a budget, customisable, with the ability to be put together with whats in a average Joe's tool box type affair.

Design work is progressing nicely in SolidWorks of the chassis components and electrical schematics, and next is chassis point loading calcs etc.

Below is a rehash of the basic design employing a "Pacific National" inspired livery (not to scale).

Any Questions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

H&B

Monday 14 January 2013

Prime Mover Selection!

G'day!

After our first brainstorming session, we finally fitted in the time for our first planning and design meeting. On the agenda was to absolutely confirm the basic concept of what we wanted to achieve. The decision to go with a freelanced body was all but set in concrete and the fundamental mind set of over-engineered design was put in place. The over-engineering will allow for the provision of a heavier prime mover and drive train, and also the ability to fit 2 3 axle power bogies of up to a 10.25 inch gauge. Prior to the commencement of fabrication we will be creating a 3D model of the major components including the OEM parts. Each stage of this construction will be carefully calculated to achieve maximum safety and performance. We estimate the 3D model will be completed in approximately 7-8 weeks with the first stages of chassis fabrication to start directly after.

At this time we are looking to procure the Prime mover for the loco, and after a change of heart and wanting a more challenging install we have opted for the 4lt EFI Ford 6 cylinder. The reason behind this is to not only create something more unique, but it will force us to engineer the chassis etc to carry a greater weight than a 4cyl, it will also mean we will have to create a drive train capable of withstanding a substantially higher torque of 300+Nm. But in turn this will allow a higher hauling capacity, and later on down the track when we hope to release our design to the purchasing public, and provide a sturdy basis for others to power their version with anything up to and including the figures of the Ford 6.

Comments are more than welcome at this stage, although Ben is a experienced engineer and I have a good relationship with locomotion, it is our first leap into the world of miniature railways, so please offer ideas thoughts and questions as it will help us form what we hope to be a very successful project.

Next step donor engine testing!



Image of the donor engine out of a 1996 EF Fairmont. 157kw and 320Nm torque.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

WELCOME

Hi All,

So the first post of a new blog! What better to start a new year with than a new project in a new form of model railroading 7.25 inch gauge miniature railway. This blog will cover, step by step, the planning fabrication, construction and running of a  'BUDGET' Petrol/mechanical 'freelanced design' loco. Firstly the reason for going with a freelanced design is that for myself doing HO NSW i confine myself to being as prototypical as possible, in the way i detail/weather my locomotives and use era specific infrastructure etc. So  going freelanced gives me, and my partner in this project the freedom to create something unique and to our specific requirements and desires. And maybe later on down the track allow us the opportunity to produce our loco as a DIY kit.

It was over the Christmas/ New Year break where the idea was tossed around whilst looking at some pics on the net whilst actually looking for some information for one of my HO scale customers. Initially I had this grand idea of creating something more suited for 2 foot gauge but with no one close to our area offering that gauge in a club format. So sadly the idea of a 4-53T Detroit diesel powered monster faded rather quickly, now that's not to say we couldn't create something for 7.25 inch with that kind of power plant or similar (maybe a 3-53N) but its potential dimensions may be a taste beyond practical application, I mean for starters a 3-53 weighs in at approximately 500kgs (that's without auxiliary equipment) and stands some 800mm+  high from sump to rocker cover. So I think a more modest power plant must be chosen.

At this stage we have 3 options: 1) 4lt 6 cylinder EFI Ford (w/auto), 2) 2lt 4 cylinder EFI Toyota (w/manual) and 3) 1.6lt 4 cylinder carburetor Ford (w/auto). The plan is to provide drive to one bogie only (or to an auxiliary axle then by coupling rod to drive axles if rigid frame option is taken) by means of Automatic transmission through drive shafts with chain drive to axles. For simplicity sake we are looking more towards the Ford 4cyl, being carburetor there is no complicated wiring harness, being a smaller engine it allows provision for design variations, and being an East/West set up it allows simple drive off the output shafts.

The image on the title of the blog is a rough representation of the first design.

Any words of wisdom are very much welcomed as this is our first look into this size of project, and of course comments are always welcome.

Cheers

H & B