noah@genrad.UUCP (Noah Morgan) (10/02/84)
I hope this is the right newsgroup for model railroading concerns. I'm interested in anyone's experience about improving the performance of HO locos. I am considering regearing the power drive for a higher ratio (around 30:1 or so) and before investing in gear kits i'd love to hear from others who have done this. Also, are there other things that should be done to the loco to improve performance? I know a little about lubeing them and adjusting any linkages or other moving parts so there is no bind. Has anyone replaced the stock motors with better ones? What do people think of flywheels? Noah Morgan GenRad Inc. Bolton, MA
dnc@clyde.UUCP (Don Corey) (10/05/84)
> What do people think of flywheels?
"Model Railroading Magazine" tested five locomotives with and without flywheels
in their Fall 1981 and Spring 1983 issues. Their tests indicated that quality
flywheels smooth out the operation of diesel locomotives while cheap ones
degraded performance. They found that all flywheels degraded the performance
of steam locomotives. They didn't know why this happened, but they speculated
that the slack in the side rods set up a sling-shot effect which more than
offset the flywheel's useful affect through the worm gear.
--
Don Corey
AT&T Bell Laboratories
WH 2A-140 (201) 386-2349 ihnp4!clyde!dncyee@ucbvax.ARPA (Peter E. Yee) (10/05/84)
> I hope this is the right newsgroup for model railroading concerns. I'm > interested in anyone's experience about improving the performance of HO > locos. I am considering regearing the power drive for a higher ratio (around > 30:1 or so) and before investing in gear kits i'd love to hear from others > who have done this. Also, are there other things that should be done to the > loco to improve performance? I know a little about lubeing them and adjusting > any linkages or other moving parts so there is no bind. Has anyone replaced > the stock motors with better ones? What do people think of flywheels? > > Noah Morgan > GenRad Inc. > Bolton, MA --------- On the subject of improving an HO loco's performance, I have several useful experiences. * The proper gear ratio of a loco depends on its top speed at 12 volts. Ideally, it should be about 55-75 scale mph for a freight loco, and 80-100 for a passenger loco. * Before deciding what to do about gear ratios, decide on what type of motor to use. Changing a motor would be wise if the present motor cogs (locks up) at low speeds or is a general source of problems. I've replaced motors in Atlas locos with the "Tan Can" motor made by GSB rail. Since the GSB motor is slower than the Atlas one, it seems unnecessary to regear the Atlases (I'm sure how I would if I wanted to. Other motors to try are the new Athearn motors, and those made by North West Short Line. * If your loco has a hard time pulling due to wheel slippage, try adding weight to the chassis wherever it will fit. Lead shot is good for this. Often, weighting helps traction and derailment problems. * Model Railroading covers loco tuneups IN DEPTH every issue. I strongly suggest picking up a copy, as it is THE source ( I feel) on loco performance. Happy railroading, Tim Zahnley Berkeley, CA PS: I wish I had the space for a layout...