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 Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:47 pm Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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On Nov 11, 9:30 pm, whitroth <whitr...@rcn.com> wrote:
| Quote: | snip
Well, here's a related question: if I took a motor out of a Life-Like steam
engine that I might be able to pick up used at a train fair, might it a)
fit into my Penn Line Atlantic, and b) give at least a reasonable pulling
power?
mark, not wanting to spend *another* $40+ to remotor
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w:
I think I know which Life-Like motors you're talking about...they're
an open-frame motor with a plastic brush holder, not much like a
DC60 at all. MDC used the same motor in some kits over the years.
It's not a very good one.
Your Penn Line Atlantic has a DC60. You can make it work
really well for $2, with no machining at all.
Measure the motor magnet. Now buy some NdFeB rare
earth magnets that will stack into the same sized cube, magnetized
in the appropriate direction. Remove the DC60's magnet, and replace
it with the stack of new magnets. You will be amazed at the
results, and it will cost you about $2 for the magnets.
Here's an example of a similar upgrade to a Mantua PM-1.
Despite the smaller size needed to clear the field screw, the
magnet has much greater strength...in fact, it can completely
overpower the Alnico, and "stick" to either pole.
http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/autobus_prime/rr/PM1-NdFeB.jpg
A similar Mantua 0-6-0, which could barely drag itself around, and
drew
an amp running free, went to .32A running free, .52A full slip, with
plenty of power and the ability to go from a barely perceptible creep
to
60 SMPH on a plain-Jane transistor throttle, no pulse power.
Here's the Trains.com thread where I talked about it:
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/131024/1472782.aspx#1472782
Here are the magnets I used:
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=B842
The Penn Line drive was a good one, and your DC60's lack
of power makes me suspect a weakened magnet. This new
magnet will improve it well beyond the original specs. My
experimenting seems to suggest that the 1/2 x 1/4 cross section
provides pretty close to the optimum field strength for our typical
open-frame motors.
This is such an easy and cheap fix that I'm surprised it hasn't
taken our hobby by storm.
Cordially yours:
Gerard Pawlowski
President, a plywood world with dime store trees. |
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Wolf Kirchmeir
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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whitroth wrote:
| Quote: | autobus_prime@yahoo.com wrote:
Folks:
I am going to play devil's advocate for a little while and put in a
few good words for Life-Like.
Their cheapo stuff is good for kids to play with. I like my
Accurail and Bowser cars, but the fine detail wouldn't survive
knockabout play service. The pancake drive isn't as good as
more complex ones, but it will run and pull a train, and has a
decent service life.
snip
Well, here's a related question: if I took a motor out of a Life-Like steam
engine that I might be able to pick up used at a train fair, might it a)
fit into my Penn Line Atlantic, and b) give at least a reasonable pulling
power?
mark, not wanting to spend *another* $40+ to remotor
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Depends on how much work you want to do machining the frame, replacing
gears, etc.
--
Wolf Kirchmeir |
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Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:01 am Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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m:
Is the armature shorted, then?
That's usually a plain old no-go thing. What's the loco doing? |
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Steve Caple
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:49 am Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:20:16 -0800, Steve Caple wrote:
| Quote: | Wonder how the cats will respond -
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They freaked! Not quite as much as when we got that live lobster-gram and
we gave them a chance to chase the bug around the kitchen floor, but
freaked all the same. Good kitty!
--
Steve |
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whitroth
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:17 am Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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autobus_prime@yahoo.com wrote:
| Quote: | On Nov 11, 9:30 pm, whitroth <whitr...@rcn.com> wrote:
snip
Well, here's a related question: if I took a motor out of a Life-Like
steam engine that I might be able to pick up used at a train fair, might
it a) fit into my Penn Line Atlantic, and b) give at least a reasonable
pulling power?
mark, not wanting to spend *another* $40+ to remotor
I think I know which Life-Like motors you're talking about...they're
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I was just thinking of picking up whatever at a train show.
<snip>
| Quote: | Your Penn Line Atlantic has a DC60. You can make it work
really well for $2, with no machining at all.
Yeah, well, shorting out doesn't run very well at all. |
| Quote: | Measure the motor magnet. Now buy some NdFeB rare
earth magnets that will stack into the same sized cube, magnetized
in the appropriate direction. Remove the DC60's magnet, and replace
it with the stack of new magnets. You will be amazed at the
results, and it will cost you about $2 for the magnets.
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I'll have to remember to look at doing that, when I get a damn track up that
I can at least run in a circle on. Right now, it's semi-kinda-tabled in the
back (cat) room, and right now I'm madly jobhunting, and there's a good
possibility I may have to move halfway across the friggin' continent for
the *fifth* time, this time to the DC area from here in Chi-town....
<snip>
I really dislike the shorting, though.
mark
--
"Armed force and coercion are the antonyms of democracy so
isn't using tanks and cannons to spit out `liberty' and
`democracy' a mite ironic?"
--editorial in People's Daily in China |
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whitroth
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:25 am Post subject: Re: Life-Like vs Trainline train sets |
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autobus_prime@yahoo.com wrote:
| Quote: | m:
Is the armature shorted, then?
That's usually a plain old no-go thing. What's the loco doing?
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Haven't played with it in months, but what would happen would be that it
looked like it would run if the boiler wasn't on it, I'd put the boiler on,
and if I pushed it, most of the time it ran, but I couldn't get it to run
by just turning up the power alone.
I've already taken some plastic that comes under a shirt collar and fitted
it on the side of the frame that the insulated axles are on. I've put some
in the shell, over the motor.
etc. etc.
mark
--
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of
human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is
the creed of slaves." William Pitt, 1783 |
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