Train assistance

C

CJDeeds

New member
Hope I don't get in trouble for cross-posting but thought I might have more luck in here. I have seen quite a few different motorized trains and trolleys on here. I would love to build one for 2015 but am having a hard time understanding how exactly you use the motor up to drive the wheels. Could somebody walk me through this? I find that I do better with a cookbook method instead of pictures so I am just not quite getting it. Also, the majority of them seem to have two sets of wheels- a regular set of wheels for on the track and then a set of casters that ride inside the rails, how does this work? Thanks for any and all assistance.
 
CJDeeds said:
... understanding how exactly you use the motor up to drive the wheels.
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I think you mean "how you hook the motor up to drive the wheels" (if not, skip this answer).

Best way to illustrate, I think, would be to say to remember your bicycle as a kid: you put your feet on pedals, which were attached to a sprocketed wheel, which in turn was attached by a chain to another sprocketed wheel, which was attached to the wheel that had the tire.

Substitute the pedals with a motor and you then transfer the energy of the motor to a wheel via a chain (or it could be pulleys and a belt).

Does that make sense?

CJDeeds said:
Also, the majority of them seem to have two sets of wheels- a regular set of wheels for on the track and then a set of casters that ride inside the rails, how does this work?
Click to expand...

Full-sized trains and trolleys ride on rails that have a head, web and foot; the wheels have a flange, which rests on the head and reaches down the web but doesn't touch the foot. This is pretty sophisticated for a little display that must be set up and dismantled every year.

What I've seen most Christmas displays do is to build little troughs out of metal and wood that keep the train/trolley in line; the trough is high enough that the wheels won't jump over it. When in motion, the casters hit the side of the trough and bounce to the other side. This back-and-forth bouncing is kept to a minimum by keeping the trough not much wider that the width of the two wheels on the axle.

I believe in most setups, both the driver wheels and the leading wheels (usually casters) are inside the trough, though I could be wrong about that.

HTH.

\dmc

PS: My other hobby: http://www.steamup.com/
 
Thank you, I had been looking at pictures and just wasn't wrapping my head around the connections. It makes a lot more sense now. Hopefully I'll be posting a build here in the next few months, gotta see what finances allow.
 
For a simple train try using a monorail of aluminum angle screwed to a plywood base . Small rollers on the bottom of the loco and cars slide along the monorail keeping the train on track. A wheel chair motor or power wheels motor can serve as power.
 
Walter, your train was actually one of the very first ones I saw and what inspired me to want to possibly build one. Thanks for the video.
 
I do not have a set of detailed plans but after the Christmas holidays I can help anyone wanting to build a train similar to the one in the video. e mail me at walter@magicchristmas.org if you are interested . A train build such as this takes about a year to get it right and there are many options that work in different locations.
 
Trains are a great piece of the display. Last year I had to sell my display during a hard ship and people still come up to me and say we miss the train the most of all the display.
Will have to rebuild
 
walter monkhouse said:
I do not have a set of detailed plans but after the Christmas holidays I can help anyone wanting to build a train similar to the one in the video. e mail me at walter@magicchristmas.org if you are interested . A train build such as this takes about a year to get it right and there are many options that work in different locations.
Click to expand...

and some times it takes a year or two to tweak it and get it to run right.
but if anyone can help you Walter can he has helped many people. including Bryce Kindla and me
 
Walter your train is so cool!!! I would love just pictures of the setup, motor, drive wheels, power. How did you bend your guide?
 
Scot, you right about that .. even my "G" scale train running under the pixel-tree gets more ohhs and ahhs than any other part of the display
 
walter is a great person to talk to about building a train. He got me started. using some of his plans and some others. now have all my track done and working on the Christmas train. right now laying out the engine, then the cars. all with lights.
 
I've taught several train classes for Lone Star Holidays. My latest PowerPoint is available on GleannlochChristmas.com. Walter is right- we all learn from each other.

Matt
 
got my train build going now.. got engine running and it works.. now building the cab for it.. will be a diesel engine with 3 car behind it.. walter gave me alot of adivse and looking at pictures decided to go ahead with it.. have some pictures that will have to download and put on here..
 
got my train built.. had problems with it this year.. but see what was going on.. going to redo some of it this year.. always something to learn from it.. just getting the kinks out of it.
 
I really wish I hadn't looked at this thread and wished I hadn't watched the youtube video.

Yes I want to build a train now. Only thing is, we have a really small yard. Maybe something to look at for 2017.

For those having a stab it this for this year I'd love to see some build photo's along the way.
 
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