Suspension problems

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jscarmozza
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by jscarmozza »

Quick update on the performance of my engine since adjusting the weight on the wheels: it ran 100% better, still slipped a little, but I was able to pull 7 cars, one with an adult and child on board. It's not perfect but it pulls much better than ever before. John

P.s. Thanks for the good advice Michael.
jscarmozza
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by jscarmozza »

In an effort to get as much as I can get without taking the engine apart I did a variation on Mike's spring replacement for the solid heart rockers. I haven't run the engine with them in place yet, but they seem to redistribute more weight to the drivers. I included a photo of the solid rocker next to the spring rocker, I'll let you know if they make a difference in the engine's traction.
John
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Bill Shields
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Bill Shields »

I wonder how much 'centering action' comes from the spring rigging?...not that it is really a worry on our models.

On my 3/4" Hudson, I took out the rocker and put in a roller, running on the same rocker ramp...not necessarily for better traction but because i got tired of looking for (and often remaking) the rockers

which is not a problem with your springs !
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jscarmozza
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by jscarmozza »

I'll let you know how it performs Bill.
John
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Bill Shields
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Bill Shields »

if it works it works. I have seen the 3/4" hudsons with just rollers on a flat surface and the heck with the centering....
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johnpenn74
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by johnpenn74 »

Along those same lines, I believe the first superpower Bershires had greased friction plates on the trailing truck instead of heart rockers... At least that is the way I interpreted in the book. It would probably at the simplest application given our models and issues with loading,unloading, track, etc.

JP
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jscarmozza
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by jscarmozza »

Performance update with the spring loaded heart rockers is that I didn't see much more improved performance, pulled 7 cars and still experienced some slip on start up and on grades. Much better than it was before I started making the adjustments, but It will never pull like a Pacific.
John
Pontiacguy1
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

If you can pull 7 cars around with a Little Engines Atlantic, that's not too bad. I have seen some that would barely pull anything more than the tender and engineer around. About the only things left to do to make it pull better are (1) put steel tires on it, (2) add a bunch of lead weights between the drivers, (3) add a working sander of some type, or (4) chain drive the trailing truck. Or use some combination of the above items. Any Atlantic that I've ever seen that could really pull a lot had a chain driven trailing truck. Although one guy I saw had a boxcar that he kept right behind his tender. The boxcar was powered with electric motors on the wheels and had batteries in it. Looked a lot like one of those REA boxcars or something like that. He had a small knob and switch mounted on his tender so that he could control the speed and the direction. It was quite the hidden 'booster', and he would pull impressive trains with it. Some would consider that cheating... I thought it was pretty neat.

I'd just be happy with it and run it, but in any case, congrats on getting it to pull a lot better.
Berkman
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Berkman »

How does the chain drive work with a ash pan?
Pontiacguy1
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Ones I saw had two chains, which were both small, that were on the outside near the wheels, and the ash pan dumped between them. They had to slighly modify the trailing wheel diameter so that the RPM would be correct and the surface feet of the two wheel surfaces would be the same so there wouldn't be any binding. It was a pretty small chain, Like a #25 or something like that, and it had a guide that it went through that would allow it to flex sideways some and realign. I've seen the systems but never having built one, I can only tell you that it has been done several times and that it does indeed work, and at least one of the ones I've seen was a coal burner. Surely there is someone on this board who can give you more specifics if you need it.
Wayne Davis
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by Wayne Davis »

There was an article in Modeltec October 1996 "Hanson Booster Truck" by Thomas Patton, on how to put a chain drive on a trailing truck. It gives the calculations for sprocket size for wheel sizes.

Wayne
pat1027
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Re: Suspension problems

Post by pat1027 »

Speaking on a 7-1/2" gauge Pacific the chain runsbelow the top of the cradle. The ash pan is in three sections. The center section slopes downward toward the rear above the chain. Two on the side rest on the cradle and the center. The chain is along the center of the locomotive.
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