Model Train Journal

Hello all,

I purposely bid on a C&LS FM Trainmaster unpainted for Reading at last years Stouts Auction for ChiTown. But I unintentionally won. The item looked ok on the site and of course their disclaimer is that nothing has been test run and sold as is. Well it came without motors. The gearboxes are there but no motor and gear. Anyone know where to procure them? C&LS as I understand is defunct. Or know the gear size for this model, I would see if there are compatible gears here https://www.sdp-si.com. Motors aren't a problem, I have plenty and mounting should be fine, I can 3D print an adaptor plate. Chassis in the background you can see the two gearbox towers with no motors.

Talk to Jay.

http://www.right-o-way.us/tmContactUs.php

Good advice. Not inclined to have my name on the top three threads for a week, so I shall answer here -

Sarge - I found five more pairs of plastic car bolsters, complete with kingpin screws and springs. See your PM.

Carey - nice work on that latest video. You are capturing all the prewar O Scale in one spot, and documenting it. I enjoy your work.

As to current projects - still messing with my 2-6-6-2 project. Tempted to add details to the boiler - mechanisms are almost ready for gearbox cases. Currently struggling with running boards over the front cylinders. Devoting most of my time to airplanes - that, too, is great fun. Might shoot an FA/FB set in Katy red. Might. That would free up an FT-A for maybe L&N.

And for the same reason, I attach my version of the SP Consolidation and maybe a brick red FT here. The Consolidation is based on a Lobaugh Berkshire frame, but is otherwise scratchbuilt in 17/64 scale. The FT, if I find a photo, is the final version of the sand cast series done in the Adams foundry.



Remind me to get a better photo of this one.



These old doorstops sort of "grab" me. I am getting good at assembling them. Not good at windshields, grab irons, horns, and steps.

Bob, if you sent a new PM, it hasn't appeared.

They are yours - PM me and remind me of your address.

Edit: it doesn’t show in my sent box - I must have hit the wrong button.

Mike,

You vanished on me.

Do you still want to pursue any of this?

Here's a C&LS I reconfigured. I've probably done a dozen of these.

https://photobucket.com/share/ba88a0dd- ... c4c62c2c47

https://photobucket.com/share/096b4c7d- ... d637f5ac7c

Yes, I eliminate the BS 24 volt motor but a slower RPM Pittman might work. Stock motor turns about 3000 RPMs @ 12V.

Jay

Very impressive as always Jay. I see how you eliminated the whine in the transfer gearbox using a nylon middle gear. That was one complaint I had on Doug Cockerham's transfer gearboxes, the whine was very noticeable at speed..............on a turbine is was very okay.

Bob: PM sent. Thank you!

All (especially Mike):

If a specific recommendation helps, I'll give one. There are five of these conversions in operation here (a switching and terminal operation), and I will say they are a vast improvement over stock.

Henry's drive was a beautifully engineered and executed one as far as the mechanics. The almost fatal flaw is the use of a 24v motor to lower the speed range rather than a mechanical reduction. On the surface that sounds plausible, but doesn't take into account the lack of starting torque when asking that motor to start the geartrain and a load whilst only using roughly half its speed/voltage range. Jay's conversions address that serious issue and the resulting starting performance improvement is well worth the investment and the effort.

Many thanks to Jay for sharing all the photos of his work. I am not at all familiar with the inner workings of the C&LWS locomotives, so I am not sure what has been changed and what is the same. It appears that the original tower casing is retained but beefed up with ball bearings, as a minimum. That sure can't hurt. Like many before me (I am sure), I was horrified by how wildly insufficient the bearings were in many of the early gear towers. Hard for any gear to last long if the shaft bearings are wallowed. I would guess that Jay could start a scrap-metal business with all the dead gear towers he's replaced over the years.

Jim

Jim,

The original drive has the 24v motor bolted directly to the tower. My modification uses a Faulhaber gear head motor with a reduction of 3.7:1. It now couples to the tower via, rather stout, heavy wall tubing. I usually remove the 22 tooth .4 mod gear from the original motor and install it on a 5/32" shaft (input to the tower). The original drive doesn't have ball bearings to support said shaft so we add them.

I was lucky enough to score around 2 dozen of the tower die castings. This gave me the luxury to experiment without damaging someone's model.

The photos are all jumbled and probably make the whole thing rather confusing.

All in all, a fun little conversion. The biggest hurdle is the current cost of the Fauhaber gear head motors. Typically, they are now going for $300 to $500. Luckily I snagged some before they went insane.

It would be fun to show you one, before & after but the 1500 mile separation makes that rather difficult.

Jay

bob turner wrote: Not inclined to have my name on the top three threads for a week

But Bob, when your name is on three different threads then the rest of us know that those three threads are going to be worth reading!

Let me know when they are worth reading and also worth responding to?

Jay Criswell wrote:The original drive has the 24v motor bolted directly to the tower. My modification uses a Faulhaber gear head motor with a reduction of 3.7:1. It now couples to the tower via, rather stout, heavy wall tubing. I usually remove the 22 tooth .4 mod gear from the original motor and install it on a 5/32" shaft (input to the tower). The original drive doesn't have ball bearings to support said shaft so we add them.

Thanks, Jay, for all the details on the conversion. The description and the photos make it pretty clear what's involved and what you're doing to get this drive fixed up. Fun stuff indeed. It's a good day when I get to dink around with a locomotive drive.

Jay Criswell wrote:It would be fun to show you one, before & after but the 1500 mile separation makes that rather difficult.

Any chance for a tour a few days before or after OSW? I am hoping to visit the Jakl layout this year (dropped the ball on that last year). You're not too far from there, yes?

Jim

Jay Criswell wrote:Mike,

You vanished on me.

Do you still want to pursue any of this?

Jay

Unintentional, I paused the project and boxed it up to work on other things.