Working sprung axleboxes...

User avatar
iak
Posts: 570
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:28 am

Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby iak » Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:26 pm

The below item is a Peco/Parkside RCH 5 plank mineral wagon with various additions to it.
It's sprung with Bill Bedford w-irons which, in a fit of silliness, have had the Exactoscale axleboxes attached to the bearings in the spring carriers.
As a result, the axleboxes actually go up and down successfully - sheer madness :shock:
There are times my illness has some "unique" benefits...

2021-02-02-14-40-58.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest
enemy of truth....
Albert Einstein


Perfection is impossible.
But I may choose to serve perfection....
Robert Fripp


https://www.facebook.com/groups/PadgateWorks/

Terry Bendall
Forum Team
Posts: 2416
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 7:46 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Terry Bendall » Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:13 am

iak wrote: the axleboxes actually go up and down successfully


Clearly the next step is to make the springs move! :D

Terry Bendall

andrewnummelin
Posts: 374
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:43 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby andrewnummelin » Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:40 am

Who remembers the Peco wagons with sprung suspension? Smooth runners but awful bearings!
I wonder with the advances in 3D printing whether it will soon be possible to find a material that would enable this approach to be brought up to date.

As for the remaining challenges, I suspect it is correctly working door catches. (Working brakes and opening doors have been done.)
Regards,

Andrew Nummelin

bécasse
Posts: 374
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:26 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby bécasse » Sun Feb 07, 2021 10:05 am

andrewnummelin wrote:Who remembers the Peco wagons with sprung suspension? Smooth runners but awful bearings!
I wonder with the advances in 3D printing whether it will soon be possible to find a material that would enable this approach to be brought up to date.


They were moulded in nylon if I remember correctly and with a correctly designed mould they should have been able to take pin-point bearings and give a free-running ride.

Nylon isn't adhesive friendly but I wonder if it would be possible to cut the springs free and fix them to both wagon and axle boxes mechanically?

User avatar
iak
Posts: 570
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:28 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby iak » Sun Feb 07, 2021 10:58 am

andrewnummelin wrote:
As for the remaining challenges, I suspect it is correctly working door catches. (Working brakes and opening doors have been done.)


Now there is an idea... :D ;) :P
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest
enemy of truth....
Albert Einstein


Perfection is impossible.
But I may choose to serve perfection....
Robert Fripp


https://www.facebook.com/groups/PadgateWorks/

User avatar
Guy Rixon
Posts: 909
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:40 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Guy Rixon » Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:12 pm

As for the remaining challenges, I suspect it is correctly working door catches. (Working brakes and opening doors have been done.)[/quote]
Indeed. I would very much like to make a working cameo of a shipping coal-hoist, but there's not much point unless the wagon doors open at the right moment.

User avatar
Paul Townsend
Posts: 964
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:09 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Paul Townsend » Sun Feb 07, 2021 12:22 pm

Guy Rixon wrote:Indeed. I would very much like to make a working cameo of a shipping coal-hoist, but there's not much point unless the wagon doors open at the right moment.

Burntisland does it!

User avatar
iak
Posts: 570
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:28 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby iak » Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:05 pm

Paul Townsend wrote:
Guy Rixon wrote:Indeed. I would very much like to make a working cameo of a shipping coal-hoist, but there's not much point unless the wagon doors open at the right moment.

Burntisland does it!


Bobbins, I'd forgotten about that.
And I've talked to one of their guys about it :D
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest
enemy of truth....
Albert Einstein


Perfection is impossible.
But I may choose to serve perfection....
Robert Fripp


https://www.facebook.com/groups/PadgateWorks/

Philip Hall
Posts: 1943
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:49 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Philip Hall » Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:13 pm

andrewnummelin wrote:Who remembers the Peco wagons with sprung suspension? Smooth runners but awful bearings!


I’ve still got one (The Royal Wedding one - which I weathered!) and I put pin point bearings in it and it ran very well. I must dig it out sometime and tidy it up. Not prototypical but helpful just to increase the number of vehicles in a train if I don’t look too closely!

Philip

User avatar
jim s-w
Posts: 2185
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:56 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby jim s-w » Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:50 pm

Peco wonderful wagons. Sprung buffers too. I have a couple of tanks but found the springing too rigid to actually work unfortunately.
Jim Smith-Wright

http://www.p4newstreet.com

Over thinking often leads to under doing!

Philip Hall
Posts: 1943
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:49 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Philip Hall » Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:41 pm

I’ve just found my Wonderful Wagon and it is a bit crude in places and old age has got to the buffer springing, but that’s not a problem since I don’t spring wagon buffers every time. I sorted out the wheels as the tyres had fallen off and glued some bits back on, difficult as much of it is nylon.

But it runs really nicely and the (delicately moulded) springs seem to work ok. Very nice mouldings and metal W irons that the axleboxes run in. I see I added a bit more weight, up from the supplied 47 grams to 62 grams (not calculated, just stuck underneath).

I’ll post a picture when I’ve cleaned up the paintwork.

Philip

Philip Hall
Posts: 1943
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:49 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Philip Hall » Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:20 pm

As promised, a picture of the Peco Wonderful Wagon from 1981. I wouldn’t go in for these commemorative things these days, but that was then and it seemed an idea at the time. I shouldn’t have weathered it though!

I found I had just melted some pin point bearings into the axleboxes. The springs were quite delicate mouldings and are slightly compressed when the wagon is put on the track, and the running is very smooth. I have to say though that it’s not really any steadier than many of my rigid wagons fitted with dead true wheels, but does sound a bit quieter. The real pain is that the whole underframe is moulded from nylon, apart from the steel W irons, which makes any modification difficult as you can’t file it cleanly. The body with its embossed card overlay shows its age, too, and the bolt heads have become a bit flattened. I am not inclined to change it, just content to have it as a memento of another time.

I am slowly working my way through a collection of old wagons, reworking them where it seems worth it. Possibly not up to modern standards, but gives me a bigger fleet more quickly than starting again, so long as I accept their limitations.

One final thing is that I remember seeing in an old magazine advert somewhere that sprung axleboxes were available fifty or more years ago. I thought it was SRB but they made soldering irons so maybe it was something similar. Anyone remember?

Philip

D6C3C675-E7D0-4914-8DC8-3B9E29500A91.jpeg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

essdee
Posts: 554
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:47 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby essdee » Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:30 pm

Nice!

I think there was an 'S&B' as well, Phil - would that be it; I will check out the old mag stash later!
Steve

bécasse
Posts: 374
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:26 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby bécasse » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:13 pm

essdee wrote:Nice!

I think there was an 'S&B' as well, Phil - would that be it; I will check out the old mag stash later!


Yes S&B, based at Norwood Junction in South London IIRC. They did point levers and, I think, chairs too.

I suspect that it was their chairs that were used on the turntable on our Bembridge layout fifty years ago - probably the first ever bit of chaired track on a P4 layout.

Philip Hall
Posts: 1943
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:49 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Philip Hall » Tue Feb 09, 2021 5:14 pm

I knew someone would know!

Philip

User avatar
ClikC
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:15 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby ClikC » Tue Feb 09, 2021 7:02 pm

iak wrote:sheer madness


My kind of insanity!

andrewnummelin wrote:I wonder with the advances in 3D printing whether it will soon be possible to find a material that would enable this approach to be brought up to date.


There are a number of 'flexible' resins for 3D printing I was pointed at by Wayne Kinney, 'FLEX' from monocure 3D, 'Tenacious' from Siraya Tech and 'UV LCD Flexible' from PhotoCentric3D. As I had an idea to try 3D printing some working Flexicoil for Class 86 and 87s, and potentially for working coil sprung equalizing beam bogies.

There is at least one other person I know of, who thinks working leaf spring suspension on Class 40/44/45/46 bogies is a brilliant idea that needs to be done.

Regards
Matt Rogers

User avatar
Horsetan
Posts: 1371
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:24 am

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Horsetan » Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:48 pm

ClikC wrote:...There is at least one other person I know of, who thinks working leaf spring suspension on Class 40/44/45/46 bogies is a brilliant idea that needs to be done.


Did someone call?
That would be an ecumenical matter.

Dave Holt
Posts: 555
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 9:44 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Dave Holt » Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:15 am

andrewnummelin wrote:
There is at least one other person I know of, who thinks working leaf spring suspension on Class 40/44/45/46 bogies is a brilliant idea that needs to be done.

Regards



They didn't work that well on the real thing and had to be supplemented by coil springs on the hangers. Derailments on rough track were quite common.
Dave.

billbedford

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby billbedford » Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:48 am

ClikC wrote:
iak wrote:sheer madness


My kind of insanity!

andrewnummelin wrote:I wonder with the advances in 3D printing whether it will soon be possible to find a material that would enable this approach to be brought up to date.


There are a number of 'flexible' resins for 3D printing I was pointed at by Wayne Kinney, 'FLEX' from monocure 3D, 'Tenacious' from Siraya Tech and 'UV LCD Flexible' from PhotoCentric3D. As I had an idea to try 3D printing some working Flexicoil for Class 86 and 87s, and potentially for working coil sprung equalizing beam bogies.


But all resins, especially 'flexible' ones will take on a 'set', ie they will change shape to accommodate a constant load.

I've had one that bent through 90º under its own weight when place over the edge of a shelf.

Enigma
Posts: 533
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:49 pm

Re: Working sprung axleboxes...

Postby Enigma » Thu Dec 16, 2021 11:34 am

You could always use one of these instead -

MRN Feb 55 Nucro.jpg


A lot simpler to fit :) Note the sprung bogie too.

I thought I might have an S&B advert in my 'archive' that showed the sprung axleboxes but can't find it. It might be in some editorial pages somewhere but I'm sure they can be seen on the web if S&B is Googled.

Just don't mispell it as S&M.................................... :o
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


Return to “iak”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: ClaudeBot and 0 guests