03 Chassis and Motor of unknown origin

[grovenor-2685]

But this is with the all-brass hornblocks. Were you referring to the plastic ones I think he used to make? I believe I have some of these in my spares box but I have never tried them.

I thought the plastic ones were Kean-Maygib, Alan Ketley used to use them.
Regards

[Will L]

As a mater of interest has anybody got a loco running well on Gibson hornblocks.

Yes - my Austin 7 0-8-0, built from a Gibson kit has Gibson hornblocks and I think it runs very well - in fact it's just about the best runner I have. Steve Griffiths and I used to while away long Sundays at exhibitions by playing slow bicycle races on Clecklewyke, seeing who could take the longest time to get the 7F from one fiddle yard to the other.

Now that is what I meant by a good runner.

...But this is with the all-brass hornblocks. Were you referring to the plastic ones I think he used to make? I believe I have some of these in my spares box but I have never tried them.

No, it was really the brass ones I was wondering about, I think the speed at which they replaced the plastic ones speaks for it self. I've got a few Gibson Kits in the to do piles and I've been wondering if I wanted to try the Gibson Item or if I wanted to stick to the high-level horn blocks I am used to.

[Tim V]

I thought the plastic ones were by Maygib?

[Will L]

I thought the plastic ones were by Maygib?

That's probably right. I'm not clear when in the progression from Maygib to Alan Gibson the plastic ones bit the dust.

[Paul Willis]

..I realise that a better solution (and I will go down this route eventually) would be to go for the High Level 03 chassis...

There is a lot to be said for the Highlevel kits from the point of view of newcomers to chassis building. They do have a lot of detail which can make them seem complex, but they do make up into good chassis as designed, the bits all fit and the instructions are very good and offer a reliable introduction to the process of building a chassis as it should be done.

I certainly know that WebmasterJohn started with a HL03 as his first chassis build, and very well he did with it too...

I'm sure that there is even a bit of video of it on That Internet somewhere, although I can't remember where.

Cheers
Flymo

[John Donnelly]

I remember John documenting his build on here.

Getting this one to run would be an achievement for me so I'm going to see how that goes first and then move on the HL 03 chassis as it is probably a simpler start for a novice than the Bradwell 9F chassis I also have in the to do pile

John

[John Donnelly]

Thanks to all the help so far, I've managed to completely strip the chassis down to it's component parts and get the gearbox and motor apart. Good news is that the chassis itself appears to be well put together and is square. Bad news was, as I suspected, the wire that was retaining the horn blocks was soldered to it has all had to be cut out and will need to be replaced.

So, here's where I am tonight:





So, the only way is up and on to completely new territory for me...

John

[DougN]

John be careful with the wires that retained the wheels if I notice in the photo you have just cut them across the bottom. This is better than un soldering as this could dislodge them from their etched rebate. The solution to retaining the wheels could be as easy as drilling holes through the bottom of the guides. The other option is to make a baseplate that retains them with Spring detail if these were under hung, but I think the 03's were out of sight. Good luck you will be learning heaps by trying to rebuild it

[Philip Hall]

Alan Ketley built any number of split axle chassis using the Kean Maygib plastic hornblocks, but then Alan could just breathe over a chassis and it would glide along.

I agree with Will, a High Level job is the way to go and will provide a rewarding experience with no grief. Fixing the one you've got will (eventually) be rewarding but you have already started to find out that the road to this satisfaction will be a bit bumpy...

Philip