0-4-2 compensation
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:39 pm
I wonder if anyone has a view on this one: its a 0-4-2 GWR 517 class from an ancient Mallard kit. I built one of these when they first came out in the late 1970s in P4 using Mallard's method of compensation which has an inner cradle holding the motor, gear set and driven axle all pivoting on inner bearings on the front axle, the driven axle goes up and down in slots in the outer mainframes, the rear wheels are centre-sprung. 45 years on and with her original Anchoridge motor and 80-1 gears she still runs very sweetly indeed, unfortunately the motor does intrude in the cab a bit.
I want to do better with the other two I've got to make, and following the example of the brilliant High Level 14xx chassis kit I made a while ago. Here all axles are compensated: the leading one independently centre-pivotted; the driven and trailing axles controlled by compensation beams resting on the bearings. I am planning to do the same with this example for the driven and trailing axles, but I wonder if there is any real advantage in compensating the front one or leaving it rigid? Before the CSB brigade spring into action I should mention I don't really get on with springs and have generally had good results with compensation beams, matter of 'what you know' I guess. I plan to use High Level hornblocks and gearset in this build.
Any thoughts welcome,
Steve
I want to do better with the other two I've got to make, and following the example of the brilliant High Level 14xx chassis kit I made a while ago. Here all axles are compensated: the leading one independently centre-pivotted; the driven and trailing axles controlled by compensation beams resting on the bearings. I am planning to do the same with this example for the driven and trailing axles, but I wonder if there is any real advantage in compensating the front one or leaving it rigid? Before the CSB brigade spring into action I should mention I don't really get on with springs and have generally had good results with compensation beams, matter of 'what you know' I guess. I plan to use High Level hornblocks and gearset in this build.
Any thoughts welcome,
Steve