Ultrascale or Gibson?

[grovenor-2685]

What is the box material thickness?
This looks to be easy to use on stand alone wheel sets but the thickness would limit its use in a mounted wheelset that can't drop out.

Indeed it won't work on a wheelset which is in the frame, never been a problem for me.
The main 'box' is a section of a rectangular aluminium tube,
dimensions are: width internal - 44 mm, which gives the limit for wheel diameter.
height internal - 31.5 mm
wall thickness - 3.25 mm (ie probably 1/8th inch)
length of tube - 31 mm.
steel v plate thickness - 1.4 mm
max internal clearance - 21.5 mm (from plate surface to tip of press screw fully withdrawn).
Labelled "The Puller" part 45-4
Regards
Keith

[David Thorpe]

I finally obtained the Gibson replacement wheelset and, lergely due to Keith's excellent instructions (thanks, Keith!) I now have a class 24 that probably runs better than any other loco I have.

As to the conversion, I didn't get a wheel puller. Instead I used a combination of a vice, a small hammer, and a nail with the tip filed off which removed the wheels and gears from the Bachmann axles very efficiently. The Gibson axles were then filed to the correct length (22mm), the centres roughly knurled, and the hammer and vice were brought into gentle use again to fit the gears onto the axles. The most fiddly part was adjusting all eight pickups to contact the tyres of the Gibson wheels - the Bachmann wheels were all metal and the pickups were originally too long for the Gibsons. And that basically was it - put loco back together, place on track, and watch it move away smoothly and quietly under its own power.

I think that this is an example of how easy, and relatively cheap, it can be for someone to enter the world of P4. Total cost of the conversion (brand new loco, replacement wheels and all postages) came to £63.

Again, thanks Keith for your instructions - without them, it would have been a lot more difficult.

DT

[Terry Bendall]

Instead I used a combination of a vice, a small hammer, and a nail with the tip filed off which removed the wheels and gears from the Bachmann axles very efficiently.

The nail will do the job, but a slightly more effective solution is a parallel pin punch. These are obtainable from the usual tool suppliers that can be found at exhibitions. Mine came from Eileens Emporium some years back and has prooved to be very useful. Supporting the wheel set on the vice jaws works well, assuming of course that the jaws are of a suitable size to allow the wheel set to slip over them.

Terry Bendall

[John Duffy]

DaveyTee modestly fails to mention that his new class 24 ran faultlessly in tests on Hedley Hope during yesterdays GS4 group meeting.

The north east of England layout also hosted test running of ex GER, North Staffordshire and GWR locos. All in all another very pleasent afternnon.

John

[grovenor-2685]

I finally obtained the Gibson replacement wheelset and, lergely due to Keith's excellent instructions (thanks, Keith!) I now have a class 24 that probably runs better than any other loco I have.

A good result then in the end, well done.
Keith