Converting RTR locos

[dave franks]

Hi all, just reading the thread on converting RTR locos and just for information I thought I should mention that I have converted a couple of Bachmann locos recently and for one I had bought 3mm axles for the conversion but, they were so sloppy in the horseshoe axle slot that I decided to try the 1/8th wheelsets that I had originally got for the kit of the same loco and ... 'Hey presto', they were a perfect fit, no sloppiness, no hunting fore and aft, just right. I've done a second loco and found the same result but one axle was a little tight so an accurate rub with a fine file made it fit just right. The Ivatt 2mt is now a beautiful runner and the Ivatt 4mt I hope will be just as good. So, just check that you actually need 3mm axles as you could get away with standard 1/8th axles and be able to use your favourite axle alignment jigs to make up decent coupling rods.

All the best,
Dave Franks.
www.lanarkshiremodels.com

[Philip Hall]

Dave,

Glad that you pointed this out. I have a 2-6-0 of my own to do one day, and a spare set of 1/8 axle'd wheels which I will try. However, this only applies to some Bachmann locos, so it's best to check before you buy the wheels. The 82xxx has quite a reasonable clearance, but as you say, the 2-6-0s were dreadful. I have had to realign the rods on all of these, including the 82XXX, and that helps a lot to stop the slopping about.

Philip