flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I have a Life Like 0-4-0 #98 Dockside steam engine. It's a decent little runner. I think I got it for a few bucks at a train show. It has Talgo style horn hook couplers which will be replaced.
I'm considering dedicating it to the Rust-Eze Medicated Bumper Ointment plant. It's probably not going to have massive amounts of pulling power, so 1 or 2 cars at a time will be the limit. It has a simple drive mechanism. The gear on the bottom is driven by a gear directly above it, which is driven by the worm gear on the motor.
Power is picked up by wipers touching the top of both drivers on each side. The electrical contact is isolated from the frame by an insulating block between the wiper assembly and the frame. You can see that block in the previous pic.
The shell is held on by a single screw in the smoke stack. Remove the screw, pull up slightly on the front of the shell, and slide it back to clear the rear coupler.
Removing the shell reveals how simple this locomotive is. There are two wires from the pickups to the motor connections, and two wires from the motor tabs to the front headlight. There is no rear light. The front of the motor is supported by an L shaped bracket. There is a single screw in the top front of the motor securing it to the bracket. You can see the screw in this pic. It appears the motor is already isolated from the frame.
Installing the decoder should be a fairly quick process, once I get the decoder. There is a train show in Omaha next week, I may look for one there. The decoder I want to get is a Digitrax DZ123PS. It's a Z scale decoder. There's not a whole lot of room in the shell. I think I'll mount the decoder to the inside of the cab roof with some double sided tape. I measured the stall current, and it came to 1.1 amps. This decoder is rated at 1 amp continuous, 2 amp peak draw. Finding a 2 amp decoder small enough to fit the space has proved fruitless. If anyone knows of one, I'd be happy to hear of it.
I'm going to leave headlight as it, at least for now. It sits in the slot in the weight. There's no room to mount it to the shell.
I'm going to give this locomotive a good cleaning and lube job. It should be fun having it on the layout!
I'm considering dedicating it to the Rust-Eze Medicated Bumper Ointment plant. It's probably not going to have massive amounts of pulling power, so 1 or 2 cars at a time will be the limit. It has a simple drive mechanism. The gear on the bottom is driven by a gear directly above it, which is driven by the worm gear on the motor.
Power is picked up by wipers touching the top of both drivers on each side. The electrical contact is isolated from the frame by an insulating block between the wiper assembly and the frame. You can see that block in the previous pic.
The shell is held on by a single screw in the smoke stack. Remove the screw, pull up slightly on the front of the shell, and slide it back to clear the rear coupler.
Removing the shell reveals how simple this locomotive is. There are two wires from the pickups to the motor connections, and two wires from the motor tabs to the front headlight. There is no rear light. The front of the motor is supported by an L shaped bracket. There is a single screw in the top front of the motor securing it to the bracket. You can see the screw in this pic. It appears the motor is already isolated from the frame.
Installing the decoder should be a fairly quick process, once I get the decoder. There is a train show in Omaha next week, I may look for one there. The decoder I want to get is a Digitrax DZ123PS. It's a Z scale decoder. There's not a whole lot of room in the shell. I think I'll mount the decoder to the inside of the cab roof with some double sided tape. I measured the stall current, and it came to 1.1 amps. This decoder is rated at 1 amp continuous, 2 amp peak draw. Finding a 2 amp decoder small enough to fit the space has proved fruitless. If anyone knows of one, I'd be happy to hear of it.
I'm going to leave headlight as it, at least for now. It sits in the slot in the weight. There's no room to mount it to the shell.
I'm going to give this locomotive a good cleaning and lube job. It should be fun having it on the layout!