I am looking for a suitable micro chassis for a project I am thinking of doing. It would need to be quite cheap and not have a vertical motor (or have a short vertical motor). I can vaguely remember seeing or reading about one, which cost about
What size?
Depending on your definition, the Kato Portram chassis qualifies as micro and not having a vertical motor, but it is rather more than
I picked up some Kato 11103/11104 items from Conrad over here in NL for a cent short of EUR25 each. I seem to recall in Railway Modeller an ad for someone in the UK selling the same sort of thing for around that price. Wouldn't call them micro tho'... depends on what you want to do with them.
The Sales stand often has the "TU7" Japanese chassis. This was mentioned in the News in the series about micro chassis a couple of years ago, and I used one in my Wickham Trolley (recently featured in 009 News). This has a vertical, but short motor. Putting 2+2 together with your other post (Ramsgate Tunnel) I reckon it would fit the "loco" section of the units.
There are 3 of what you may class as "micro" chassis currently available from Society sales:
1. Caramel - wheelbase approx 14mm. This has a vertical motor which some may consider rather large for using it for tiny locos, but I have seen plenty of very small Diema, O&K, etc open cab diesels built using this one. 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel pickup and with sufficient weight runs quite smoothly although a delicate hand on the controller is required to discourage it breaking the sound barrier!
2. TU-Deki (not sure if I have the spelling right!) - I don't have one of these but I think the wheelbase is something like 9mm. Very small vertical motor of the type you find in mob phone vibrators etc. I think the voltage is rated at around 4.5v so I would recommend extreme delicacy with the controller and probably a non-feedback one as well. The vertical motor is in the centre between the wheels and this type has 2 wheel drive. I assume 4wh pickup however.
3. TU7T - As Tudeki regarding size and tendency to take off like a rocket, but this one has the vertical motor mounted outboard one of the axles rather like a miniaturised Egger - but much, much smaller! Advantage of this one is that it is 4 wheel drive (for what it's worth as none of these chassis are designed to haul 30 wagon coal trains!)
I've seen both TU types used for very small diesel locos and they appear to work well with careful control/. I don't think I would leave one running on a test track or roundy circuit for extended runs using normal controllers due to the low voltage rating of the motor.
Cost to members is currently around
If you really need a micro chassis, without the vertical motor that so many chassis have, then maybe a modified Caramel chassis would suit the bill. I have heard of some modellers cutting the Caramel chassis in half, thus allowing the vertical motor to be laid or re-positioned horizontally. Ideally the unpowered axel would need to be used and re-attached electrically for the power pickup. I've got no pics unfortunately.