Tenshodo WB-35 chassis problem.

[gtmspyder]

I bought a Tenshodo WB-35 0-4-0 chassis to put under a 0-16.5 narrow gauge diesel plastic kit I've built.  The kit recommended a Black Beetle chassis, but these are no longer available in this country, only Australia I think?

So I sourced an alternative, and settled on the Tenshodo.

I am working in radio control using 3.5V Lipo batteries, which power my Hornby Smoky Joe chassis with no problem, but the tenshodo will not move with the weight of the plastic loco body when placed on the track.  I have tried running the motor bearings in by running it inverted, it is noisy and not very good at all, the wheels moving sideways as the worm rotates in either direction, all in all, the motor unit registers as crap on my scale , so I need an alternative chassis.

Are there any ideas from my friends on here??  Yes I know it's the wrong scale, but I am still a member of the 009 group, and I'm sure the combined expertise on here could come to my rescue.

Kind regards,

Brian.

[Pete Williams]

Be very carefull with the tenshodo bogies- i used a few of them to motorise corgi O0 scale trams.
The excercise was a failure. In time, Every nylon gear fitted on the axles spit, rendering them un-repairable

[rod335]

The gears in the Tenshodo motor bogies are very easily obtainable as replacement parts, try Branchlines amongst others. I have used many sets in chassis I have built, probably upwards of 100, and never yet to my knowledge has a wormwheel split.

[engerth399]

I've used a lot of Tenshodo unit under trams and they have been fine, never had a gear split although I do have spares in case!  Many tramway modellers are now using Halling chassis and my experience of them has been very good.  Try East Lancs Model Tramway Supplies.

Peter

[Pete Williams]

Be very carefull with the tenshodo bogies- i used a few of them to motorise corgi O0 scale trams.
The excercise was a failure. In time, Every nylon gear fitted on the axles spit, rendering them un-repairable

i don't know who inserted the 'emoji' in my post, but yes- i DID have hair like that- about 59 years Go !

[Graeme Dunbar]

Could it be the characters (I guess there were some) between corgi ... and ... scale that has been interpreted as an emoji?

[duttonbay]

Could it be the characters (I guess there were some) between corgi ... and ... scale that has been interpreted as an emoji?

I "quoted" the original post, and found that there is an O (letter O) followed by a 0 (number zero). I guess that an O followed by a 0 for some reason generates that emoji. Weird.

[Hugh Norwood]

Be very carefull with the tenshodo bogies- i used a few of them to motorise corgi O0 scale trams.
The excercise was a failure. In time, Every nylon gear fitted on the axles spit, rendering them un-repairable

try checking "don't use smileys..."

O0 scale

Ah -that seems to work.
click on the [+] Additional Options below the text window. A few options appear, one of which is Don't Use Smileys. This appears to work.

[rod335]

But all this still ignores the fact that Spud wormwheels (made of Delrin, not nylon) do not have a propensity for splitting. The only ONE I have ever split came from forcing it onto a shaft that was too large. They are made to be an interference fit om a 2mm shaft.

[Stefan Krebs]

It depends how high you can build; - and how 'fixed' you are with regards to wheelbase and wheel-diameter.   :laugh:

I live the (common) prejudice that the old Fleischmann (GFN) pancake motors are best, and ROCO aren't bad either; that's based on my 30+years of H0.
All GFN bogie engines have 1 motor bogie, i.e. can be cannibalised for a 4-wheel chassis; - BUT the pancake motor builds high (would like to think not a problem in 0-gauge).
You will need to rework the electric pickup as they use both bogies, but I would also swap the traction tyre wheels for ones from the trailing bogie.
All German bogie diesel (V100; V200; 218; 614) have 1000mm wheels, i.e. 11,5mm diameter in H0. On a guess V100 and 614 will be shortest. The German electric locomotives tend to have 1100mm wheels, i.e. slightly larger diameter wheels. For the Dutch Hondekop I don't know wheel dimensions, but it could be close.
Of course, the GFN 'Anna' is another candidate, but it uses a N-gauge motor with only one gear step, i.e. it is likely to be overloaded.
All GFN tender locomotives have tender drive (practically all on 3 axles only!), which provides you with very short wheelbases, - or longer if you take out the centre wheels. Again, a rework of the electric pickup is necessary as they use the engine for pickup; and replacing the traction tyred wheels might not be a bad idea either (with those from the idler axle).
ROCO has all-wheel drive on their bogie engines, i.e. these are not suitable for 4-axle engines, only the Dutch and German little shunters may be an option. But the steam engines have tender drive (on all 4 axles), i.e. might be suitable candidates. Same applies as stated for GFN tenders, but tend to be lower but wider (horizontal can motor).
Most German tenders have 1000mm wheels, i.e. 11,5mm in H0.

SB Modellbau offer a broad range of re-motoring kits for all common makes of model engines, and their running qualities are reputed as excellent; - with a price tag to match!  O0  <<<Yeah, man, cool; I like him!   ;D
However, they will be the closest to the Tenshodo in terms of build-volume.   ;D

Lima drives are essentially a clone of GFN, i.e. what has been said for GFN applies, but the built-quality is inferior.
Kleinbahn (as still extant) is similar to GFN, their running qualities are not in the same league. You have to order from them directly, but they do supply spares!    :laugh:
Old Liliput ditto., but no more spares.   ;D

Old Trix (V100 and V200) have a layshaft with axle-gearboxes! Thus these drivetrains can be adjusted for wheelbase fairly easily; however, new frame required. GFN and Trix have the same axle diameter, i.e. the 'steam roller' flanges on Trix engines can be replaced with GFN wheels. The electric motors can burn out, and the gear wheels are prone to high wear & tear.

N-gauge chassis are probably not suitable, except German class 01, 03 or 18, who have 2000mm drivers working out at 12,5mm; class 24, 64, 41, and 45 have 1600mm drivers (= 10mm); class 39 has 1750mm (=11mm) and class 38 and 78 have 1800m drivers (=11mm). If memory serves the class 01 and 03 are 35 mm, with the centre wheels removed. To re-gauge to 16,5mm you'd need to fit longer axles (= drill shanks!  ;D) and rework the electric pickup, but you're still left with the rather too fine wheels for 0-gauge (but probably more prototypical than anything else.   ;D)
Of course, the risk of overloading those drive trains is considerable, they are not designed for the heavy 0-gauge stuff. Again, GFN and ROCO have tender drive, Arnold and Trix drive the engine.   :D

I leave it to you to find the wheelbase you want, dimensions for any of the machines mentioned can be found on the Internet, try >locomotive baureihe brxxx< where xxx is the class.
For the manuals of the models try >betriebsanleitung {hersteller} brxxx< or >waschzettel {hersteller} brxxx< or >ersatzteile {hersteller} brxxx<. The latter are the spare parts, in most cases it will show you the internals of the engine, so you can assess fit.

Anything I forgot? Rivarossi. Mehanotehnika, Hag, etc. not worth mentioning.

God luck
Waldschrat

[Stefan Krebs]

Bogie wheelbase V200: 2800mm (=32mm in H0)
Wheelbase K