Engines and rolling stock for Nixnie

[Isle of Stoner]

Just to hop back a loco if nobody minds. I dug out a couple of pics of the battery loco in the slate museum. I've scanned them and put them on my photobucket site. One is of the loco and the other is a wagon with, what I assume, are the batteries for the loco.






When I get a chance I'll get some close ups of the motor and control gubbins.

John W

[tedp]

What's the funny dome-like roof for? The batteries are pretty big - like the traction batteries you find in fork lift trucks. I expect they could only fit two of them in each end, with a lid at the top to be able to get at them.

[Tigger]

Definitely a Saltford I'd say.  We have a pair of these in service on Buccabury under the Simplex locos.  Or one, actually because the rear axle on one of them has collapsed.

[Isle of Stoner]

I finally got a chance to pop down to the museum with the camera... should have checked the batteries... doh!

I did get a couple of shots but without flash so they are a bit dark.





Inside the domed roof is fresh air and I couldn't see any evidence of anything missing so I guess it was just some headroom for the driver.

There is an information board which tells us that the loco was made by Brush in 1917 for use in a mustard gas factory. It was sold to a quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog in the 1920s. From there it went to Aberllefenni slate quarry in 1963. It was donated to the museum in 2008.

The good news is that it is being restored to working order. It certainly had new batteries in the end I could look in and there were the remains of a modern BEV loco lying nearby, this may have donated modern traction batteries.

The controls look basic, brake and speed controller which I guess also controlled direction.

[rod335]

There is a video on you tube showing this loco running, search under 'Ruston 20DL loco at Llanberis', I'm not clever enough to be able to give you a proper link! Didn't know it worked at Aberllefenni though, that means it's been regauged twice (from 2' to 2' 3" then back to 2').

Rod

[berryr99]

Looks like a really uncomfortable driving position. Would there have been a seat in it ?

Bob

[Isle of Stoner]

There is a block of wood bolted to the top of the motor.

I wondered about the gauge. I've never seen any pictures of it at Aberllefenni, I wonder if it ever got used? Or did they have a 2ft gauge bit?

More to this than meets the eye.

John W

[tat2drod]

There is a video on you tube showing this loco running, search under 'Ruston 20DL loco at Llanberis'...

There are any number of cute links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWrILuYn3aw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq2_kyT8W2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmX-qMCLoBg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiyj-f7rgY

We used to have a caravan on one of the sites close to Llanberis. In all those years we never did the mountain railway, but we did do the lake railway. Ah yes, those were the days(*).

(*) Yeah, like 40 years ago (cough, splutter)...

[berryr99]

Ted,

Just picking up on an earlier post in this series:

"Coming back to the latest developments on rolling stock for Nixnie, I have been busy with the little box cab electric which I got from Tom Bell last spring. It will enter service as a battery loco due to the absence of overhead wiring."

I was wondering if there were any other locos like this around as I am intrigued by it ?

I supposed Second Hand Sales might be a place to start looking ?

I was wondering what you knew of its history as a model

Thanks

Regards

Bob Berry

[rod335]

Industrial locos of North Wales states that the battery electric loco went new with one other to Votty and Bowydd and this one then went to Aberllefenni. Since I am not aware of any 2 foot at Aberllefenni, it must have been regauged to 2' 3" then back to 2' when Llanberis got it. I've already got visions of one in 4mm on a spare Portram bogie!

Rod

[tedp]

Bob - the model is a 3D printed shell produced by Tom Bell (Tebee models) on a Bandai 4w chassis. Tom's Shapeways website including his models is here. The box cab is on page 3 of the 009 section. Tom does a good selection of other models including a double-cab Sentinel loco, railcars and various rolling stock.

[garrywhiting]

Bob - the model is a 3D printed shell produced by Tom Bell (Tebee models) on a Bandai 4w chassis. Tom's Shapeways website including his models is here. The box cab is on page 3 of the 009 section. Tom does a good selection of other models including a double-cab Sentinel loco, railcars and various rolling stock.

Unfortunately the "available chassis problem" strikes again!  The Bandai 1 4w chassis is currently not listed on the Plaza-Japan eBay shop site ( and hasn't been since early November 2012 and was only available in very small numbers prior to that ). I suspect that it is a another victim of  batch production syndrome, so it is almost imposible to ascertain when it may become available again.

The days of suitable chassis being continuously available are long gone.

[tedp]

Well, you could try a Portram bogie or even a Caramel chassis. Although with a Caramel the driver might feel a bit like 'Rocket Man'.   ;D

[MickT]

A reasonable alternative to the Bandai is the good old Bachmann 6wh diesel "brick" which is easily obtainable and has a wheelbase that is close enough to compare OK. The centre wheelset can be removed very easily and replaced with a same length piece of rod or even mains copper single core wire with the gear wheel simply push fit onto it. No need to glue as the rod/wire is just to hold the gear in place so that it can transmit the drive. File the metal axle box relief from the chassis sides to make it look like a 4wh chassis and Bob's yer Uncle! Literally a 10 minute (or less) job. The only delicate part of the operation is to be careful with everything whilst the bottom cover plate is off and not let anything escape - otherwise the carpet monster will be sure to eat the bits and you will end up with a totally f-----d chassis. I found out this the hard way!

Actually it's easier to do than to try to explain. There is a thread on here by Colin Peake with an illustrated guide for those who need it and are adept enough to be able to find it using the search facility - which is quite beyond me!

Not recommended for doing on an original type Bachmann "pre-brick" chassis however which is a much more fiddly and swear box filling exercise - I found that out the hard way as well!

[berryr99]

Ted,

Thanks for putting me onto the Tom Bell site - I didn't know about this and its a real eye opener. I am still developing my skills on loco building and the 3d route appears to be a good starting place. Also I've taken on board the chassis comments

Garry/Mick,

Thanks for the info. Please can you explain the Bachmann 6wh "brick" comment - I don't know what this loco is although second hand sales might have one ?

Thanks

Bob