wagon chassis

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

I'm pondering making my own freelance / Darjeeling Himalayan Railway inspired four-wheel wagons.  Not sure I could tackle the undercarriage though.  What chassis options are best?  What if I adapted a Peco (GR-106) wagon bogie?  What N-scale options are there?

[Scottish Modeller]

I'm pondering making my own freelance / Darjeeling Himalayan Railway inspired four-wheel wagons.  Not sure I could tackle the undercarriage though.  What chassis options are best?  What if I adapted a Peco (GR-106) wagon bogie?  What N-scale options are there?

Hi Tom,

None of the rtr chassis are short enough wheelbase for 009 versions of the DHR wagons.

Steel Open wagon w/b is 4' 3"
Steel Van w/b is 5' 0"
Shunting Platform w/b is 4' 11"

Then things get really small!

Trolley wagon w/b is 2' 11"

Hope this helps - even if it isn't good news!

Phil H

[Stefan Krebs]

Hi Tom,

Unfortunately you do not detail how free you want to freelance, which makes it a bit tricky to advise. You also don't specify a budget, thus chopping down ROCO, Bemo or Liliput wagons would be an answer; - but I suspect, not the one you're looking for.

N-gauge is somewhat small for 009, i.e. tends to look toy-train or N-gauge, especially with the tiddly wheel diameters.

TT-gauge makes for nice smallish suspension units, about the same as Eggerbahn. While Triang and Rokal have ZAMAC/zinc chassis, which can neither be glued nor soldered (only screwing to the wagon floor is an option), BTTB are plastic chassis from polystyrene, i.e. can be glued like any plastic kit. That allows you to produce a chassis of any desirable wheelbase with just one cut, a bid of filing an gluing, and the width tends to be better for your purpose too.
I have also used H0 bogies, but again, the plastic tends not to be suitable for gluing, and screws are necessary (there is currently a seller on ebay selling old Jouef bogies in bulk very cheap; for the last 3 years at least).
I also use Kitmaster TT-gauge bogies from their coaching stock (BR Mk1 coaches); - again polystyrene that is easy to glue. You need to cut away the bolster suspension, of course, and again, cutting in 2 halves allows for variable wheelbase.

Wheels from Romford (=Parkside) are available not only in good sizes, but also with TT-axles on specification. Thus they can be used with TT chassis; BTTB and Kitmaster axles can not easily be re-gauged, i.e. you have to budget for replacement axles. That said, even Liliput wagons improve with Romford wheels!   ;D

ROCO and Bemo stock sell for silly money, upwards of

[B.Meldon]

I would use Roco or Minitrains log bolsters for bogies.
Just mount them at the end of the wagon so that they over hang the end and the couplings already fitted to them can be used.
It may not be exactly prototypical, but it will work very well even on the tightest of curves.
These log bolsters can often be obtained on the 009 Society Sales stand.

Brian Meldon

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

Thanks, everybody.

This is the sort of thing I'm aiming for:  .  These are in the museum at Ghum.  I plan to get details from my copy of 'Darjeeling Wagons' (... but unfortunately it is sitting in a box in Ottawa and I'm in Kyiv...)

As I'm getting into 3D printing I'm now thinking of experimenting with my own chassis.  My idea is that my chassis will hold brass bearings which will run my the GRAHAM FARISH 379-412 wheels I now put under everything.

[Stefan Krebs]

Hi Tom,

ROCO/ Minitrains bolster bogies are unsprung chassis of industrial narrow gauge light railway bogies, your wagons look more like narrow gauge common carrier. Even if they are industrial narrow gauge they probably have sprung bogies, as in too heavy to be unsprung.

As you say 3D-printing: improved clones of the Liliput arch-bar bogies are available from shapeways; some others as well.

If you're content with ROCO bolsters, i.e. only very loosely follow the prototype, you could look at Kleinbahn wagon, which are 1:90, i.e. smaller than other H0 stock, and cost new probably less than your 3D-printjob will!
Kleinbahn only sells direct, and only have a few shops in Austria, mail order is no problem.

Just some food for thought.


Kind Regards
Waldschrat

[B.Meldon]

This may be of some assistance:



(Originating web page: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110637-darjeeling-himalayan-railway-wagons/)

Brian Meldon

[Scottish Modeller]

This may be of some assistance:



(Originating web page: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110637-darjeeling-himalayan-railway-wagons/)

Brian Meldon

Hi Brian,

Thanks for posting my drawings....

This is one of a series I did when building wagons for another modeller.

The next stage in this is that I am hoping to get (at least one of each) 3D Prints done in 4mm/009.

This is a work of love! No money is being made out of this - it's a modelling exercise.

If people want more - go to the RMWeb subject via the link.

Thanks

[B.Meldon]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for posting my drawings....

This is one of a series I did when building wagons for another modeller.

The next stage in this is that I am hoping to get (at least one of each) 3D Prints done in 4mm/009.

This is a work of love! No money is being made out of this - it's a modelling exercise.

If people want more - go to the RMWeb subject via the link.

Thanks

I do hope that was ok for me to do that Phil?
It was not downloaded, I just posted the direct link to the image and also added the original web page link as well to make it quite clear where it had come from.

If it is an issue I will delete the post.

Brian Meldon

[Scottish Modeller]

Hi Bruce, Brian

It's ok - not a problem!

As it says on RMWeb - free to use on personal basis.

I already had to smack someone down for sending the drawings to a maker of card kits.

I recently was asked if I could do them for LGB scale as well.

As long as he person requesting them can print on A3 - great!

Another person asked me for copies that he could use - from India!

Coals to Newcastle - what next!

Just had word back form the 3D print guy - looks like a possible print for open and van in 2 parts and buyer needs to source wheels and couplings.

A bit of a shock on the price though!

Cheapest would be about

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

Phil, I've written to you directly with a suggestion...

[Scottish Modeller]

Phil, I've written to you directly with a suggestion...

Hi Tom,

You should have a reply - sent last night?

Thanks
Phil H

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

Got it, thanks!