NWSL question

[twilight]

I've been wondering this for a while, so here goes it. How does one know what kind of gear box and motor to purchase from NWSL? I have been thinking of trying one on my next Bowser locomotive project (maybe a PRR N2s). Now to my knowledge all Bowser PRR frieght locos are a 29:1 gear ratio. I guess this is of importance in gear box selection, but I also figure that the size of the enclosure the gear box and the motor will live is important, too. And while I'm thinking of it, how does the gear box and motor attach to the frame?

Thanks, and look for to the input,

Mark

[Steamtrains]

Mark,

Here's a link to the thread I started on a build of a Bowser Mikado I built a few years back. Hopefully it will help you in your project as far as parts used and maybe a tip or two on the problems you'll likely encounter.

Good luck and keep as posted..!!

Here's the link:
http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic...kado+build

[doctorwayne]

NWSL makes gearboxes specifically for most Bowser steam locomotives, and they include the worm and worm gear, and, where applicable, the idler gears, too. You will need to remove one of the wheels from your locomotive's geared axle in order to remove the original gear and install the new one. While you don't "need" any specialised tools to do this work, they do offer the "Puller" for removing and installing wheels and gears and the "Quarterer" for re-quartering the drivers. I have both, and find the Puller the more useful of the two. I can usually quarter drivers "by eye", but the tool does work.

NWSL has an on-line catalogue HERE, and you can contact them at sales@osorail.com. If you have a specific question or request, contact Dave Rygmyr at davidry@osorail.com

I recently replaced the axle gear in this old Samhongsa 2-6-0, and was pleased to discover that they had a 30 tooth gear specifically for this locomotive:




Wayne

[BR60103]

Doc Wayne:
What sort of extra equipment does the Quarterer require? I read the box at the LHS and got the impression that I need a drill press or equivalent to push the wheels on.

(I don't remove wheels if I can help it.)

[doctorwayne]

The quarterer is pretty-well self-contained. It comes with two crankpins with 0-80 threads on one end of each and 1/16-60W threads on the other ends. You place a driver wheelset, minus one driver, in it, rotate it until the crankpin rests on the index surface, then tighten the set screws which keep it from rotating within the device. The opposite wheel is then located loosely on the axle and rotated until its index pin rests on the proper index surface. The wheel is then pressed on to the axle - it suggests the use of an arbor press, drill press, C-clamp, or benchvise to press the driver completely into place.

If a driver is removed to install a new gear, but is otherwise satisfactory (in-quarter), I like to scribe a locating mark onto the end of the axle before disassembling the wheelset and allow it to extend out onto the driver's hub. A "V" works better than a straight line, especially when it extends onto the wheel hub on both sides of the axle. After the new gear has been installed, use the alignment marks to position the driver properly, then press it onto the axle. In this case, the quarterer is not needed.

Where a locomotive runs poorly or not at all due to out-of-quarter drivers, it's recommended to re-quarter all drivers. I did one for a friend where the wheels were not only out-of-quarter, but the tires were loose on the wheels. This made it difficult to properly re-gauge the wheelsets as they were re-quartered. I ended-up securing the tires on their wheels with ca - this was okay for the insulated wheels, but it also served to insulate the non-insulated ones, and I had to add pick-ups to collect current directly from the tires. While I was at it, I decided to give the loco all-wheel pick-up, and it's now an excellent runner.

NWSL's "Puller" is a sort of mini-press, and is especially useful for removing drivers and gears from axles. With some care, it can also be used to re-install drivers, although I prefer a vise. To install a gear, their Alignment Tool is useful for keeping the gear square to the axle. NWSL's catalogue has a lot of useful tips for doing this type of work, and is required reading for those attempting it for the first time.

When only one driver is out-of-quarter, determine which driver is the culprit, then align all of the counterweights on one side of the loco (preferably the in-quarter side) in the same position - bottom, top, front vertical or rear vertical. Then, without causing any of the wheels to rotate, turn the locomotive so that you can view the drivers on the opposite side. All of the counterweights except one should be in the same position, and either 90° ahead or behind those on the opposite side. The one out-of-step is the one requiring attention, and it can often be re-quartered by manually twisting that wheel on its axle, taking care to not disturb the wheel on the other end of that axle. Incidentally, drivers don't have to be quartered at 90° exactly, but it is important that all are quartered to the same setting.

Wayne

[BR60103]

Thanks, Wayne.

[Steamtrains]

I don't believe I had to remove the existing gear on the axle. If I recall correctly, the motor I ordered came with the mounting bracket attached, and the worm gear was compatible with the driving gear on the axle. I only had to shim the motor a bit to prevent the worm gear from meshing too tightly into the axle gear.

It was a "drop-in" installation, you might say...