My expierience with big locos

[Schraddel]

GEC, i agree to you. Time, opportunity and money are the contsituent parts you need for model railroading. But one of these things lacked. Ever.
Except for these very rare, very seldom opportunities when all three meet together.


The complete drivetrain was removed.





The gearboxes were disassembled to have a look into. The components were very clean but also very dry, no damages were found, no binds and they were running very quiet. So they will stay in this loco. After they got a good amount of Molykote grease, the gear boxes were reassembled.





These parts will not be used anymore. The drive shaft supports an the universal joint were placed into the grab box; you never know when you need them again, but the day will come. On the other side the hard rubber tubes were discarded.





The axial end play was reduced by means of washers to nearly "0". NWSL universal joints were fitted.
The strange bent wires, as seen in the photo, will give the torque levers. I will try something new.






This is the first attempt of a revised drive train. The motor was makeshift fixed with CA.
There are no more drive shaft supports between the two group of drivers. A single straight shaft replaced them.





This was my first attempt during handling of the loco to avoid the shaft with the horned ball slides out of the joint. Later i found a better way.
The torque lever was mounted onto the frame where once one of the supports. The screw has got a shoulder made out of a tiny piece of brass tube.
So the sprung action of the driver is not limited. And you are knowing now why they are bend so strangesome.





Meanwhile the motor was fixed with an solid brass strap. Two bore were drilled and tapped into the cast rear main frame extension.
Thisare the relative tiny universal joints of NWSL. The test of time will show how long they will last in this huge loco. :ugeek:



Cheers Lutz