Motor Bogies
I now have so many different types of motor bogie / power units available that I thought a guide to their use might be useful. The 3D printed ones can be shaped to fit a specific model, there is a list below of chassis I have already done. If you want one made to order I may ask you to post me the body to get it right, once drawn and testedit will then be available to others.
Universal Power Bogie kit
Can be built to 7 wheelbases from 24.5 - 35 mm and to gauges from 12mm or larger. 45:1 2 stage gearing with High Level gears and an O ring and pulleys, an excellent slow runner but not very powerful due to the tiny motor, better suited to lightweight bodies and trains. Will fit in place of a Tenshodo and has a central pivot point.
Frames 46mm long, can be shortened to 39mm. Height above axles 9.5mm, wheels 10.5 or 12mm disc.
This item is now sold out, the TR mk2 makes a good replacement, see below for details. You can always discuss it with me by email if you are not sure.
3D printed 2 stage RTR
I can make these to any required shape, gauge or wheelbase, the top picture shows one for a Deutz and includes the cab floor and vertical divider, lower flywheel cover and sandboxes. The bottom picture shows 2 German diesel locos. All now use my 13:1 metal gears and an O ring with pulleys, total ratio 32:1. I always fit a flywheel if there is room and I have a variety of motor types.
Height above axle centers 22mm, minimum wheelbase 16mm or more, wheels 8.5 - 14mm disc or 16mm spoked, others available to order. They can have a central pivot point and 6 wheel versions are available, the center axle floats and is not driven. In all cases a bonnet or body is required to hide the motor.
3D printed with twin O rings RTR
Normally only used for Simplexes as the unit has a transverse geared motor and needs a body at least 30mm wide. Gearing around 120:1, wheels 8.5mm or larger, height variable, the lowest is 9mm above axle height. A very good slow runner.
3D printed direct gearing RTR
These use a double ended motor and drive via 13:1 gear sets, the top picture shows one installed in a Recreation 21 Bow Frame Simplex. Although rather fast they are good at low speeds due to a low revving N20 motor. I sell these as Tenshodo Replacement types or general purpose made to order. They can be slightly smaller than a Tenshodo which they will outlast as they have metal gears and bushes.
I made this pair for an HO tram and made central pivots to mount them, I can do this to order. When wired together they run faultlessly and could pull a train of at least 10 coaches. I can make these with wheelbases from 22mm to around 35mm.
Minimum wheelbase 22mm, for 12mm gauge or wider but due to the width of the motor the minimum wheelbase for 12mm gauge is 28mm with 10.5mm wheels, 30mm with 12mm wheels. To get round this I bought some double ended M15 motors which are 2mm narrower. This allows minimum wheelbase in 12mm gauge to be 22mm as well. The motor is a bit faster running than the N20 but still acceptable. The bottom picture shows my 16.5mm gauge 22mm wheelbase test build with 9.5mm wheels.
Dick Kerr PE chassis RTR
Made specially for the S&D cast kit with 40:1 gearing and 16mm spoked wheels. I have supplied a few modified versions of this for other locos and for quite a few trams.
Smallbrook ETNA chassis RTR
Made specially for the Smallbrook ETNA VB loco. Uses a geared motor of around 100:1 ratio and 16mm wheels from the Dick Kerr. To order only as I make the rods and cranks as needed.
HO trams
Trams seem to be increasingly popular lately and I have built quite a few for 3mm, HO, OO and 7mm but had nothing to show for it, so I got permission to use pictures of 2 of Dave Owen's trams after making replacement chassis for him.
They were different wheelbases and different body fixings, otherwise the same wheels, gears and motors, gearing 33:1 with 13:1 gear sets and a 2.5:1 O ring drve from the motor. The wiring at the motor end is to connect to a 4 part pcb for DCC chip connection.
Most tram users in small scales tend to go for the single geared Tenshodo Replacementtype but they are a bit fast and lack control, these to run really well at speeds down to a crawl.
The pictures are taken from an angle to show the motor in the saloon, from side view they are not visible as they are not as high as the windows. A bit of paint on the motors and they will not be noticable at all.
Motor drive units - full details
This is marketed as the Larger Diesel Bogie (LDB), so named as it was meant for larger locos with a bonnet to hide the motor. It is etched but only consists of 9 parts, there is also no reason why the main parts cannot be glued rather than soldered, although I haven't tried it yet. It uses a layshaft and gears on each axle with an O ring from the motor at one end, total ratio around 33:1 so its a good slow runner.
It can be built to any gauge from 9mm up to 16.5mm and wider if you ask for longer axles, 8 wheelbases from 17 to 30mm and the wheels can be 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12 or 14mm. I can supply 3 different motors, M20 (8 x 15), N20 (10 x 15) 0r N30 (10 x 21) with a flywheel on the larger 2. The ones in the pictures are 9mm gauge, 17mm wb with N20 motors.
As a kit £50.00, RTR £90.00
This is a Larger Diesel Bogie fitted to a London Transport R stock power car with pickups wired to the other bogie. Its not designed for this kind of use but was shortened to the right length and a brace added to act as a pivot point, side pieces were also added to take the cosmetic outer frames. It barely shows in the coach so an interior can be fitted if needed.
Tenshodo replacement power bogies
These are designed to fit in the space allowed for Tendshodo Spud power units and are supplied RTR in any wheelbase from 24.5 - 35mm. They use an N20 motor and 13:1 gear sets, they are faster than required but run well at low speeds due to the choice of motor and gears. The gauge can be anything 12mm or wider and wheels 8.5, 9.5 or 10.5mm disc, spoked wheels can be supplied to order.
The pictures show 3 x 24.5mm units with 16.5mm gauge on the left, 14mm in the center and 12mm on the right. They can be held in place with Blutak at either end or brackets can be fashioned to fit your model. A center pivot is not included so they would need modifying to use as a bogie. I keep a few 24.5 and 35mm units in 12, 14 and 16,5mm gauges ready to go but all others are made to order.
For DCC users the motor wires can be looped up above the unit then back down to the pick ups, the user would need to cut these to connect the chip, I can supply them like this if specified on ordering.
Tenshodo replacement power bogie RTR, all sizes and wheels - £50
For those wanting bigger wheels I can supply 12 or 14mm disc but only if the wheelbase is a minimum of 27mm for 12mm and 29mm for 14mm. This is because the motor section is wider than the ends and larger wheels would clash with the motor. I can no longer supply these for gauges less than 12mm as the plastic ends are too small to reliably hold the bushes, after a few failures I now limit these to 12mm or wider.
Tenshodo Replacement Power Bogie MK2 (TR mk2)
Much as above but with a coreless motor, 24:1 gearing and a central pivot plate for use as a bogie. Available for wheelbases from 25 to 35mm, longer by request as special extenders would be needed for the motor shafts. Wheels can be 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12, or 14mm, 16mm is possible but the slow speed will suffer, gauges available are from 12mm upwards. The top plate and pivot screw are supplied loose as it may not be needed and also gives the option to position it off center, glue it in place with solvent. They cost a little more than the regular version as the motor is more costly. These are made to order and usually take a few days to supply. The height of the top of the pivot plate above the rails top is 18mm with 14mm wheels, 17mm with 12mm wheels, 16.25mm with 10.5mm wheels and 15.75mm with 9,5mm wheels.
Tenshodo Replacement Power Bogie MK2 RTR only- £54.00
This picture shows a pair of 28mm with 14mm wheels, one powered and one not, and a 29mm with 10.5mm wheels.
The underside of 3 test units all wired for DC, if you want to fit DCC, let me know as I do the wiring a different way.
Now available for Recreation 21 bow frame Simplex
This chassis is a modified version of the Tenshodo Replacement above with a 22mm wheelbase, it can only be built to 16.5mm gauge as the wheels overlap the motor so narrower is not possible.
It uses a 10/15 N20 motor with 13:1 gearing and 9.5mm wheels, after the bonnet was packed with lead for ballast it ran really well and almost silently.
I can only supply these RTR as they are far too difficult to build as a kit. I have a smaller motor now so can make them in 14mm and possibly 12mm but ask first as I haven't tried it yet.
22mm Tenshodo Replacement unit for Recreation 21 Simplex - £50 RTR
It can also be used under other bodies but ask me via email first.
Be warned that the above Simplex at Shapeways is a modified version and the wheelbase is now 25mm, the later version has derailing bars across each end which the early version lacked. I can also supply chassis for these at the same price but if you have one or are going to buy one, check what the wheelbase is first before ordering a chassis.
Custom twin worm Power Bogies
These 3D printed units are made to order. I prefer to have the body to hand when drawing the chassis, you can post it direct or, if buying a Shapeways body, use my address as the shipping address and it will come direct to me.
The pictures left shows a Schoma gas burner and an LKM Ns2 with their bespoke power bogies, below is a Jung EL105, below that is an LKM Ns1 modified to 16.5mm, below that is a Feldbahn Struver, its actually 1/35th scale as the 1/43rd one was far too small to motorise. below that is an O&K MD1 and finally a CKD BN 30R.
As I have made quite a few for Shapeways prints and have the drawings ready, it is a simple job to print one off or adjust the drawing for an odd gauge when required.
So far I have produced chassis for the Shapeways locos listed below, wheel size/motor/gear ratio/gauge are shown for each type.
- LKM Ns1 - 8.5mm/N20/30:1/up to 14mm (from T3 Design)
- LKM Ns2 - 10.5mm/N20/40:1/up to 16.5mm (from T3 Design)
- Jung EL105 - 8.5mm/N20/32:1/up to 14mm (from T3 Design)
- O&K MD1 - 8.5mm/N20/30:1/up to 14mm (from T3 Design)
- Feldbahn Struver - 8.5mm/K20/30:1/up to 16.5mm (from T3 Design, I used the 1/35th version)
- CKD BN 30R - 9.5mm/N20/30:1/up to 16.5mm (from T3 Design)
- Schoma gas burner - 10.5mm/N20/32:1/up to 16.5mm (from T3 Design)
-Simplex - 21.5mm/12-21/45:1/32mm (O std gauge from Recreation 21). This one uses Slaters wagon wheels and will cost £16 extra or you supply the wheels.
- Ruston 16hp with or without cab (from Teebee models) 9.5mm/N20/35:1/up to 16.5mm.
All custom worm drive Power Bogies are £70 and are only supplied RTR, if you need multiples, discounts can be added (or should it be deducted). All now come with metal gears except a few specials, mainly larger types.
This is an O gauge Wickham Trolley that I was asked to make a chassis for, my NG Tenshodo Replacement would fit but this one was for std gauge.
An unorthodox solution with the motor at one side but it had to fit entirely under the floor. Fitted with an N30 motor, 8.5mm wheels and 33:1 gearing, a superb slow runner.
Floyd Kraemer (FK 3d prining) by Paul Smith
Ransomes & Rapier
Some of you may have spotted this on Ebay, currently at £25.95 for O9 and designed to use a Japanese tram chassis. A quick word with the maker Paul Smith got me two widened versions for 16.5 which I duly made chassis for, I also bought the O9 version which will take chassis up to 14mm gauge. Gearing is 2 stage 33:1 with 10.5mm wheels, a 10mm square 6 pole motor and a flywheel giving superb running.
Some trimming of the floor is required at the front to clear the motor but is easy to do. Please note that the 16.5mm chassis will only fit the widened body for 16.5mm, the O-9 body is true to scale and will take chassis up to 14mm but not 16.5mm. Any chassis to fit the R&R is £70.00 RTR.
Kerr Stuart 4415
I already make a chassis to fit the Wrightlines 4415 so I thought this one would be easy, how wrong I was. The wheelbase is slightly different and full length frames are not possible. This dinky little thing is what I came up with using an N30 motor with flywheel, 2 stage 33:1 gearing and 14mm wheels to give superb running, 16.5, 14 or 12mm gauges.
There had to be a down side and that is the amount of resin that needs removing to get the chassis in. For the record, to get this 16.5mm chassis in, the frames needed skimming on the inside to give the wheels some clearance, the underside of the floor needed trimming to give a flat surface for the bogie to seat against and a large chunk of the body inside removed to clear the motor.
These cost £75 in any gauge and drive on the outer axles only, the center one is used for power pickup, if you want one I would recommend posting me the body and I will modify it at the same time.
Mannin Models bodies
I now make chassis for several of the Mannin bodies, shown left is the IOM Viking diesel with its chassis. I also make one for the Indian MDN6 and Upnor Castle, the Walker diesel is still an ongoing project.
Prices are from £70 and can be in gauges from 14mm upwards, I can also do 21mm for the Irish ones. The Viking uses Slaters 3ft 1in wheels which are O gauge wheels but have relatively fine flanges and work well on ng rails, but they do cost more so these chassis are £78.
The NDM6 chassis does not fit the Worsley Works etched body so I make a modified version to fit these.
S&D Models Dick Kerr 4WPE chassis
My test build. Some will have an off white chassis, some grey, I printed half of each.
Designed to drop into the S&D cast body with just minor trimming of 1 of the spacers. It will also work in the Worsley etches but you would need to add mounting points for it.
Now only available as RTR as too many people had issues putting it together, it costs more than other similar chassis as it uses Scalelink wheels which are more costly.
In 14 or 16.5 RTR form (can be regauged)- £85
Custom planetary geared power bogies
I discovered these geared motors on a Chinese website and tried them out, they can only be used where the motor is in line with the axles as no 90 degree turn is possible. The pictures left shows a Nigel Lawton 20hp Simplex and a Shapeways 3D printed one, below is a close up of the chassis, below that is a Henrik Laurell 32/42hp Simplex, below that is a WD protected Simplex, the armoured is the same and the open similar but with a lower motor. last is the Recreation 21 20hp Simplex which is still giving me problems as its too small and too light.
The larger motor is a variation of the M10 motor with a planetary gearbox of around 120:1 ratio, so I use pulley sizes to speed up the final drive a little. The smaller motor is a 6mm coreless motor with a 142:1 planetary gearbox which needs pulleys around 1.5:1 to speed it up around 50%. Bogies with the larger motor turned out fine but the smaller motor is far too noisy, I am still trying ways to make it usable.
So far I have produced chassis for the Shapeways locos listed below plus the Nigel lawton and Wrightlines Simplexes. Wheel size/gauge are shown for each type, gear ratios are all around 100:1.
- WD Simplex - 10.5mm/up to 21mm ( armoured or protected from Recreation 21)
- WD Simplex - 10.5mm/up to 21mm (open version from Recreation 21)
- WD Simplex - 10.5mm/up to 16.5mm (Wrightlines)
- 20hp bowframe Simplex - 10.5mm/up to 16.5mm (Nigel Lawton)
- 32/42hp Simplex - 10.5mm/up to 16.5mm (from Henrik Laurell)
-20hp plateframe Simplex - use etched Universal Power Bogie - 10.5mm/12 to 16.5mm (from Davids railway bits)
All custom planetary geared power bogies are RTR only at £50.00 each
Motors
All the options I stock are listed below. Chinese motors differ from the Mashimas we are used to in that they are not designed to be repaired. They will last as long as a Mashima, then you replace them when they die. This makes them effectively maintenance free, other than oil, and a lot cheaper to make. The main issues are firstly that the mounting holes are often diagonal, so I offer 3 types of etched mounting plate to fit all motors on the list, solder these on top of a standard gearbox, drill through the relevant holes and fit as normal. Secondly the shafts are mostly 1mm, so I offer sleeves to convert to 1.5mm to take standard worms. High Level can offer their gearboxes with 1mm worms which is useful if you are a fan of these.
The Chinese rate their motor voltages differently to Mashima and other makers, they use the voltage of the proposed use as the rated voltage, this means that all motors are under rated and are often available from different sources at different ratings, despite being the same motor. I have attempted to destroy samples by overloading them and leaving them running on 12 volts over night but they all survived none the worse for everything I did to them. I consider all the motors I sell to be safe on 12 volts and will replace any FOC that burn out in less than 2 years. Any that are definitely not 12v will be supplied with a ballast resistor to allow use on 12v, DCC users can leave off the resistor and set a lower voltage in the CVs for that loco.
Most of the motors listed do not use carbon brushes but precious metal wipers which keeps the internals a lot cleaner in use, this is part of what makes them disposable at the end of their life. All Chinese motors run hotter than the Mashimas we are used to, this is normal and does not harm the motor. I suspect that Mashimas were set up to be under powered for their size to keep the heat down as carbon brushes and their springs are the first parts to fail when a motor gets too hot. These motors do not have carbon brushes or springs so run quite happily at higher temperatures.
M20 - 8 x 10x 15mm flatcan, 1mm shaft at one end, horizontal screw holes, Chinese.
M20 motor - £8 each
M30 - 8 x 10x 20mm flat can, 1mm shaft at one end, horizontal screw holes, Chinese.
M30 motor - £8 each
N20 - 10 x 12x 15 flat can, 1mm shaft at one end, diagonal screw holes, Chinese.
N20 motor - £8 each
N20 10 x 12 x 15 flat can, 1mm shaft at both ends with horizontal screw holes, Chinese. Better finished than the one above and lower revving.
N20 (black) - £10 each
5 pole skew wound open frame motor similar to the old H13, 10 x 14 x 24mm with a double ended 1.5mm shaft but no screw holes. I had great hopes for this but it turns out to be rather revvy so needs a higher gearbox ratio. This one does have carbon brushes. I usually have a couple in stock at £10 each
N30 - 10 x 12 x 21mm flat can, 1mm shaft at one end, horizontal screw holes, Chinese. This is a sweet running motor, smooth, quiet and powerful.
N30 motor - £8 each
O30 - 10 x 15 x 19 flat can motor 13,500rpm, 2mm screw holes and 1.5mm shaft, Chinese.
030 motor - £8 each
O50 - 12 x 15x 27mm flat can, 11,000rpm, 1.5mm shaft at one end, diagonal 2mmscrew holes, Chinese.
050 motor - £10 each
O30 - 12 x 15 x 25mm flat can, 2mm shaft at one end, no screw holes, Chinese. You may recognise this as a Smokey Joe motor, also used in other Hornby locos. I was sent a batch in error and China doesn't want them back.
030 motor - £2 each
A new motor has just become available and is said to be 6 pole! Anyone who knows motors knows that a DC motor must have an even number of magnets and an odd number of poles. This does indeed have 6 poles but they are wired as 2 x 3 poles and have 2 pairs of magnets at 90 degrees to each other. This gives more power in a smaller package and they are really quiet and smooth.
They do get hotter than most other motors at high speed so I left one running flat out all dayand have not managed to melt it yet. They only heat up above about 75% max power but no-one uses that kind of speed in a loco anyway. A Japanese company has been using them for years in OO9 locos but this is the first time I have managed to buy them direct from the factory. They have no code number and measure 10mm square and 15mm long with diagonal holes and a 1mm shaft.
Square 6 pole motor - £10 each
18/27mm round can motor, 10.000rpm, a very usable motor in larger models. Has 1.2mm front fixing screws and a 1.5mm shaft, the splines are for plastic gear fitting and have no adverseeffect when used with a metal gear or pulley.
16/27 round can motor - £10.00
Geared motors
I have finally found the time to sort out my collection of geared motors and modify 30 for stock. These comprise the N20 powered one that has been available for a while, the M15 powered one that I have been unable to supply for 3 years or more and a new M15 powered one that I have just got round to trying out. To sumarise, the N20 one has 140:1 gearing, the M15 ones are 120:1 but as the motor is slightly faster they will give the same performance. All have a 4 stage worm drive gearbox and were intended as focusing motors in cameras, I have modified them to drive a 2mm axle with a 3D printed piece glued on and brass bushes. The gear is a plastic push fit and yes, I do have spares. Dimensions are given next to the pictures and all retail at £16.00 each.
For those that need a reference for size, the N20 motor is 10 x 12 x 15mm and the M15 is 8 x 10 x 15mm, Mashima did the first as the 10/15 can but never made the smaller M15.
12vN20 140:1
Width - 10.2mm
Length - 41mm
Axle from end - 6mm
Height - 17mm
12vM15 120:1 slim
Width - 10.2mm
Length - 37mm
Axle from end - 5mm
Height - 14mm
12vM15 120:1 wide
Width - 11.5mm
Length - 36.5mm
Axle from end - 5mm
Height - 11mm
The trend with motors was always to buy the biggest that will fit but modern Chinese motors are a lot more powerful than Mashimas used to be, I use the M15 slim in several of my kits now and not a single one has come back with problems, they are more than capable of pulling a fair sized train without fuss. The N20 one I use in my 1/35th Cranmore kit, mainly because the smaller one just doesn't look right. These can pull a long train and again none have come back with problems.
Also available are 2 L shaped motors using the K20 motor which is 6 x 8 x 20. They are not powereful but work well, they are also only 6v so need a ballast resistor to be used on 12v. The main reason for trying these was to get something that would fit under a DeWinton.
Disc Wheels
Becoming rather unsatisfied with the choice of wheels available I decided to have my own made. They are brass cut to RP25 code 110, about the same as current Hornby/Bachmann, then blackened. The plastic bushes are turned, not moulded, so hold their shape when pushed onto an axle, no more wobbly wheels if you do it with them in a vice.
Available in 8.5 & 9.5mm with steel or brass blind axles or blackenedbrass pinpoint - £2.50 per axle
Stocks of these are low now and they cannot be replaced as the maker has retired
My latest wheels are made in China and are black coated steel to RP25 code 110 but slimmed down to 2.5mm wide. I can supply them with blind axles in brass or steel, or blackened brass pin point as shown in the picture. They go on the axles truly every time due to their turned bushes, no more wobbly wheels. Curiously the black coating conducts electricity, which is very handy as I use them on my Power Bogies. The coating also makes the pick ups last a lot longer as steel is very abrasive when naked.
8.5, 9.5, or 10.5 mm disc wheels with axles of choice - £2.50 per axle
12 or 14mm as above - £3.00 per axle
Limited amount of brass wheels
These are 12mm 8 spoke cast brass wheels suitably machined for th finish and 14mm coach style turned disc wheels. These are old and were intended for solid fixing on an axle, ie a dead short across the rails. I have bushed and blackened them for use on 2mm axles. They can be supplied with pinpoint or plain axles to the gauge required. These are a one off offer and when they are gone, they are gone. The wheel profile is about the same as Gibson wheels and thickness is just over 2mm. I have 25 axles of the 12mm at £2.50 and 44 of the 14mm at £3.00.
I also have 16 axles of the 12mm 8 spoke wheels machined for P4 use which would only be suitable for light or finescale track as they are noticably thinner on the tread, around 1.8mm total thickness, same price as above if you want them.
The wheels in the picture below are set at 16.5mm on pinpoint axles.
Locosnstuff is owned by Mark Clark at 12 Adelaide Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 4NJ, UK
I can be contacted at borsig1958@gmail.com anytimeor on 01634 575081 before 8pm
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