[Kovacjr]

Last week a friend just bought a Heisler and during the 1st run the rear Universial had snapped, Also the 2nd rear one was pulling the brass insert out. I think the Delrin ones just dont hold up to the oil and repeated hearing and cooling over the 10 years they have been on there. Also the front truck the pinion gear had broke free on the shaft.

Upon inspection the gear was just glued on so I had driled and tapped for a setscrew, I also lubed the gears with a Mobil 1 Synthetis wheelbearing grease. Closed them boh up and that left installing the new universials that I made. I had made extra as a friend has a Heisler too that we will instal them on. They were made from 3/8" hex stock.


Here are the broken ones

r

 

[Jerry Barnes]

Nice work!

 

[roadranger]

How do they run with the offset cross pins in the center block?
The originals had the cross pins in the same plane...

 

[Kovacjr]

They ran fine - I didnt want the pins to be a threaded bolt which is what you would have to use of you had a cross style center block. If it were a larger universial I would of made shouldered screws or what Aster used on theirs was a slotter screw with a sholder and no head, but about 4 threads on the tip for the center block.

Being these are notused for a severe angle joint the 20 deg or so angle seems to run just fine with no binding or hopping. I did try it a greater angles before connecting to the main shaft and they worked fine in my finger. They also run pretty slow compared to a high speed version.

 

[tacfoley]

V. nice to see such fine work, so well illustrated too.

Never seen a Catatonk anything in the tin, but it really seems a shame that it should prove to be so fragile in such an important area - power transmission.

Have you spoken to Mr Chaney[model engineer retired] about this?

Best wishes for Hanukkah and Christmas!

tac
www.ovgrs.org

 

[Shaymaker]

Dear Tac....

You may be the Model of a Modern Major General (rtd.,) but I am REAL Engineer (rtd.,) not a model one. >)

When I built the Heislers, I had neither the machinery or the expertise to build the UJs, so I looked around for the best I could find - and it was the neoprene/brass job fron RS Components. As I graduated to Shays and then Climaxes, I started making my own, eventually using CNC machines to produce a passable job.

Incidentally, if you'd like to see a Catatonk Climax "in the tin", do you fancy a trip to darkest Essex once I've got the track relaid to run it on?

Mike Chaney

 

[Kovacjr]

Posted By tacfoley on 12/23/2008 5:25 AM
V. nice to see such fine work, so well illustrated too.

Never seen a Catatonk anything in the tin, but it really seems a shame that it should prove to be so fragile in such an important area - power transmission.

Have you spoken to Mr Chaney[model engineer retired] about this?

Best wishes for Hanukkah and Christmas!

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/



I have been in contact with Mike about the repairs. Also since it had ran 10 years on the Delrin universials I think they proved to be a good choice for the job. Now if of course you melt one due to a blowtorch burner firing on the smokebox thats a whole different story.

 

[tacfoley]

Posted By Shaymaker on 12/23/2008 5:52 AM
Dear Tac....

You may be the Model of a Modern Major General (rtd.,) but I am REAL Engineer (rtd.,) not a model one. >)

When I built the Heislers, I had neither the machinery or the expertise to build the UJs, so I looked around for the best I could find - and it was the neoprene/brass job fron RS Components. As I graduated to Shays and then Climaxes, I started making my own, eventually using CNC machines to produce a passable job.

Incidentally, if you'd like to see a Catatonk Climax "in the tin", do you fancy a trip to darkest Essex once I've got the track relaid to run it on?

Mike Chaney



Dear Mr Chaney - apologies for assuming that you had retired - in the last post I saw here from you you noted that you were retiring from the model-making business. Please note that my post was not intended to be critical in any way, but constructive.

Thank you for the offer of a look-see at a real Catatonk loco - I might even be tempted to take up your offer when fuel gets down to less than 85p a litre.

tac
www.ovgrs.org