Garden Railway Forum

What a brilliantly simple solution to fitting the Zecar to the chassis. In most instances they have been used by just swapping the wheels but making it a very short wheelbase. When I made mine in 2014 (I can't find a picture) I extended the chassis and built a box van around it. Although it worked well the noise generated by the hollow van was so loud I had to fill it with foam sheet, which helped but not completely.
Details are at the bottom of the page shown below......
https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?f ... &start=120

Peter your van looks brilliant, I did consider attempting something similar but having a young family means free time is at a premium so I went with the quick and simple solution. Also means I can swap between 32 & 45mm easily if visiting other lines. I was concerned about noise so I’ve mounted it on a rubber washer, may follow you on the foam route if it’s too noisy when I get a chance to run it.
It’s still raining so it’s now got 4wd, don’t think it’s too intrusive

That's extremely tidy, Garethh. Will have to keep that arrangement in mind..
Would love to see it running when you get the chance.

Might as well throw mine into the hat..
I built mine back in 2016, almost certainly lurking on this thread for reference. Figuring a guard's van wouldn't be out of place on most trains, I cut down an IP Rheidol kit, to make something vaguely based on the Innisfail Tramway's guard's vans.
The body and chassis are fixed together via the couplings' mounting studs. The axleboxes carry the wagon's weight in the usual manner, taking care to ensure no part of the mechanism touches the chassis or body, and enclosed the "machinery" from the bodywork to help prevent the body from becoming a sounding box.
It hasn't had a whole lot of use, as for the most part I've had nowhere to run. At around 800g it's quite effective, as we've come to expect of the Zecar.


Here it is running on an indoor test loop years ago.



I've plans for another two momentum wagons, as rakes of sugarcane trucks don't have guard's vans attached. Ordered the Zecars from the US four months ago, and by now can only presume they've been lost somewhere. I've just contacted them about re-sending the order.. One of them will become a navvies' tool wagon, based on this ex-Moreton sugar mill example now stored at ANGRMS. I don't remember what I had planned to build with the other mech.

I'm a sucker for brake vans, but I really like that cut-down IP one, inspired stuff!

I've got a medium term plan for a "might have been" NWNGR 4-wheel passenger brake, which I'm now thinking could incorporate a Zecar mechanism... Upthread somewhere there's details of the little mineral wagon I made, which was fun to do but I couldn't get enough weight into it to make a significant difference to operations...

Cheers,

Andrew.

Cheers, Andrew. It's certainly an attractive prototype.

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:02 am a "might have been" NWNGR 4-wheel passenger brake, which I'm now thinking could incorporate a Zecar mechanism

Aye, do go for it! That little coal truck you mentioned did look quite nice, though..

Old Man Aaron wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2020 1:36 am I've plans for another two momentum wagons, as rakes of sugarcane trucks don't have guard's vans attached.

Given you are near the old Moreton Mill, you could look at putting the Zecar mech in a little water gin for use on the steam hauled cane trains. The chassis and sound barrier of the dunny van looks about the right size.

The Krauss Moreton used to run around with a dinky water gin with a square tank, often with a few bags of extra coal on the top. Still runs with it in 'preservation' I think, even though the poor old thing now has a diesel engine parked where the sun don't shine..... I've also seen photos of Valdora with both a 4 wheel water gin coupled at one end and a dinky wooden coal 'tender' at the other end.

Lead flashing makes a good acoustic barrier, as well as providing the weight needed in a momentum wagon.

Regards,
Graeme

Managed to get out in between showers for a quick test run, tricky driving with one hand a filming with the other, but should give an idea. Definitely calms her down a fair bit, especially considering the gradients and curves on my line are pretty severe. Is a bit on the noisy side but I live next to a main road so in the flesh it’s not really noticeable.

When I built mine years ago I had to weigh the wagon down a fair bit to achieve a good result:



I don't have a video of the finished wagon running unfortunately.

Yours looks like it works nicely. Mines at around 6-700g at the moment, may experiment with a bit more weight

Water tank, there's an idea..
Aye, the one behind Moreton had a proper little coal & water tender built in (I think?) the early 20's. It's now privately preserved along with the Fowler Coolum. From memory, Moreton's current tender is made of plywood, housing the diesel engine, driving an ex-Burrunjuck Tramway bogey.
Valdora's funny little tender was just a cane truck with sides added!I know the photos showing the water tank you mentioned; looking at it now, it's mounted on a Binnie erm, wait, Hudson skip frame, and has no water connection to the loco. I believe Valdora was the navvy loco during the slack season, and the water tank used in that work. You've given me something to think about..

Thanks for showing us your van running Garethh. My first line was like yours in it's grades and 2ft curves. Had I van like yours at the time, the line would've had far more use. Also loving the grass and weeds encroaching on your track.

Regards,
Aaron

Thanks Aaron, I wish it was a bit less severe but it’s not a big garden. I’ll take the compliment on the weeds and grass and pretends it’s not just because I can’t find time to sort it out!

After another one of my seemingly interminable pauses in the progress of the Charnwood Forest Light Railway things are finally stirring again. (Brace yourselves for further (sporadic) updates on my CFLR topic in the 'Railways' section).

Achieving at least some sort of scale speed and 'controlability' is crucial to me gaining any sort of satisfaction from model railways of any scale or gauge. The CFLR hasn't yet reached a stage where anything other than a bit of 'steaming up and down' is possible but the day is coming when some sort of service will commence and when that happens it will need to look right or I will get brassed off. Consequently one project which has long lain dormant, the construction of a momentum van, is being re-activated.

I've finally got round to investing in a Zcar (well, it is Christmas!). In preparation for making a start I've re-read this thread to try and determine the best line of attack. I'm really impressed with Garethh's approach of linking the mechanism to the axle with a chain drive. Has anyone got any suggestions about the best place to buy chain and drive gears from please?

CFLR Andrew

Soar Valley Light wrote: ↑Sat Dec 26, 2020 3:10 pm Has anyone got any suggestions about the best place to buy chain and drive gears from please?

Look on ebay for "Delrin chain" and it will have the gears as well. Wherever you get it from, it all comes from the same original imported source.

Thanks Philip. I'll go and have a look.

This is one of the best of the many good things about this forum - instant help and advice.

Andrew

Try this one....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Delrin-Chain ... 0611376650

https://www.motionco.co.uk/ - think I got mine from this place, they do some useful bits and pieces

Thanks Peter, Thanks Gareth.

I ordered an IP brake van yesterday to house the beast. I'll wait for the van to arrive and give it a good coat of looking at then peruse the two sites you've suggested to source the 'bits'. I've not done any serious building for years, I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm not rushing into it mind, I find things work out much better if taken steadily to allow the details of the build to be thoroughly thought through. I shall probably break off to push the next turnout through the works too. I want to be ready to crack on with the actual railway again as soon as the weather picks up in spring, I'm determined to progress things much further this year than I have for the past 10 (!). The monentum van is an important part of being ready to start proper operations.

All the best,

CFLR Andrew

https://www.swiftsixteen.co.uk/product- ... -chain-set

Theres this Delrin chain and sprocket set from Swift Sixteen if it's any good Andrew?

Thanks Pippindoo,

That's another potential supplier to add to the list.

Soar Valley Light wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:29 pm Thanks Pippindoo,

That's another potential supplier to add to the list.

As I said, they all get it from the one importer, so go for the cheapest, it's all the same.