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 Posted - June 24 2018 : 5:22:15 PM
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My offering this week is a Cheshire 4-4-0 I purchased on the UK Model Railway Forum. It is
NOS from 1983 Hornby, probably from one of the last production runs before everything went
to China. As in quite a few British units, it has a rather stolid tender drive. It comes with a
fireman and engineer, yet to be painted and installed, and a smoke unit. I don't dare light it
up until I lubricate it, if I can find my gear grease. Seen here, parked on my British OO layout,
"Bamburgh."
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Posted - June 25 2018 : 12:11:58 PM
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Good looking loco Chops...
My LOTW offering this week is a Mantua 0-4-0 Mighty Mite from the later 40's, early 1950's...
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - June 25 2018 : 3:03:12 PM
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| Hey Sean. That's pretty cool the tender has the MANTUA lettering.
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Posted - June 26 2018 : 4:17:32 PM
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Wow~ that mighty mite is a piece from the "True Cross" of HO,
back when HO was an exotic miniature. It would be great to
see that thing restored and running with original couplers.
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Posted - June 29 2018 : 01:55:32 AM
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I've got 2 locos this week. First up is a restored USMRR Mantua General with smoke unit.
Second is my Mantua Belle of the Eighties that is different from my others. This loco has the
Cross-head support stamped from sheet brass as opposed to die-cast metal. The motor is an
Mantua 3-pole, 6 volt motor rather than the Pittman 60 normally used. Lastly, the tender has
a round water hatch rather than the normal rectangular one.
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Posted - June 29 2018 : 8:59:32 PM
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| How does that motor perform George? Seems a rare one.
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Posted - June 30 2018 : 06:14:30 AM
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Right now I'm waiting on some parts to make a protection circuit for the motor. It is only a 6 volt
and my power supply is capable of putting out 20 volts. I'm working on a circuit to limit the
voltage to the motor to no more than 8 volts (that's 30% over the rating, but safe enough to keep
it from frying), to protect it from accidental over voltage. When I tried it before put it into the
locomotive, it ran really well. I'm kind of curious as to how well it pulls the loco when I can get the
circuit built and installed.
The motors that Mantua put in later were Pittman 12 volters and are too wide to fit inside the
boiler on this model so I couldn't swap it out. 
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Posted - June 30 2018 : 12:40:27 PM
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| Is the boiler a bit different than later models George? I have a Belle that appears essentially the same and it houses a 12 volt motor. Or, is the frame a bit different?
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Posted - June 30 2018 : 4:33:31 PM
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The rear part of the boiler is narrower than the later production models by about 1/4 in. I was
going to put in a 12 volt motor after I discovered that the motor was a 6 volt, but when I tried
to put the boiler on, the brushes of the 12 volt rubbed up against the boiler, shorting it out.
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Helm
Little Six
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Posted - July 01 2018 : 12:56:56 PM
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Kind of a locomotive. I alway liked the BUDD RDC, but not the Athearn rubber band drive.
I repowered this one with an old AHM F-7.
I had to lengthen the F-7 fraame to fit the RDC. While I was at it, I added pick-ups to both trucks.
The steps were part of the Athearn frame. I added steps to the F-7 frame cut from a junked passenger car.
The trucks and frame being black instead of silver hides the fact that it's not the correct frame/trucks, but I like it. It moves a lot smoother with this power and improved electrical pick-up.
Rich
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Posted - July 01 2018 : 6:00:46 PM
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Now, I've heard of repowering AHM locos with Athearn drives, but never the other way around! Interesting work, though I might've just taken the motor and trucks from an Athearn F, geep or U-boat, swapped the sideframes and motor and made some new driveshafts. But heck, if that thing works, very cool!
--CRC
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Posted - July 01 2018 : 7:32:09 PM
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Very nice. How did you fasten the chassis together? What did you use
as a splice? The cut looks laser perfect, so I assume you used a jig?
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Helm
Little Six
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Posted - July 01 2018 : 10:33:48 PM
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Thanks,
The AHM chasis in an Athearn Body was because I'm cheap! I got a real good buy (like $5.00) on a working F-7 'cause the body was pretty messed up. I just marked out with masking tape on my workbench where the truck centers had to be. It looks neat 'cause I cut on the end of the fuel tank, using it as a guide. Then with the two ends taped in place on the bench I super glued in two lengths of 1/4" square Plastruct tubes to bridge the gap. I added some other odds and ends on the bottom for "battery cases", "air tanks", etc. to busy it up.
Rich
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