Wonderland Express Steam Engine Wheel Alignment

[radioengineer]

I need some fundamentals on steam engine drive wheel and linkage alignment.  The right side drive wheel is off the motor shaft at the moment.  The left side drive wheel will fully rotate from the motor, but the linkage only allows the two front wheels to oscillate back and forth.  With the rear wheel linkage removed the front two wheel will full rotate from each other.  I was wondering if the linkage is worn from the rear drive wheel not allowing the full rotation of the front two wheels?

When I get that solved, and when pressing the right side drive wheel on the motor shaft, is there a need for the linkage to be offset from that of the left side?  I need some basics on how the linkage works between the drive wheels on a steam engine.

Dave
Nebraska City

[mabloodhound]

Dave,
Not quite sure about your question but one point to answer you, is that the drive wheels need to be "quartered".
That means one side is a quarter turn off from the other side.   All drive wheels on the same side need to be 'quartered' the same.
Maybe that answers your question.

[radioengineer]

Thank you mabloodhound, getting the right side hooked up may be what solves my problem. 

With the right side drive wheel off, I was trying to get the left side adjusted first. As the left side drive wheel makes a full rotation, the linkage does not push the two forward wheels into a full rotation.  The two front wheels will turn forward a half turn, then turn backward a half turn with each full turn of the back driver wheel.  I was wondering if the linkage from the drive wheel was worn too much.  The hole in the linkage is not a perfect round hole, there is a small amount of slop and thought it may be too short in length, not forcing the next wheel over center. 

Perhaps when I get the right side drive wheel attached to the motor shaft offset by a quarter turn, it will force the two front wheels to continue forward and not reverse.

Knowing about the quarter turn offset may solve my problem.

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

Dave

[Hunt]

Perhaps your Bachmann Wonderland Express is On30 scale 2-6-0 locomotive. If so

Click Here for exploded view diagram. In it the quarter offset can be seen. 
And

Click Here for parts.

[radioengineer]

Hunt,

You are the man!  The box states On30 Scale Train Set. 

The diagram is awesome, yes I understand what I need to do.  And the ability to buy parts blows me away.  Being a retired electronics person, I am use to working on really small items.  The train set was at a garage sale in June for $20 with lots of tracks and accessories.  I have four grandchildren coming for the weekend and with the youngest, a boy aged 7, and his sister 8 will  really find this a hit, I am thinking.

Included in the set, was a HO sized engine, cars, and caboose.  That is working great.  Now to get the big one running will be fun.

So the ability to buy parts, see diagrams, is right up my alley.  With a company that supports do it yourself hobbyists and all the little parts available, I may have found a new hobby besides ham radio.

The controller had an open transistor and was dead.  I had a large 30amp transistor of the right type that made it work. 

Yep, with this kind of help and support, this is going to be a hobby I will enjoy. 

Thank you, thank you.

Dave
Nebraska City

[Hunt]

Dave,
While the locomotive and rolling stock in the train set is gauged to run on HO gauge track, they are actually O scale models of Narrow Gauge Railroad equipment. 

O   scale - 1:48
HO track gauge - 16.5 mm
HO scale - 1:87.1




Image contains a narrow gauge steam locomotive next to standard gauge steam locomotive of the same era.

[radioengineer]

Hunt,
Enjoyed the photo and the specifications on scales and track sizes. 

Am I to assume the model I have is an exaggeration and there was nothing like that in real life scale wise of a larger size train of that scale on a narrow track? 

I have seen the narrow gauge train at Durango, CO. Isn't that one a large scale engine on a narrow gauge track?

Silver Dollar City Train at Branson, MO  is a smaller scale engine and track.

The one at Dollywood in Tennessee appeared to me the one large size on large track.

Of course the big Challenger engines from the UP are really large.  I have taken some great video of those engines here in Nebraska.

Another interesting steam engine runs at Mt. Pleasant Iowa during each Labor Day Weekend.  I think it came from Alaska.  Its different!

Dave
Nebraska City
K0RWM

[Chuck N]

According to the book RIO GRANDE NARROW GAUGE by John B. Norwood, the K-37s, the largest of the Mikados were rebuilt from standard gauge Consolidations, class C-41.  This class of engines, K-37, were numbered 490-499. I could not find a reference suggesting that the other K classes, 27 (450s and 460s), 28 (470s), 36 (480s), had any standard gauge prehistory.

Chuck

Here is a similar picture to Hunt's with box cars; 40' standard gauge and 3 30' narrow gauge cars on a dual gauge track.

[radioengineer]

Chuck,

How interesting.  I appreciate your time in responding to this.

I am getting hooked on the hobby.  Thank you very much.

One piece of vintage rail memorabilia I have is a Dow Key bug (telegraph key) from the Alexandria NE  depot in 1958.  As a young 14 year old ham radio kid, I was fascinated with it.  Mr. Wolf the agent said he was retiring in about a month and would sell it to me for $5.  I actually used it in his office visiting with the agent up the line in Belevidare.  Some of the radio road morse letters were different than the International Morse used on radio. Letter "C" was one of them.  I used the bug on radio and still have it and learned the Dow Key made in Brewer, Main is rare. 

I grew up at Fairbury, NE which was the division headquarters between Chicago and Denver.  The town has really done a great job preserving that depot.

Dave
Nebraska City