GGR gets some new wagons Video

It was rather cold and windy so I left the Mamod indoors. The new wagons (at the back of the train) are hand made frm 3mm (1/8") external ply. The wheels are turned from 32mm (1 1/4") bar on an Axminster Sieg C0 micro lathe (blooming difficult by the way; I recommend a bigger machine if you have the space and cash) with the recess milled using a milling cutter in the lathe and a home-made jig on the cross slide. They are insulated with a nylon insert between axle and wheel. Buying the wheels from IP engineering is easier but this was fun!
The tanks are made from a biscuit pack and a whisky bottle container. The tank holders were cut on a lathe but you could use a bandsaw or a fret saw.
The bearings started out as 3mm ID brass tube with the ends cut in a cross and then knocked over a centre punch to splay them out and lock them onto the chassis before drilling to 3.5mm. The latest one is simply 4mmID tube glued into the frames - the large clearance gives a smoother ride but seems to increase drag.
The first buffers were turned but the latest ones are simply 5mm coach bolts (or roofing bolts) with a bit of tube to space them away from the buffer beam.

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wackedoutdude: Train sets are the bizz nice work by the way. I didnt realise just how good the range of taiwanese lathes are. I use really big lathes all the time but im wanting a lathe for home about 9inch swing. Good work

Author: GGRailway; Uploaded: Oct 17, 2009; Duration: 0:48; Views: 82

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