I am no intending to go to those lengths, Victor.
I started all this by thinking that if the GHQ shell made these pull so much more, then if I could
add as much weight as that shell to the standard weight that comes in the Mikado, I could
make any Mikado pull like that. Since the stock weight is 10-12g,
and the GHQ shell is 26, I was hoping to get the stock weight up to about 36 by casting it in lead
or lead with tungsten pieces embedded in it, but no go.
There were other false assumptions anyway. First, the GHQ W-3 shell is 26g, but that is without the
smokebox face or cab, and those would add a little, so let's call it 30.
Second, as I now know, even with 45g of weight piled on there, it's no go on pulling a long train.
The traction tire is simply a must (a lot more practical than recasting the frame).
My other tinkering has been the motor. I put the Maxon 1024 in there because they are readily available,
not too expensive, and are brutes for power. They fit with minimal modification, even allowing enough room for me
to put a huge 12mm diesel flywheel on there instead of the little thin one that Kato uses. My aim
was to add more power and reduce speed. I failed on point #2. The Maxon w/out a gearhead is no slower
than the Kato motor. But it does turn with the strength of 10 grinches (just try stopping the motor
with your fingers even at quite a low speed), and it can run at about 0.6 mph so I'm happy.
