I was Bored- so I made a FLEA

[u18b]

Memorial Day was a good day of rest.   But I was a bit bored.

So I started tinkering with my Kato B unit driving chassis.
When suddenly, the ghost of Randgust past came over me.
Ideas of critters danced in my head.

I pulled the motor out, removed the worm from the worm shaft and mounted the worm onto the motor.  I then superglued the motor to the truck.
Pretty compact.




Added some weight and tweaked.




I went rummaging through my junk box..... and before I knew it..... I had a FLEA.

Fast
Little
Eccentric
Alco

[nscaler711]

That is ingenuity at its Finest!!!
Wonder if you could do the same with an HTC truck from Kato... [REDACTED] Wrong forum just posted on thread below...

Like on this thread.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41518

[eja]

Incredible ingenuity and skill ...

....and cute ! What fun !

[narrowminded]

If Mini-Cooper made locomotives....   

[nkalanaga]

I assume the engine is under the hood, but you might want to add an exhaust stack and radiator grill, unless it's battery powered.  For a loco that small, batteries would be a viable option.

It looks like something the Milwaukee Road would have done.  After all, they built a shop switcher for Deer Lodge starting with a streetcar truck, and powered it with an extension cord.

Nscaler711:  You're right.  With an HTC truck this would make it possible to build the new "half-an-SD" switcher.  Given the Japanese market's love of tiny models, that could be a profitable item for Kato.

[peteski]

That is wicked cute Ron!  But it looks odd riding on such a small truck. Couldn't you do something similar with a regular 3-axle locomotive truck?  Or is the small truck part of the joke?

[up1950s]

I'm thinking Sperry Rail Service or Speno . Cool .

Or this with that FA cab .

[mecgp7]

That baby needs wheely-bars and a solid front pilot for quick starts and stops!
Nice work and I commend you on utilizing rule #1.

[u18b]

That is ingenuity at its Finest!!!
Wonder if you could do the same with an HTC truck from Kato... [REDACTED] Wrong forum just posted on thread below...

Like on this thread.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41518

Oh man.  You shouldn't have shown me that.
Hahaha.   I think CSX might need one of those.

[u18b]

I assume the engine is under the hood, but you might want to add an exhaust stack and radiator grill, unless it's battery powered.  For a loco that small, batteries would be a viable option.

It looks like something the Milwaukee Road would have done.  After all, they built a shop switcher for Deer Lodge starting with a streetcar truck, and powered it with an extension cord.

Nscaler711:  You're right.  With an HTC truck this would make it possible to build the new "half-an-SD" switcher.  Given the Japanese market's love of tiny models, that could be a profitable item for Kato.

Shhhhhh.   It's a mystery as to what powers this.   

Actually, the Milw Rd electric unit at Deer Lodge was sort of what started my thinking.

[u18b]

That is wicked cute Ron!  But it looks odd riding on such a small truck. Couldn't you do something similar with a regular 3-axle locomotive truck?  Or is the small truck part of the joke?

Yep.  It's supposed to look silly.   I created not caring much how it would turn out.  Caring more how it would run.

BTW- the challenge for a different truck would be the worm.
That motor is tiny with a tiny drive shaft.
That little worm with little teeth is matched to the truck that was designed for it.

I'm not certain it would work on another truck.

[u18b]

I'm thinking Sperry Rail Service or Speno . Cool .

Or this with that FA cab .

Wow.  Another good idea.

[cbroughton67]

I love it. I plan to do something very similar to this for a GE 23-ton box cab. The truck wheelbase on the Kato chassis is almost spot-on for the box cab.

I did something similar a while back using an Atlas RS3 and a single truck. Basically built a mechanism on top of the Atlas truck and made an Aristocraft-style "Critter" in N-scale. It'll pull about 5-6 cars.

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[basementcalling]

How do they pull?

I feel inferior now. I was bored and played online Solitare. 

[peteski]

Yep.  It's supposed to look silly.   I created not caring much how it would turn out.  Caring more how it would run.

BTW- the challenge for a different truck would be the worm.
That motor is tiny with a tiny drive shaft.
That little worm with little teeth is matched to the truck that was designed for it.

I'm not certain it would work on another truck.

The newer 3-axle Kato trucks (with the worm already being part of the truck) have fine-pitch gears and small worm).