Well it wasn't the success I'd hoped it would be, but I would still call the experiment a success because we improved on the performance of the original design. I think there's more that can be done but we're headed in the right direction.
This link shows my seven car trainset on the N-Trak Roadshow's layout at the Brampton train show (thanks guys for inviting me. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting all of you!).
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Modifications:
The cab car has a TCS function decoder wired for track pick up via 34awg magnet wire to each of the 8 bushings. The loco had a Digitrax decoder. Aside from the decoders and the addition of LED lighting, I also upgraded the entire trainset to Microtrains True Scale long shank couplers. The couplers have whiskers trimmed to allow the freedom to swing side to side in the draft gear, and the two coupler halves are fused together since the whiskers are no longer there to keep them together. I did this because the couplers are very stiff in the boxes and I was afraid it would cause the cars to push outward in the turns and put additional pressure on the trucks. Finally, I moved the couplers in a little to allow for closer coupling. These couplers don't have a slinky effect and can there for be closer together and work more reliably in pushing mode.
Observations related to the modified train's performance:
We started with a train of 8 modified cars. Fredrick has one too. It pulled no problem for the most part but did struggle a little through some of the sections of the layout. Then we added a single Unmodified car and that brought things to a halt. Literally. It was slow on a straight and then stalled in the first curve. Fredrick made a good point in that the addition of that one car was like adding another four modified cars. We removed the unmodified car, and Fredrick's modified car so that just my 7 car set was running. The train ran fine with no problems related to the trucks. I wish I'd filmed it but the highlight was watching the train negotiate snaking through a three track cross over from the inside most to the outside most track.
Observations not related to the performance of the trucks... and struggles.
Even though Fredrick carefully calculated where I should mount the couplers, with my ham hands (and I think might need glasses) I mounted the couplers so that some of the cars were too close together, and the diaphragms fouled in some of the turns. This caused the train to slow or derail. Moving from the inside track to the outside track helped this.
Due to some issues with connector tracks on the N-Trak modules I had some uncoupling issues. This was brutal as due to my modifications and the close coupling, it was a real test of patience to couple these cars.
I'll be switching the train to 1015s, at least until testing is complete, as the True Scale couplers are just complicating things.
The decoder in the cab car needs keep alive capacitors big time, but, the power pick up experiment was a success.
Conclusion:
Good:
We basically doubled the useable train length.
Non friction adding power pick up proof of concept was a success. And my cars didn't catch fire or melt..... yet.
Bad:
We wanted to get to 10 cars so the GO transit guys can be happy too. I would say the reliable limit is 7.
Assembly needs to be done PRECISELY. A deviation as little as a few .001" has a noticeable effect on the rolling capabilities and tuning is difficult once assembled as it's hard to move the bushings around once clamped in.
Recommended improvements:
Fredrick made a kick a$$ assembly fixture. It made assembling the wheel sets in gauge very easy and quick. The issue is getting the bushing to seat in the best spot when snapping them in. This is where I spent literally HOURS messing with the bushings. I feel like a set of shims could help here, or possibly an improved version of the truck could include a slot for the bushing to seat in so it self located the same way every time.
That's it for now.
Fredrick,
@CNR5529, you did an absolutely outstanding job on the truck. It looks 1000 times better and performs 100% better. Hopefully we can find a way to make that 200% better.
Craig
PS: Fredrick I'm still pissed off that my Dinner Train was a complete fail so if you feel I've embellished at all in an effort to have SOME success from the day please add any corrections. Folks Fredrick has no feelings. Only computations and hypothesis.
PPS: That was supposed to be a joke either in case Fredrick has feelings and is insulted, or in case I'm right, and he had to be told it was a joke.
