Optimizations:

Lessons learned: The E 05

Concept:

 

After rebuilding successfully several TE locos with Mabuchi engines from Heiko Mehnert, I was starting in October 2007 with the E05. I had stored and not used it for more than 10 years.

 

Heiko gave me in Koblenz 2007 the initial tip that’s easy work to make room for the flywheel in the lead weight with a „sharp spoon“.

 

After opening the car body by unscrewing the buffers, there was room not only for a 5mm flywheel but also for a bigger Mabuchi engine replacing the original 3-pole Trix engine.

 

So I was hoping to reduce the awful noise by using a modern engine.

Changes on the loco:

 

To make room for the Mabuchi engine and the flywheel I have done the following work:

 

· Removal of the backside of the cab on the motor side

· shorten the mountings of the old engine so the Mabuchi fits and the worm gear is well adjusted

· Mount the flywheel (19x5 mm for 2mm engine shaft)

· Mount the new worm gear modulo 0,5 for 2 mm shaft.

· Cut out the place for the flywheel in the lead weight with a fret saw (in the picture above at the place of the flywheel)

 

The new engine is adjusted and glued on its place with 2-component glue.

The lead weight is fixed by two screws with the chassis and can easy cut out on the work bench. Take care of the weight, the lead is soft and it can easy deformed so you can never get it back to its original form.

 

While opening the engine, I was curious about the weight balancing. On the visible right side in the pictures, the weight was much heavier with the engine and a higher form of the weight. The result was a unsymmetrical weight balancing on the wheels which caused the bad pulling ability by lifting the wheels on the lighter side.

 

Additional lead from RC modelling cut to fit in the room on the left side is increasing and balancing the weight.

 

There was also enough room for a DCC decoder under the additional weight.

Conclusion:

 

The engine is now creeping without any engine noise on the rails. The pulling power is 1/3 higher then before due to the heavier and balanced weight.

 

With the flywheel engine it is rolling powerless 1/2 length at prototype speed and has reached so a excellent reliability.

The hopping at maximum pulling power is gone, as the total weight is now balanced over the chassis. The maximum pulling power is so perfect for 4 to 6 wagons.

 

With excellent DC behaviour the E 05 is now also good under DCC control.  As a result this work was worth to do.

 

probably this has happened  to every model railroader, who does not only collect models for showcases.

Once you have purchased the desired model it turn's out, that the driving isn‘t as good as the model is looking.

 

The rolling characteristic is often limited by bad design, the use of worm gears, rigidly mounted axles and bad electrical power picking.

 

Such a case was my E 05 of Trix in the Express version. A wonderful detailed model which was 1979 the first time in the catalogue.

 

I found a new one in unused condition in 1994.

 

Disillusion came fast at the first test ride on the layout. Engine and gearbox where causing a awful noise together with limited pulling power. The model was not able to pull three cars while the engine was „hobbing“ with turning wheels. The fix mounted axles also caused bad power picking.

end of train!

Trix and Trix-Express are trade marks and registered trade marks of Trix Modelleisenbahn GmbH & Co. KG, Göppingen/Germany. Trade marks or product names mentioned are trade marks or registered trade marks of the respective owners.

A journey to the Moosbach-Rheinheimer-Railway

Altes Plakat der MRE

3fahrt - Dream and fiction in 1:87

3fahrt

A journey to the Moosbach-Rheinheimer-Railway

Equipment of Moosbach-Rheinheimer Railway

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