1/16 CAT-style forklift truck on rails

[mad gerald]

G'evening all,

modelling in 1/16 scale was fun, especially for my eyes and fingers ...  

Prototype gauge this time  is 430 mm (approx. 17"), which makes a model gauge of 26,8 mm in IIIf (NEM) - very close to modell gauge of 26,7 mm in IIf (NEM) in scale 1/22,5. Prototype gauges of 430 mm have been used i. e. for mining purposes in Austria. Choosing a prototype gauge of 430 mm gives me the opportunity to build a 1/16 scale Ruhrthaler G 9 loco as well, which ran on 430 mm gauge as a matter of fact.

Actually I built a cardboard mock up of a speeder/rail tractor, based on an old electric Caterpillar® forklift truck. This kind of forklift trucks have usually a gauge in a range from 350 to 500 mm (driving wheels), making this kind of conversion authentic. Even in reality there have been conversions like this, i. e. a STILL® electric truck at Speyerdorf Feldbahn or i. e. the Volk® electric truck in austria, running at Wetterin (drinking water service tunnel).

My mock up is built from grey cardboard and printed white cardboard. The drawings I made in MS PowerPoint® ... as usually. This is not a model, just built for proportion checks and to "get the right feeling". The modell itself will be build from styrene. The sleepers on the pics are the ones for another gauge (16,25 mm = 10.25" prototype gauge) and will be replaced by prototypical ones ...

Does anyone of you have eventually additional information about electric forklift trucks built by CATERPILLAR? I would be thankful for dimensions, pics, links ...
And is there a source for prototypical decals?

Cheers

[marc_reusser]

That is a neat concept. Some wonderful scrath/chip and wear possibilities, as it is made from a used forklift.

I don't have any info, but have you tried a google "image"(bilder) search?  Believe it or not, I hve also found servhing Ebay to be a wonderful resource for stuff like this. There are often catalogs, brochures, and repair manuals posted for sale....with photos and technical info and drawings ....these are aften posted by the seller to show the content......and for most of what I/we need it for on something like this, that image/data is enough to get us on the right track, or a reference dim. That we can then use to extrapolate dimensions in a photo.

Marc

[mad gerald]

That is a neat concept. Some wonderful scrath/chip and wear possibilities, as it is made from a used forklift.

... i. e. like on this one (on the right) ... 

I don't have any info, but have you tried a google "image"(bilder) search?  Believe it or not, I hve also found servhing Ebay to be a wonderful resource for stuff like this. There are often catalogs, brochures, and repair manuals posted for sale....with photos and technical info and drawings ....these are aften posted by the seller to show the content......and for most of what I/we need it for on something like this, that image/data is enough to get us on the right track, or a reference dim. That we can then use to extrapolate dimensions in a photo.

... I did some research, but unfortunately these special type(s) does not seem to appear very often in the research results, but other useful prototypes ...

Cheers

[mad gerald]

G'evening all,

to prove that this is going to be serious  , I did some other testing.

The forklift truck on rails will be powered by a Bachmann© On30 unit, regauged like the other On30 units used by my 1/22,5 Feldbahn vehicles of gauge IIf. And I tested the tightest possible radius as well: minimum radius would be approx. 150mm in 1/16 scale, representing approx. 2500mm in reality.    

To get these 45° angles of the side panels seamless I tought of treating the styrene with hot air and bending it over some strip of wood, but I found aonther method: pushing the sheet of styrene flat over the buzz saw, with the saw blade adjusted that kinda low, that it is only cutting a slot/gap from underneath in the styrene.
 
After that the styrene can easily be folded and glued, but it isn't possible to use acetone for glueing in this case. Acetone will dilute the styrene immediately along the wafer thin slot/gap area.





Cheers

[Krusty]

Gidday Gerald

A different other improved electric truck which may be of amusement value -- an Electruk grafted on to a BEV trammer at Waikino in NZ.

[mad gerald]

Kevin,

A different other improved electric truck which may be of amusement value -- an Electruk grafted on to a BEV trammer at Waikino in NZ.

... great find (and being worth to build a model of as well) ... encourages me to believe in "there's a prototype for everything" ... 

Cheers

[mad gerald]

G'evening all,

little by little makes at least some progress ...   ... so I was able to make a base plate and a lot of pieces from styrene shape strips.

Apart from that I received from a modelling mate in Sweden (Henrik) a pair of couplings (prototype: supply railway in Lainz/Vienna) for testing purposes, which are manufactured (3D-printing) at shapeways. As the radii I'm going to use are very uncommon tight, these couplings should enable the rail tractor to pull AND push wagons. The coupling rods are going to be shortened to fit, when I figured out their necessary length ...



Cheers

[mad gerald]

G'day all,

In the meantime I was dabbling with diffrent ideas and made several approches regarding the construction of the chassis. I also tested if it is possible to cut off the corners in a 45° angle with a buzz saw, when all parts are already mounted together. However I don't like the current construction (middle of pic) that much, as it appears to me as too coarse, even most of it will be hidden. Have to think it over and make another approach ...    





Cheers

[marc_reusser]

Too coarse?....surely nothing some filling and sanding cant fix, once the basic shape is completed.

[mad gerald]

... um, well ... may be coarse was not the right term ... to me it seems a little bit oversized, so I'm gonna try some other styrene strips/square tubings arriving this very minute, to give the chassis a more sophisticated appearance ...  

I think I'm going to use the current chassis for a battery powered, but Moës 4wDM inspiried adaption ... found a nice prototype at the Springfield Agricultural Railway ...

Cheers

BTW: What would be a suitable "english" term for a construction like this storage battery powered, forklift truck on rails: ... speeder? ... rail tractor? ... rail truck? ... battery loco? ... battery critter?

[finescalerr]

Any of the above terms would work. "Battery powered critter" would be the most general and inclusive term.

Looking forward to the new frame and superstructure.

Russ

[marc_reusser]

That is a very cool prototype. Really like the design of the pilot-beam/bumper.
I think the weathering is a bit overdone.  

Thanks for the site link as well...some really great reference photos for critter and weathering inspiration....I can already see some projects in my future.

[Franck Tavernier]

Nice project Gerald!

Thanks also for the link. Ah the Moes gas loco...





Franck

[shropshire lad]

Any of the above terms would work. "Battery powered critter" would be the most general and inclusive term.

Looking forward to the new frame and superstructure.

Russ

  I would call it a " branch line steam shunter " . But I don't know much about locos !

  Nick

  Yeah , yeah , I know . I'm going .

[mad gerald]

Franck,

thanks for providing me/us with a drawing of the Moës ... very much appreciated!

Thanks also for the link. Ah the Moes gas loco...

... yeah, the Moës really caught my eye ...   ... I'm definitely going to build a Moës 4wDM inspiried adaption of this battery powered critter, but I started as well dabbling with the idea to build this loco in 1/16 scale, even though I don't like the idea of building diesel locos (or "loci", if someone's willing to be particularly pedantic  ) which run soundless or without adequate sound respectively ...

Cheers

BTW: Regarding the drawing, the Moës seems to have width of 1230 mm ... that's hard to believe!