mark hanson via EV wrote:
The Roanoke Zoo (Mill Mountain ZooChoo) kiddy train (G-16, 16" wide track)
has been inoperable for a few years and the 100hp Wisconsin VH4D 4-cyl
tractor engine (about 1970'). They would like me to fix it, don't seem to
know why it was abandoned. I think the engine is seized and the gasoline -
varnish. It has 3 cars and goes about 1000' back & forth. Has anyone
converted a mini-train, runs about 6mph for 8 hours?
Hi Mark,
What an interesting project that would be! I remember them fondly, and
rode in a couple different ones; on in MI as a kid, and one in Brainerd
MN at Paul Bunyan Land.
I'm surprised they used a 100hp engine. I can't imagine needing that
much power for something that only goes 6 mph and is rolling on steel
rails. Maybe they wanted it to sound like a real diesel engine?
I saw an interesting home-made one in Holland MI. A machinist had built
it in the style of a steam locomotive. The boiler was a pressure tank,
and it ran on compressed air. Four cylinders and a valve mechanism drove
the wheels like a real steam engine. He'd fill it with an air
compressor, and then run it around the track, chuffing and puffing like
the real thing.
Maybe a 8 or 9" Advance DC motor and control? Lithium LiFePO4 is nice (with
the attracted complexities of balancing/monitoring) but would ye-old cheaper
Lead work in this application (maybe not run time).
Weight is not normally a problem in trains. The engine *needs* to be
heavy to provide traction. It wouldn't surprise me if there are weights
in the engine for precisely this reason. In this application, lead-acid
batteries make sense. Probably an industrial pack from a fork lift; they
run all day on a charge, for thousands of cycles.
I would think an ADC/Netgain 9" motor would be big enough. A 10,000 lbs
fork lift doesn't have that big a motor.
I wonder if it could be an "electric" train, with no batteries and
electrified rails? 36v or less between the rails should be safe enough.
Lee Hart
--
If happiness is on your mind, here's a daily list to find:
- something to do
- something to look forward to
- someone to love
- someone to take good care of
- and misbehave, just a little
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com
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