Coil springs

[Jon Nazareth]

I've fitted some coil springs to the wooden tender that I have just built which has pushed the the axleboxes hard up against the keeper straps/plates.  The tender is made from plasticard and therefore very light.  Should I weight the body in to order to bring the axles to an equi distance between top and bottom movement?  Or, will it run okay without the springing i.e., with axleboxes hard up against the boxes?  This is the first bit of rolling stock that I have built hence the questions.  I have also placed some brass washers as spacers between wheel and box in order to eliminate sideplay.  The wheels still turn okay when one side of each axle is depressed.  Is this a good idea?

Regards
Jon

[cabbage]

You should be OK. Provided the spring pressure is not overly excessive -thus creating a rigid fixture. If you can poke it with your finger and it moves -then don't worry about it!

If you want to run with out suspension then make sure that the flanges on your wheels are the deeper setting of 2.5mm.

About the brass spacer -how many axles does your tender have, two or three? if you have three axles then you will need to unpack the centre axle in order for it to slip from side to side during cornering -this should only need to be 1 to 2 millimetres at most.

regards

ralph

[MikeWilliams]

Jon,

I think reducing sideplay is a good idea provided, as you say, it doesn't bind up as the axle moves up and down.  The engineers amongst us will say that all vehicles should float with springs semi-compressed, but I don't find it makes a lot of difference provided, as Cabbage says, they are not too strong.  So what is too strong?  Well, push it along the track and run one wheel over a sheet of thin card - if the spring deflects and all wheels remain in contact with the rails, then its OK.

Fully suspended stock is quieter and smoother running, but many people run stock without springs at all and generally its OK.  No GRS kits are sprung and nor are vintage commercial models.

Mike

[Jon Nazareth]

Hello Mike
I didn't try the thin card experiment but I have weighed the tender and it comes in at 362grams.  When weighted it took 549 grams in order to get the springs semi-compressed.  I'm not an engineer but it strikes me that my springs are too strong.  They are 2.5mm dia., 10.5 long and wire dia. is .22mm ish.  But as you say, a lot of people don't use springing and I may be worrying unduly.

Regards
Jon