SIMPLEX KIT NOW AVAILABLE
Update January 2008
I started work on this project again in earnest in September 2007 and have been through several iterations of the design including further test etches. I have abandoned 'all belt drive' as being unable to deliver enough reduction and am back to the original dual friction drive with belt drive to the wheels. I have learned quite a bit about mechanism building from some in the P4 community. I have sourced an even smaller 6mm x 10mm micro motor for this model. I have refined the friction drive to allow it to fit in the width available and now have a smooth running and controllable chassis design. The latest test etches consist of two frets (one of which in in two sections to allow it to fit a standard business card box!) N/S for the chassis and brass for the 'body'. Some minor adjustments only are now needed to complete the etches. There are castings for the radiator and exhaust and the seat is in etched brass filled with liquid lead. Total mass is around 17g with a whitemetal driver and this runs as well as the O&K including over plastic frog points/turnouts - I use Egger track for some of my testing as well as code 82 & code 40. My current aim is to have the kit ready for sale by 15th February. The kit includes turned spacers which join the chassis frames allowing the unit to be dismantled for cleaning or replacing belts with ease. Building the chassis is more straightforward than for the O&K with little soldering required. Also included will be turned top hat bearings, pulleys and adapters, a total of 12 turned items (not counting the wheelsets). The kit is supplied with spare belts and is complete apart from the driver, solder, glue paint etc. Frame constrution is tabbed with sacrificial parts allowing the 'bow' shape to be preserved until reinforced by the cross members producing a robust item. The kit does not include canopies which will be available later as an accessory, the main reason for this being the relatively large areas taken up by the canopies and their possibly limited interest to modellers (OK and I admit it lack of time right now).
The introductory price for the complete kit will be £75 and a further £10 for a set of two optional canopies (curved or pitched) once available. The chassis kit on its own will be £35. |
