DalaGStanator's Customs, Mods and Experiments

Although I won't find much room for one in a model, I made a "puff effect" piston that would be attached to a crankpin and tried it in the smoke unit by pumping manually. Even the very smallest movement of air is enough to change how the smoke comes out, so I didn't have to get a mini syringe or use a rubber/spring based solution. The oil residue helps it slide perfectly smoothly while matching the inner diameter. I have no idea how to connect it to a gearbox that's also driven by a vertical motor at the end. Also thought about connecting it to the valve gear on the inside, but the smokebox would need a groove at the bottom for it to work and the oil/smoke would leak from the wrong spot.



Since it's only my first try at a (new) loco with smoke, the existing fan should suffice for the time being. After gluing a motor to the other gearbox like the one in my last engine, I wired the fan motor to it so both would run simultaneously; one reason why I plan to power it from a 6V (4x AA) battery tender despite it being loco drive. Of course, I made sure the fan spins in the right direction when the wheels move forward. It's the first time I've had to wire two motors to each other, which could also be used to achieve 4WD as I've seen before (if both have the same RPM). Luckily, it will run fine on the track despite having the modded gearbox where I cut the axle too short. The loco to tender connection is planned to have micro connectors that will plug into each other, like on various battery locos with high voltage power tenders. A mockup of a possible configuration with a running board, cab and other details around it: