DalaGStanator's Customs, Mods and Experiments

Three years after I didn't know what to do and left it in storage behind the engines, I found a way to get the powered ex Annie chassis to run again; albeit on one battery like a normal engine instead of three. I suddenly remembered my attempts to build a chassis for my other two "Thomas type" drive units and how I conducted power to them, and thought I could try the same thing with a wire instead of an aluminium foil strip. Like on other items with Thomas types, the DU's negative contact sticks out near the left wheel. There's usually a conductive plate that connects it to the battery's negative (model's front) terminal, and some of Custom TrackMasters' videos have shown a wire can do the same thing. The positive terminal can also be connected to the switch contact, but that starts the motor even in the off position. I chose to wire the DU to the existing bottom battery, whose terminals extend to the top. Essentially what Super thought I did when I first showed it. Only had to jump start the DU after it didn't respond. Even with a new battery and the remaining resistor removed, it's slower compared to most other DUs of that type. Could be the gear ratio is lower since it originally ran on 4.5V. However...



In addition to the broken rear coupling, the drive gear is also cracked. That makes the chassis get stuck within seconds and the wheels don't (always) engage in the on position. Unlike many cases, it can still run by itself on the ground and not just in the air. When it reaches the crack, the motor itself usually stops unless forced to move or if the voltage is higher. In the latter case, it doesn't "shut off" and has enough power to keep going. Could be risky to run for long since the gear would surely crack further. Due to the triangle screws, I currently won't be able to replace the coupling, the driving wheels or the DU itself/part of it.

Either way, I'm still glad I managed to get it working again in the first place. If I wanted, I could also rewire the 2x pack or a AAA one to get the OG speed.