Breda LRV - Flywheel

Work continues on my Breda LRV project ...

No train is complete without a motor, and so it is time to motorise my LRV. I've used a chopped up Kato B-train shorty chassis for the power bogie on this train, but the motor it came with wasn't amazing. No flywheel, and pretty high speed. So a quick rummage through my motor bin netted a very long and skinny motor, 6mm high and 8mm wide, and about 20mm long. But it still lacked a flywheel...

Which brings me to my other new toy, a lathe! Xmas was pretty good to me this year, with a very large box under the tree waiting for me. All this came about after I had a brainwave to sell a few unused models and tools, and after a few lucky (for me!) bidding wars on my auctions, I soon had more than enough for a brand new lathe.

Isn't she a beauty!

So as a good "getting to know you" project, I decided to make up a flywheel. A great learning project, this quickly taught me about setting the tool height, using the power feed, facing off, parting off, centre drilling, removing burrs, and so on. Drilling a 1mm hole precisely down the centre is very difficult, but I discovered that I had a lot of OD 1.5mm, ID 0.8mm brass tubing. So instead I drill a 1.5mm hole and drive in a length of 1.5mm tube, which I then solder in place. I quickly clean it up and then drill it out to 1mm. This produces a flywheel that is a very (very!) tight push fit on to the motor shaft.

I've made a few now, each time learning a few more tricks. I have a great supply of brass rod in all sorts of good flywheel diameters, so I am looking forward to making more of these for future models.

And here it is fitted in the model. You'll notice I added a ball bearing at the end, however there is a very slight wobble so the end of the flywheel doesn't stay put, so I've just left it floating. Hopefully it won't matter too much.

I've also replaced the magnet wire leads from the bogie pickups with some very fine flexible wire from inside a dead laptop screen. The magnet wire, a tiny as it is, has quite a bit of spring and I was worried it would hinder the bogies from turning.

Next time... the flexible vestibule/bellows/gangway/whatever-they're-called between the two body halves.