Very large DIY finished at last

[Matty F]

Finished at last after several years hard work by volunteers. Basically stripped down to tens of thousands of component parts, tidied up and reassembled.

After its first ride today:

two controllers took me several months to fix up and reassemble: did all the wooden bits! I made a number of mechanical parts that were missing. I've been posting about those for a while. Thanks for the positive suggestions.

Parts carved out of blocks of steel:

brass:

[1501]

Does

qualify as a DIY project?

[1501]

Does

qualify as a very large DIY project?

[Matty F]

Yes of course. I'm trying to stay away from steam engines (because I have enough interests already) but we do have one, because it's a tram, which is being reconditioned at the moment

[Andy Cap]

Andy C

[Matty F]

It's in Auckland NZ. The last tram set a standard that we now have to maintain. But no problem. If the labour is free, it doesn't really matter how long it takes to finish them.

[stuart noble]

A thing of beauty to be sure

[Chris J Dixon]

A very fine piece of work.

Railway equipment of that vintage can at least be resurrected by means that enthusiasts can master.

Just imagine trying to get all the electronics and software in some present day stock to work in 60 years time ;-)

Chris

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Matty F saying something like:

You'll all be able to design and build one from scratch now, surely?

[tony sayer]

In article , Grimly Curmudgeon scribeth thus

JOOI what sort of volts does that run off, and what sort of current would it pull under normal use?..

[Matty F]

I think we could make most parts, except for the motors. The wheels and axles wear out and need to be replaced sometimes, and they are made in NZ by a commercial firm. Our lathe isn't big enough!

600 volts DC, and it was using about 60 amps to accelerate on the flat.

[David WE Roberts]

We are likely to be over towards the end of this year or start of next and wouldn't mind a look round some old trams :-)

[John Whitworth]

It's already apparent with the high-voltage EMU stock. I.e. overhead-line powered trains aren't suitable for enthusiasts, and so conversion to battery operation has to take place. Which severely limits the practicality. I think even third rail is somewhat of a no-no for heritage running - so even things like the old Southern Electrics would need battery power for running.

[John Whitworth]

It looks stunning. Bring it over to the UK! ;-)

[dave]

Is that still available in NZ? If it is, what uses it now? Wife was out there about 2 years ago, but I don't remember her mentioning trams on either island.

Dave

[Andy Champ]

This is think MOTAT, and the tram #47.

Andy

[dave]

Just keep posting here, your posts are inspirational and innovative.

Dave

[brass monkey]

We have something similar-ish -

[John Weston]

at Crich - they may even be interested in your collection

[Tim Watts]

Matty F wibbled on Tuesday 13 July 2010 14:17

Your machinework is of course excellent - but who did the paint work? I'm looking at the detail trim lines (yellow or gold) - it looks fantastic. The whole thing is a major excercise in beauty :)

Curious there - does that mean that someone with a short metal pole (eg umbrella - not unlikely in the rain up top if the bottom is full) could get onto the wire overhead?

Is the bodywork earthed or insulated from earth?

Not with respect to your tram, but just wondered if in their original deployment people had ever zapped themselves?...