Gear Boxes

John,

I have installed many NWSL gearboxes with ball bearings on the worm shaft and have never experienced a failure.  If the ones you installed several years ago had brass sleeve beaings they would have failed.  Years ago NWSL did not offer ball bearing gearboxes and the sleeve bearings tended to overheat under load and melt the gearbox housing.  I have not used a sleeve bearing box since NWSL started producing the ball bearing versions.

Joe Foehrkolb

What Joe said.

I found that, if you carefUlly broke in the bronze worm shaft bearings they would work fine.  Ialso found that I could convert to ball bearings easily.  I encouraged Raoul to do that as well, and NWSL started supplying .the Mod 0.5 gearboxes with ball bearings.

For the same reason, you can't buy the Mod 0.6 gearbox without ball bearings.

I think the Mod 0.6 non-tower gearbox is lots better than KTM, and allows round boiler bellies.  With Avgas over six bucks a gallon, I can no longer just buy gearboxes by the tens, like I used to.  These things are expensive!

I have the only twin motor O Scale articulated I have ever heard of that has a full boiler belly.  Most dual motor models are truly butchered in the vicinity of the rear cylinders.

Here is my dual motor articulated:

I have considered the NWSL gearbox but do not know much about it. For example, if it is supposed to fit USH, Westside, and PSC engines, what axle size will it accommodate? (I know that Max Gray, USH, Westside, and PSC have all used different axle diameters, some are 5mm and some are 6mm that I know of.) I would also like to know what gear ratios are available, I prefer about 18:1 overall ratio for Hudsons. Does the USH or Westside axle mounted gear have to be changed in order to directly replace the USH box with a NWSL? (Expressed another way, will the NWSL intermediate gear mesh with the axle mounted gear?) And are the outline dimensions for the NWSL the same or smaller than the USH standard gear box. Ideally, I would want to drop in the new gear box in place of the old.

Nothing drops in.  You need to measure your axle, then order the appropriate dash number.  To install, you need a knurling tool and a quartering device.  Joe can do that for you.

I will not personally use a gearbox with an idler gear.

I could not figure out how to edit my photo above - I wanted to note that, with two motors, both driveshafts are below the level of the drivers, and the rear cylinder block has not been modified except for a very small tunnel near the bottom of the saddle.

Bob,

Unlike you I almost always use an idler gearbox.  I believe the non-idler boxes have a plastic axle gear mated directly to the worm.  If so, it would explain why you are indicating the need for a knurled axle.  I prefer to install a brass gear held with Loctite retaining compound.  I am not that concerned about open boiler bottoms but I see your point.  A US Hobbies locomotive probapby has 6mm axles but they should be measured with a micrometer to determine their diameter.  As you know and John will find out, NWSL offers their gearboxes to fit most fractional and metric sizes.  I stock the smallest size and ream the axle gears and bearings to fit at the time they are being installed.

Joe Foehrkolb

Hi Joe

You have to remember that this occurred 30+ years ago. I am unfamiliar with any new developments that NWSL may have made, and I dont want to repeat past mistakes. My consern is that their units may not be husky enough for O-Scale. I need a pair of worm/wormgear gear boxes with idlers about 2 inches high and slightly less that 5/8 inch wide with and for a 1/4 inch axle. I prefer metal throuout, including the case. None of that plastic crap! In your opinion do they have a suitable product?

John McEnerney

John,

As previously stated, I have had zero problems with NWSL Ball Bearing gearboxes and their large 0.6 box has beefy gears.  The housings are plastic (acetal?) and the idler gears are also an engineering plastic of some type.  I have no interest in your project other than answering your initial question and advising you of my experience with the NWSL products.  If you could find a set of US Hobbies gearboxes with the correct axle diameter, they would also be a great solution for your problem.  Good luck with that!

Joe Foehrkolb

I too do not like plastic anything - but sometimes plastic is better.  For example, the plastic worm gears made from aged Celcon are better than bronze for long life and reduced friction.

I at first wanted metal axle gears, but the original tower gearboxes had brass axle gears.  Brass is one of the poorest gear materials ever.  I wore the very first "Hi-low" gearbox out in one hour flat.  Then Raoul started to use bronze, and the problems were over.  For Mod 0.5 gearboxes you can buy bronze axle gears for the non- idler box.  Not sure about the Mod 0.6.

Mort Mann originally used brass gears in the locomotives just before the 3 rd Rail series. For a while there, I was replacing axle gears on a wholesale basis.  Mort switched to a good bronze alloy.  Plastic would have been better (with a knurled axle) but customers wanted metal.

I use the NWSL .5 & .6 mod ball bearing gearboxes but I have the KTM gearboxes also.  They can be converted to ball bearing fairly easily.  Contact me at criswell@pacbell.net and we can discuss your needs.

Jay

Are the gear boxes PSC lists on their site their own design or NSWL boxes?

http://www.precisionscaleco.com/

Click on "Misc" then "Gear Boxes".