NWSL plastic gearbox housing opinion

Not true - housings were always plastic.  The first gearboxes were just ordinary plastic, and if the solid worm bearings were not broken in ahead of time the heat would melt the plastic.  Easy to break in with toothpaste.

Ball bearings took care of that problem.  Then Raoul went to glass-filled plastic.  Seemed stronger, but strength was never an issue.

Then the new owners went back to the non-filled plastic.  Still ok, but the dimensions suffered at the axle bearing.  Easy to fix with a #J drill wrapped with sandpaper. Do it by hand until the opening clamps the axle bearing symmetrically with no gap.

NWSL is my standard gearbox.  I have installed dozens - I prefer the 653-6 and routinely replace Lobaugh and Max Gray boxes with this or the metric equivalent.

BOB2, 

Is the 653-6 gearbox the same as the Mod 6 gearbox?

Also, what is a #J drill?

Thanks,

Ed

#J = 0.277" 

A #J is actually 0.277" diameter. 

There is a whole series of drill bits that are identified by letters rather than numbers or fractions.  They typically fall between the common fractional sizes.  A #J would be a little smaller than 9/32", and a bit bigger than a 17/64" bit.  If you search for drill bit sizes, or for lettered bits specifically, you will find plenty of charts listing out the sizes in order, with corresponding decimal equivalents.

bob2 posted:

Not true - housings were always plastic.  The first gearboxes were just ordinary plastic, and if the solid worm bearings were not broken in ahead of time the heat would melt the plastic.  Easy to break in with toothpaste.

Ball bearings took care of that problem.  Then Raoul went to glass-filled plastic.  Seemed stronger, but strength was never an issue.

Then the new owners went back to the non-filled plastic.  Still ok, but the dimensions suffered at the axle bearing.  Easy to fix with a #J drill wrapped with sandpaper. Do it by hand until the opening clamps the axle bearing symmetrically with no gap.

NWSL is my standard gearbox.  I have installed dozens - I prefer the 653-6 and routinely replace Lobaugh and Max Gray boxes with this or the metric equivalent.

Bob2,

Thanks for the education on this matter.  I read in O Scale News where you tested the NWSL gearbox out for something like 8 hrs/ day for 3 years before failure at the San Diego Model RR Museum?

Yes- and that was the earlier 253-6.

Sorry about short-circuiting the nomenclature - those numbers all mean something.  253-6 is a Mod O.5 non-tower 25:1 1/4” axle gearbox.  The 653-6 is roughly the same but Mod O.6 gears, 24:1, and ball bearing worm.

They have easy to understand product ID. The third digit is axle diameter.

I personally never, ever use the tower gearboxes.

Good products.  I hope they continue.

I thought they had decided to shut down NWSL last year. 

Adriatic posted:

I thought they had decided to shut down NWSL last year. 

No; sold last year.