hAS ANYONE EVER SEEN A LOCOMOTIVE THAT USED WALTHERS POLYDRIVE?SOUNDED LIKE A NOVEL IDEA BUT I IMAGINE IMPLEMENTING IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE.IT WAS IN THEIR CATALOGS IN THE EARLY 40S BUT DROPPED AFTER THE WAR.
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Hi BIll,
Yesw, I have seen it. It is a horror show, aligning multiple geared axes in poorly cast metal gearboxes. Two axles can be made to work with a lot of gear noise, three axles will bind almost always. If the Walthers modles were better than they were people would regear. The only one I have seen that was regeared and used was the 0-6-0 switcher, converted to Lobaugh gearbox.
J2M
Can you discribe what a PolyDrive is?
THE POLYDRIVE CONCEPT WAS TO FURNISH A PAIR OF DRIVE WHEELS WIH A SHAFT RUNNING DOWN THE CENTER.THIS SHAFT COULD BE COUPLED UP TO SHAFTS ON OTHER SETS OF WHEELS.USING THIS SYSTEM YOU MAKE AN 0-12-0 IF YOU WANTED.I DON'T REMEMBER HOW SIDE RODS WERE ATTACHED.THE IDEA SOUNDED GOOD BUT IMPLEMENTING IT WAS HARD. AND IT FADED FROM VIEW.AS SOMEONE POINTED OUT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET THE THING TO WORK PRACTICALY.
