Steam & Excursion > ORHC -turntable, progress in the back

while the turntable pit is quite the attraction, in the "back room:" work continues on the turntable trucks as pictured today at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland.   (damn, and this photo is from my camera....)    Arlen

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Here you go....

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MUCH appreciation for the turn!!!!!   Arlen

Adding that light-blue gear reduction
unit makes all sorts of sense—— gives a much more easily controlled, slow speed operation while approaching the running tracks
on the TT rim.

The new electric motors will be allowed to spin at higher RPMs,
the combination producing very precise speed and stopping control.

A wonderful marriage of today’s technology to the crude exposed reduction gearing, nearly a century
old. However, it’s only remarkable
because as a design-challenge
it’s very simple—- you just grab
the stuff off the shelf and bolt it
together…

It has its roots in the very similar, precise controls used in todays elevators in sky-scrapers. Powering the TT with today’s electrical equipment is not a complex challenge..

The big advantage is that with continuous use, the motor stays cooler, even with multiple start cycles… However, this application
will never see the need for that kind
of demand —- as seen in elevators…

An excellent project, and something to be very proud of. It will thrill generations of future admirers
of ORHC!

W.

Posted from iPhone

To Wes's comment, motor looks like a TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) 1800 (1760 actual) rpm motor, the reduction
plus the other gearing would be definitely needed to keep from flinging the locomotive off the table.

Out 

Great to see pics of RR equipt which is almost never available to view.
How about some closeups of the gearing, etc.?