Roller test stands

Anybody have any plans for homemade roller test stands ?

that’s a good question
last one I seen looked like a bunch of washers

cutoos to you

WTF are “cuddos”?

cutoos to you

Kudos maybe?

A praising remark; an accolade or compliment.

Unless there’s an offer being made of some exotic bird or fi***hat I’ve never seen previously referenced.

dwRavenstar

Thanks.[:D]

Jeff

Hornby have a rolling road that will take locos with up to 6 driving wheels (you can modify it to handle more easily enough though - spare rollers are available). Price is £30 here - I think I’d be inclined to buy one of those rather than make one, as the parts alone wouldn’t be much cheaper.

The bearings on the set I bought cost more to buy than the whole set. They are expensive very small well made bearings that aren’t cheap!

I’m making a set as we speak. using bearings scavenged from an old computer tape drive, and machining the rest from alu. & plastic.

Pat

love to see some photos of your progress

K

30 pounds for the Hornby one sounds like a deal! If you’re into HO that would work but some less than sane types do oddball scales (like TT, perhaps?)
I’m thinking some wood block the right width for the center, some 1/8 Aluminum plate for sides (could be brass, steel, anything conductive) and a pair of bearings to support the driver on each side. Build it in pieces, one set per driver so you can use several together for a larger loco. Bearings- Ebay! Get on and take a look at the small roller bearings used in inline skates- Haven’t bought any yet to check them out, but they look dang close. A couple washers for spacers, flat head stove bolts to mount everything- Just might work!

This is my testbed still under construction. The washers will be replaced by roller bearings once I find some suited for the project. Each set of rollers can be adjusted to fit various locomotives. The base is some alu-profile I just happend to have lying around. Middle rail power (for us Maerklin C-track users) is yet to be installed.

Well, this is what it finally ended up with:

Total cost is around 30 USD. A lot of money saved…

All materials is from the local DIY exept the rollerbearings which were bought in a RC-car shop at approx. 1 USD per piece.

Even at higher speeds, the locomotive remains stady on the rollers.

wow this thing is nice