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Bilbrook Light Railway-Locomotives
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Once I had ordered the Maxitrak catalogue I spent some time considering what my first loco should be. I really wanted live steam, having been first introduced to 5" gauge as a child on visits to the Ridgeway Park in Chingford, home of the Chingford and District Model Engineering Club and spending many happy hours riding behind steam locos at 6d(2.5p) a time-yes it was along time ago. I finally settled on an electric loco (Maxitrak Ruston) though, to see how I got on with the building of the kit and the track and in the full knowledge that I would need an electric loco at some time in the future.
The kit was easy to build and has given me the confidence to tackle a steam locomotive kit. More of that anon.
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RUSTON
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The Maxitrak Ruston complete and in full working order on shed. The loco weighs about 30kgs, including the battery. This is still a little light, however is enough to pull 3-4 adults on the flat and 1-2 adults on a 1:50. As carrying 30kgs can give you a bad back not to mention making a mess of the loco and or feet if dropped, I tend to remove the battery before transporting the loco. I store the loco indoors as a security measure using a carrying cradle to make handling easier.
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A view of the cab. I recommend that you go to the Corris Hill Railway website to get some advice on a speed controller. The controller supplied as standard with the kit allows the direction switch to reverse the motors when under power. The wheel gears are made of Acetal so this should not present any problems apart from an uncomfortable change of direction, however you could move the break switch to avoid any accidents.
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The aforementioned battery seen when the loco bonnet is removed. I was lucky to find one that was small enough to fit inside the loco at my local car accessory shop. Failing this it would be possible to find or make a suitable container that would fit inside the bonnet and fill this with scrap metal or even concrete to give extra adhesive weight to the loco. Again it would be useful if this could be removed easily when transporting the loco. The battery could then be fitted in a riding truck. One other modification that I must get round to is to fit a socket to allow the battery to be recharged without removing the bonnet as this can damage the paintwork if removed without care. The battery that I use is a normal vented car battery. There is a debate about using deep cycle leisure batteries in locos however I have opted for economy.
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RUBY
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This is a picture of the part built "Ruby" that I have purchased, taken after a session checking that all the parts were present. I also wanted to make sure I could reach the locos controls from my driving truck, when the tender is coupled up. In addition to the bits of the kit that are shown in the photo there is a box containing the cylinders and valves, a bag of parts to construct the loco brakes, another of bits for the Marshall valve gear and all the boiler fittings and the parts for the firehole door, grate and ash pan. All this is served with a side order of pipework, body panels and assorted screws, nuts and bolts and studding and other sundry bits. I had planned to build this loco myself, however I doubt I will ever find the time so it has been returned to Maxitrak for buliding. I have opted for the tank loco version complete with an injector.
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