It can be difficult to accurately estimate how many meters of OO track can be covered with a 250g bag of ballast, as...
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How many meters of OO track can I cover with a 250g bag of ballast ?Read more -
What are my curved platform options in model railways?Read moreA good many real-life platforms have some sort of curve incorporated into them to accommodate either the topography...
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How can I create a reversing loop with Y-shaped turnout on my layout?Read moreA reversing loop is a section of track that allows a train to change direction without reversing. Reversing loops can...
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How do you design a track plan?Read moreThere are several different ways to design a track plan for your model railway project. There is no right or wrong...
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How do I connect track?Read moreThe track is connected using rail joiners, also called "fishplates". They are thin metal plates that simply slot...
What is a split chassis?
Traditional model railway locomotives transfer power from track to motor via wires. However, a split chassis locomotive works in a different way.
A traditional model railway locomotive picks up its power from the track through its metal wheels. Those wheels have fine brass pick ups gently rubbing against either the back of them or the axle to further transfer power to a set of wires that feeds a motor. Power is then returned to the opposite rail in a similar way to complete the circuit.
The principles of a split chassis locomotives are the same as far as the power entering on one side and exiting on the other with some motor action somewhere in between. The difference is in the absence of any wires.
A split chassis locomotive will pick up power through the wheels as usual but then transfer it via its axle to one half of a split metal chassis. The motor makes contact with the chassis through contact springs and completes the circuit be replicating this action on the other half of the chassis. The two halves of the chassis are isolated from each other using nylon bushes to prevent a short circuit.
In principle, there's nothing wrong with a split chassis design but converting one to DCC will involve a little more work as there are no wires to splice into. Instead, modellers are required to isolate the contact springs between motor and chassis. Once the motor is successfully isolated, wires can be installed to connect the chassis to a decoder and the decoder to the motor to complete the circuit.
Posted in: Rolling stock
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