From below. Oct 2009

Side view. Oct 2009

The Bachmann J94 locomotives have well made, accurate and robust brass bodies. As sold they are good value models for running on Gauge One G1MRA Standard track. The photographs show conversion to scale wheels and also to a lower gearing for slower running.

From below. Not much space in the body. The piece of nickel-silver sheet is the foot of the diaphragm which fits across the the body and holds the loud speaker. Oct 2009

Showing the new front axle from below. Oct 2009

The new gearbox is fitted to the middle axle for clearance for the motor in the body above it. The rear axle which was originally the driven axle now has a plain axle. The Bachmann bushes were unscrewed, turned upside down and screwed back in place. These are about 6.0 mm, and the surfaces were cleaned up with a 6.0 mm reamer. As you can see from the photographs, 'top hat' brass bushes, 5.0 mm i/d and 6.0 o/d are slid in from the inside. The wheels are mounted on half length axles which are fed in from the outside and fixed with a fairly chunky sleeve. The photographs also show the outer modified Massoth collectors in Delrin bushes pushed into the existing 6.0 mm frame holes. The centre collectors are much shorter to clear the gearbox and are scratch built. See collectors notes. With a motor/gearbox unit floating on an axle it is necessary to prevent it from rotating with the wheels. At first a brass strap was fixed on a frame spacer with a loose hole for the spare front gearbox shaft (as in the image above). To reduce friction this was later replaced with a strap from the the same frame spacer, but screwed to the base of the gearbox.

Side view. Oct 2009