For most people, the first they heard of this system would have been in MRJ No.18, December 1987. Page 275 saw the mag look at the basics. I remember a little later (can't be sure exactly when) seeing it being demonstrated by Formil engineering at York. We were there with our Thomas the Tank layout, and towards the end of the day, I borrowed a loco to try out on the continuous run.
What a revalation. In those days, pancake motors were the order of the day. We'd heard of fancy foreign diesels with their central motors and quality engineering, but we were British godamit, and engineering cost money, so it was many years before such novelties appeared on these shores.
This loco though, it had momentum. It accelerated and slowed smoothly. And with the lid off, we could see honking great big flywheels. I didn't want to give it back...
With the body off, we start working our way along the loco, begining with a motor. In this system, it doesn't need to be a good one, although this is. Smoothness is provides later in the drivetrain.
Next, the black lump is a centrifugal clutch. As the system speeds up, this transfers drive to the big brass flywheel, and then when the motor is off, disconnects.
The flywheel here is a single lump, providing much of the 700g weight. In turn, it's connected to a quality gear tower, albeit still driving 'orrible Lima pizza cutter wheels.
So, when you turn the power on, the clutch slowly kicks in, spinning up the flywheel, and driving the model along. Obviously, it takes time for the flywheel to reach full speed, so the loco gradually speeds up. And when the power is shut off, the flywheel keeps the model moving, gradually slowing down.
I don't have a layout to test this on, and the only one at the club available is evil DCC, so here's it running on a rolling road.
All this from a H&M controller from the 1960s, but that was the point. You didn't need a good controller, the loco took care of the smooth stuff. You might need to throw it into reverse to slow down, but that was part of the fun.
Sadly, Dyna-Drive never really took off. Part of the problem was the price. The clutch alone in 1987 was £14.90, so a complete system would cost at least a couple of Lima diesels, and then you had to assemble it. Some people did try, as this downloadable article from the DOGA website shows.
Nowadays, DCC and better mechanisms in model locomotives, have removed the need for all this equipment. You can programme stuff, and then rely on an electronic stayalive to get you over dirty track, rather than half a killogramme of rotating metal. I suspect I was the only person in the hall at Briston, who knew what the excellent Janes Trains had on their stand, and the only one daft enough to hand over money for it.
But, I am a happy customer. This might have been a technological deadend, but it's a fascinating one.
6 comments:
Dynadrive! I saw it demonstrated at an exhibition somewhere in the west country in about 1988/89, and was hooked. I had a number of suitable Lima diesels which ran like arthritic mice, complete with squeaks. I saved up, and by the time I had enough to buy a kit (I was brave enough to 'have a go' then), they had gone out of business. I chased them back to Sweden(?) but the trail ran out. Such a brilliant idea, but I believe the installation would require a well-equipped amatueur workshop to get the alignments correct. Ah, well, as you say Phil, superseded by 'electronic flywheels', which do the job, but.... nothing like a pound or two of rotating brass to provide momentum. The very best of luck with it, do provide an update or two of your experiences operating it.
Phil,
I'm envious as hell! Always wanted one of these and to me, there is something about the mechanical nature of these that appeals, particularly with respect to railways of that era. And to have one fitted into a Western! (One of the most elegant of BR diesels IMHO and a hydraulic to boot, with a drive train not too far removed from the dyna drive.
If you ever decide to downsize your collection, I'd willingly give it a home!
Congratulations!
My old friend Mark built one, not into a Lima diesel but, if I remember correctly, a 45. I never got to play with it but I know it took a bit of controlling. Funny thing is, he never had a layout to run it on.
How does it work for an emergency stop?
You can reverse the motor to act as a brake, but truth is, emergency stops are something it really does. More carrying on through whatever you were supposed to stop for...
Enjoyed the section on the dvd about dyna drive. My son, Laurence, had two diesels, 40012 Aureol & a 50, numbered differently each side as Superb and Royal Oak. They both appeared in articles published in Model Rail when it was an insert in Rail Magazine in the early 1990s. Phil Sutton was editor and took the photos. The 50 was part of his GCSE project for CDT. The 40 ran on my exhibition layout (EM gauge) hauling 3 100 ton oil tankers. He used my supply of exactoscale gear boxes for the power bogie, thus it was low geared and did not go fast. Visitors had fun driving it at the end of an exhibition.
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