Tsugawa "critter"

[Nick_Burman]

Hi all,

 

Here is my Tsugawa "critter". I modified it a bit by adding an exhaust system, it also helps hide the fact that one side of the cab is shorter than the other. However the greatest addition has been a coupling system. This is very simple, just the top half of a Micro-Trains Z scale coupler with most of its shank removed and narrowed, then stuck to a 0.5mm hole drilled onto the chassis. The end result will couple both to Z scale and N scale couplers. A trip to the painting booth is next in line.

 

Out of the box performance is rabbit-like, however with a bit of lube and running-in it's becoming better. Tractive effort can be phenomenal in relation to its size, I tied 6 tank cars behind and it walked away without batting an eye. Speed control could be improved by using a 4.5V PWM controller. No way to fit DCC into it (at least until someone designs and manufactures a graphene-base decoder... ) so the best way to use her would be to switch DC-equipped sidinngs, as Alvin suggested in another post.

 

Although a Japanese prototype, she could also be used in other contexts (US, for instance, as a Plymouth loco). She looks just awesome coupled to a Jumbo covered hopper!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers NB