Rons Plarail Workshop

Hey there.
After some time of doing nothing and just being bored i saw that there are a huge amount of modders and custom train builds. Im really impressed by it and thought to give it a try. I think im pretty advanced with electronics and smaller custom circuits which i can design myself. The problem is that i dont really have a idea what to start with. My biggest goal is to build some custom (german ) engines which would fit pretty good on my layout. Maybe anyone could help me with some ideas for my first projects and tips.

Regards Ron

My first thought is to modify a Plarail Hiro into a DB Class 41. Hiro already has red running gear, which avoids the constant paint wear, and his boiler cladding is less busy than the standard D51.

As far as a parts source, ESCI did a 1/87 static model of the Class 41 (and Class 50) that are still pretty easy to find on eBay. IIRC, Italeri has either already re-released them or plans to at some point soon. That *might* be cheaper than trying source parts from a Marklin or other ready-to-run HO model.

I notice a lot of similarities between post War and modern Japanese and German diesels and electrics. Right off the top of my head, I can’t think of an exact analog but there’s likely to be a close match somewhere.

EDIT: Darn, I forget that Diesel 10 is based on the BR Class 42 “Warship” which is, in turn, based on the DB V200!

I think it could be done but the model had to be changed abit at the front above the Face. With alot of patience its possible to make it look pretty awesome but i think thats too much for me as a fresh starter. I thought of something smaller like a Light mod or maybe Tracksounds that react to the rotation of the wheel.

Welp after alot of time ive finally got something (i cant do myself and need help from you guys. I bought 2 boxes full of Plarail stuff from Ebay and saw that it contained some dark blue Tomy track which made me pretty excited but there are some problems. Sadly some of the rails are broken (the couplings have snapped). Second the 3 Locomotives in this set are broken, one had a leaking battery (its pretty bad), the 2nd had some connectivty issues with the Battery (which i could already fix) and the last one seems to be a pretty old model with a metal motor casing. The motor still runs but the gearing to the axle is different to newer tomy trains. Also the Front axle has broken off and i can just remove it. I hope you guys can give me some tips how i could fix these issues.


Here the Locomotive with the leaked battery.



Here the 2nd Loco with the broken axle mounting and the weird gearing


Here the broken front mounting


Here is the last locomotive which works fine now. I just cleaned the fluff out.


Thx for the help!

For the steam loco, the fact the switch is exposed as well as the axle makes me think you're missing a panel that goes over that whole area. If this is the case and someone who has one can photograph and measure the piece I could probably print you a replacement.

As for the first one, Mr Ripley is the king of battery corrosion issues :-)

[ripley802]

These are pretty common as far as the one with corrosion, I would say just look for spare and swap it out. You could try cleaning with distilled vinegar but it maybe too far gone.

@Nigels Thanks alot but it seems like that this part is always exposed seen on this photo from a ebay auction here.


Source
There are only 2 little plastic bits that hold the axle in place. Also another problem with this loco is that the traction tires got hard and broke into pieces. I know there are spare traction tires on Amazon for around 6€ (12 pcs.) but i also need something for the small gear from the motor. As far as i can see the wheel that sits in the track is supposed to "rub" against the small wheel that is driven by the motor. But the rubber "tire" on the wheel also broke away so it would be rubber on metal. I thought of maybe just using a regular coged wheel or leaving it as it is but i have to try out how it runs first.

@ripley802 I tried to put the corroded parts into some (cherry scented lol) "disinfectant" (not sure if thats the right word i used google translate xD). It looks abit better after i scrubbed it abit but its resting again in the disinfectant.

Thx for the Tips guys I really hope i get these back running.

Could you just glue a small strip of plasticard over the middle of the axle to hold it in place? If not I could easily print you a piece to glue in that would fix the issue.

[Super]

You could also pick up some POLYSTYRENE TUBING with the right inside and outside measurements, cut off a bit on one side, slip it over the axle and glue it down. Most Hobby Shops carry a brand of this and is not very expensive. You could then color it black with a permanent marker.
https://evergreenscalemodels.com/collect...rene-tubes

Great idea Super!