My IP Engineering Ruston is 10 years old now. Last year it fell off the track onto rocks and the chassis came apart, so I’ve been making a new chassis for it. This one has a beefier motor plus chain drive to both axles. I have incorporated 4 AAA rechargeable batteries into it with a switch to change from 3 cells to 4. This gives a slower speed for shunting and more speed / extra power for main line work. The body was relatively unscathed in the accident but has been re-painted and is now in the final stages of weathering, which will hopefully be finished tomorrow ready to go back into service on the line. Photos show the chain drive (which needed a little sprung chain tensioner as the axle spacing was frustratingly wrong for the chain I used) and and a test drive using dry cells.
Mike Barton
Proper neat job Mike – that looks like a very solid chassis. Look forward to seeing the Ruston running!