Chivers Baldwin

My newest project is a Chivers conversion of a Bachman N Scale 0-4-0 into a Baldwin HOn30 0-4-0. I started by replacing the stock open frame Bachman motor with a can motor conversion from Nigel Lawton in the UK. These two pictures show the Bachman chassis, first with the Bachman motor installed and the Lawton remotoring kit built up and ready to receive the worm from the Bachman, second with the Lawton unit set in place, still awaiting the worm.

1/13/06 Following Nigel Lawton's directions, I managed to extract the worm from the Bachman motor shaft and fit it onto the shaft adapter he provided, then slip that over the 1mm motor shaft. To the right is the completed installation. All in all, it is a very good remotoring kit.
I did encounter a couple of minor problems with the remotoring kit/installation. First, the tiny motor wanted to shift sideways within the soldered-up brass support cradle, and I added a small shim to keep it centered. Then, I found it necessary to add a small shim under the back end to tilt the shaft down to engage the gears properly. You can see the shims in the picture to the right.
5/23/06 Back to working on this model while the AHM conversion is being painted. Since my last post, I have cleaned up all the white metal castings and soldered the brass cab together. Today, I modified the front of the Bachman chassis per the Chivers instructions. The pictures show the modified chassis, the front footboard/smokebox saddle in place, the smokebox in place, and the cab in place. Keep in mind that these parts are all just sitting there, not permanently attached.


12/9/06 The remotored chassis ran erratically, and I asked for help from Matt Coleman in north Georgia. He found that the little motor had an open winding and I contacted NIgel Lawton, who provided a replacement immediately. Matt also found and repaired a gear problem It now runs quite smoothly and I am proceeding with the project. For a short video clip of this and two other Bachman chassis running on pure DC, click here.