xl_special Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I've been asked to give a detailed look at the NWSL power blocks. I choose the 6 wheel version to review because there's been a lot of interest in E-8's and E-9's. The first picture shows the outside of the truck with the changes I made to make it easier to remove the block from the unit and grease the bushings. This change is not a good idea if you run in the rain. I drilled another hole for the wires, attached plugs and changed the way they are attached to the frame (just like MTH does). The next picture shows the 6 screws which hold the two halfs of the block together. The basic block is made from ABS. The last picture is inside the power unit. Notice all axles are driven and there's a flywheel on the shaft between 2 of the axles. All wheels have a electrical pickup and ride inside a non metal bushing. The gears are also non-metal, but in thousands of hours of running these, I have detected no wear to the bushings. Because I used to run with battery power, I ripped out all the electrical pickup wires (another dumb idea) The wires you see inside the block are not the way it comes from NWSL, they are after I put wires back in to have track pickup. All and all, these are a very powerful motor block and comes wih different wheel bases and different wheel flange sizes. If you decide to use these, make sure and order the correct wheels for your track. Hope this helps, Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 This is great stuff Larry thank you!! I am very happy to see these are even available and to see a flywheel on them like this. I stocked up on Aristocraft parts to keep mine running but in a pinch folks could convert to these if they had to and sounds like get a much more durable motorblock. Sounds like a great investment. So how much to the 2 and 3 axle versions sell for again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thank you for posting that pic! Looks great inside, right Ray? I've heard that they offered different flange sizes and I would choose the larger ones for stock Aristo track I believe? The flanges pictured do look good. When I look on the store site, I only see a two axle powered truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Yes it does. Nice thing is it sounds like gears hold up really well. That and if you do have a problem it's modular so will be easy to remove the part that has failed and replace in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I probably should put this in my K-line post. I figured I'd show it here for comparison. This is the top inside of the K-line truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 If anyone wants to add command to these K-line trucks, one pick-up lead on each truck is tied to one tab on the motor. I believe that lead needs to be separated. These motors are very weak and easy to stop just by rubbing the flywheel slightly. I'll have to see how the end up running and performance wise. I installed the new NWSL delrin gears inside each and will watch how they hold up as well. I didn't mean to interrupt this NWSL truck post. By the way, those side frames look really good to me! Wish I would have known about them. I will probably get my hands on some 1/29 scale ones and chop them down. I do wish MTH would have released more modern stuff like a switcher, Larry. It looks like you were way ahead of anyone I've seen posting on other forums with your work. I'm scratch building some and haven't mastered it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 At one time I owned some Great Trains F40PH's that had NWSL trucks under them. From what I can remember they had what looked like aluminum wheels, sorta like what Lionel uses. I traded them to my dear departed friend The_Other_Ray years ago for something WOW! With gearing like that I bet those K-Line loco's haul ass??!! Joe, did you happen to get the numbers off the motor while you were inside the drive?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Looks like the 2 #s on the motor are RS-385PH .... RN533X16 China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
du-bousquetaire Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Hi XL special: I am intrigued by that E8 or E9 truck and especially the sideframes as I would very much like to find a 1/32 scale E unit who made this one? I think that if I could find one I could make up an E unit from MTH parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xl_special Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Du-bousquetaire, there are two ways to get a 1/32nd scale E8 or E9. Number one, build it using either Great Tains or MTH F unit shells. Both come up on E-bay once in awhile. The second way is to locate one of the E8's that Garich Light Transport produced in the early 90's. They are as rare as "hens teeth" but they do show up once in awhile. One just sold on Ebay for a very low price. They are worth over $500.00 in any condition. Just have an active search going on ebay for "g scale-other-E8, E9". If you decide to go the kit-bash way, don't worry about the truck frames. I've made molds of them and will be happy to make you a set. If I can help in any way, just let me know. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xl_special Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Here's an AD for the very rare Garich Light Transport E8, E9 taken from Outdoor Railroader Jan 1996. Looks like he was about 18 years ahead of his time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry B44 Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Here's a shot inside the two axle NWSL block. I detached the wires for track pickup. On a test I found out one runs slower than the other, so they said send them back and they will work on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xl_special Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Good job of greasing them Jerry. If you ever wear out an axle bushing, I've got about 50 of them. I thought they would wear out quickly, so I bought a bunch. So far in 10 years I haven't had to replace any. Put a drop of plastic compatible oil on each bushing where the axle goes thru it. (LaBelle 102 works well). How's the Scalecoat Union Pacific yellow comming. Can't wait to see pictures of the F unit in Union Pacific collors. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
du-bousquetaire Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Say Larry, that is very kind of you to offer to help me on this one. I am kind of an afictionado of the E units having ridden behind them quite a lot in early '70's Amtrack days between my school in NYU in the big apple and my mother who lived in the Boston suburb. before that time I rode behind FL9 on the New Haven when they were prime mainline road power and even remember riding behind a PA 1 on the old New haven in the sixties. But in the seventies when I was in NYU I rode maily behind E 8 and E9, even when I would go to Hoboken to ride the Erie Lackawana. I just like long units. Of course kit bashing one from an MTH unit would permit to do an E7. which would fit my period better... i understand that ST. Charles station did some also. A French friend of mine who models the Santa Fe and SP (he built a tehachapi loop in his garden in southern France, went to see him in Montana I think, he (the ma is from Marseilles where the railroad station was called Marseille Saint Charles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xl_special Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 Yes St Charles did one, but WOW BIG BUCKS !!!!! Here's what you need to look for. The unit was built by Ralph Brown in the 80's. It was powered by NWSL E-unit trucks and was very close to scale (1/32nd). I don't know how many he produced, but I'd guess 10 to 20. I have only a guess as to what they cost new (maybe $700 or more), so you can see what a deal they are today. Keep your eye open on the "bay" and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbrown7713 Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Yes that is the Ralph Brown E7 that I bought on Tranz, I remembered the ad. Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 On 2/18/2014 at 10:14 PM, enginear joe said: If anyone wants to add command to these K-line trucks, one pick-up lead on each truck is tied to one tab on the motor. I believe that lead needs to be separated. These motors are very weak and easy to stop just by rubbing the flywheel slightly. I'll have to see how the end up running and performance wise. I installed the new NWSL delrin gears inside each and will watch how they hold up as well. I didn't mean to interrupt this NWSL truck post. By the way, those side frames look really good to me! Wish I would have known about them. I will probably get my hands on some 1/29 scale ones and chop them down. I do wish MTH would have released more modern stuff like a switcher, Larry. It looks like you were way ahead of anyone I've seen posting on other forums with your work. I'm scratch building some and haven't mastered it yet. I should have updated this post. The motors inside these K-line trucks are not weak. I had an issue long ago and forgot all about it. I did have to swap out all the gears which had cracked. These trucks are still running well with NWSL gears. I had a set of NWSL 2 axle trucks on a scratch build of mine. One worm kept slipping off and wrecking the pulling power of the engine. I finally replaced those trucks with a set of MTH ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Here's a "new" NWSL 3 axle truck I have Just another "project" to work on but no big deal as just order in a piece of drill rod the same o.d. and make new shaft.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbrown7713 Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 I had problems with one of mine from NWSL, it was an easy fix. Still waiting to hear from NWSL. Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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