The picture above (fig 2) shows from left to right. Doubtless it might be possible to use Imperial bearing shells to avoid the axel work but as we’ve also been mass producing axels it’s not a problem for us. This involves using a lath to cut out the axel box to accommodate a 12mm roller bearing, and also turning the axel down about 1 mm to fit. We’ve been looking at solutions which would work with two rail systems – although we actually use battery locos on the LLLR – and have come up with a low cost ‘fix’ which seems to work. This is fine for battery or steam hauled use but obviously causes problems when used with two rail pickup! WE obtained costings from a couple of commercial firms and at 75p each these seemed OK – but not at the £2,500 required for the tooling… In terms of restoring TMNR sets, some sort of replacement is obviously desirable, and at least one owner has manufactured and fitted roller bearing metal axel boxes to his stock. Those TMNR sets used commercially – fun fairs, Butlins and so on – suffered especially badly and it is not unknown for axels to cut through the plastic boxes entirely! In either case, the steel axel very soon collected grit in the grease and started to abrade the plastic, quickly resulting in oval or worse axel boxes.
These were either pre-greased at the factory or with some, a nipple was fitted to allow in use greasing. One of the purpose built items used on all the stock was the plastic – Deldrin I think – axel boxes, as shown in fig 1. TMNR was always built down to a price which is what made it unique – a mass produced garden railway system which whilst never cheap, was affordable to the rising middle classes in 1960s Britain.Īs many components as possible were standardised across the range of locos and rolling stock and COTS – Components Off The Shelf – used wherever they could.
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