Rolling Road

What is it for?
The Rolling Road allows you to run your locomotive under power for demonstration or testing purposes or just for the sheer pleasure of watching it run without having to follow it around the track. Simply place each pair of driving wheels into the space between the rollers on one of the Wheel Carriers and engage the wheel flanges in the appropriate grooves. Adjust the position of the wheel carriers until all wheels are correctly located and then just clamp one of the carriers to the frame. Support any non-driven axles on further Wheel Carriers or suitable blocks. Fire up the loco and away you go. You can run your loco in comfort on those dark, wet, cold winter evenings. It is better than simply supporting the ends of the frames on blocks because the loco is having to do a certain amount of work to turn the rollers and normal running conditions are simulated more realistically. It is particularly beneficial for locomotives with sprung axles which may require the weight of the locomotive to be on the wheels to enable the valvegear to function at its best. This is an attractive and well-made product offered at a very competitive price. It can easily be adapted by the customer to the requirements of any particular locomotive

Application
The rolling road has been primarily designed for use with steam or battery powered narrow gauge locomotives in 16mm and G scales using 32mm and 45mm gauge track. We also have a rolling road for 2-rail electric locomotives. There should be no problem in using the rolling road with locomotives in other scales using the same track gauges. The wheel carriages can be butted closely together but the minimum distance between centres of driven wheels that can be accommodated is 38mm. ( 1.50" ). The rolling road is not suitable for electric locomotives that rely on pickup of current through the wheels.

Specification
The standard Base Unit is nominally 300mm long ( 11 7/8" ) and comes complete with three Wheel Carriers. The sides are made from mild steel, chemically blackened. Brass spacers hold them the correct distance apart. A row of holes near the top edge of one side allows the individual carriers to be clamped in any position along the length using the socket screws and clamping nuts provided. Each wheel carrier has two brass rollers with hardened steel bearing shafts. The rollers have three grooves to suit all normal wheel profiles in 32 and 45mm gauges and will accommodate wheel flanges up to 3mm deep. The carrier endplates are mild steel, chemically blackened. The spacer is brass. The chemical blacking process is both decorative and an aid to rust prevention but the mild steel parts of this product should be kept lightly oiled.

Product Variations
A longer Base Unit can be provided (400mm, 500mm or 600mm length) at extra cost, together with more (or less) of the Wheel Carriers. Customers with longer locos may prefer to rig up extensions at the ends to support non-driven tender or bogie wheels. To help in this, additional holes are provided in the side frames at each end to which wooden or metal extensions could be fixed at the appropriate height. Rollers can be grooved to other gauges between 32 and 45mm if required. Please ask for a quotation for your special requirements.

Price

The 300mm Base Unit complete with three Wheel Carriers and Instruction leaflet is £78.00.

Individual Component Prices

300mm Base Unit £27.00
400mm Base Unit £36.00   
500mm Base Unit £52.00   
600mm Base Unit £67.00
Additional Wheel Carriers £ 17.00 each.

Postage £9.05 extra.

Digital Readout for Rolling Road

  

GENERAL.

The digital readout computer is powered by a small "watch" type battery (included). It senses the rotation of one of the rollers by counting impulses from the magnet embedded in it. In order to display distance and speed in scale terms it needs to be programmed with the circumference of the roller in scale terms. It counts the revolutions and converts it into scale distance in miles or kilometers. It uses its clock reference to calculate scale speed to display in miles /hour or kilometers / hour.When operating it displays both the speed and distance on the screen at the same time.

The unit is suitable for 16mm/SM32, Gauge 1, Gauge 0, G scale 1:22.5, G scale 1: 24, G scale 1: 29 It comes to you ready to use and calibrated for the scale you choose at the time of ordering. If at a later date you wish to use it with locomotives of a different scale you will need to re-calibrate it. This is quick and easy to do and full instructions are included.

There is no OFF switch. The unit needs minimal power to retain data and display the clock. The unit powers down automatically after about 10 minutes without activity. If the unit is to be unused for a considerable time you may wish to remove the battery, but be aware that you will loose all the stored data. The main unit is easily removed from the bracket by pressing back on the lever at the bottom of the bracket and sliding the main unit upwards. For convenience, all re-calibration can be done with the main unit removed from the bracket.

BATTERY.

The unit uses one LR44 "watch type" battery. In normal use, a good quality battery should last about 12 months. When the brightness of the LCD display begins to dim the battery should be replaced.

FUNCTIONS.

The unit has four main functions

Odometer.
The Odometer accumulates the total distance covered. ( up to 19999.9 Km or Miles ) This data can only be cleared by removing the battery or pressing the "All Clear" button.

Trip Distance.
This function accumulates and displays the distance data from the last press of the "Reset" button. This is the equivalent of the "trip" function on your car speedometer. It records up to 999.9 Km or Miles.

12 Hour Clock.
It displays the current time on a 12 Hour clock when the unit is powered down..

Current Speed.
The current speed is displayed on the 4 digits whenever the rollers are revolving. It displays up to 199.9 Km/h or 120.0 Miles/h

A Calibrating and Setting Instructions leaflet is included to give more detailed operating information. 

There is a choice of two mountings for the actual display head - the original mounting attached to the left hand end of the base unit or the new free-standing unit which can be placed wherever you find it most convenient. The actual electronics are the same and prices are identical.

PRICES.
If supplied with a new RollingRoad then one of the wheel carriers will be modified to operate the readout.
The extra cost will be £24.95. The postage rate will not be affected.

If supplied as an upgrade to an existing Rolling Road the price will be £40.95 if a new wheel carrier is supplied or £30.95 if an existing wheel carrier in good condition is returned for modification. In both these cases a charge of £3.25 will be payable for postage.

New Product - Wheel Support Block for Rolling Road.

The Wheel Support Block is a black polyurethane rigid moulding designed to support non-driven wheels on tenders,
bogies and pony trucks.
It can be placed at any point along the Rolling Road and slides along the inner frame in the same way as the standard wheel carriers.  It does not need to be secured in any way since the wheels it supports are not moving.
It needs no maintenance apart from wiping off any oil or dirt that may be deposited on it.

It will withstand temperatures of over 100°C but it will burn if a direct flame is applied to it.
It should be kept well clear of methylated spirit  burners.

This is an attractive and well-made product offered at a very competitive price.
Saves the cost of buying a normal wheel carrier with rollers..

Price.    The Wheel Support Block costs only £6.00 each.
Postage  £2.35 extra  ( covers up to three wheel supports)
(Postage is free if ordered with a Rolling Road.)

300mm Rolling Road set up to support an 0-4-2 locomotive

This rolling road is intended for use with electric powered locomotives using 45mm gauge track. It may also be used with battery powered and clockwork locomotives but it is not recommended for steam power.

It is used in the same way as the original rolling road for steam locomotives and it follows the same general design. There is however one major difference - the two sides are electrically insulated from each other. The spacers are of a rigid insulating plastic and the transverse rollers are replaced by roller bearings on each side.

In use simply slide a wheel carrier into place beneath each pair of driving wheels. Adjust the position of the wheel carriers until all wheels are correctly located and then just lightly clamp ONE of the carriers to the frame. Support any non-driven axles on further Wheel Carriers or suitable blocks. Connect your power pack to the terminals on the end of the unit and away you go. You can run your loco in comfort on those dark, wet, cold winter evenings. It is better than simply supporting the ends of the frames on blocks because the loco is having to do a certain amount of work to turn the rollers and normal running conditions are simulated more realistically. It is particularly beneficial for locomotives with sprung axles which may require the weight of the locomotive to be on the wheels to enable the valvegear to function at its best.

The wheel carriers can be butted closely together but the minimum distance between centres of driven wheels that can be accommodated is 39mm. ( 1.54" ).

This unit can also be used as a programming track when programming locomotive decoders on a DCC system.

The Digital Readout system is not available on this product.

Specification.

The standard Base Unit is nominally 400mm long ( 15.75" ) and comes complete with three Wheel Carriers.

The sides are made from polished Aluminium Alloy. Insulating plastic spacers hold them the correct distance apart. A row of holes near the top edge of one side allows the individual carriers to be clamped in any position along the length using the socket screws and clamping nuts provided.

Each wheel carrier has four 16mm diameter roller bearings on which the loco wheels run. The rollers willl accommodate wheel flanges of any depth.

The carrier endplates are made from the same aluminum alloy as the frames. The spacer is insulating plastic.

Most parts of this product are non-ferrous, stainless steel or plastic. The bearings however are chrome steel and may rust if allowed to remain in damp conditions.

Product Variations.

Alternative Base Units can be provided ( 300, 500 or 600mm length) together with more (or less) of the Wheel Carriers. Customers with longer locos may prefer to rig up extensions at the ends to support non-driven tender or bogie wheels. To help in this, additional holes are provided in the side frames at each end to which wooden or metal extensions could be fixed at the appropriate height.

Price - standard unit

400mm Base Unit complete with 3 Wheel Carriers, 4 clamping screws with nuts,
1 hex wrench, and 1 Instruction leaflet. £93.00
Postage £7.00 extra.

Prices - individual components

Wheel Carriers £ 20.00 each.
300mm Base Unit £24.00.
400mm Base Unit £33.00
500mm Base Unit £49.00
600mm Base Unit £ 64.00
Postage £7.00 extra on each unit.

All wheel carriers come with a clamping screw and nut.

All base units include a hexagon wrench for the clamping screws and an Instruction leaflet

We regret that for insurance reasons we are currently unable to supply locomotives or other goods to customers in the United States of America or Canada.