Hornby Dublo was an early brand name for models produced by the company that we now all know as Hornby. The brand was...
Cart 0 Product Products (empty)
No products
Free shipping! Shipping
£ 0.00 Total
Product successfully added to your shopping cart
Quantity
Total
There are 0 items in your cart. There is 1 item in your cart.
Total products (tax incl.)
Total shipping (tax excl.) Free shipping!
Total (tax incl.)
Search Tips
Tips categories
Latest Tips
-
What is Hornby Dublo?Read more -
Can continuous high speed usage damage the motor of my model locomotive?Read moreYes, continuous high speeds can damage the motor of a model locomotive. Running a model locomotive at high speeds for...
-
What are open spoke wheels?Read moreOpen spoke wheels were a type of early railway wheel that featured double spokes, this type of wheel was commonly...
-
What is the advantage of a fan fiddle yard in model railway?Read moreA fan fiddle-yard is a permanent fiddle yard where each track is accessed via a series of turnouts 'fanning' out from...
-
How to make hills?Read moreYou can make hills in a variety of ways. The tried and tested way is with chicken wire and papier mache. This is a...
What is an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement?
In the UK, an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement was used on some early designs of diesel railway locomotives, most notably the Class 31.
A locomotive with this type of wheel arrangement has two bogies (one at either end of the loco) and each bogie has three axles. The outer axles of each bogie are powered by traction motors, leaving the middle axle unpowered. This setup is what is known as an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement.
One reason for the unpowered axle is to spread the weight of the locomotive across more wheels to give it greater route availability. Another reason is to make the locomotive more stable at higher speeds.
The extra stability provided by an additional axle is achieved thanks to the cone-shaped wheel treads on railway rolling stock. Such wheels naturally find the middle of the rail, so the more wheels there are, the greater the force keeping the locomotive where it should be on the tracks.
Posted in: Rolling stock
Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Related posts
-
How to weight my model so it does not tip?For wargaming figures, a small coin or washer glued to the under side of the base will usually to do the job. This... - Is Bachmann compatible with Hornby?Yes, any OO scale loco, wagon or coach will work on any OO scale track, regardless of brand. Couplings are also...
- What are tension lock couplings?Tension lock couplings are the standard couplings for model trains in the UK. These are the ones we all know from...
- How do I test the width between the wheels of my engines?The best way to check the wheels of your locomotives is to use a tool called a back to back gauge. They are...
- How do I clean the wheels of my engine?One easy way is to get yourself a Peco cleaning kit containing a wire brush, wheel scraper, foam cradle and oil. The...