# tanker-blower car



## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

I'm setting up a couple indoor projects for the colder weather, and this is one of them. Like all my projects, it may take a while to get back to this (or even finish it at all...), but here goes.

There was a water car on the Virginia and Truckee that had two vertical wooden tanks.










On a completely different subject, my track has been in almost constant (it seems) need of blowing away bits of leaves, dirt, etc. 

So here's the thought: turn the tanks into vertical blowers.Or, make a leaf blower car, and skin its vertical fans to roughly emulate the V&T car. 

There have been several thread leaf blower car threads, such as that by Cape Cod Todd. More recently, a gentleman used a "bilge blower" for the fan. (I'd like to look these links up and post them properly, but for now I'm just getting the basics jotted down). 

Anyway, I looked up the bilge blowers. And since they're for marine use, they're 12v. So I bought a couple. Here they are, with the undercarraige of an LGB flat car. Nice and open frame would seem to allow decent flow.










Too tall, but whatever. The train wouldn't be moving quickly, and I'm not shooting for high-fidelity on the look. 

Also need some power trucks. I have on hand a tender chassis. The wheels are really small...









I also have on hand a couple of Aristo passenger car trucks. Half the pickups and too-long coupler tongues, but nicer wheels and truck construction. 










My current thinking on the circuit (this is for ~21v DCC) involves a pair of diodes (half-wave bridge) from the pickups. Next, a 3 ohm 20 watt resistor feeding the pair of fans (which pull ~3.4A @ 12vdc total). Finally, a DPDT center-off switch would selectively enable / reverse each fan. But, there's a flaw in this, because each fans should have its own resistor, since one or both might be operating...

Anyway, still working that out. Corrections and ideas welcome!!

That's all for now,
===>Cliffy


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

May be a whole lot easier to use a/pair of 12 volt gel battery and the weight, if placed low, may be welcome.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliffy;

Not trying to discourage you, but it looks to me like you may be building an arch bar truck and truss rod version of the Osprey VTOL aircraft! Just how much thrust do those bilge pumps have? Anyway, you may have already figured out how to tame them.

My first tests with the ducted fan drive got a bit hairy.










Good luck,
David Meashey


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Hmmmmm








I dunno, but couldn't you borrow a helper?
John


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

So.. just go for your basic MOW Super Blower..
Pulled by whatever power gets assignment.. tho pushed out front is best policy here!
Place blower fan .. facing forward.. use a scrap piece of tubing from a shop vac.. leaf blower end...directed down towards track level... dispersing debri forwards n away from rails.. before it gets rolled over by wheels..

Your water car leaves trucks running over twigs.. pre-blown away.. 

It's for clearing tracks.. but have fun!

SD


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Hover craft and leaf blower.... in one.


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliffy,

Is this what you were looking for?

http://forums.mylargescale.com/16-track-trestles-bridges-roadbed/20736-track-blower.html

Doc


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Doc. Thanks buddy... that's the one on my mind.......!!
..LOL


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks Doc, yes, I was referring to your blower car, which appeared on a different thread; I haven't seen that thread, thanks for posting that! Fantastic nozzle solution, love it.

Since I have the 21 volts available at the rails, I'd like to make use of that. Wouldn't have speed control, but it would have direction.

For the lift-off potential, I've had a funny image in my mind of a testing video, with the camera up close, flipping the switch, and then... BAM! The sucker launches into the sky, haha! 

I was planning on experimenting with the direction on one of both, maybe that would help. But, if a big moist leaf gets sucked up, it wouldn't get chopped, it would just plug up the frame and blower... hmm. 

And true, it wouldn't get sticks or leaves away before the leading truck rolls over, that's the beauty of Doc's design. 

Well, maybe I should abandon that approach. There's the other V&T water car though, with is a horizontal tank. Here's the car. 










Might be able to have a detachable nozzle on it... Doc, I don't suppose you recall the model for that B&D blower? Maybe I could get the nozzle from a parts house? 

Thanks for all the thoughts guys,
Cliff


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Doc, I'm looking at a Critter Control, like this:
https://www.gscalegraphics.net/store/p2/Simple_Critter_Control.html

It says it can handle 5A. If I mount 2 blowers in line, they'd be pulling 3.4A @ 12v. The control could feed off the DCC (with diodes to rectify it); but I'd still have to step down the controller output for a 0-12v max, I think...

Just found this, a nifty step-down transformer package, which would be better than resistors:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3MHUWM

This also seems interesting, a 6A speed controller. Not positive that it works with 12vdc motors? But if it did, it would replace the step-down xformer (or resistors), and include speed control. 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0100KN9IY


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliffy,

Maybe this will work.

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/blower-tube-p-1533425.html

Doc


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

I also bought a leaf blower tube very similar in shape...end slightly drooped... and broad n flatened exit opening.

SD


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

docwatsonva said:


> Cliffy,
> 
> Maybe this will work.
> 
> ...


So, it looks like you cut the nozzle end from that part, correct? Because the part looks pretty long, but not the nozzle on your car. Thanks Doc.


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep, that's what I did. Not sure what the diameter of the tube is for the part shown in the above post. The one I used was exactly the same diameter as the fan unit making assembly a breeze.

Doc


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

CliffyJ said:


> Well, maybe I should abandon that approach. There's the other V&T water car though, with is a horizontal tank. Here's the car.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Now your getting somewhere! A little more development and voila...


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Todd, I like. But I just missed that anitproton beam generator on Ebay, dang! 

Doc, I went to Lowes, and sadly their extensive blower display was replaced with artificial Christmas trees... 

But, they had a B&D cordless in a corner, with that curved nozzle, I believe the same in that link you posted. However, its shape was ovoid in cross-section throughout, clearly different than your round-end one. You didn't cut it and squish it in a vice, did you? Probably not; it seemed too small in circumference anyway. Kobalt had one like yours, but a 1/2" too small in diameter.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

You guys got Ace Hardware? They're not quite as seasonal.
John


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Yea.. but... mmmmm

I ordered mine online as a replacement part....

SD


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliffy,

Someone said that they took one of those nozzles you were looking at and flattened it a bit with heat.

Doc


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

A bit of update on this little thing...

I "breadboarded" the components today, and gave the blowers a spin. I was happily surprised that the blowers didn't launch the car. 






For rectifying the DCC power coming from the rails and feeding the ESC, I was hoping that just a pair of diodes would suffice. And, I thought these were 10A diodes. But with 5A being pulled, they got HOT. I sistered the diodes, and I think that helped, but I think I need a better solution than that (they're still pretty dang hot).

A couple other thoughts. A second (horizontal) blower car would be far better for leaves, but (not that I know it won't lift-off) this is for cleaning between the rails & ties. 

At the moment, the flow seems kind of confused. But I'm hoping that adding the deck and some baffles (inboard of the outer truss rods, maybe between the blower inlets) will help get the air flow in a more useful / consistent vector. 

===>Cliffy


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Instead of using diodes, you can use a "real" bridge rectifier with a heat sink (if neccessary) and these can easily have ratings in excess of 25 amps for a couple dollars.

While the blowers don't "launch" the car, it looks to be fairly "top heavy" and it will be interesting to see it go around corners, especially if there is super-elevation, and see if the car doesn't topple at speed.

You may even find that one direction works better than the other in the corners as a result of the gyroscope effect and motor/fan torque.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

All good points Todd. I'll look for a decent bridge. 

It is top heavy, but I'll only be using this for cleaning at a slow speed. To your point though, I might still need to weight it down some, we'll see.

Thanks,
Cliff


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Todd, 

I see a $4 full-wave bridge rectifiers (25A), but it lacks the heat sink (which I'd like to have).

Bhe only 25Awith heatsinks that I'm finding (on Amazon at least, would like to get it quick) are said to be half-wave. (which confuses me, I thought a bridge rectifier was a full-wave diode bridge). 

Anyway, is a half-wave version adequate for what I'm doing?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

How about 35 amp for $2.50? They also have 25 amps at the same price.

They also have heat sinks and lots of other things that you never even knew that you needed to have, but at these prices...

If you look at their catalog, you will easily justify the small order fee.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/fwb-352/35-a-200-piv-bridge-rectifier/1.html


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

The price is sure right. 

Looks like a full wave, just need to hunt for a heatsink. Had to look up what PIV referred to, and 200 is plenty.

Here's the one I was looking at,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1THAZDOWP300U


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is what I would do for DCC as mine is 24 volts at the track (command station has 25.6 volts AC input).
Mount 2 blowers at an angle and in opposite directions (forward and reverse) (no more hover craft!!) and then put power to them in series.
Just need a single 5 amp bridge rectifier and mount it over the input of a blower, no heat sink needed, lots of air flow to cool it.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Those are fine ideas Dan. I'll have to try the series wiring, and I'll keep the fan-cooled idea as a backup plan.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Am I permitted to ask some dumb questions?

Why do you want to force the air straight dow, thus dislodging ballast?

Why not duct it horizontally, which, from my experience, can be tuned to move leaves and leave the ballast alone?

Also, I don't understand the idea of having one suck and one blow, unless you think the one sucking will chop up the leaves into little bitty pieces.

Greg


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

No, those are good questions.

This is for concrete roadbed, where there is gravel to either side (below the concrete level; I don't have ballast on the track/concrete). This side gravel, along with pine needles and seeds, gets between the ties. So this blower car is to help clean that out some.

If this version doesn't work well, I'll reconfigure it for a horizontal version. If it continues to do well, I'll make a separate horizontal version (for leaf blowing).

Now that I've played with it, I've abandoned the idea of alternating flow directions; the blow-down is by far the most effective. 

Thanks for asking Greg.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Cliff, I knew you thought these things through!

Greg


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks Greg


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

*Blower Brush Car*

I wrote an article for the Insider some years back dealing with the construction of a simple blower car. Since then it's been upgraded with a rotating brush, mounted in front of the blower. Works great and now I could not operate without one of these. For anyone with the typical fall leaf and pine needle problems, one of these is a must have. 

Here is the article:
http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/documents.htm

Here is the picture of the brush addition:
http://members.webs.com/MembersB/ed...ageID=172469473#photos/photo?photoid=97875412

Having fun in Ohio,
Mark


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

That's a great article Mark, very clear and thorough. 
Thanks very much for posting it!


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