Side rods on small BigBenBricks wheels

[HenrikLego]

Has anyone done or seen pictures/video of anyone adding side rods to small BigBenBricks wheels These 17,6 mm wheels.
 

I am building a Lego-model of the Norwegian steam engine Dovregubben and need a way to add side rods to the wheels under the cabin. If anyone has any ideas on how to do this, please share :)

[Phil B]

I have seen people use a 2L thin technic liftarm on the axle to offset the side rod.

[HenrikLego]

Aha, so like this (just the idea of it, can be better executed of course)?

[Phil B]

10 minutes ago, HenrikLego said:

Aha, so like this (just the idea of it, can be better executed of course)?

Yes, but it looks like this might hit the track. You might just need to put the side rod straight over the axle and not have it rotate...

[coaster]

You could try the crankshaft, as it only offsets 1/2 stud:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2853&name=Technic Engine Crankshaft&category=[Technic]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

Though while I don't have any new ones, I have found the clutch on these to be notoriously poor.

[Daedalus304]

1 hour ago, coaster said:

You could try the crankshaft, as it only offsets 1/2 stud:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2853&name=Technic Engine Crankshaft&category=[Technic]#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

Though while I don't have any new ones, I have found the clutch on these to be notoriously poor.

A trick you could try with these is, instead of using an Axle, use a short bit of 3mm Rigid Hose. There is a little hole in them that the 3mm hose fits into perfectly that should be much more secure, then just use a bushing on the other end. If you are planning on getting Trained Bricks rods for it, you may be able to get some with slightly smaller holes to center it on the hose more precisely.

Alternatively, you could try cutting some Track Sprues. You know, those funny pins that clamp your track together when you first unbox them? They're 3mm diameter as well, and the stopper in the end is the same diameter as the ring on a Technic pin, so it can keep everything perfectly aligned all on it's own if you trim the pin to size. Lego says to just throw them out, so modifying them a little doesn't seem to bad. ;D

[SteamSewnEmpire]

Won't hit the track. Works even better if you're willing to modify the 2736s to make them shorter.

Edited January 22, 2020 by SteamSewnEmpire

[ColletArrow]

43 minutes ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

Won't hit the track. Works even better if you're willing to modify the 2736s to make them shorter.

Alternative, slimmer suggestion: [heresy] cut the ball ends off to create a 1L axle with stop [/heresy] and replace the 1x6 link with a standard 1x6 half-liftarm between the crank and the 'stop'.

@Daedalus304's rigid-tube suggestion does sound interesting, since the clutch on the sockets of these cranks is pretty bad even when new. Make sure you get the right ones though, some variants have a slot rather than a hole. I had to hold my custom-1Ls in with blu-tack to get them to hold, doubling the heresy!

And can I just add what an unusual idea putting coupling rods on trailing wheels is in the first place, I don't think I've seen that before.

[M_slug357]

You could also modify a BBB spoked wheel with the outline of an offset pin hole. This way, no actual lego parts are modified...

Now that I think about it... you might even be able to attach a pin to one of the spokes of said BBB wheel...?

[HenrikLego]

Thanks for all these nice suggestions! Will test them out and come back with a reply once I have tested :)

[CaL]

Hi,

 

this is what I did years ago:  http://www.moc-pages.com/moc.php/42442