O-16.5 China Coal CTY8/7 battery locomotive for Hornby chassis by Nyeti

Last crawled date: 3 years, 4 months ago

A battery electric mine locomotive for O-16.5 (7mm scale narrow gauge) using the standard Hornby chassis.
Prototype
The prototype for this model is the China Coal CTY(L)8, a family of 8-ton battery electrics built to 600mm, 2'6", and 900mm gauge for mining and tunnelling. All variants are very similar but where they differ I've based the design on the CTY8/7, the 2'6" flameproof type.
It's typical of modern industrial locomotives built for underground and similarly restrictive environments, with a minimum curve radius of 7m and a very small loading gauge at less than 1.7m above the rail. Power output is 44kW (100hp) and top speed is 20km/h (12mph).
Model
The CTY8/7 and similar locomotives are not often modelled but would be well suited to a modern image O-16.5 layout such as a mine, construction site, or industrial heritage line.
The frame will clip straight onto the standard Hornby 0-4-0 chassis without modification (and unclip for maintenance or a body swap). I've made some minor alterations to the dimensions to accommodate this; for instance the wheelbase is slightly over scale.
Some other dimensions are estimates taken from photos of the prototype, as I don't have access to full drawings.
Be warned that due to the very small size of the locomotive the driver might need some "surgery" to fit!
As it stands the model is fairly straightforward but will require detailing and possibly some fettling. I hope to continue improving the design without compromising ease of use.