Tenshodo T-Evolution Motorized Truck Review - Affordable successor to SPUD
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- Опубликовано: 14 ноя 2023
- Tenshodo is still making motorized trucks for HO gauge track, and not only do they now have coreless motors, but they're extremely affordable! And using it to power a model such as the Plum KiHa 20 diesel rail passenger car, you'll get a fantastically smooth and quiet runner!
I ordered these from Hobby Search (1999.co.jp), but you can also get the T-Evolution trucks direct from Tenshodo and possibly other stores. HS is easy though since they have an English website and lots of international shipping options.
(Tenshodo logo in the thumbnail of course belongs to Tenshodo) 
Хобби
A fantastic solution for quite a few smaller loco kitbash projects!
Due to the poor performance of those 15:1 gear reduxtion not my choice .
The weights up top make it look like it will tip over.
I own a couple of tenshodo brass models and I can't stop singing their praises on how detailed tey are even the ones built 60 plus years ago. They have always run smoothly for me and are easy to maintain.
Gotta leave it to a jewelry company to make some of the best model trains!
The weights on top aren't quite enough to cause any instability, so it's a good and smooth runner. I just need to get some more flexible wiring so that it won't struggle around curves anymore!
Super. I used a Bachmann six wheel drive truck on my fantasy "Doodlebug" motorized heavyweight passenger car when I built it decades ago because it was the only self contained, completely enclosed, all wheel gear drive and electrical pickup SIX WHEEL truck available to me, and affordable at the time. I knew about Spuds, but most everything that I saw was two or four wheel drive, not six, or had an external motor, or exposed gearing, or a design requiring constant replacement of drive bands or other maintenance. (I have one band drive Athearn left in operation.) The three pole pancake motor concerned me, but decades later, it is still in operation on my railroad, being one of only two locomotives left on my railroad that have or had three pole motor drive, are in operation, and are not roundhouse queens, dummies, or scenery. Having all twelve wheels pick up electricity makes it quite dependable, and a lot smoother, operating fine even in the snow or rain storms. I just recently burned up both motors in my old school Bachmann 44 tonner, giving me at least a future quest for two new 25 (?) year old motors. While looking for new motors for it, it is floating around my layout as a dummy locomotive, and I was wondering if any other model railroad on earth has an unpowered GE 44 Tonner dummy diesel? I may have to check out new Spud drive trucks for my GE locomotive, and if they have two short six wheel drive trucks that fit my 44 tonner, that might make for an interesting locomotive kitbash. Good video. Hello from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.
I can't find a Tenshodo truck quite small enough for the 44-Tonner, but this power/dummy truck set from Aru might do the trick: www.ebay.com/itm/176094078455
The wheelsbase is about 1mm undersized and it's probably a fast runner with the low profile assembly and tiny motor, but their power trucks are well engineered and extremely smooth running. I think they made the power unit for my Cosmic Deki 3 switcher.
Awesome. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. About a hundred years ago, give or take, when ABB's X2000 was touring North America I bought an unpowered HO model offered by the PR team. They also offered a power refit kit. Turned out to be two motorized trucks which may have been the Tenshodo spuds. Anyway, thank you for the memories.
It’s certainly possible! The unpowered model manufacturers will usually source powering kits from others, and the Tenshodo trucks have always been well regarded.
Nice to see these bogies are still about, i have one of these bogies (not sure which one its called i know it has all brass gears) to power my Silver Fox J70 tram kit, it does cog a big which is a nuisance when i try to run it with load but its not terrible
It’s probably an older one with the open frame motor design. The coreless motor in these new ones makes a real difference!
@@DarthSantaFelots of power in coreless motors . Really impressive
Thank you so much, Darth Santa Fe!
(Being retired, I am now repowering 50 year old Subway and elevated cars, in HO scale.
Over the last two years I've been using old bachmann pancake motors, from their old Bachmann, HO scale Brill trolleys, ( I bought 14, in the 1990s), to try to motorize Elevated cars, back then.
Only now, faced with the task, of converting these pancake motors, painfully, into DCC, that was done over the last year).
These days, motorized units by themselves tend to be too expensive.
Thank you so much dark Santa Fe, for this very informative video, as well as your past videos!
this is sick! Gotta get meself one for my critters
Great review!! I may end up having to pick one of these up, even with the high speed, I may end up trying my hand at a custom Plymouth! (I've been wondering if a Plymouth ML-6 switcher would have been possible, and this seems it could be a very good power system!) That is, as long as I don't run it at 12 volts!! 😅
Ahh, did not know the things were still around.
There around 2:45 talking about the motor fit, it looked like bottom plate which was removed and set aside a couple moments earlier may have 2 retaining tabs for the motor to block that fore and aft movement.
The motor is still able to shift a little with the cover on, but it’s not enough to cause any issues as far as I can tell.
As well as HO scale standard gauge projects this little thing could have uses in the On30 and Gn15 scale/gauge combinations, especially with some of the tiny little estate tram locomotives commonly modeled in Gn15.
Aint that awesome. Could have a dozen of those on hand👍👍🙋
The T-evolution have since gone out of stock, I wonder if they will go in and out of stock based on supply. A few on the website are labeled as "terminated", although the translation feature is prone to drama over accuracy sometimes.
I am only familiar with the older "Spud" with the open frame, it seems like this version is a little smoother, but the higher gear ratio is still evident.
It works very nicely in the Japanese self powered car, which is what it is really made for. That kit is absolutely beautiful- a testament to Japanese engineering with all those parts trees and finely molded detail - I have never seen an unpowered power-truck rendered in such detail. - space in the roof to hide the weight... because there is no space with all of the accurate underbody detail... amazing.
They seem to come through in batches, and there are some older versions listed on the website which have been discontinued and replaced by newer ones. Products that will be restocked usually have the option to backorder.
The kits coming from Japan really are some of the most intricately designed I've seen! The parts always fit great too, so they really know how to engineer them. The quality of this kit is easily on par with the American diesels from Kato.
I remember assembling some Kato 70 ton cement hoppers around 15 years ago and realizing there was something very different. The same went for a Tamiya kit I assembled before that.@@DarthSantaFe
I'll have to keep this in mind - I have a couple resin kits from Island Modelworks of South Shore passenger cars / EMU's, to replicate either the first train I ever rode (the best i can remember over 3 decades later) or the ones I took to get to college. Something like this could power one or both of them pretty well.
Actually, since they all would've been built by Nippon-Sharyo, I wonder if there aren't Japanese models that might be close enough to kitbash...
Bet there's a resin kit out their for those emu's
I'm not sure which is more impressive, the performance or the price. I purchased a NWSL spud for a Athearn Hustler and it cost a small fortune.
NWSL does give you more wheel and wheelbase options though, as well as more torque and other quality features. They’re definitely expensive, but at least you get what you pay for.
Looks like a godsend for all kinds of fun projects. Almost makes me want to buy one just to design my own little 0-4-0 industrial switcher body.
Groovy!
That's pretty neat!
As always great video and presentation Sir! I do have a question for Sir! I have a few engines that need some TLC that dont run was wondering how and if i could have you do your magic? Willing to pay for your expertise and the shipping. Thanks for your time looking forward to hear back from you! Thanks. Eric
Thanks! You can contact me at darthsantafe@gmail.com and we can work out the details.
How long is the wheelbase on the bogie? If it’s short enough then I reckon motorising the Dapol (formerly Rosebud) 0-4-0T “Pug” would be doable
This one has a 26mm wheelbase. They also have 24.5, 27.5 and 31mm options available with 10.5 or 11.5mm wheel diameters (solid or spoked).
Nice model. Tenshodo trucks are still available in Europe but you pay 2 to 3 times what you paid... Would you mind sharing the name of your supplier in Japan?
I get them from Hobby Search (1999.co.jp).
Many thanks!@@DarthSantaFe
Looks like my Hustler won't hustle anymore, assuming that they have a truck that'll fit properly
The longest wheelbase for these is 31mm, so they don't have one to fit the Athearn Hustler properly.
Very nice, but why are they making the model in bastard scale like 1/80? Not Ho, OO, or even TT!
Apparently it had something to do with trying to match Japan’s 3’6” gauge track, and then it became common enough over there that most of Japan’s HO is made to 1/80 scale.
How well do you think these could be used to re-power old brass Suydam interurbans? Do they have enough power to do a good job?
I think they would do well for that! I’d say these are more than powerful enough to work well, especially if you get a pair of them.
Is there a link where I can purchase these?
Here you go! www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10964223
What's the wheelbase on this item? I'm wondering if it could be adapted somehow to an old Athearn Hustler, though it seems it would still be way too fast.
They make it with a lot of different wheelbases, but they’re not going to be quite long enough for the Hustler. I’ve heard it’s possible to modify an SD40 truck to fit.
@@DarthSantaFe Understood. I may be better off just going with a motor like elite194 did.
@@whiteknightcat I went all-out a few years back on my Athearn Hustler: ruclips.net/video/D-svMRLSiEs/видео.html
Turned out pretty good!
Are the tracks isolated from each other?
Both loops on my layout are wired together.
Are those holes, vents?
I’m pretty sure they’re for wiring. They’re too small to be vents for cooling.
How much was the unit with shipping fees?
I bought this in the same order as the kit, so the shipping cost was about $35 because of the large box. Small packages I've ordered using DHL air services have been closer to $20, and there's also a tax of about 10% on each item, so you'd probably end up spending just under $50 ordering only one. Of course, getting multiple units will make the shipping value a lot better.
@@DarthSantaFe thanks for the info, this will come in handy for a wooden PE 1000 series interurban that I purchased recently
Do you sell rebuilt locomotives. If so where can I reach you
I do occasionally. Anything I'm selling will appear in "Darth's Train Shop" videos.
@@DarthSantaFe thanks
I’m building mine and lumber lines so Heister, climax, or shay
Damn 👍 I have a question for you
What’s the question?
@@DarthSantaFe do you have a motor mount for a bowser challenger and the original motor for it as well
@@jamessnyder3052 No, sorry, I don't have those. :( I think the original motor mount was cast directly into the rear frame, so if that's missing, you might actually have to find a different way of mounting the motor.
@@DarthSantaFe ok thank you
Outstanding!!! This is exactly what i was looking for! 🫵💯👍✌️