Brief History
Following the success of our Trojan range it was soon realised that the four motors had ample power to spare and it was only adhesion to the rails, which limited the power output.  There were two options available for transferring more power to the rails -

1. More Weight
2. More wheels

Option 1 was ruled out as more weight on just a pair of axles would affect handling, increased wear on components and possibly lead to track damage.

Option 2 was the preferred option. Plans for an 0-6-0 were drawn up but the required  longer wheelbase would have exclude it from
running on our track.

By opting for a bogie design more of this surplus power could be transferred to the rails. The short wheelbase of each bogie also had the added advantage of allowing the Hercules to easily cruise around tight corners, which are often found in garden railways. The only possible down side was the gamble of had we gone too far and produced a loco which would draw too much on the motors and lead to the motors overheating.

The Trojan incorporates motor mounts, which are held in the vertical position on the chassis. With bogies we had to set about designing whole new mounts to allow the wheel sets to move and provide suspension. The unique design we came up with incorporates a system where the motors are part suspended by a 5mm pin under the bogie cross bar. In using this design the un-sprung weight of the motors is greatly reduced to less than half the weight of the motor. The design also facilitates easy removal of the wheel sets and motors should you ever need to replace parts.

Early January 04 saw the completion of Hercules No.1. Running without cranks it soon became clear on early tests that the power output was far better than the Trojan. It also highlighted the smooth running of the loco which glided around our track. Initial running and loading appeared to have no effect on the heating of the motors.

Some of our early testing included -

• 1 in 10 incline - two adults from standing start on steel rail
• 1 in 20 incline six-foot radius - two adults from standing start.
• 9 adults on five coaches around a club track including a 1in 40 standing start

Confident that the power aspect was a big selling point we built a display ramp of 1 in 10 and took No. 1 to the Harrogate show. The ramp was made from angle iron, which has less grip than rail section, but it still made quite an impact. One gentleman suggested that his 18 stone would be too much for the engine. After a slippery start it pulled the gentleman up with
little effort. The Hercules is not based on any locomotive in particular but rather a hybrid of the Trojan loco. Its main function is to be able to house two standard sized car batteries (which provide enough power for a good days
running) under the bonnets. 

While I have been told Hercules looks like specific locos, this is more by chance than design. The bonnet, cab profile, doors and front grill are from the Trojan, the roof from the industrial cab meaning that the body work only has three new parts.

The bogies incorporate similar running gear to the Trojan  and in fact share the same wheel sets, axle boxes, springs, axle box guides and bearings.

Design amendments from prototype

* Removal of ROR logo from bogie cross frame - hidden by motors
* Cross bar thinned to stop clashing with motor bush hubs
* Large holes in deck over bogie bolts to allow acces and room to bouble lock the bogies
* Holes for mounting 4qd control board
* Supply of vertical dashboard plate
* Battery tray end plates ready cut