I have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed at first; the online catalog clarified all of my confusion. The catalog not only gives the dimensions of the various gear boxes, it explains the ins and outs of selecting gear sizes, and gearbox styles. It is an essential companion to the online store. [One note, if you land in the online store and press "home", you get to the store home page. The catalog with the reference material is on the NWSL.com page. The catalog is the essential reference.]
With this information I was able to make decisions and diagram my drive system:
My first draft included a flywheel. If I were to continue with this design I would tilt the gearbox so as to have a straight drive-line. Given my inexperience, I contacted NWSL and e-mailed them the above drawing. After receiving some advice from them, I decided to drop the flywheel, and straighten the drive out. I like the straight drive-line better, and it gives me more room for weight. It will also make my fabrication job a lot easier, as everything will be 90 degrees.
I should also take a minute to thank the folks at Slater's Plastikard for their help as well. David Smith, who did the drawings of the locomotive that I am working from, was very helpful regarding the wheels. I've put links to Slater's Plastikard and NWSL in the links section on the side of this page. Good people, good companies: a big part of what makes this hobby so enjoyable.
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