My N&W class A 1239 (gauge 5", 1 in 10 scale)

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Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

A with Timken running gear

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello,
When I visited the Railfan.net Forums - N&W 2-6-6-4 by D. Herring, I felt inspired to post some pictures of my A under construction, too. Not as big for it's just of about 1.2 scale but not too far behind regarding state of work this topic may be of interest for you modelers. Look, US locomotives come into interest more and more in Europe for most of the well known european prototypes have been modeled already. And the US prototypes were so much taller and stronger then ours. The latter had been limited by axle loads to a flat 40.000 and a total weight of 120 tons typical. We missed stokers and engine beds by GSC (with just some exceptions).
Thus I started my A to built this last word of modern 'Super Power' steam engines. The protoype did the work of almost 3 (!) of our standard freight class 44, which is well know having fought the Diesels till 1977.
Some photos of parts and assembling will be added to this topic now and then.
Asteamhead
Attachments
A Fahrwerk front 6.jpg
A Rahmen rear vor ZSB 3.JPG
A Dortmund 2012 6.jpg
WJH
Posts: 1417
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Florida

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by WJH »

Amazing work!
JKreider
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:38 pm
Location: Redlands, CA

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by JKreider »

Beautiful work!

What is the arrangement you have where the front and intermediate drivers meet the axles?

Thanks.

Jim Kreider
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Jim,
Thanks for your interest! There will be added 2 photos showing details. Soure of those conical couplings was
http://www.maedler.de, type BAR 615419 (more conveniant would have been 615420 fitting to the straight shaft of diameter 20 mm). Cost was about 30 Euro.
http://www.maedler.de/Category/1643/1621.aspx
There are more of similar devices used for robotics other servo drives in various applications. But this model is not too expensive and is short enough to be hidden in the wheel (with cover).
Advantages in regard to keys are:
- you can use a simple straight shaft of standard dimensions
- they will center automatically
- once you have (the main) axle quartered you put on the rods and quarter the remaining axles by simply turning the wheels on a plain rail up you have them quartered, too. Then fix srews, check again and then fix them as hard as allowed. In case you want them get loose again, please unlock the srews and use two of them to press the conical parts apart
- bearings on the axle remain attainable for eventually maintainance in case using straight axles
- rated tourqe is extremely high to ensure wheels won't loose their precise position
- you need just one per axle (on one side only), the other side may be shrinked on like usual.
I will take some photos of wheels, axles and conical devices later on.
Best regards Asteamhead
Attachments
A 2nd axle fixed by conical device.jpg
A Disassambling  Timken 7.jpg
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Chris Hollands
Posts: 546
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:38 am
Location: Vancouver ,Canada

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Chris Hollands »

Pretty amazing to see ,fantastic workmanship ,very interesting using taper loc's to hold the wheel thats a great idea and easy to adjust as you say
Chris
kapullen
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Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:30 pm
Contact:

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by kapullen »

Those conical couplings is a great idea.
I became familiar with them in the eighties
used in cardboard box machinery.

We bored/turned hundreds/thousands of
parts for their installation.

The required hole/ shaft tolerances are looser than
those required for press fits, being in the couple thou
range.

Beautiful work!

Kap
Fadal Turn, Fadal Vmc 15, Prototrak 16 x 30 Cnc Lathe, Pratt and Whitney 16 x 54 lathe, Pratt and Whitney Vertical Shaper, G & E 16" Shaper, B & O Electric turret lathe, 36" Doall band saw,
Enco B.P. Clone, Bridgeport CNC Mill, Delta 12" Surface Grinder.
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Asteamhead »

To kapullen:
Thanks for your recognition and comment! For I was using those conical elements during my work as an engeneer in the servo industy for years, use for hobby purposes was mandatory, too. But just a minority of modelers could be convinced to trust those elements in spite of their obvous advantages. With the A project came the idea to use them just at one side of axles no. 1 and 2 due to simplify the construction. Thus one can use standard round material for all axles! For the axles you may use standard ball bearings housed in boxes similar to the prototype. The bearings can easily be preloaded axially by (spring-)washers. In case wheels are a bit too small (width), the elements may be shifted a few mm towards the inner side of the wheels with no risk.
By the way that Y6b of my friend "steamchris" was equipped the same. Once it withstood an unwanted check by carrying over a lot of water - with no harm!
Asteamhead
Attachments
A Achskörper, teilbar.jpg
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Asteamhead »

More details how wheels, axle, bearings were assembled by means of a conical device. The additional washers between wheels and bearings seem to be essential in my experiance. They are made from (surplus) ball bearings by means of a handheld grinder tool. It is fixed on the support of the lathe as to be seen in the third photo. Grease can be refilled easily by a thread / bore in the middle of the axle box. Surplus grease (and dirt!) will be pressed through those washers to the outside.
Asteamhead
Attachments
A Achse 2, 4 vor ZSB.JPG
A Rad 1, 4 mit Lager und Dichtring.JPG
A Bearbeiten der Distanzringe.JPG
kvom
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Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:38 am
Location: Cumming, GA

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by kvom »

Not having heard of these before, I googled and found this demonstration of how they work:

WJH
Posts: 1417
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Florida

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by WJH »

Nice to see some newer engineering idea's being utilized in our live steam hobby.
Andypullen
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2003 8:17 am
Location: Bel Air, MD

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Andypullen »

I've used those couplings in industrial repairs many times. They work great! I never even thought of them for driver axles..What a good idea.

Your A is a work of art. The frame looks like the cast steel ones the full sized As had. Very nice!

It's inspiration for me....

Andy Pullen
Clausing 10x24, Sheldon 12" shaper, ProtoTrak AGE-2 control cnc on a BP clone, Reed Prentice 14" x 30", Sanford MG 610 surface grinder, Kalamazoo 610 bandsaw, Hardinge HSL speed lathe, Hardinge HC chucker, Kearney and Trecker #2K plain horizontal mill, Haas TL-1 lathe.
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: A with Timken running gear

Post by Asteamhead »

Andy, you got it, thank you! It has been intended strongly to achieve an overall look of the frames similar to those unique locomotive beds made by GSC. What I learned on the way was how simple and precise that laser cuting worked out once the construction work was done. Almost no finishing work necessary for all measures were within +/- 0.1 mm! This was fundamental for having 100 % roller (ball-) bearings on axles and at the Timken running gear. In case you wonder why it's made of stainless steel - I just like that. Another aspect is to reduce tolerances when temperatures changes, for the Timken gear would made of stainless steel anyway.
Asteamhead
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