90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

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Asteamhead
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Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Russ,
Very nice little parts! Your method of fixing small parts :) is just what I recommended, if I read your pre-last post in time.
Very often I'm using a simple clamp made of a small stripe of stainless steel. Works fine due to stainless material mostly won't stick and withstands red hot heat.
Carry on!
Asteamhead
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NP317
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Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by NP317 »

Asteamhead:
Thank you. Compliments from you are held in high regard!

Holding parts for silver brazing and soldering can sometimes be a challenge. But such efforts usually result in superior results!
I learn for you and other craftspeople on this web board.
And from Kozo Hiraoko...
Anyone beginning is this incredible "hobby" should study Kozo's books on fabricating locomotives. Priceless.
I own and have studied every one of his books.

Paint is now drying on the sand delivery pipes for my Mikado.
When they are installed I will provide "final' photos of this detail project.
I wish they were more "perfect" but the results still please me. Better than no sander valves. "Revision 1."

Still to do will be replicating the small air delivery plumbing to those valves.
Fortunately I have incredible detailed photos of Polson #90 during 1926 delivery steam up tests in Tacoma, Washington, USA,
including a rare top view from the local sanding tower. That Northern Pacific RR Facility is - unfortunately - long gone.
Like so many other things.
RussN
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Greg_Lewis »

NP317 wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 8:30 pm ...
including a rare top view from the local sanding tower.
...

Lucky you are. It seems that 99.9 percent of all locomotive photos are ground level, with most being 3/4 front views. Annoying for those of us who need to see detail. Once when I was taking photos of an engine in a museum I needed to see the top of the engine so I used a photojournalist's trick of putting the camera on a monopod, and then holding it overhead at arm's length, using the self timer to fire the shutter. You do have to shoot a bunch of frames as obviously you can't aim the camera well, but you can get the image.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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NP317
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by NP317 »

1926 #90 top.jpg
Pic above is seriously decreased in size.
The original .tif file is huge and can be zoomed in to see individual rivets and bolts!
RussN
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Oooh. Rare for sure. Thanks to those early photographers who used large format (by today's standards) negs. I've got a couple of ground-level shots of my prototype that were certainly on 4x5 as I can also zoom in and almost see the fingerprints. A good pro-level digital camera today can almost get there.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Asteamhead
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Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Russ and Greg,
You're absolutely right regarding standard photos! To me this seems to be the standard all over the USA.
For detaling my class A, the only way getting detailed photos from aside , backwards, above, inside the cab and all those deatails was to
take such photos by my self or by friends of mine visiting Roanoke (some examples attached).
Absolute different here in Europe, yet. Maybe free access to the engines was and still is much easier here ("Don't trespas - private property" :? ).
Maybe, deeper technical interest and two decades (one generation!) longer revenue life of several steam engines into the 70s :D made the difference, too.
But when studying some standard books as "Alleghany H8", you will find every information and photos from any angle, too!
And not to forget the NWHS archive which helped with lots of drawings - thanks again :!: !

Perhaps the younger photografhers will read this and start to fill the gap after all?

Best regards
Astamhead
Attachments
A 1218 power reverse
A 1218 power reverse
A 1218 turret on top of boiler
A 1218 turret on top of boiler
A 1218 cab, stoker engine and cold water pump
A 1218 cab, stoker engine and cold water pump
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NP317
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Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by NP317 »

Well Gang. Here's the last report on finishing the sander valves (and everything else) for my Mikado!
You can all breath a sigh of relief now.

I got the sand delivery pipes fabricated and installed. Then made the air supply piping to the valves.
I modelled a later incarnation of the air line where they leave the cab under the jacketing, appearing in front of the sand domes.
The as-built-new piping was totally external and bracketed above the handrails! You can see these in the previously posted overhead delivery photo.
Very easy to damage. And that apparently happened because Polson Logging Photos of #90 show the under-the-jacket alteration,
not long after the locomotive went into service.
Here are some photos of the final model results:
Sander Feed Lines 1 sml.jpg
Sander Feed Lines 2 sml.jpg
Sander Feed Lines 3 sml.jpg
Sander Feed Lines 4 sml.jpg
And lastly, here are the two books that assisted this project endlessly:
Source 1 sml.jpg
Source 2 sml.jpg

I have many people to thank for inspiration and assistance. So Thank You!
I wish my abilities were equal to Jack Bodernmann's modeling skills (and many others here), but this is the best I could do with my brain wiring.

And one of our Live Steam colleagues here is presently working on CAD files for these sander valves.
My wish is to have someone here turn those into castings or 3D prints so others can similarly detail their locomotives. Jack B?
Now I am anxious to get this locomotive onto rails and steam it! Just as you are all similarly impatient!
Good Steaming to all,
RussN
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NP317
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by NP317 »

And FINALLY...
The entire collection of patterns, plans, molds and remaining casting for these 90-ton Mikados appears to still be for sale: "$21,500 or best offer."
http://www.livesteam.com/discounted_par ... terns.html

'Sure would be nice if an interested party could capture this entire set and keep it alive.
I have zero financial interests in this, or with the owner.
I'd just like to have other 90-ton Mikados to quadruple-head with...
RussN
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NP317
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by NP317 »

June 2021.
Finally!
EE052D75-75C7-4333-9899-2BF70CE65842.jpeg
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Looks terrific, Russ. Congrats.

And old-timer once said that the only folks who can really appreciate a finished steamer are those who have built one. Only builders can know what it takes to get to this point. So those of us who are on a similar path can look at this, truly appreciate the art and skill and beauty behind it, and draw inspiration from it. Well done!
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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Steamer Al
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Location: Comox, BC

Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Steamer Al »

Beautiful!!
Berkman
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Re: 90-Ton 2-8-2 Build, 1.5"/ft. Scale, 7.5" Gauge

Post by Berkman »

Amazing!! Where did you get the builders plate on the air compressor?

What's the next project? - an NP 4-8-4...?...
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