1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Moderator: Harold_V
1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Hello all,
You might remember me from the build thread "Restoring an Allen 2-4-0 barn find." After spending the better part of a year running the heck out of that little thing, I starting craving another project, this time something a bit more prototypical. This impressively machined Atlantic project came up for sale on DLS for a good price, and growing up next to the SP Porterville subdivision tracks, I jumped at the chance to model something familiar to my home town. My buddy and I made the 6 hour drive up to San Jose where we met the wonderfully hospitable retired machinist who showed us the locomotive. I made an offer, he accepted and I brought it home.
That was the end of 2019. Will post photos shortly of progress over the last year or so.
You might remember me from the build thread "Restoring an Allen 2-4-0 barn find." After spending the better part of a year running the heck out of that little thing, I starting craving another project, this time something a bit more prototypical. This impressively machined Atlantic project came up for sale on DLS for a good price, and growing up next to the SP Porterville subdivision tracks, I jumped at the chance to model something familiar to my home town. My buddy and I made the 6 hour drive up to San Jose where we met the wonderfully hospitable retired machinist who showed us the locomotive. I made an offer, he accepted and I brought it home.
That was the end of 2019. Will post photos shortly of progress over the last year or so.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
very cool, look forward to seeing the progress!
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Disassembly began in January 2020. I tried my best to document and label each part (clearly didn't do a good enough job at this in hindsight but more on that later) while stripping the locomotive down to the frame, saddle and cylinders.
Some wire wheel time to clean up rust and mill scale before a few coats of Eastwood's epoxy based chassis paint.
Making quick work of gasket cutting with David Lazarus' handy laser cutter.
While the frame was lightweight and somewhat easy to flip upside down, I began work on the cylinder jacketing and drain plumbing.
Test fit of the new gaskets.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Looks like a fully water jet frame, don't see many LE 4-4-2s with a solid frame like that.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Thats part of what drew me to this project. There were a lot of improvements over the standard LE model including many machined parts instead of castings.
Turning new aluminum cylinder covers Covers will be sent off to be nickel plated along with the rods and valve gear.
- JBodenmann
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
- Location: Tehachapi, California
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Hello My Friends
These Atlantic's are great engines. Looking forward to watching your progress.
Jack
These Atlantic's are great engines. Looking forward to watching your progress.
Jack
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Here's a sweet little trick I learned from my friend David Lazarus. LE heart rockers tend to over extend after derailments and fall over, so we silver soldered ours in place. Then we cut a notch in the top for a ball bearing. Smooth sailing.
I pulled out a scale to weigh the weight built into the frame by the previous owner. 110 lbs. I have a feeling this Atlantic will have some traction.
The odds and ends to be nickel plated arrives back looking all pretty. I contemplate for a while whether or not I should have media blasted the cylinder covers. Oh well, the show must go on.
Another paint session with that nice Eastwood paint
Assembly! Only took me about twelve evenings in a row to figure out where all the little pins are supposed to go.
I pulled out a scale to weigh the weight built into the frame by the previous owner. 110 lbs. I have a feeling this Atlantic will have some traction.
The odds and ends to be nickel plated arrives back looking all pretty. I contemplate for a while whether or not I should have media blasted the cylinder covers. Oh well, the show must go on.
Another paint session with that nice Eastwood paint
Assembly! Only took me about twelve evenings in a row to figure out where all the little pins are supposed to go.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
As cool as the original smokebox front was, I felt the need to 'ESPEE-ify' it a bit to better match an A6.
Weld up the old holes and pray you don't have to drill and tap through many welds. (The DRO hole pattern feature on this mill was so handy)
The makeover involved removing the outer door hinges, adding an outer bolt hole pattern and new smokebox dogs. It was a compromise to essentially improve on what I had available, and while I'm happy with the end result, I may end up redesigning the front in the future.Weld up the old holes and pray you don't have to drill and tap through many welds. (The DRO hole pattern feature on this mill was so handy)
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Then after several hours of trimming and test fitting the pipes, I summoned all the bravery I could muster to cut notches into the base for the dummy roundhouse valves. The flange fittings came from Eccentric Engineer. The center is 3/8 cold rolled I drilled and tapped for 3/16 MTP. I've temporarily attached PM Research 3/16 valves, but they look a little large so I might swap out for the Brian Keim's dummy valves at some point.
I silver soldered the flanges to the branch pipes, then filled in the gaps with JB weld to reinforce. The base of the 3/8" rod that slips into the flange was filed at an angle, so if a viewer's eyeline was at the same height as the top of the cylinders, the 'pipe' looks like it comes right out of the cylinders.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Did you use a propane torch to silver solder that or go full oxy acetylene?
Would love to see some detailed photos of how the weights sit down between the frame.
Would love to see some detailed photos of how the weights sit down between the frame.
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Just propane. Took a bit of time to heat up, but it worked.
The weights are a bit tricky to photograph now but they're all designed to be removed from below the locomotive with 3/8" countersunk holes in an offset pattern. There are 6 layers of weights with the first 3 layers separated into a front and rear group to accommodate the driver axle. The two long weights sit at the bottom of the frame. A top plate sits above the frame where all the weights are anchored into.
- JBodenmann
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
- Location: Tehachapi, California
Re: 1.5" SP A6 Atlantic
Hello My Friends
Lookin' Good!
Jack
Lookin' Good!
Jack