3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

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shild
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3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by shild »

Just received some 3 1/2" gauge Raritan castings, frame rails, pipe, drawbar, pilot beam and book that someone on here was ever so kind to give me! :D Thank you so much Matt, I REALLY appreciate this! Now I hope to entertain you with the build. Just got back from the hardware store looking for other pieces I need. I got myself some of the taps I need. Someone please give me a lesson about how many times I can use them before I should throw them away. There is a roundstock piece of cast iron in one of the pics, still trying to figure out what it's for? Also the square stock piece of cast iron to build the valves is a lot more than what it seems to need. Is this so you can screw up and still have more material?
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Engine, tender and riding car parts.
Engine, tender and riding car parts.
Engine and tender parts alone.
Engine and tender parts alone.
Don't want to take chances breaking taps in these expensive castings so got some new taps
Don't want to take chances breaking taps in these expensive castings so got some new taps
Confused about what the roundstock casting below the cylinders is for?
Confused about what the roundstock casting below the cylinders is for?
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LVRR2095
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by LVRR2095 »

Pistons
Marty_Knox
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Marty_Knox »

If you didn't get the book, I suggest you get a copy.
Mike Walsh
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Mike Walsh »

Shild,

I hope you kept the receipt for those taps. I would suggest returning those and buying quality taps off of McMaster Carr or Grainger or MSC. Irwin taps are cheap (read: fragile), and I have only bought one when I had a vehicle torn apart on a weekend and no supply houses were open, so I broke down and cringed very hard while using. It made it through for the one hole I need to tap.

It's hard to quantify the life of a tap. I think for your project, as long as you properly use your tap, it should last the life of your taps.

You'll want to buy the proper matching drill bits that are needed for tap/clearances.

Where are you located? Do you have machining equipment available for your use?
Mike Walsh
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Mike Walsh »

Marty_Knox wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:57 pm If you didn't get the book, I suggest you get a copy.
The book is pictured in the top of the first photo.
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NP317
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by NP317 »

Cast iron bar could also be for piston rings.
I turned mine from such material, following the Bill Morewood instructions in his book. (Or were they from Kozo Hiraoko??)
The instructions were so good that I used the same techniques to machine the valve rings for my piston-valve Mikado!

You are incredibly fortunate to be gifted that project!
I will enjoy watching your build!
RussN
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Bill Shields
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Bill Shields »

Build the tender first.

Mostly bar stock and sheetmetal that is generally cheap and easier to work with than castings.

You will learn a lot
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Mike Walsh wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 8:45 pm Shild,

I hope you kept the receipt for those taps. I would suggest returning those and buying quality taps off of McMaster Carr or Grainger or MSC. Irwin taps are cheap (read: fragile), and I have only bought one when I had a vehicle torn apart on a weekend and no supply houses were open, so I broke down and cringed very hard while using. It made it through for the one hole I need to tap.

It's hard to quantify the life of a tap. I think for your project, as long as you properly use your tap, it should last the life of your taps.

You'll want to buy the proper matching drill bits that are needed for tap/clearances.

Where are you located? Do you have machining equipment available for your use?

Read this again, Shild. Please, do NOT use hardware store taps. You will regret it. There is nothing more sickening than to spend hours and hours working on a casting and get down to the last hole to be tapped and break one off in the hole. And Murphy always makes the tap break off right at the surface so it's impossible to remove. As I wrote once before, do not buy cheap cutting tools. Buy only from the mainstream suppliers: McMaster Carr or MSC. Victor Machinery is also OK.

Get the gun taps, sometimes called spiral point taps, high speed steel, from McMaster. They are stronger than the standard three-flute. They do push the chip down into the hole but if you turn them just under a half turn at a time and pull them every couple of turns to remove the chips they work great. And with practice you'll discover when a tap starts to be hard to turn indicating it's life is over.

And as Bill said, build the tender first. Everyone advises this and most folks don't follow that advice, but there is a reason why, which we all discover after we've worked on the engine for a while and discovered things we should have done differently. Mistakes on the tender are less consequential than mistakes on the locomotive. And you'll gain experience that will be valuable for the loco.
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.
shild
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by shild »

Ok thanks for the replies guys. Thanks for setting me straight about the Irwin taps. All the taps I have that I can still read either say "Irwin" or "Hanson" on them. What store will have decent taps? I get the feeling "Lowes" won't. What about "Home Depot"? How about "Marathon tool"? Made a little bit of progress so far. Drilled the drawbars pin hole for the tender, then drilled and tapped a couple holes that fasten the floor to the drawbar and took a break to read what you guys said. I'll wait until I have better taps to use on these parts. So I should start with the tender first to warm up my skills? Alright. Maybe I should do the trucks first?
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IMG_0398.JPG
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Bill Shields
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Bill Shields »

MSC (Manhattan supply mscdirect.com) has a wide variety...however there is the temptation to purchase 'cheap imports'...and there is nothing more expensive than a cheap tap....especially as you get to the smaller sizes.

I get all my taps from F&D tools...all made in the USA from good steel...they sell on Amazon or from their www site direct. (fdtool.com)

Experience is to avoid taps from Asia...all parts of it...except Japan (OSG makes good taps).
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Marty_Knox
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Marty_Knox »

Mike Walsh wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 8:49 pm
Marty_Knox wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:57 pm If you didn't get the book, I suggest you get a copy.
The book is pictured in the top of the first photo.
I didn't recognize it. My copy has a color picture of Bill Morewood's Raritan on the cover.
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Bill Shields
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Re: 3/4" Raritan 2-4-0 build.

Post by Bill Shields »

@Marty:

that is the construction manual that Joe T provides. It is Very helpful...and IIRC includes Baker gear design.

@Shild

keep a log of what you do and how long it takes.
Make notes of what you learned / found difficult / tools you needed that you did not have.
An Excel spread sheet is my preferred way of keeping track.

You will be amazed at how much time you put into 'making parts' / making fixtures.

I am just 4 years into my current project with 700 hours on the main chassis (runs on air), 250 hours into the tender (ready to paint) & 130 hours into a hydrotested copper boiler. Don't ask about $$$

I am not as quick as Jack B (or artistic since I tend to 'build to run'), but I do have 99% of the necessary tools available to keep things moving..not my first loco...nor even my 6th....while a slow learner, i am dedicated to seeing a finished product.

nibble away @ it a few hours a week and things get done...just don't bite off more than you can chew.

and yes, I work a 50+ hour week and maintain a 100 acre working farm in my spare time.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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