A Real Dirty Job

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

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Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Pressing on, I first hand held and carefully roughed out the offset brake hanger outlines by band sawing followed by belt sanding. These parts become very trick to hold at this point so proceed carefully.

Followed this by my " favourite" rotary milling operation - end rounding both ends of a hanger down to its finished size of 1/4". Again, lots of concentration needed and take only light cuts with a sharp end mill.

To finish the centre I beam section, another simple holding fixture needs to be made as, due to the hanger offsets, one cannot simply clamp these parts directly in the vise as was done previously with the straight hangers.

To be continued.
Attachments
369 The Roughed Out Offset Brake Shoe Hangers after Bandsawing and Belt Sanding.jpg
370 End Rounding an End of an Offset Brake Hanger.jpg
371 After End Rounding.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

The final machining and assembly of the brake assemblies.

The first three photos show the simple holding fixture made and the fixture in use to machine the I beam centre sections of the offset brake hangers.

The final fitting of the offset brake hangers was a problem due to the hanger offset interfering with the swing of the brake shoes. It required filing a notch in each of the hangers as shown in the fourth photo to allow them to swing just as freely the original straight hangers did in the brake shoes. Nothing here was going to go down without a fight.

Finally, it all went together. Everything now is in alignment, is free to move and the entire brake assemblies work as designed and as shown on the Langworthy/Yankee Shop drawings.

It only took a mere ...!!!
Attachments
372 The Disassembled Offset Brake Hanger Holding Fixture.jpg
373 The Assembled Offset Brake Hanger Holding Fixture.jpg
374 Milling the Centre I Beam Section of an Offset Brake Hanger.jpg
375 The Finish Machined Offset Brake Hangers.jpg
376 The Final Fitted and Aligned Brake Assemblies.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Some newly machined brake linkages for the engine.

The lead truck reinstalled.

This locomotive has had the h..l run out of it. The locomotive is still very dirty and needs a good steam cleaning all over which it hasn't had yet.
Attachments
377 Some Newly Machined Brake Linkages.jpg
379 The Lead Truck Reinstalled on the Locomotive.jpg
380 The Dirty Side of the Engine.jpg
Pontiacguy1
Posts: 1566
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:15 am
Location: Tennessee, USA

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Those are the best ones... The ones that have had the crap run out of them, that is. At least they've been run and enjoyed by someone, doing what they were meant to do. A shelf-model or museum piece always seems a little bit sad to me for some reason.
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

The new brake linkages installed.
Attachments
381 The New Brake Linkages Installed.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

I went back to the 4 wheel trailing truck to make some additional items.

On the trailing truck rockers, the Langworthy drawings say nothing about the rocker bearing plate projections which are needed to constrain rocker movement.

I do have a book which shows this in a drawing but with no dimensions. As a result, I just sketched up some paper templates as per what was in the book. We will see if my eyeball engineering was any good when I try and put it all together.

To make the rocker bearing plate projections themselves was an exercise in band sawing followed by some heavy duty belt sanding to achieve the final projection contours.

I still have to grind down the projection plates to be a free fit in the 3/32" slots in the rockers themselves.
Attachments
382 Forming the Rocker Bearing Plate Projections.jpg
383 The Rocker Bearing Plate Projections After Forming.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

The rocker bearing plate projections set in the slots of the rockers.
Attachments
384 The Rocker Bearing Plate Projections Set in the Rocker Slots.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Starting work on the ashpan rebuild.

I must say that I am very impressed with the original builder (whoever he was) as he made an excellent job of it.

The construction is such that while everything is shoehorned in to just fit and yet, if you lay the locomotive on its side, one can remove the ashpan without having to touch the cradle.

To get the ashpan to fit, the original builder had to cut away part of the cradle side rails as everything was so tight here. See the first photo.

The ashpan itself is closer to the Josslin Hudson design than to the Langworthy. You can see that it has been well used in its lifetime and yet there is still a lot of life left in it so I have decided just to rebuild it and retain all of its positive features such as both of the ashpan side sheets have a top row of drilled holes which allow more under fire air (or primary air) to circulate more freely under and around the grates. Also, it does not have an ash hopper (which could be added as a two piece construction), its absence also allowing for a more free circulation of under fire air.

My limited Hudson driving experience in this gauge has told me that the more one restricts the free circulation of (primary) air around and under the grates, the harder it is to build and maintain a good fire in the firebox.

The ashpan is made from sheet steel sections welded together. The welding itself was rather lumpy so I gave it a good belt sanding cleanup to remove all of the welding lumps and bumps. I also separated the rear sloping sheet to make for an easier installation. See the second photo.

The last photo shows how everything is shoehorned in but it all will come out if needed. This is just good design/construction.
Attachments
385 The Cutout in the Cradle for the Ashpan Installation.jpg
386 The Original Ashpan after a Belt Sanding Cleanup.jpg
387 The Ashpan Set in Place.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Pushing on with the ash pan re-build in order to allow for easy removal.

Such a simple drilling operation (second photo) needing such a complicated holding setup with so many tools involved (I needed and used them all).

And if you think the last photo is simply a patch job, that is exactly what it is!
Attachments
388 Bending the Tabs.jpg
389 Drilling the Tabs and the Ashpan Rear Sheet.jpg
390 Setting the Rear Ashpan Sheet in Place .jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Finishing the ash pan re-build and re-installing it.

For the last two tab screw holes, the tabs and the ash pan side sheet were drilled and countersunk separately as I could not hold the parts all together without something shifting. The tab countersunk holes were drilled first in the milling machine and then a tab was set in place and spotted through with a drill on each ash pan side sheet. The 4-40 NC flat head cap screw clearance holes were hand drilled as there was no way to securely hold the three sided ash pan piece securely and to align the drill more or less square in two directions on the mill. I lost a small centre drill in the process as it broke through one ash pan side piece but was able to knock out the tip of the drill. Still fighting me all the way.

The first photo shows the re-built two piece ash pan set in place. The two free pieces of the ash pan were first set in position, then the joining tabs added and finally everything was tightened.

The obvious question is how on earth was I able to tighten the 4 ash pan tab flat head screws having a separate bolt and washer located on the underside of the ash pan after everything was set in position? There is hardly any room to get at anything and you can see nothing.

Well, it wasn't so difficult. There is a trick involved and no I didn't first soft solder anything - it is much easier than that. One of my secrets.

See the second photo for the only "tools " used.

First, one needs some sticky glue. Smear a bit of glue on your index finger and set a nut on the glue. On the up face of the nut smear a little more glue and add the washer. Then smear a little more glue on the up face of the washer. Wait until you can hold your finger sideways with neither the nut or washer falling off. The carefully insert your index finger inside the ash pan hopper opening. You can easily feel where a screw projects through and slip the assembly on to the end of the screw while tightening the screw with the other hand. With a little practice it all becomes easy.

I used the flashlight as an aid and if anything falls off inside the firebox, it is easily fished out with the long handle flexible magnet.
Attachments
391 The Two Piece Aspan Set in Place.jpg
392 The Only Tools Used to Locate and Tighten the Flat Head Cap Screw Nuts and Washers on the Inside of the Ashpan.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

Oh well, here I go again.

I am back to the 4 wheel trailing truck and I am going to make another new set of heart shaped rocker assemblies. The clever idea which I previously had turned out to be not so clever as it wasn't really bullet proof. If something is not truly that way, then I will change it until it is.

See the first photo of what now exists. The second photo is of what I now intend to build.

The Langworthy design has two rocker feet and is not positively held to its base block. The other design, seen in the first photo, has only a single foot and is pinned through into the base block. This, in my opinion, is the only practical design as the rockers cannot flip out if the rear end of the engine bounces around on rough track. However, to me, while it is very practical, it is ugly.

So, back to the Josslin design, seen in the second photo, which looks good and is practical. The only problem is the original dimensions given (in black) on his drawing are not enough to produce the required forms. However, Josslin left enough un-dimensioned construction lines such that all of the curve centres could be inferred so I was able to add the many missing dimensions seen in pencil.

These assemblies are not going to be the easiest to make due to their shape. In addition, many of the heart shaped rocker and base plate curve centres lay outside of the finished parts so one will have to start with oversize blanks and first layout, drill and ream them only to cut them away in the end.

It is just more work and frustration but that is what I seem to specialize in.
Attachments
393 The Existing Heart Shaped Rocker Assemblies.jpg
394 The Heart Shaped Rocker Assembly Now to Be Constructed.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: A Real Dirty Job

Post by Carrdo »

The base blocks machining. I used my favourite hot rolled steel stock for these parts.

After squaring the base block oversize blanks and laying out the base block external contours using a height gauge, machinist's dividers and a plastic drafting circle, the 3/16" wide by 3/8" deep base block slots were first machined.

I always cut a slot (if producing it with an end mill) by first employing an undersize sharp end mill to remove most of the material and then finishing the slot on size with a new end mill.

This was followed by band sawing and belt sanding to form the large radius curved part on the base block.

The smaller radius on the block was made by band sawing and plunge milling with a new 1/2" diameter end mill as seen in the first photo. When plunge milling, employ a sharp cutter, take small incremental cuts and ensure the part is well clamped so that it will not move due to any cutting action. Also, use a spacer in the slot as seen in the second photo to prevent the vise clamping pressure from closing or distorting the slot.
Attachments
395 Plunge Milling a Base Block Contour.jpg
396 The Partly Machined Base Blocks.jpg
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