Coles Worthington Model Steam Pump

[Grant J]

I acquired a set of castings some of which have been partially machined. Is there anyone out there who has built one of these. I would like to ask some questions about the build, as the drawings are not terrific.

[NP317]

Grant:
I am presently (between other projects) machining and building that very same set of castings.
I am willing to answer any questions I can.
RussN

[Grant J]

Russ,
Thanks for replying. The picture of your parts does answer some of my questions. The water side pistons detailed consist of neoprene U cups. Were these in your kit? I have been looking around to source these and cannot seem to find them. Any ideas?

[NP317]

Morning, Grant.
I ordered Buna-N cups fro McMaster Carr.

https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/126/3738

They are different than the original specified cups (which I also could not locate) and require machining the pistons differently, per the slot specifications provided.
I have not done that yet. They might be problematic - or not. Adventures in machining.
RussN

[Grant J]

Regarding the steam chest, did you drill the two 3/16" holes for the bushings right thru into the steam chest or did you part drill them and counterbore?
Also the guy who started my build chose to change the spacing of these two bushings and hence the spacing for all the ports on the body to 9/16" rather than the 1/2" as indicated on the drawing. Do you have any idea why he would have done this? Did you incur any issues with this?
I did not get the steam chest casting with the set so will have to fabricate that one. It looks like the easiest one in the set to do so!
Sure is a lot of passages, so I sure want to be careful drilling. McMaster Carr will not ship to Canada unless I go thru a bunch of hoops and hurdles, but at least with your picture I can find something close from the suppliers we have. Thanks again Russ

[Grant J]

I noticed that you sent some responses to the guy building that Disney American. I chimed in a few times too, as I am working on a 4-4-0, but mine will not be to the quality level that that one was. Are you building any locos right now?

[NP317]

Grant:
I just this year completed a long build of a 90-ton Baldwin logging 2-8-2. You can read about the latter half of that project here:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=106308

And I just finished the restoration of a 1965-vintage 17-foot wooden hull steam launch with a Cliff Blackstaffe/Eric(?) Wood steeple compound power plant.
Those two gents were partly responsible for the 1960s Pacific Northwest US burst of marine steamboat revival. They lived in Victoria, BC.
The boat has been in the Columbia River (at Hood River) for just three tests so far. Quite successful.
With colder weather arriving here I have her tucked away for the winter.

Presently I am machining parts for a friend's Allen Ten Wheeler. I hope to get the chassis back to him in several weeks. I need to complete the valve gear and brake system.
'Got other projects going too.
And of course I wish to finish fabricating the Coles Worthington pump, which is presently taking a back seat to the new Ten Wheeler.
His needs are greater than mine.

Your location?
I am in Northern Oregon, 15 miles north of Mt. Hood.

I look forward to seeing pics of your 4-4-0 and Worthington pump projects here.
RussN

[NP317]

Grant:
I forgot to answer your question about the steam chest bushings.
I did drill though into the steam space.
I turned the bushings so they pressed into the steam chest until seated against a turned lip, without entering past the inside edge of the steam chest wall.
Simple solution.
RussN

[Grant J]

I am located near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I am modeling a Baldwin 4-4-0 1872 vintage. The full size original sits in a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba. No drawings available so I’m using the closest available Baldwin plan I have found. I will figure out how to send pictures and send them.

[Dave_Johnson]

Are these casting still available anywhere? I would like to get a set for my Shay.

Thanks

[NP317]

Dave:
To my knowledge the Coles Worthington pump castings have not been available for many years.
Your best bet is to find a set that has been stashed away, waiting for action.
I bet there are some available in this Chaski community.
This pump can be a challenging project.

There do exist plans for slightly different duplex pumps that might meet your needs.
Again: Through this community.
RussN

[Grant J]

The original Countess of Dufferin

63D3A837-EC03-406D-B36A-3647749A6900.jpeg (36.73 KiB) Viewed 5887 times