Building the Frisco 1522

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

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Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello DanSmo and LocoJerome,
Well done, indeed! Making spring leaves of stainless steel 1.4310, which is standard here in Europe for use as hardened version of 1.4301 (US 316) for making springs , you don't need any carbon tools. A high grade HSS-E Co8 ('TITEX plus) will do by adding a bit of lubricate.
You may even mill this steel by means of HSS-E mills at low speed and lubrication.
Sorry, don't know, if any sort of 3xx X , similar to 1.4310 is available in US?

Best regards and carry on, please!
Asteamhead
Mike Walsh
Posts: 955
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:14 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by Mike Walsh »

Dick_Morris wrote:I had better luck putting holes in .042 stock with a carbide spade drill than a punch. I drilled in the mill and didn't use a guide for the drill.
Slight thread drift -- Could spring stock be water jet cut? This way you can have everything cut to dimension? I'm not familiar with spring steel blank availability. Assume sheet could be purchased and worked to dimension...
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makinsmoke
Posts: 2260
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by makinsmoke »

Hi Mike,
Clock spring can be had in fairly common sizes.
I'm not sure you'd need to do anything besides cut to length and put holes in it. The holes are the real challenge. You can use a cutoff wheel
to cut to length.

Take care,
Brian
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NP317
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by NP317 »

When making the springs for my locos, I used a shear to cut the clock spring stock to length.
I then used carbide twist drills to make the holes on the milling machine.
Had to be sure to use good lubricant and steady pressure to drill the holes.
And occasionally use a new drill when they got dull. But it all worked well if I was patient.
~RN
Mike Walsh
Posts: 955
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:14 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by Mike Walsh »

makinsmoke wrote:Hi Mike,
Clock spring can be had in fairly common sizes.
I'm not sure you'd need to do anything besides cut to length and put holes in it. The holes are the real challenge. You can use a cutoff wheel
to cut to length.

Take care,
Brian
Well, right. But if one wanted to save the headache of "the challenge of holes/cutoff wheels", could they be water jet with no risk to mechanical properties or eventual fatigue?
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makinsmoke
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Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by makinsmoke »

I don't know how you waterjet a hole.
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PeterCraymer
Posts: 222
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2003 6:57 am
Location: Maysville, Ga.

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by PeterCraymer »

"I don't know how you waterjet a hole."

- It's called a pierce by some. It goes to a position inside the circle of the hole, starts the abrasive/water and then moves out to traverse the circumference of the circle or hole. A lot would depend on the diameter you re trying to get and the capability of the water jet machine to produce such a hole.

Peter
LocoJerome
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:30 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by LocoJerome »

I am still chugging away on the project. Of course, never as fast as I would like. With the pilot truck complete I have moved onto the main frames and spreaders. I had the frames water jet cut out of 7/8" hot rolled plate. I first needed to set up a plate for the mill that I could use as a sacrificial base to mount the frames onto while milling them. I picked up a piece of 3/4 aluminum plate for this purpose and mill a couple of slots for 5/8" keys on the bottom side that lock its rotation into the mill table. 10 1/2 bolts and t nuts firmly hold it to the table. I took a light skim pass over the aluminum plate to ensure it smooth and flat relative to the cutter. To reach the entire length of the 52" frames it requires me to swing the mill head between 2 locations that just cover the entire area. I then started to mill off 1/32" from each side of the frame in one main pass followed by a light (~0.005") clean up pass. The thickness varies slightly over the entire length of the frame but it is within +/- 0.002" so I called it good.
Attachments
Milling down the frames
Milling down the frames
Aluminum plate after skim cut.
Aluminum plate after skim cut.
Last edited by LocoJerome on Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
LocoJerome
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:30 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by LocoJerome »

When I had the frames cut out I also had a set of spreaders cut out to match. The 1522 has 2 different types of spreaders alternating along the axis of the frames. The two smaller spreaders were cut from 5/8" plate and the three larger ones were cut from 1" plate. The frame spreaders were first milled to width followed by a slow process of hogging out most of the metal to make them resemble the cast shape on the prototype. The milling was done with a combination of large high speed steel radius end mills following by a 3/8" ball end mill to clean up the inner walls.
Attachments
Gang milling spreaders to width.
Gang milling spreaders to width.
Large spread blank before milling.
Large spread blank before milling.
Milling out large spreader.
Milling out large spreader.
Milling out small spreader.
Milling out small spreader.
Small spreader before and after milling.
Small spreader before and after milling.
LocoJerome
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:30 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by LocoJerome »

Completed the pedestal binders. I was lucky to stumble across some 13/16" square bar stock at the local metal shop. The frames are 13/16" thick. Just had to plane one direction down to 5/8" and add the appropriate keying slots and journal clearance area. I made 4 binders at a time when ensured matching sets. One the binders are fitted to the frames then I will cut out the pieces of frame that the pedstal binders will replace.
Attachments
Planing 4 pedestal binders at a time.
Planing 4 pedestal binders at a time.
Milling gang of pedestal binders for length.
Milling gang of pedestal binders for length.
Slotting out the keying tabs of the binders.
Slotting out the keying tabs of the binders.
Fitting pedestal binders to frames and drilling bolt holes.
Fitting pedestal binders to frames and drilling bolt holes.
LocoJerome
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:30 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by LocoJerome »

Also machined the front bumper bracket so that I could test fit the frame components that were coming together. Starting to get a feel for the scale of the locomotive.
Attachments
Milling the front of the bumper bracket.
Milling the front of the bumper bracket.
Milling frame surfaces of the bumper bracket.
Milling frame surfaces of the bumper bracket.
Finishing up corners of the frame surfaces and cleaning up the back edge of bracket.
Finishing up corners of the frame surfaces and cleaning up the back edge of bracket.
Starting to see how things are coming together.
Starting to see how things are coming together.
Berkman
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Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:55 pm

Re: Building the Frisco 1522

Post by Berkman »

Great to see progress. Did you use RRSC mikado drawings as a starting point then stretch them ? Also just curious why put the thrust bearings on the inboard side of the journal boxes, and not between the pilot wheel backs and outside edge of journal box? Thanks!
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