Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

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Rufus T. Firefly
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Wed Jun 16, 2021 6:39 pm

Jay Criswell wrote:RFT,

Cool! Doing the rest of it - put out a kit for it????????


These things have been sitting here so long I'm not sure what the original plan was...or if there was one.

Kits can be a real PIA. Goes from The $64,000 Question to 64,000 questions. In the end, it's almost easier just to build them.

We'll see.

Jay


I'd be interested in either form; engines from that era are few....

I had high hopes for a CVRR Pioneer once upon a time.
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Jay Criswell » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:01 pm

I'd be interested in either form; engines from that era are few....


Well, at least with you we wouldn't have nearly as many questions. That's what they call a backhanded compliment. My point really being, you have the ability to figure things out on your own.

I think I still have one of those plastic kits to make a 1/48 Pioneer. I believe you told me, years ago, you were familiar with them. Was it the Smithsonian that was involved with these? My plan was to do a lost plastic model in brass and nickel silver. We still could.

We'll talk.

Jay

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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:19 am

Jay Criswell wrote:
I'd be interested in either form; engines from that era are few....


Well, at least with you we wouldn't have nearly as many questions. That's what they call a backhanded compliment. My point really being, you have the ability to figure things out on your own.


I can work with that, :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

I think I still have one of those plastic kits to make a 1/48 Pioneer. I believe you told me, years ago, you were familiar with them. Was it the Smithsonian that was involved with these? My plan was to do a lost plastic model in brass and nickel silver. We still could.


It was a Tonka product that the Smithsonian signed on for since the Pioneer was in residence there at that time. I have one unstarted on the shelf you could use for parts for the lost plastic process.

We'll talk.


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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Jay Criswell » Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:24 am

I'll have to check to verify if I still have it. I may have given it to Steve Neill.

One of the things I did was have the chrome plating striped from some of the parts. Doesn't burn out well with the plating still there. David, my caster, has some type of liquid that removes the plating but doesn't harm the plastic.

Jay

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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:38 am

Jay Criswell wrote:I'll have to check to verify if I still have it. I may have given it to Steve Neill.

One of the things I did was have the chrome plating striped from some of the parts. Doesn't burn out well with the plating still there. David, my caster, has some type of liquid that removes the plating but doesn't harm the plastic.


Well, I could send you one set of parts if you're willing to give it all a shot.........two if that makes it work better, :wink: :wink:
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Jay Criswell » Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:04 pm

Appreciate it but mine, if there is still such a thing, has already been screwed with.

Jay

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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:11 pm

Jay Criswell wrote:Appreciate it but mine, if there is still such a thing, has already been screwed with.

Jay


Okay, well, if you find a hole in your schedule :wink: :wink: let me know if you can proceed forward with either the CP or the Pioneer. You've got 1 very interested potential customer!
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Jay Criswell » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:54 pm

RFT,

I found it.

Do you want to start with a CP or the Pioneer?

If we do the Pioneer I'll need to show it to the caster and see what parts can be pre-assembled. As an example, on the CP, we glue the two boiler halves together, mount the headlight bracket, and sometimes headlight, the water filler lid, and other bits prior to burning everything out and casting.

In deference to our mates on the forum, we can take this offline to work out the details. Don't want to bore anyone with this silliness.

Jay

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ScaleCraft
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby ScaleCraft » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:33 pm

You got any photos of what these models look like?

I have a boiler, stack, domes, front wall of the cab, probably headlight, all in like brick red, assembled.
Dave....collector, restorer, and operator of the finest doorstops

Jay Criswell
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Jay Criswell » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:57 pm

These are photos of the loco, shown on the outside of the box. Also see a photo of the parts, still on their sprues. The parts that we plated are on the lower right. Photos were taken over 10 years ago so, yeah this project has been around for a while.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ ... G_1876.JPG
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ ... G_1877.JPG
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ ... G_1878.JPG

Jay

bob turner
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby bob turner » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:59 pm

No, no - keep it here! I don't much care for 1880s steam, but am totally intrigued with turning beautiful plastic pieces into metal.

Rufus T. Firefly
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:24 am

Jay Criswell wrote:RFT,

I found it.

Do you want to start with a CP or the Pioneer?


Sent you an email. May need 2 Pioneers so I bash one into the CVRR Jenny Lind!!!

If we do the Pioneer I'll need to show it to the caster and see what parts can be pre-assembled. As an example, on the CP, we glue the two boiler halves together, mount the headlight bracket, and sometimes headlight, the water filler lid, and other bits prior to burning everything out and casting.


Makes good sense. Bet similar unification of parts for the Pioneer.

In deference to our mates on the forum, we can take this offline to work out the details. Don't want to bore anyone with this silliness.


Sent you an email.
Last edited by Rufus T. Firefly on Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Conservatism: The intense fear that somewhere, somehow, someone you think is inferior is being treated as your equal.

Rufus T. Firefly
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby Rufus T. Firefly » Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:26 am

bob turner wrote:No, no - keep it here! I don't much care for 1880s steam, but am totally intrigued with turning beautiful plastic pieces into metal.


Well, it is one of the few things happening here; Pioneer was built in in early 1850's so even earlier steam that ran up into late 1800's and was still traveling about to expositions in the front 1/2 of the 20th century.
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R.K. Maroon
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Re: Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work

Postby R.K. Maroon » Sat Jul 30, 2022 11:03 pm

I haven't posted to this thread in a while. I do so now as I had five SDs on my workbench recently for chassis servicing, repairs, and tune ups. This is an unlikely event for a doorstop guy like me. Here is a photo of three of the five, taken just today:

Image

These are all CLW models, two SD40s and an SD40-2. They are out for a test run on our layout's tightest curves, which are approximately 50" radius. One unit required several modifications to the trucks and drive shafts to get it to navigate that curve, while the other two handled the curve just fine as is. Other random issues included a loose side frame (caused by a missing screw), a melted plastic Kadee coupler ('splain me that), and a loose journal retainer. Happily, all ran well -- and ran well together -- when it was all done. I generally don't get that kind success on a single pass, so it was a good day. The modern cars behind the diesels were on the layout today as proof models -- we are raising the clearance of a 1940s truss bridge to accommodate today's car heights. Yea, we have a gauge, but we thought it wise to check the real thing.

The other two SDs to wander into the shop were these chassis from a pair of USH SD45s:

Image

I agreed to repair these sight unseen, optimistically thinking it would be an afternoon's effort. It was, and about five more after that. One unit had a a split gear and a motor that ran hot. I was curious as to why, and swapped every part of that motor with a new one before isolating the problem to the armature. That felt like a lesson in learning nothing (which is itself a lesson). I put the new motor back together and put it in. The other chassis arrived in pieces, missing a motor (another motor!), drive shafts, and all sort of miscellaneous hardware. The only satisfaction I got out of that one was validation of being an accumulator of chassis and drive parts. Still, nice to see them complete and running nicely before packing and shipping them off.

Jim
Slow progress is better than no progress

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R.K. Maroon
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Machine Shop / Locomotive Drive Work -- Custom SP 4-4-2

Postby R.K. Maroon » Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:07 pm

Here is another current project:

Image

This is the gearbox from what appears to be a scratch-built SP 4-4-2. I will post photos of the whole locomotive once I get it back together. I believe I have seen this type of split-case gearbox before, but I can't associate it with any company or builder. The dimensions of the parts (shafts, bearings) are exactly common English dimensions, so if it's an import then it would have to be early (on the assumption that perhaps early imports where made to US-provided dimensions). The threads measure out to 30 DP, which is believable but not a common size (at least not offered by Walthers in the early years, which did offer a good selection of different steel-worm/fiber-gear sets). In addition to the nice two-piece cast gearcase, the worm is supported by ball bearings on both sides, so this looks to be a good quality gearbox.

Anybody recognize this?

Jim
Slow progress is better than no progress


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