Yet Another Shameless Self Promotion

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Just like the boat. We're going to need a bigger bulb!

I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! Let's do it!

[Erik C Lindgren]

IMG_0358.JPG (1.38 MiB) Viewed 6700 times

Jay your parts are beyond anything on the market

[Jay Criswell]

Erik,

Thanks bud but I'm just the middle man. Someone else made the masters, the molds, and David does the casting. Shoot, all I do is package them up and take them to the post office. Sounds like I should be making minimum wage.

Jay

[bob turner]

Erik - that is gorgeous track. How come you are no longer sharing here? NK giving you a kickback?

Joke (as opposed to opinion?)

[Wolf]

:D Primary reason for posting here was to see if RTF was paying attention!!

Yup, we gots trolley stuff.

Okay, now I'll get serious. There are masters and molds for trolley parts. How complete is this collection? I have no idea because I don't know what Mr. Clouser produced. Did he offer any kind of catalog or brochure? If so, does anyone have a copy (obviously, were talking xerox)?

Ohhhhhh, screwing with Martin is going to be soooooo much fun

Jay

I also don't have a catalog of Clouser's offerings, although I also suspect that the same existed. And do I have to volunteer to get on
your traction aficionado list to have my mind messed with along with Martin? Do you have the dies for the girder rail?

[Jay Criswell]

Wolf,

No dies to be found. Doesn't mean Norm doesn't have it/them (two different profiles). Having said that, I did find at least two bundles of girder rail. I say, at least two because there may be more than 198'.

Jay

[Wolf]

Jay--
There were two different profiles of the girder rail--the regular section for tangents,
and the "curve profile" which had a higher flange on the opposite side of the flangeway.

I seem to recall a flyer from Olsen (Catenary Video Productions?) that gave a listing
of all the Clouser girder rail that was available when he (Olsen) was auctioning off a large
variety of traction items ...he had both profiles in steel and in n/s material.

May have to bend your ear about some of that rail when I see you at OSW .

[Jay Criswell]

Hey Wolf,

Yeah, I was aware but couldn't remember which is which. Also found an interesting master. It says Clouser and girder rail bender. I assume it's a model of some tool used to bend the prototype. Any idea?

Jay

[Wolf]

Jay---
Clouser marketed a rail bender for his girder rail...was a baseplate with several
profiled rollers to roll the asymmetrical rail for horizontal curves. One roller was
adjustable with a screw mechanism to increase/decrease the radius of the resultant
curved rail. I have one, but don't recall whether it was a genuine Clouser or a knock-off,
as I haven't seen (or had the need for! ) in quite a while. But I am working
toward the day where I will require its use for quite a bid of street trackage....

[Jay Criswell]

Hey Wolf,

Because I'm not good with subtle or anything like that, am I supposed to be sitting on the girder rail for you? I'm okay with that but I just want to be clear and, after all, friends should get the first crack at it. OSW would be easier than shipping.

Oh yeah, the master and mold must just be for a model of some sort of prototype. Way over my head.

Jay

[bob turner]

Would it not have been extruded? Do you keep the die, or does it stay in the factory?

[Jay Criswell]

Bob,

I believe it's drawn.

Jay

[rex desilets]

Faster, please
Do you know what the effective rail code is for the girder rail?

[Wolf]

Jay---
I sent you a message concerning the girder rail to the address listed on your
Right-o-Way website. Hope you see it after you get back from the March Meet.

Rex---
Going back over the notes I wrote back in the early 90's when I was having
all this stuff 'splained to me, the Clouser girder rail was approximately Code 100,
with the flangeway dimensioned to "fine scale" (P48?) standards. Perhaps Jay
can verify that height size for us. That "narrow" flangeway meant that lots of
"normal" wheelsets would bottom out in the groove and ride though on their flanges.
Can't tell what Bronze Era Doorstop wheels would do .

The Richard Orr girder rail (now carried by Trolleyville in CA), does not have a
"realistic" profile, having a much broader web (but bury it in pavement, and you
won't see it!)...I have the Orr rail listed at Code 70 , but the Trolleyville site
mentions that it is approximately Code 100, and that they now import it
from Sweden. Richard told me that his flangeway was designed to the RP-25
wheel standard, and would work for O scale equipment with such wheels.

Like any connection between dis-similar rail sections, some shimming may be required.
But I am sure everyone here on this forum may be familiar with such practices.

One last question/comment for Jay---
Several years back, the East Penn Traction Club was trying to get enough people together
to place an order with Lou Cross to have a new batch of the girder rail drawn, with the
flangeway widened to accept regular wheelsets. Do you have any idea how far this
project got? I assume nowhere, because I never heard anything back from the EPTC.
I don't even know if they got enough for the minimum quantity it took to have a production
run drawn out by whomever Lou had to do it for him. Is there still any interest in having this
rail made?

[Jay Criswell]

Guess I never replied to your question Rex.

The Clouser rail is code 148 and matches the point mate turnouts he made, and I have.

Rail Craft, the predecessor of Micro Engineering, made girder rail in code 100. For HO I presume. The Clouser rail was far more prototypical in appearance.

If you want I can try to attach a photo of the end of one of the Clouser masters. It shows both rails (straight & guarded). I tried to do it now but the server said, no more photos.

Jay