The Home Machinist!

I don't see this being a common issue, but if I must I could charge the piece of rolling stock with my portable air tank or include some kind of lever under the frame that I could pull to release the brakes. I could even have the brake wheel(wheel would be "normally on") pull a cable that would pull...

Adjustable brake concept.
I could also move the air cylinder to the other side of the frame(pivot point) and make the slot longer for more adjustment if needed.

I silver soldered some brass pipe nipples into the coupler pocket gussets to pick up my quick connects. Yes I'm using 1/4" air tool fittings as I want cheap, easily available, and quickly replaceable parts. My plan is pretty simple for the brakes, the air pressure will hold the brakes off the wheels...

Nice work! And lots of it!

Glenn, there is a place on the valley highway in Auburn called McNichols, they make all kinds of mesh. Yes I'll admit I have zero live steam experience, but in my industry we have built them for anything from generators of many sizes to stack flares for refineries and power plants. The later have go...

Glad to see you are back working on the build and congrats to your son. The #35 stuff should serve you well, and there is a lot to choose from between the industrial and kart racing worlds. They even make split sprockets that can be changed at the hub(at the axle) without pulling anything, they run ...

Glenn,
Yes you'll need an SS mesh, something with a fine enough screen to not let embers pass through, but course enough wire that it doesn't burn up in short order.

I dug up a IBLS article some time ago that mentioned super-elevation wasn't typically used in model railroading. It's a formula of speed and tons of weight of real trains that makes it work, and the reduced speed and weight just don't really amount to anything at a smaller scale. I think it could ac...

Wow I just passed 20,000 views! Last night I discovered an ancient remnant of 18ga galvanized sheet in the metal rack that was ok'd for me to use, so I sheared up the sides for my 34' hopper from it. Today I'll have someone form the top edge, if I can get someone to do it. I have plans this weekend ...

Harold, I understand that. Looking at real rail and real RR wheel contact area's, the rail has a crown on it, such that the taper of wheel meets the rail about 1/3rd of the way in from the inner rail edge. The edges of flat bar are pretty flat, a tapered wheel is going to be right on the inner edge ...

I have received some feedback and looked up a lot of info online as well. One guy was grooving his ties to a slightly wider gage and with a little wider grooves to accommodate the rail being curved through the groove. My thought, I just need to make a second tie router fixture with radius guides so ...

I did decide that I won't be pre-fabbing any curved sections. I think with my access to CAD and making some sheet metal fixtures and gages I could do it and get it to work, but it's my topography and tree's I have to work around that are going to somewhat define the route. I just can't see being abl...