Alco AAR class B trucks

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Glenn Brooks
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Looking really good. It’s always a pleasure to see such detail crafted into the scale models of this size.

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OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

The shop finally warmed up enough to do some work, so I decided to square up the journal boxes and clean up the equalizer bars and lower spring pockets.
I'm very happy with how everything is fitting up, the sequence I used to square up the boxes actually worked, and the lower spring pockets match up with the uppers. I didn't turn the bores yet, I haven't decided what I am going to use for bearings yet.
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alco2350
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by alco2350 »

OddDuck wrote:The shop finally warmed up enough to do some work, so I decided to square up the journal boxes and clean up the equalizer bars and lower spring pockets.
I'm very happy with how everything is fitting up, the sequence I used to square up the boxes actually worked, and the lower spring pockets match up with the uppers. I didn't turn the bores yet, I haven't decided what I am going to use for bearings yet.
Those look really nice! I am way to familiar with that truck as I used to have to do traction motor replacements with nothing but two forklifts. Lift the loco, roll out the truck, flip it upside down, flip out the traction motors and axles, and so on. This was on Alco C-420s.

Britt

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OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

Thanks! Hopefully I'm getting them reasonably accurate. The weather is supposed to moderate a bit next week, so I may actually get some casting done for some sets, at least the rest of the castings needed for the second half of the pair. I have to cast some wheels (in aluminum for just a test truck) so I can see how it sits.
This first set is possibly going to go under (at some point) a CN Alco FA1. That should be a challenge to cast the nose.
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alco2350
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by alco2350 »

Are you going to model the axle alternator?

Britt

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OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

Not planning to, the bolster is made to mount a motor directly underneath it, chain drive to one or both axles. There should be enough room that if someone wanted to use axle mounted motors they could. The bolster is not modeled after the original, it's a simplified one piece unit.
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alco2350
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by alco2350 »

I meant the axle alternators, they usually attach to the fireman's side of the truck, and are splined to each axle, outboard of the journal. They provide axle rpm to the wheel slip system.

Britt

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OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

Is that the rectangular doohickey on the end of the bearing housing with the hose coming off it? If so, yes, they are on the same pattern as the journal caps. Haven't gotten to that level of "putting it together" yet.
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alco2350
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by alco2350 »

Yep, that's it. The alternators have a spade that fits into the end of the axle.

Britt

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OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

Ok, thought they were part of an lubrication system or something. You learn something every day.
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Our coal GE's, both U30's and C30's, used the same kind of alternator set-up. It also gave a reference speed for running the "Pacesetter" speed control we used when loading coal.

Mike
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BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
OddDuck
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Re: Alco AAR class B trucks

Post by OddDuck »

Mock up is more or less complete, I'm very happy with how it came out. I had one aluminum wheel and the pattern for it, so I used them without an axle to check the look. And, the alternators are there. So besides a few tweaks to the patterns and writing up some basic instructions they are ready for prime time. The weather is supposed to moderate temperature wise over the next few days so I'm going to start casting components.
Attachments
IMAG0358_1.jpg
IMAG0360_1.jpg
IMAG0361_1.jpg
"If you took the bones out they wouldn't be crunchy!" -Monty Python's Flying Circus
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