GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

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NCBQGUY
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:41 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by NCBQGUY »

The CB&Q used Keeleys but on the tender the system was simply light plumbing directly from valves on the side of the tank with rubber hoses to each tender truck journal.....not sure why you'd go through the trouble of having to fill individual fixed tanks on a tender when you have thousands of gallons of water a few feet away. On the Q waycars the Keeleys were more of a galvanized watering can meant to be hefted to the offending journal in the consist. Even five gallons of tank and water would not be fun hefting on uneven ballast and roadbed.
I have a great story about A Keeley and a Q executive when all is revealed.
By the way, exquisite work on the tender details!!!

Charlie Vlk
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by GS14403 »

Hi Charlie,

Actually most of the Espee tenders I have seen photographs of have water outlets for the journals. A detail that my tender will eventually receive, Six outlets on each side plus a slightly larger outlet for the tie sprinkler. The Keeley's were used for hot boxes on the freight or passenger cars. Like Robert described above, the crew would drop the tank and move the train until the offending journal box was along side the can. Then apparently the can would be hung from the car body and the hose fastened to the journal box. Something I knew but had forgotten about in my original post about the Keeley's when I mentioned a crew member having to carrying the can.

The attached photo is also from the Otto Perry collection at the Denver Public Library. Link to the original photo is here.

http://cdm15330.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ ... 4342/rec/3

The Keeley can be seen just behind the tender tool box if you follow the above link. The tie sprinkler is also in use. The tie sprinklers were used on downhill trains to help prevent fires from the car brakes so water use was not the problem as it would have been on uphill trains.

Donald
Attachments
R-4400 tender truck.jpg
NCBQGUY
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:41 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by NCBQGUY »

Looking back on the photo I see why I got confused and I hate to mention it.....the way you've built the Keeleys it looks like they're permanently strapped to their mounting brackets. Unlike the Q setup which is just for the tender the SP unit is a can in resting in an open bracket meant to be used by the headend brakeman to cool hot boxes
Charlie Vlk
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by GS14403 »

Oh my,

Looking at one of the photo's previously posted and severe embarrassment set in. I cannot believe the mess my work table was in. So, off came everything, found some rust below the vinyl sheet used to cover the table. Some massaging with a cup brush on the Makita, some bright silver spray paint and the table now looks much better. That with the tools in their proper place and all is much better.

To mount parts on the boiler several rings were machined to match the radius of the boiler. From there smaller blocks were sawn off and what is shown in the attached photo is what remains. With a Kant Twist clamp curving the mounting straps was an easy process.

Donald
Attachments
Work table now in a more presentable condition.
Work table now in a more presentable condition.
Putting the curve in the Keeley mounting brackets.
Putting the curve in the Keeley mounting brackets.
Ready to mount on the tender.
Ready to mount on the tender.
NCBQGUY
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:41 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by NCBQGUY »

To quote a famous commentator on SNL...."Nevermind!!"
I see the Keeleys you're modeling have strapped on feet and handles.....and I see the hooks that carry them on the tender. The tender watering plumbing is not unlike the Q version other than the Q has less direct connections for each journal. Don't think the Q had to worry about wetting down the ties on downgrades even though they had some grades in places.
Perhaps the explanation of Keeleys might be too far off topic, but if the moderators and reading public don't mind.....
Charlie Vlk
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by Carrdo »

The equivalent of the Neise Modern Tools Universal bender is still being manufactured in the USA by Oxford General Industries (located in CT) under the name Mighty-Mite Duo-mite.

It is a very high quality unit with numerous high quality attachments and is priced accordingly.

The above was given to me by another Chaski member jcfx and there is further discussion on this in the General Discussion section.
Last edited by Carrdo on Fri Oct 02, 2015 9:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by GS14403 »

Carrdo wrote:The equivalent of the Neise Modern Tools Universal bender is still being manufactured in the USA by Oxford General Industries (located in Conn.) under the name Mighty-Mite Duo-mite.

It is a very high quality unit with numerous high quality attachments and is priced accordingly.

The above was given to me by another Chaski member jcfx and there is further discussion on this in the General Discussion section.
Carrdo, thanks for the bender info.

Here are a couple detail photo's of my mini bending brake. The only thing I would have done different would have been to make the inside opening slightly larger than 4 inches to clear commercial brass sheet stock. As it now stands with the uprights milled out the opening is about 3-3/4". Cannot complain though as the material was some drops from a local machine shop and were no cost to me.

The vertical rods are 5/8" diameter and the threaded rod is also 5/8" diameter. The end of the drive screw is a disc threaded and Loctited onto the drive screw. The retainer is needed to retract the upper die shoe. The lower die bolts are threaded into the vertical rods while the upper bolts sit against a flat in the verticals, ran out of set screws so two bolts were used spoiling the clean lines. This has worked OK as there is not a lot of force being applied. The three set screws in the top and bottom die shoes retain the dies.

The slots for the dies are .500" wide and .562" deep. These dimensions allow commercial dies to fit in case I run across some that will work.

Since most of the bending is on Brass, Aluminum dies have worked well. There have been some steel dies made and for the music wire steel inserts were mounted in Aluminum blanks. Having a supply of 1/2" wide by 1-1/2", 2" and 2-1/2" will be handy for dies. A supply of 1/2" square is useful for odd shape or dies that sit 90 degrees to the slots which can be attached to the dies.

This has been an invaluable tool along with the Niese bender.

Donald.
Attachments
Tender HP 1011.jpg
Tender HP 1012.jpg
Tender HP 1013.jpg
Tender HP 1014.jpg
Carrdo
Posts: 1444
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by Carrdo »

Donald,

Thank you for sharing the details of your very versatile press brake.

I now have a work program on top of a work program to complete the tender being worked on here.
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by GS14403 »

Put the tender together for the SPH&TS visit. The flex oil lines on the tender worked well so the locomotive end fittings will be made and installed.

Having the oil shut off handle in easy reach was a big plus as early on the fire was a bit finicky and went out on its own several times. I liked not having to get off the tender to shut off the oil.

Lots of details still to go, however I drug out an outside braced boxcar started many years ago and that is the current item of attention.

Other photo's of the SPH&TS run can be found on the SVLSRM Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Sacramento-Val ... /timeline/

Donald
Attachments
The Keeley in its proper home.
The Keeley in its proper home.
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by GS14403 »

Fresh from the shops, SP GS-1 #4403 is hustling a set of also recently out-shopped cars to a distant station to be put back into service. Fall colors are a sure sign that the holiday rush is about to begin and the ESPEE wasn't about to let their valued customers miss the train due to lack of equipment. Generally, freshly shopped locomotives were used in helper or local service to break in the brasses. Due to a system wide shortage of passenger cars the big GS is being pressed into service normally reserved for smaller or locomotives already in proven service.

Donald
Attachments
R-_DPY4196.jpg
SilverSanJuan
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 9:28 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: GS-1 Tender, finishing up the hard way

Post by SilverSanJuan »

Dang! That's a beautiful train!

Todd
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