Another 2900 project...

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steamin10
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by steamin10 »

I just LOVE freee. Nothing wrong with recycling used up stuff in the home shop.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

I offer the below photo for the final installment of turning "diesel parts" into "steam parts". Both of the crosshead shoes are complete with the exception of adding some oiling grooves and drilling some holes for crosshead attachment. After machining, it took a couple of hours of filing and sanding to get them to slide freely but now they move as smooth as silk with no slop.

An interesting sidenote - While I was working on the shoes, Ed and I talked about where exactly the shoe was positioned in the guide i.e. where were the exact positions of its fore and aft movement. A week or so later Ed went down to take some pics of the real SF2925 that sits down by the CA State RR Museum rotting away. It just so happened that while he was there they were moving 2925 back to her usual home on a siding on a levee along the Sacramento River. It seems that someone was concerned about the weight of the engine stressing the levee while the river was running so high and so the engine had been moved off of the levee siding until the river levels subsided. Ed was able to see the valve gear in motion and all our questions were answered!
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shoe in guide.JPG
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

Ed has been hard at work machining the crossheads. I cant claim any credit for those. Although they are substantially complete, there is still a bunch of work remaining on them. Here they are all mounted up onto the shoe and guides to make sure everything fits where its suppose to.
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crossheads on guides.JPG
I think it looks pretty much like the real thing!
I think it looks pretty much like the real thing!
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VO4454
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by VO4454 »

Ward, nice to see the progress. Are you going to leave the crossheads outside so they will weather like the ones in the prototype picture :wink: ? I think I will call Ed tommorow and suggest that to him.

Vic
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Asteamhead
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by Asteamhead »

Andypullen wrote:
SF2900 wrote:The wheels are Ed's castings that he had made for his GS's. They are sorta close to Santa Fe's. :wink:

One of Ed's projects is building a Z-8 Challenger and since he needed some of the same spring hangars that I did we made a couple of molds, shot the waxes and had our own hangars cast. For a newbie like me I thought it was so cool to start with a couple of bare blocks of aluminum, go through through the mold making process, and in the end have these neat hangars made. So far, that has been one of the most enjoyable/rewarding parts of working on the locomotive. To date, the wheels, hangars, and axle boxes (also Ed's castings) are the only cast parts that have been used.

The rods were cut out of a 4" round bar of 303 stainless. I did the rough work with templates and a band saw and most of the profiling and finish work was done on a CNC. (If interested, you can read more of the gory details about the process on my blog at trainplaneandcardude.blogspot.com. I didnt know about this site when I started!)

- Ward
That's ALOT of hacking to get those rods....Holy Crap! As I said before, nice work.

Andy Pullen
Nice looking Timken running gear for an outstanding prototype!
A different method is cutting the course raw parts from flat stainless steel by water cutting. If that work was done by mean precision, just the surfaces, tappers and profiles are to be milled as next step. Then the precise bores for the bearings are made by using a digital sliding gauge(?) - CNC not necessary. But be sure to work at low and constant temperature due to change of length which should be within 0.1 of a mm!
Finaly the outer dimensions should be smothed by means of a band grinder. It took me just about 10 hours a piece of size 1 in 10 for my N&W class A under construction.
Building the complete set of distance rings, washers and cups was another story yet!

Asteamhead
Attachments
A Timken side rod
A Timken side rod
A Timken by water cutting
A Timken by water cutting
Asteamhead
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by Asteamhead »

SF2900 wrote:Ed has been hard at work machining the crossheads. I cant claim any credit for those. Although they are substantially complete, there is still a bunch of work remaining on them. Here they are all mounted up onto the shoe and guides to make sure everything fits where its suppose to.
Your crossheads and guides are looking really great and like the prototype, indeed!!
And if you ever look for ball bearings in the crosshead, working reliable in pairs and fixed by means of cones - it's done, too.

Asteamhead :lol:
Attachments
A Timken.jpg
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

After another round of delays and lifes distractions, I have finally got back over to Ed's to start making more train parts. We are making the valve gear out of 303 ss pieces that were leftovers and remnants from the side rod construction.
Attachments
Stuck a chunk of metal in the vice and let the CNC cut the profile
Stuck a chunk of metal in the vice and let the CNC cut the profile
Took the block of stainless out of the vice, layed it back in flat, and drilled and reamed the holes
Took the block of stainless out of the vice, layed it back in flat, and drilled and reamed the holes
Then attached the rod to a fixture using various bolts, bushings, and shims and let the CNC cut the other profile.
Then attached the rod to a fixture using various bolts, bushings, and shims and let the CNC cut the other profile.
I almost feel like I am cheating by using the CNC.  It is an ancient machine by CNC standards but I sure do love it!
I almost feel like I am cheating by using the CNC. It is an ancient machine by CNC standards but I sure do love it!
Finished all of the valve gear using the same techniques.  Just need to sand and polish.
Finished all of the valve gear using the same techniques. Just need to sand and polish.
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

Best of all, they fit well and look pretty good.
- Ward
Attachments
vgear6.jpg
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

Harold -
Can you move this to the build log?
- Ward
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Harold_V
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by Harold_V »

SF2900 wrote:Harold -
Can you move this to the build log?
- Ward
Sure thing, Ward! :wink:

Harold
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
SF2900
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Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

Decided it was time to start work on the lead truck. The frames and equalizers were cut out a few years ago and have been waiting on me. Started making the other pieces and parts.
Attachments
Lead truck frames were cut out using a CNC plasma cutter
Lead truck frames were cut out using a CNC plasma cutter
lead truck equalizers.jpg
lead truck frame const.jpg
lead truck frame const 2.jpg
lead truck frame const 3.jpg
SF2900
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Location: Sacramento, CA

Re: Another 2900 project...

Post by SF2900 »

Because we can never have too many things going on at one time, Ed was hot to trot to get started on the trailing truck. Ed uses what I will call a "built up" method of fabricating trailing trucks in that he builds the truck by welding or screwing it together a piece at a time. This method is far above my level of knowledge and fabricating proficiency but can yield great results. I am glad Ed is there to help! :)
Attachments
Templates for the frames were made and the pattern was outlined onto some flat stock.  4 plates were cut out - an inside and outside plate was made for each side of the frame
Templates for the frames were made and the pattern was outlined onto some flat stock. 4 plates were cut out - an inside and outside plate was made for each side of the frame
The side plates were then roughed out on a bandsaw, paired up, and then finished on a CNC mill.
The side plates were then roughed out on a bandsaw, paired up, and then finished on a CNC mill.
There was a little chatter to deal with and there was a bunch of clamp swapping.
There was a little chatter to deal with and there was a bunch of clamp swapping.
They cleaned up fairly well.
They cleaned up fairly well.
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