Building my 1.5" scale Clishay as a beginner

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littleevan99
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Building my 1.5" scale Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

Hello, I'm Evan as my username suggests. I'm 14 and have a great interest in building a live steam locomotive. I chose the Clishay since, well I like geared steam trains of the style. I already have the book and have been reading through it and as well as glancing through the forum here. I'm in a lucky situation here for building it, as I have a grandfather with a large shop with the equipment necessary to build it, plus in school I'm taking a mechanical construction class with acces to a computer controlled plasma cutter. I've been noticing on here of people talking about making certain modifications to the locomotive that can improve performance? I'm also on a budget for building it so the original plans are sort of looking budget friendly to me so far. Any suggestions that could help make it a better locomotive other than a fire tube boiler, without compromising on the orginal plan of minimal machining or welding( not that it is is a problem though ). I also plan on trying to visit the GGLS in Berkley some time in March.
Last edited by littleevan99 on Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
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mikeyg
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by mikeyg »

Evan,

I've been running a friend's Clishay since 2006 and have a few comments to share. I did not build this one...only refurbished and operated.

The frame and engine are largely patterned after Bob Maynard's design but the first boiler is long gone and in it's place is a steel fire tube arrangement. You'll find that this is a common theme for a Clishay although that's not to say that there are no successful original-style boilers out there, but many seem to have had problems either with construction or operation.

My boiler is made from an 8" well pipe, 1/2" tube sheets and a robust firebox with water leg. It utilizes 3/4" tubes and runs on coal. In the attached picture below, you'll notice a propane hose running into the ashpan. This is from a marginally successful attempt at converting to gas fuel. I'm back to coal now and much happier. It steams well and will charge up a hill on our local track while blowing off the safeties.

This Clishay is dressed slightly differently than others. You'll notice the oval water tank (fiberglass covered with wood) and wood lagging on the boiler. I fabricated a slightly different hand pump inside the rear tank. The original owner installed an injector and bell ringer too. The latter is operable while the former no longer functions.

In contrast to some Clishay owners, I favor the transmission arrangement if only because I can run the engine while in neutral and continue to add water to the boiler with the crosshead pump when we're sitting in a siding.

The Clishay is indeed slow and this can be a problem on some tracks. I haven't considered a gear change yet as the speed doesn't really bother me where I run.

I do believe that these locos are easily built with minimal equipment and can be modified in numerous ways. I've always appreciated the Climax "Gold Bug" as an option and would consider that style if I were building one now. There is of course a recent post with additional ideas.

Sounds like you're lucky to have a helpful Grandfather. Spend some time with him...I never had the chance.

Good luck.

Mike
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kcjones611
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by kcjones611 »

Evan -
I started into the live steam hobby just a little younger then you are now (I was 12 when I got into it, i'm now 29). I've never built an entire steam locomotive, but I've learned how to operate a manual lathe, manual mill, and MIG welder along the way by building some rolling stock, machining parts, working around our club track, and rebuilding the F7's my family owns. My Grandfather (that got me started in The Hobby) also owns the machine shop that I gained all this experience from.

My wife gave me the Cli-Shay book for Christmas after she had seen me buying old Live Steam Magazines (from eBay) with the plans in them. I've been studying the book and have started fabricating the trucks. There are several design modifications that I've found on this very board that I plan on incorporating into my Cli-Shay, along with a few of my own to suit our railroad.

As far as saving money, you have some possible options. Machine shops are the first place I've always been advised to check with for remnants, cut offs, or drops. For me, there are next to no machine shops around my area that would sell their drops/remnants/leftovers, so I've been watching eBay for stock that I need, particularly when it comes to brass or stainless steel. I only buy when its significantly cheaper then retail. If there's a special size or type of metal I need, I usually buy from SpeedyMetals. We have a good steel ONLY dealer in town so i'm afraid I can't be of much help there.

Another suggestion would be to barter/trade help from other machinists or live steamers in your area. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions about growing up in the hobby! -nick
Nick P.
Chattanooga, TN

Jesse Livingston's "Newbie"
Allen Models Mogul, #573
Backyard Rails/MDM F7A & B, Southern Pacific #6351

Too many other projects to think about.
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littleevan99
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll just build it to the standards outlined in the book. Progress on building the thing for me will be real slow since I can only work on it once or twice a week, since I'm only at my grandparents on Fridays. Hopefully next week I can order the angle iron needed for the frame, my grandpa has a 1/8" steel plate that I can use for a bedplate. I'll just have to use the sanding disk and sand of the layer of rust that has formed on it from being outside then cut it to specification. I also like the look of the Goldbug Clishay that Mike posted, but I think I'll just stick to the square tank that it calls for. If only I had a workshop in the garage :roll: instead I have a train layout.
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
redneckalbertan
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by redneckalbertan »

Depending on how rusted the 1/8" plate is, if it is only surface rust and not deeply pitted I would use a wire cup on a grinder to remove the rust as opposed to a sanding wheel. The wire wheel will remove the rust almost as quick as sanding disk but won't remove the sound metal of the plate as quickly as a sanding disk. So you shouldn't end up with any weird gouges.

If you do use a wire cup, or wire wheel for that matter, make sure that you are wearing good heavy clothing, jeans and a denim shirt or leather welding jacket. Those little wire will break off and protection is good. Occupational health and safety up here says to wear safety glasses AND a face shield. If you have never used a wire cup before be careful as to which side of the cup is in contact with the work while buffing the edges as if you have the wrong edge of the wire cup in contact with the work it will send things flying. You mentioned your Grandpa having a shop, get Him to show you if you have questions.
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littleevan99
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

Safety is my middle name when it comes to working on this stuff since I spend 100 minutes a day in a mechanical construction (welding) class. We are suited up no matter what we're doing whether it's grinding or arc welding. I'll have to ask my grandpa if he has the wire tool you talk about. Chances are he has multiples. I do have one question to add here, is it better to weld the frame or rivet the frame together?
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
redneckalbertan
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by redneckalbertan »

littleevan99 wrote:Safety is my middle name when it comes to working on this stuff...

I'll have to ask my grandpa if he has the wire tool you talk about.
That's a great attitude to have towards safety!

Here is a picture of a wire cup on a grinder in case you don't know what I was talking about.
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littleevan99
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

redneckalbertan wrote:
littleevan99 wrote:Safety is my middle name when it comes to working on this stuff...

I'll have to ask my grandpa if he has the wire tool you talk about.
That's a great attitude to have towards safety!

Here is a picture of a wire cup on a grinder in case you don't know what I was talking about.

Thanks, I'll be there on Friday and I'll ask then. He'll probably have one out since he's working on building a recumbent bike right now.
Last edited by littleevan99 on Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
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littleevan99
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

Well, I cut out the bed plate today with the acetylene torch. My grandpa helped a little bit since, my cutting looked like a okey did it. He also whipped out a 9" grinder with a flapper disk attachment to take off most of the rust. All in all it's a nice and square 1/8x12x40 bedplate. Next week I will work on cutting out the holes in the bedplate, and I'll see about getting angle iron for the frame. I'll get a picture on here when I get home.
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
redneckalbertan
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by redneckalbertan »

littleevan99 wrote:My grandpa helped a little bit since, my cutting looked like a okey did it.
Good for you on getting started!
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littleevan99
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by littleevan99 »

Here is the picture of what I was talking about.
image (7).jpeg
1.5" scale CliShay
1.5" scale 2-10-2T
2.5" 36 Ton Shay under construction
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleevan99
Hudson Honey
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Re: Building a Clishay as a beginner

Post by Hudson Honey »

Even,

the only way to learn is by doing....As Yoda said " Do or Do not...there is no try". if mistakes are made along the way...that's fine, it is part of the learning process.

I applaud you...most youngsters your age are far more interested in cell phones and video games.


looking forward to seeing your progress.

Pamela
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