Cleaning a crusty tender tank

[NP317]

One suggestions for the vacuum cylinders on the trucks:
Check the end where the threaded eye bolt screws into the plastic body of the cylinders.
Those same (Mountain Car Co) cylinders on my trucks had worn from movement, allowing air to leak in past the threads in the fiber/plastic body. I cleaned and sealed those threads with silicon caulking, and that stopped the leak. The brakes work faster/better since then.
~RN

[DFB]

Hi Herman. The roller bearings I used were matched up with what I took off. From memory, the ID is 3/8" I think the OD is 7/8". I cant remember without looking. I was at my local Fastenal store and had one of the old bearings with me. They measured it and found a match. Had to be ordered but it only took 2 days. It's kind of funny but every time I go in there, I always bring something in that they either have never seen before, or a part that is so small that they cant see it. Lol.
RN, thanks for the tip on the vacuum modules. I'll go through them and make sure their right. I really wasn't for sure who made the trucks but you say that the cylinders are mountain car?

[Greg_Lewis]

I use skateboard bearings on my riding car trucks. About a buck each from the skateboard shop. They are a standard metric size, double sealed, but I don't remember the number off hand. We certainly don't need ABEC 9 quality for our trucks.

[steamin10]

When it comes to bearings, cheep is good. I have used Freeway bearings, that are flanged and have loose balls. The axles can then float around a bit in the center for off angles without binding the side frames. These are the ones that come on cheep hand trucks and other items like coaster wagons. Most common is 1/2 inch and 5/8 axle size. I press them in, as they are a canned bearing, not machined shell. Open face so you can see the balls move and crash into each other. Lube with a grease needle. I have a palm pump for chain saw bars, that I set up for this. I charge the little gun with automotive wheel bearing grease, and the goo pretty much stays put, after a few feet of travel.

[NP317]

[snip]
RN, thanks for the tip on the vacuum modules. I'll go through them and make sure their right. I really wasn't for sure who made the trucks but you say that the cylinders are mountain car?

Yes, the brakes look like the MMC units, originally available as either a kit for installed on their trucks.
Those vacuum cylinders have been modified by removing a metal mounting bar. In use on the trucks, they float between two lever arms.
~RN

[DFB]

Thanks for the tips on the bearings guys. Dave, I had always thought that "loose balls" was a bad thing. Lol, sorry, I couldn't let that go. I attached a different picture of the trucks. I haven't taken the vacuum unit apart for cleaning and sealing yet. Been working on a caboose and its trucks. The brake valve on the locomotive seems to be pretty straight forward. Steam is sent through the brake pipe to a cylinder mounted under the rear of the smoke box. It is apart currently for an O ring replacement. The ejector is another story. I'm not quite sure if when the locomotives brakes are applied, the ejector creates a vacuum at the same time and applies the tender brakes. I'm sure someone has a similar set up.
Thank you,
Dale

[NP317]

My loco has independent driver brakes and tender+train brakes. There are two separate brake valves in the cab. This replicates full sized locomotive systems.
The driver brakes are steam activated: Steam on = brakes on.
The vacuum train brakes apply when steam is sent to the ejector, which draws a vacuum in the line connecting the tender and train brakes.

I use the vacuum/train brakes for train speed control. In an emergency I will also apply the locomotive brakes.
I normally use the steam locomotive driver brakes as "parking" brakes.
The steam locomotive brakes do not consume steam while sitting applied. The vacuum brakes consume steam the entire time they are applied.

Full size train brakes systems are similar: Separate locomotive brakes, and train brakes.
The train brakes are used to control train movements, because they utilize EVERY brake shoe on the entire train.
During steam locomotive days, engine brakes were generally not applied for train control, because the driver tires could get friction-heated sufficiently to cause them to separate from the driver centers! There are some pretty scary photos of the results of such tire heating. It usually was catastrophic.

Of course, modern dismal-electric locomotives can use dynamic braking on the driver axles, which eliminates wheel heating.

(I know: Not related to cleaning tender tanks. Sorry.)
~RN

[DFB]

RN, no apology necessary. Very good information there. I should have my trucks blasted by the end of the week and will take some more photos upon completion.
Thank you again,
Dale

[Pontiacguy1]

Just so all of you know... Ol' DFB is new to live steam and 1/8th scale modeling, but he is definitely not new to railroading. He worked for a major Class 1 carrier for a while and I believe was an engineer with them for a while. He knows his way around a railroad. He's just new to steam and scale locomotives.

His progress so far has been impressive. He's gotten some rolling stock, and is also building a track at his house, along with some other stuff. Keep it up! You'll be where you want to be before too long.

[DFB]

Hi Scott,
Thank you for the kind words. I have been working pretty hard to get where I am now. I'm still employed by the railroad as engineer and have been for the last 13 years, but due to a very bad derailment, I'm at a career path change that engineers don't normally get. Still want to be with CSX but just don't want to run anymore. Again, thank you all.
Dale