Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

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Dick_Morris
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Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

Post by Dick_Morris »

This is why the railroads would often disassemble new parts bought from outside suppliers and put the drafting room employees to work.
Norfolk and Western Historical Society's (https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/) collection has many drawings for these proprietary internal replacement parts. It is relatively easy to search their archive, their copy prices are reasonable, and they respond quickly.
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JBodenmann
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Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
here are some photos of a 1-1/2" scale distributing valve I have in stock. Check the for sale section for info.
Jack
DistValve1.jpg
DistVale2.jpg
DistVale2.jpg (78.08 KiB) Viewed 3535 times
Dor_Crank
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:08 pm
Location: LA, CA

Re: Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

Post by Dor_Crank »

Sorry, i've been away for a while.

Thank you Steve for the drawings and photos of the Distribution Valve.

The URL site below won't go anywhere. I guess they removed it.
http://www.grandscales.com/crosscomp/CrossComp1of3.pdf

I need to re-visit some real locos, preservation place to photograph n measure
the valve and the compound air pumps.

It'll be a bit hard but not impossible to measure the an pump at its top because
it'll be too high on the running board, a museum won't allow anyone to get on it
and i won't want 2 get on it either. Need to go over the fence and sneak a ladder
in at night? NOoooo. Same applies to an turbo generator access.

On the other hand, an air distribution valve measurements s/b pretty simple 2 do.
I'll post what i can here when i get the chance to get those.

I've contacted some big scale (7 1/4 ga) live stm suppliers but so far, no dimensions.
Only one responded to check out Strasburg's #460's. I doubt the museum has dims
and allow anyone to get on the loco. But i did find her generator to be 'Sunbeam' and
not expected Nat'l Pyle's.

Unless they faked their airpump, generator, etc w/o real dimensions, i can't believe
they were able to come up w their castings.
#460's.  Need to blow this photo up 2C the maker's name
#460's. Need to blow this photo up 2C the maker's name
#460's.  Distribution Valve
#460's. Distribution Valve
These photos were taken by me back in 2009 at Strasburg, PA. Since I live in LA, CA, I doubt if i can get back
there again.

Thx again for all of you folks for the contribution help above.
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Short Line Tom
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Location: Römerberg/Germany

Re: Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

Post by Short Line Tom »

Dor_Crank wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:08 am .......
The URL site below won't go anywhere. I guess they removed it.
http://www.grandscales.com/crosscomp/CrossComp1of3.pdf
....................
Try this link: http://www.grandscales.com/freestuff/fr ... index.html ..... :wink:

Cheers!
Tom
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Greg_Lewis
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Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Steam Loco accessories: Compound Air Pump, Turbo Generator, Air Distribution Valve

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Dor_Crank wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:08 am
...

It'll be a bit hard but not impossible to measure the an pump at its top because
it'll be too high on the running board, a museum won't allow anyone to get on it
and i won't want 2 get on it either. Need to go over the fence and sneak a ladder
in at night? NOoooo. Same applies to an turbo generator access.

...
There's a trick used by photographers to get high angle shots when you can't climb. Get a photo monopod for the camera and use that to hold the camera up in the air (or out to the side). Use the self-timer on the camera to trip the shutter. A digital camera with auto focus makes things easy and, of course, you can check the camera's screen to see if you got what you need. Try to get as straight-on to your subject as you can, and if you know one dimension, you can extrapolate the others. Photoshop has a tape measure tool which I've used for just this purpose, but lacking Photoshop, you can use some basic high school math to figure out dimensions from prints or even on screen. (I still have some side rules I use when I need to do this. Faster and easier than [shudder] math.)
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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