The Home Machinist!

I don't do a lot of posting on here, but I may start changing that. I enjoy reading others' build projects so why not. I bought the 3/4" Friends Atlantic parts that was recently for sale as I've always had an itch to build a 3 1/2" gauge engine (somehow I never started a Raritan in 3/4, not sure why since I've been looking at them for years). Here goes:

Project: Boston and Maine J Class 3214 (Not only are there a few pictures of 3214 around, I'm a bit of a numbers nerd and like the ring of it). Bought the partially build engine off Chaski, Plans from Friends Models, and some trucks from Jim Abrams. I like the lines, lower running boards at the smokebox, simple appliances, trailing truck, and especially the early piston valve cylinders. I plan to use most of the parts I bought swapping in a new cylinder set, stephenson or possibly Bremme valve gear, and Jim's Andrews trucks detailed up a little for the tender.

I'd been itching for a night in the shop to make some chips so I decided to start simple and make some progress: truck bolsters. I bought 3 sets which I'll be putting all together at once (1 for the tender and then who knows what else!). Tonight I dusted all the sides of the bolsters to give some good clamping surfaces. Length was trimmed up to get equal thickness to the attachment points for the side frames, and the drilled the mounting holes.

Left to do is bore the holes on either end for the pivot bushings and clean up the inner surface for said bushings. With any luck, I'll keep some moment and nibble away at the project. Attached are a shot of subject engine, few shots of tonight's progress, and the other castings to be worked on next.

Comments so far on Jim's trucks: All good. His service and communications were excellent and the kits were shipped out pronto. Casting quality is quite nice, haven't run into any hard spots or pits. Cuts with ease. The drawings are fairly complete but not the absolute best. They definitely get the job done and I'm the type to improvise a little anyway so again, all good!

With any luck, I'll finish these bolsters up and move on to the side frames in the next week or so!

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....

HOW ABOUT a model of 3222 in 3/4"?



My dear friend Jim Stuart started this in 1946, and lived to see the chassis run on air and a semi-finished, hydrotested boiler sitting on it before he died 2 years ago.

I am going to finish the boiler and build the tender as soon as I finish a couple of other projects.

The cylinders are a bit different because of different valve gear (something I think you want to change?), but all else looks about the same as yours, including the tender, for which I have lots of photos but no drawings.

Have any tender drawings?

When you get to the side frames, you will have to adjust the axle spacing to fit the castings. No big deal, just measue them first before any boring.

Apparenty some where along the way the paterns have shrunk, maybe paterns were remade with out shrink allowance, or some actual parts were used for patterns.

are you coming to PLS this weekend?

PS: I have all the boiler formers for this loco

Rob: Good to know. I did plan on checking them first, but certainly emphasizes that. Thanks!

Bill: I'll be there off and on over the weekend. I'll try to catch you to chat about them. If you have any pictures to bring along, I'd be happy to see them. I'll be using totally different cylinders and an inside the frame valve gear. Haven't completely chosen yet. Friends made a Baker gear to be "easier" to make, a few others seem to have switched it to Walscherts. Looks like a nice chassis! I'll look you up this weekend.

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....

will be there friday about noon until saturday night.

not bringing chassis, but will have a boiler with me you can look at (Bob Thomas').

inside valve gear on that loco is a nightmare. Not sure if Baker was ever fitted but the Walschaert was standard on the 3220 on up (I believe from what Jim told me).

At least it is on his original prints / erection cards.

Other than valve gear and changed cylinders, I BELIEVE the locos are identical.

Give me incentive to get it finished....been looking for an excuse.

I have Jim's cylinder patterns also, if you don't have cylinders already. He had them cast somewhere - Chicago or Cinci when he was working out that way.

Been really busy, but I was able to finish up the Bolsters. Casting cut nicely for the finished surface for the bushing to mate. A little deburring and paint and they are ready:

click here

And I started on wheels tonight. I decided to cut the backs with a little relief to add some detail (overkill, but I think it looks better!). My wheel method:

- Chuck Rough casting on the outer tread
- Cut the OD of the flange to finish +~0.010, face the back, and cut the relief
- Center drill, drill, bore, and ream the axle hole

Next I will chuck on the flange and face the front to thickness. Then on to an arbor, rough cut the skin away and zoom with my form tool I made. I decided to spend a little money since time was the tighter commodity at the moment and had a friend cut the axles. Nothing like a CNC Swiss Lathe to cut the taper and radii detail for a nice finished axle in one operation!!

With some luck, I'll at least get all the wheels for the 3 pair of trucks to this stage this weekend. Stay cool all!!




click here

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....

Got some shop time yesterday. All 24 wheels are ready for paint and axles.

Little Fixture"


Before:


During:


After:



3/4" is a lot of fun to work with, I'm really enjoying this. The form tool was wired by a friend. Worked great, even with a belt drive lathe and cutting into the scale. After each cut, I gave the wheels a dusting with a file and chamfered the outer edge. Quick squeeze with scotchbrite and off to the next wheel. Next up, side frames. Back sides are sanded and a fixture has been made ready for me to make some chips!

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....

Cool! You make wheel making look easy.

How are you getting the final diameter? By repeat of the infeed, or by Mike for final ?

Wheels are a big bugaboo for many, trying to measure on angle and filleted areas by the flange. Just curious about your level of confidence.

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Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

It is easy! Just time consuming for parts of it. I used the repeated in-feed for sizing. I set the power feed to about .002 or .0026, fed in nice and even until I was almost to my mark (0.040 on the dial for these) and then just hand fed to the final mark. I checked them with a caliper by "feeling my way" to the root of the radius which is arguably not the best way, but you can feel it pretty good. All the wheels were within a few thou, maybe 0.005 variation. I may try to match them up a little, but at that I don't think it matters much. I was slightly surprised and very pleased at the results from the good ol' 16" South Bend. She's had a lot of time on her but still up to the task!

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....

Jared you're using a form tool why not just measure over the flange they should all be the right size.

Duckman,

You have a very good point. I didn't mention that I checked that as well (same results), but I was checking the tread as the form tool is taking the heaviest cut in the skin of the iron in the tread area so I was mostly checking there to make sure I wasn't wearing away much tool. It obviously did wear a little, but hardly noticeable.

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Jared

Cabin Fever Expo
Model Engineering of all sorts.....