Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

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Dave Bortz
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Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:44 am
Location: North of Reading PA

Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Dave Bortz »

Hi Charlie;

For your first attempt, first part... I think it looks great.

Keep up the good work !!!
Dave
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Pipescs
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Location: Lester Alabama

Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

I have been accused lately of being a nut case on the foundry effort.

Although it looks like I am becoming a foundry nut, I am actually only pursuing this effort to get the parts I can't locate in the 1.6 scale I decided to go with for the PS-4 Project.

I am hoping after the Trailing Truck and one more unique frame spreader to be able to put the foundry into storage until the frame is machined out and bolted together.

My son took these yesterday showing how I have reverted back to our caveman to Bronze age heritage. Waste oil and a Craftsman vacume cleaner is all you need. Well not really. I have invested in safety equipment too. The furnace is a beer keg
IMG_0256.JPG
IMG_0225.JPG
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
tailshaft56
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Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:12 pm
Location: Miami Oklahoma (Palm trees not included)

Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by tailshaft56 »

LivingLegend wrote:To insure consistent alignment of both frames bolted together....

I would drill and ream two holes for dowel pins in the frames.... Where those holes would be used to bolt the front footplate (or cylinders) at one end of the frame, and a crosstie at the other. This will spare you the headache of trying to get the frames back in perfect register should you, for whatever the reason, have to separate them before they are finished. It will also prevent a possible shift in alignment while machining them as well.

Use a .1875 dowel....This size will work out perfect if the bolts used to mount the footplate and crossties are #10 (.190). You will want a clearance fit in both frames for the pin. You can get by with a standard sized(.1875) reamer instead of the proper dowel clearance reamer.... The standard size reamer will cut enough oversize to clear the pin.

The holes for the bolts holding the frames together for machining should be match drilled after clamping them together.... Then match drill the holes for the dowels after you bolt together the frames.

Pick up a datum point on your frames once bolted together and mounted on your mill table. Then dial the table over to where the holes for the crosstie and footplate, or whatever are to located.... then drill for the dowel. Forget layout and center punching. Let the accuracy of the mill do the work for you.

Use a center drill or spotting drill as a start for your drill. You might want to consider the use of a split-point drill with a larger included tip angle instead of using a standard drill when drilling thru the thickness of both frames..

LL

I would recomend also laying out the holes. That way you know you are not a turn of the dial off. Never hurts to double check something.
Dennis


Thermal Arc 185-TS
Millermatic Challenger 172
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Pipescs
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Location: Lester Alabama

Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

For the Journal Boxes

Have dreamed up a fixture that I will center up on the miling table and clamp the piece into. My DRO has a program where I can punch in the position of the 12 holes to be drilled. This way I can drill all the holes in all the journals at one time. (Plans are to cast four to six right now). This will also allow me to drill the six holes to mount the top plate which will also be silver soldered later
Bronze 2 (28).jpg


Then another fixture for boring the hole in the backside to mount the bearing plate.
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
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Pipescs
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

Although not frame parts I went ahead and ordered a set of Pullman Car Trucks for the future. Hope to order a set any chance I get to put them back for when we get a chance to build the passenger train that the PS-4 engines pulled.

The casting set I ordered is also offered with the wheels but I opted to buy them next time I am up north and can get them home without shipping cost being so high
DSC_0240.jpg
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
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Pipescs
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

The sudden interest in Pullman Cars was motivated by seeing Dave Sclavi's train at Pa.
DSC_0342.jpg
DSC_0343.jpg
The plan is to farm these out to my son as he gets older. He has just started taking shop and is learning to weld having shown some interest in the lathe lately.
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
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Pipescs
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

In all my traveling I don't get as much done as I need to.

Earl Mueller has helped be by finding a large piece of pipe for my boiler which I will be dragging to Pulaski for the boiler project
DCP02353.jpg
In the mean time I sent a early attempt on a frame cross piece (too be Honest I was ready to throw in the towl as I had not put the draft into the parts) up to Trainman to see what he could do with it.
Patterns (8).jpg
He sent me photos of this last night and will be having it cast at Cattail for me.
Horse Back Riding August 2, 2011 023.jpg

.
Horse Back Riding August 2, 2011 029.jpg
With these two items along with Trainmans pilot beam and smoke box cover I will be a little closer on my parts pile
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
Asteamhead
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello all!
Maybe some photos may help? Building the class A of the N&W I found the solution used with the prototype best for the model, too. Easy machining in combination with rugged but still precise tappered axle bridges made of lasered sheets gave best results. Fixing the tappered bridges by 4 vertical bolts of size M4 threads give a very reliable connection.
Asteamhead
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A frame with axle bridges.jpg
A axle bridge A 5 6.jpg
A preparing mounting of axle bridges.jpg
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Pipescs
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Pipescs »

Although I have slid the casting work to the back burner I had a great day today in doing a set of castings for the side beams on the Hodges Trailing Truck.

I have attempted this part five times now and in the process I have added side runners to the pattern to help the metal get to the far in before setting up, used Graphite as a insulator, added thickness to the pattern in the long flat area to help with the run and used Copper Phosphor to thin the bronze down at heat. Today it all came together with the added fillets and thicker pattern.
DSC_0112.jpg
Clean up is a bear as I have added a lot of vents or popoffs as I believe Dan calls them.
DSC_0105.jpg
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
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Trainman4602
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by Trainman4602 »

Charlie
Congratulations on finally getting them cast. Your casting doesn’t look any more unusual then that from most foundries’. You only see the finished product. They have to add the same runners that you have added in order to get what the industry calls a sound casting. Keep up the great work.
ALLWAYS OPERATING MY TRAIN IN A SAFE MANNER USING AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKES
tailshaft56
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Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:12 pm
Location: Miami Oklahoma (Palm trees not included)

Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by tailshaft56 »

Great job on the castings Charlie. Keep up the good work.
Dennis


Thermal Arc 185-TS
Millermatic Challenger 172
Victor O/A
Atlas Craftsman 12 by 24 Lathe
Esab PCM-875
Wholesale Tool Mill-Drill
RICHK
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Re: Building the Southern Railway PS-4 Frame

Post by RICHK »

Hello Charles,
Have you an update to report since Sept 2011?
Also I am looking to find more drawings to fill in all the gaps in William Fitt's booklet starting with the steam cylinder / smoke box saddle for example.
That booklet is only a tantalizing insight into what might be available somewhere.. Can you direct me to a source?
The Smithsonian perhaps.

Regards,
Rich
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