Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

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Fender
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Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:33 pm
Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Fender »

I’ve used a flange profile tool on a very robust 16” lathe and it still chattered! One trick is to put a machinist’s jack between the tool bit and the cross slide to reduce chatter, and feed in with the cross slide rather than with the compound. With hss and a 6” c.i. wheel, try about 60 rpm or less. (90 feet/minute)
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
Soot n' Cinders
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Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

I think you have the wrong thread Fender...

More fiddling done today on the shay, valve should be here tomorrow. I have an idea on how I’m going to do my blower, going to start with a simple elbow with a short nipple attached and go from there. Playing with it on compressed air it seems to draft pretty well. As for getting it through the smokebox shell, I think I’ll just drill a hole to fit the pipe and use some Loctite 680 to hold a nipple in place.
Also, I had the smokebox door open again today so I took a picture of the petticoats in their home.
78042E06-013C-4CDA-9DF7-5206AF6F18DF.jpeg
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
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Fender
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Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Fender »

Yup, wrong thread. 👎
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
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Harold_V
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Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Harold_V »

Fender wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:28 pm Yup, wrong thread. 👎
If you'll point me to the thread in which the post should appear, I'll move it. Please provide a link to the thread, so I don't have to hunt for it.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
Soot n' Cinders
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Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

More work done on the shay, this time plumbing in the lubricator I modified a while back. The check valves are PM Research 1/4" MTP check valves with O ring seals. And inside the steam chest there is a little nozzle that allows the drops of oil to be atomized by the incoming flow of steam. The temporary mount for the lubricator is a piece of 3/16" steel held onto the cylinder head with 4 stacks of neodymium magnets and is roughly the height of what the actual cowling will be when that is made.
0163ed3832f2f15cc2dc08a3dc5fb77fd4e9ab3f86.jpg
01cab1e0c8250dd55eee5882b595684bac18d722f5.jpg
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Also in my order from PM Research were some nice little cylinder cocks. Just need to modify the handles so they can be ganged together and operated from the cab like the prototype.
01386bc8987bbc0fa480ed3ce0c7dcfa427691eb3e.jpg
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Soot n' Cinders
Posts: 983
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

More work on the shay lately. Money was burning a hole in my pocket so I decided it needed to become parts!
The sight glass is now plumbed in with its blowdown valve. The bent copper was brazed into the valve and union after being annealed several times to get the bend right. The blowdown is threaded into the bottom of the lower shut off. PM Research's 5/16 MTP valves have just enough meat to drill and tap for 3/16 MTP, but this may be switched to braze joint later depending how I like the threads in there.
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Next, the blower was finally plumbed into the smokebox. I took the simple approach for this round going with a simple upturned elbow. Seems to work pretty well, but I did include a union in there in case I do want to switch to a blower ring with multiple holes later on. The line through the smokebox shell is just a 1/4 MTP nipple passed through a 1/4" hole in the shell with a generous coating of loctite 680 and the steel peened into the brass with a center punch.
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Lastly, the smokestack has been joined to the ring. By happy accident I made a nice press fit, so the pipe is joined to the casting with a press fit and another healthy coating of Loctite 680. Theres also enough meat left on the ring to add some screws or a taper pin later on if needed. But Im not anticipating a lot of force on the stack itself since it will eventually be a Radley-Hunter.
01df3338a9c7a1514dbb1f8261791ba832d3f6f0fc.jpg
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
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John_S
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Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by John_S »

Soot n' Cinders wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:17 pm But Im not anticipating a lot of force on the stack itself since it will eventually be a Radley-Hunter.
Just be sure that when someone jumps in to "help" you move your loco to remind them not to use the stack!
Soot n' Cinders
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Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

More progress to share on the shay, the turret is complete! Its built up from brass pipe with the body being 3/4"NPT with a 3/8"NPT nipple to connect to the boiler. The ends were plugged with rod and then boiler bushings from PM Research were used to give flat spots and the pipe threads to connect the valves.
unfinished turret
unfinished turret
Once everything was brazed together I ran it through the sandblaster to give it that cast look.
sandblasted turret
sandblasted turret
Then the turret was mounted on the boiler and the valves threaded in place, all with a healthy coating of antiseize as pipe dope. The upper two will be for the injectors, the left side one will be for the siphon, the right side one will be for a drifting valve, the front middle one is the blower, and the front right one is the shutoff for the brake valve.
turret and valves plumbed
turret and valves plumbed
And of course I couldnt resist connecting the blower to the turret, even though Im going to have to undo all of it to paint the smokebox. I'll use the same paint for it that I did the boiler.
blower line plumbed
blower line plumbed
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Jawn
Posts: 283
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:39 pm
Location: Canton, GA

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Jawn »

Are you lighting a fire in that thing this weekend? :)
Soot n' Cinders
Posts: 983
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

Jawn wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:38 pm Are you lighting a fire in that thing this weekend? :)
Sure, I’ll just throw some greasy rags on a baking sheet and tie it to the boiler with ratchet straps! What could go wrong?
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Jawn
Posts: 283
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:39 pm
Location: Canton, GA

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Jawn »

Soot n' Cinders wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:44 pm
Jawn wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:38 pm Are you lighting a fire in that thing this weekend? :)
Sure, I’ll just throw some greasy rags on a baking sheet and tie it to the boiler with ratchet straps! What could go wrong?
Not much, as long as you use non-flammable brake cleaner. :lol:
Soot n' Cinders
Posts: 983
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

More work done on the shay, both injectors now have steam and delivery lines plumbed. Lots of bending tubing around to get the angles and curves I wanted, Ive learned its a lot easier to anneal the copper and brass tubing rather than trying to bend it in it's half hard state. The PM Research check valves seal really well too, just need to get the O ring size so I can carry spares for when they start getting old and leaky.
Fireman's side injector line
Fireman's side injector line
Engineer's side injector line
Engineer's side injector line
With more and more plumbing being added, the backhead is getting quite cozy. The two end valves were temporarily removed due to a glitch with PM Research's website saying they were out of 5/16 straight globe valves. New ones are on the way and should be here tomorrow. The drifting valve will get plumbed in and the siphon valve will be left as a vent to atmosphere till I get a siphon printed.
backhead
backhead
I also spent a good bit of time last night playing with the water valves for the injectors. I had been playing with them with the valve stems horizontal but was having trouble getting it all to fit. Then while sitting up on top of the chassis I played with the valves being vertical and its growing on me. Not as prototypical but doesnt look half bad and certainly seems easier to operate.
engineer's injector
engineer's injector
And of course I had to throw my cab wall mock up on the frame to see how things are shaping up.
cab wall mock up
cab wall mock up
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
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