JBodenmann wrote:Hello My Friends
Here are a couple photos of machined brake cylinders. The bore is 5/8", the piston rod is 1/8". The piston is free machining brass with a Teflon cup seal. Tiny tee bolts were made from #1-72 brass model bolts to hold the heads in place. The return spring is stainless. The plumbing connections are 1/8" model pipe threads. The piping to the cylinders will be 3/32" and will connect with a reducer union. Perhaps it's time to make up some 3/4" scale independent brake valves. Should be a delightful little puzzle. Anyone interested?
Jack
Jack,
I am interested! please make those little brake valves, would love to have one.
Continue your amazing work!
Hello My Friends
Thank you Nico. The little brake valves are definitely on the list. Unlike in the past any future brake valves will feature castings instead of built up bodies now that Brad's amazing casting skills are available. 3/4" brake valves will also need 3/32" plumbing, elbows, tees, and unions. The ells and tees will be investment cast and then drilled and tapped, they will feature #3-56 threads. Some holding fixtures will need to be made to machine them. They will also be offered unmachined. The unions will be jobbed out to someone with a CNC machining center. Both copper and brass 3/32" tube is readily available. 3/32" fittings will be sort of a test, and if it goes well other sizes such as 1/16, and 5/32" may follow. These sizes will be handy for all you talented and energetic model builders planning to switch to 3/4" scale. Ha Ha, too Much Fun...!!
Jack
Hello My Friends
Perhaps it should be mentioned that these brake valves are designed for air only and not steam. Steam doesn't work as well as air for brakes, as with a proper brake valve using air, you can make a set, and then return the valve to lap position and it will hold that set for some time. The time depending on the leakage in the brake system. This is not the case when using steam, as due to condensation you can not maintain a set. Steam brakes are basically on or off. So an air compressor is needed somewhere, probably a battery operated one on the riding car. An added complication. But this will allow brakes on the engine tender and riding car, all controlled from a tiny brake valve in the cab. Too much fun!?
Jack
Yup. Plenty of very small compressor and battery setups that will fit in a 3/4" scale boxcar if you wanted. I need to recover the photos of Ron Enright's setup on his beam engine tender. It's way smaller than the solution I came up with. Will try to get it off my old smartphone that I used to take pictures of it at the time.
Live Steam Photography and more - gallery.mikemassee.com
Product Development and E-Commerce, Allen Models of Nevada
Not to belabor the point but Tom Bee sells the whole setup in one lot, or in individual parts, along with air hoses, fittings, etc.
I got the lawn tractor battery, air compressor, PVC air tank, and everything else I needed in the horizontal space taken up by the cupola to the end of the caboose, what, 14 x 20?
One can mount all of the components in any direction one wants.
brian,
are the air compressors small enough to put in a 3/4" scale box car? also. whats the watts on the compressors? bigger the battery the harder it is for us.... sadly.
