Seeking 3/4" rail

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Bill Shields
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Bill Shields »

All of my storage crates, which also serve as carrying cases have the wheels sitting on wood with tight grooves for the flanges.

Not very elegant for display, but should it get jarred in transit, is a lot easier on the flanges...esp if they are cast.

There is a fellow in the Massachusetts area who has scale aluminum rail available. Cannot remember his name, but he provided some rail to our Pennsylvania live steamers a year or so back...

Perhaps someone here in the board knows him.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
apm
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by apm »

Blondihacks wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 7:09 pm
apm wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 6:59 pmOn a side note are you running behind on videos? Seems like you're a little ways off from a display track. I have been really enjoying your videos on YouTube and try to watch them as soon as they're posted.
My videos are generally about 3-4 weeks behind where I’m at. The reason for seeking display rail now is that I’ll be starting to build the rolling chassis soon and I want to be able to set the wheels on rail rather than have them sitting on their flanges. Since I’ll need it eventually anyway, might as well get it now rather than using angle iron or something. I’ll also likely build the storage crate now so I can use it to protect the work in progress on my bench, and I’d like to have rail inside the crate as well. I do plan to build a small loop in my back yard as well, and will probably want that around the time the chassis can be run on air.

I always order materials and such way in advance in case there are delays in getting them, and so I always have something to work on. Maintaining a weekly video schedule means careful planning well in advance on everything so that I can absorb the unexpected.

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you like the videos. 😊

I check almost every day to see if there's a new one out they are some of my favorite things on YouTube. One thought I had for you if not too late. I think that you may have too few washdown plugs on the bottom of the boiler. I would want one in each corner in case you have hard water and need to clear out sludge.

I also agree with Bill use wood in your carrying case. For the wood make it taper so that the locomotive naturally runs up the wood as it meets the rail. It works really well.
Blondihacks
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Blondihacks »

apm wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 5:57 pm One thought I had for you if not too late. I think that you may have too few washdown plugs on the bottom of the boiler. I would want one in each corner in case you have hard water and need to clear out sludge.

I also agree with Bill use wood in your carrying case. For the wood make it taper so that the locomotive naturally runs up the wood as it meets the rail. It works really well.
Definitely too late- the boiler is now done. But I appreciate the thought anyway! Kozo only had one in his design and I didn’t know any better so I followed it.

You guys have convinced me to stick to wood grooves for the case floor. I had thought storing it on rail would be better for the wheels, but sounds like that’s actually less secure. I was imagining wheel chocks and tie downs like how people strap cars to trailers, but that wouldn’t do anything for lateral jostling I suppose!
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Bill Shields
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Bill Shields »

You also want to pin the chassis in place ..I like a bolt through the tender draw bar - this keeps all in place.

On a couple of my cases, I have installed a thin (1/4") board between the grooves that is a snug fit back to back on the wheels.

This keeps the wheels in place, even when the case (or car) bounces
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James Powell
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by James Powell »

Transport boxes- my Britannia has a wooden box, with a flat bottom piece of ~5/4" or so and relatively thin plywood sides, which is a fairly close fit to the engine for lifting/manouvering.

ImageDSCF1147 by Peach James, on Flickr

(Brit in the box in the background...)

That's fine for when I'm the one moving it...when it's some other dope like UPS moving it, that then slides into a case made of 1/8" angle, with 1/2" plywood sides and strap iron. I watched the house movers moving it 2 decades ago, and by the time they had it out of the house, it was upside down. Engine rides secured in by the chimney, and at the rear against the frame. Stout. Weighs 126 lb in the case...

Think about how to space the engine from damage if it is going to travel a fair amount...

(the same outer case fits Caribou I as well...)


In my experience, there are very few railways in Canada using scale rail for any size- CPS II, VIME, Aldergrove, TLS, TSME, GHLS, FLS, MLS & Dr Lockwoods are/were barstock, with COALS being the only exception- and that rail was old, IIRC. I believe it had come from TSME's Humber site originally.
I don't know about Sun Parlour Lines, Bluewater, BCSME's current efforts, and Manitoba. I think Airdry is bar rail for the raised track.
Blondihacks
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Blondihacks »

James Powell wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 12:52 pm In my experience, there are very few railways in Canada using scale rail for any size- CPS II, VIME, Aldergrove, TLS, TSME, GHLS, FLS, MLS & Dr Lockwoods are/were barstock, with COALS being the only exception- and that rail was old, IIRC. I believe it had come from TSME's Humber site originally.
I don't know about Sun Parlour Lines, Bluewater, BCSME's current efforts, and Manitoba. I think Airdry is bar rail for the raised track.
Yah, I talked to Iron Horse Park in Airdrie, and they’re using steel flat bar. They confirmed what I feared- scale rail is pretty much unobtainium unless you’re willing to ship it from England. I got one quote for doing that- it was (no joke) over $1000 to ship $25 worth of rail. I guess because of the length. Nobody in the States even sells it, which surprised me.

I’ve resolved to use steel flat bar for my outdoor track, and I ordered some G-scale rail for a display stand, on the advice of everyone here. Thanks also for all the crate advice. Much appreciated.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Bill Shields »

let me ask the folks at PLS this weekend regarding the fellow from the NorthEast who is supplying rail for our multigauge track...just cannot remember his name....(no surprise)
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Dick_Morris
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Dick_Morris »

Transport/storage boxes - When I moved 20 years ago I needed a safe way to move my CP-173 as well as a way to store it. I built a cube shaped frame of angle iron (bed rails IIRC) that I could roll the locomotive into. I was able to stand it on end and move it with a two-wheeled hand cart. For about a year the locomotive was stored on its end in the box due to a severe lack of storage space. If I were going to ship it commercially I would add plywood sides.
Frank6276
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Frank6276 »

Subject: Low Rail. Bill Shields mentioned the Low Rail that PLS had purchased. I was involved with this purchase and suggest you contact Alex Karnes 781-264-7603, Alex may be able to help you with your needs. Hope this info is of some help.
Frank Webb
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Bill Shields
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Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Post by Bill Shields »

Thx frank
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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