Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

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Atkinson_Railroad
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Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

Post by Atkinson_Railroad »

A forming die or forming jig if you prefer, utilized to fabricate carlines and sliding door details for a boxcar built in ’63 has been brought back to use.

I’ve been working on a Battery Charging Equipment House for too long and needed an idea for stiffening the roof top with something.
Looking around visualizing what might work, it dawned on me the jig made to fabricate ribbed pieces riveted to our box car still existed.

What if I use a forming die from 60 years ago to make roof pieces for my equipment house?

(What a fun idea John! You should do it. )

The primitive jig consists of four pieces of 3/16” thick phenolic, a quarter inch piece of steel, and it’s held together with flat-head machine screws.
A bent brass rod forms the ribbed part when the jig is clamped and compressed together using a bench vice.

The length of the ribbed part required for the house needed to be slightly longer so the original brass rod was replaced with an extended piece.

Walla! It’s an equipment house Rib Jig requiring just ONE hardware update.

(Material for the rib detail is .015” thick, 3003 Aluminum)

No, I’m not done with the equipment house yet.
It’s an engrossing project of metal-smithing, machining work, electrical engineering, restoration-retrofitting, and vintage miniature railroading.
You know… the usual.

The reason or initiative to log this post at this time stems from a quiet little 60-year anniversary going on this month.

It seems to be a strike of coincidence that exactly 60 years ago during this very month of February,
a slide photograph was captured of the box car mentioned above while it was under construction.
Pieces made for the box car using the primitive forming jig can be seen in the blurry inset picture.

It would have been nice to declare the box car refurbished for this particular anniversary, but “rebooting” a forming jig that was
made for the car’s construction 60 years ago serves perfectly well for its celebration too.

John

Post Script: I’m hearing a song in my head with lyrics singin’ … “ ’63.”
Attachments
FORMING JIG.JPG
FORMING JIG.JPG (253.43 KiB) Viewed 3315 times
FORMING JIG-2.JPG
FORMING JIG-2.JPG (313.92 KiB) Viewed 3315 times
EQUIPMENT HOUSE.JPG
EQUIPMENT HOUSE.JPG (220.22 KiB) Viewed 3315 times
pat1027
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Re: Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

Post by pat1027 »

The equipment house looks good. That will be a nice touch.
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PRR5406
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Re: Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

Post by PRR5406 »

I second the comment! What a great little structure at towers or crossings. Nice resurrection!
"Always stopping my train, and risking my ankles, with American made, New Balance sneakers."
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Atkinson_Railroad
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Re: Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

Post by Atkinson_Railroad »

Have enjoyed or accepted the results so far constructing an equipment house to shroud a vintage battery charging transformer and rectifier.

It has been a long time since I’ve worked with sheet metal and rivets which involved extensive retraining.
Including… relearning how NOT to drop one’s work on the shop floor while holding a hammer, a drift, and a buck.

The project somehow morphed into assembling an antenna tower using signal ladders… and making an antenna.
My driven element on the antenna is a tad shorter than it should be, but I’m confident anyone on a horse passing by at 2 mph will not notice.

In a way… the antenna acknowledges the wireless world railroads embraced… and of their quest to eliminate copper where ever possible.
We had line-wire poles installed once upon a time on a different right-of-way and I found one photo showing that arrangement from 1987.

As this gig of Vintage Miniature Railroading and maintenance unfolds, occasionally the journey affords something new.

Today, we have an antenna!

John
Attachments
EQUIPMENT HOUSE 2830.JPG
EQUIPMENT HOUSE 2830.JPG (622.08 KiB) Viewed 2144 times
ANTENNA 2823.JPG
ANTENNA 2823.JPG (527.08 KiB) Viewed 2144 times
LINEWIRE POLES 1987.jpg
LINEWIRE POLES 1987.jpg (213.47 KiB) Viewed 2144 times
FOUNDATION INSTALLATION 2874.JPG
FOUNDATION INSTALLATION 2874.JPG (698.62 KiB) Viewed 2144 times
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Atkinson_Railroad
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Re: Resurrecting 60-year-old Forming Die

Post by Atkinson_Railroad »

In critiquing my rooftop metal smith work, I was a little concerned the top of the house looked somewhat similar to a luggage trunk.
I’ve been worried about nothing. You can’t even see it… today.

Welcoming new spring weather… and saying goodbye to old man winter.

John
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EQUIPMENT HOUSE 4-2023.JPG
EQUIPMENT HOUSE 4-2023.JPG (1.07 MiB) Viewed 2008 times
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