5 inch 0-4-0 Shunter

Thats a very good idea Jeff I never gave that a thought.

To be honest if I go with a steam outline something "cartoon scale" will be ok, as I mentioned the grand children will like it for sure. Since I posted though I googled images of small steam loco,s and there are a few which would probably house the battery and be in or near to scale, so those may be worth a look.

Thanks again for your suggestion.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 25/05/2018 13:31:28

You're welcome Ron.

Couple of further thoughts - maybe a saddle tank style steam loco outline would allow more room for the battery, if you wanted to keep it in the locomotive. A couple of pics of saddle tank engines from the internet are below, one engine from the UK and one from the Baltimore and Ohio Rwy in USA. The saddle tanks hold the engine's water supply on full size machines just FYI in case you weren't aware.

Again just food for thought.

Thanks for those Jeff, I like the Ajax and I think it would house the battery ok.

I also found a Deeley 0-4-0 which could also work with the full depth tanks.

I,m undecided at the moment but "if" I fixed the wheels to the axles using Loctite 603 retainer how difficult would they be to take apart should I need too.

I was thinking maybe some heat and a gear puller, would that work...?

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 26/05/2018 11:42:28

Usually a good heat up and pull off works fine to release loctite. A gear puller you can get behind the centre hub, as close to the centre of the hub as possible, will help, and reduce risks of broken spokes.

Thanks Jeff, I have solid wheels so if the gear puller is needed it should be fine.

Ron

Well, having no machining facilities (except for a small pedestal drill) and having to wait for friends to produce parts for me really tested my patience. Of course I,m not complaining about my friends, it is good of them to offer to make the bits and I wasnt going to chase them. The frustration is not having the kit to make the parts myself and in particular turned parts. I have some of the parts but still need some more and I havnt troubled anyone for them.

So I have decided to get myself a small (mini) lathe. One of the reasons I dont have one is I havnt had a place to put it or at least a place where it could be set up and left. However we cleared out and emptied a small garden shed today and the wife suggested I used it as a workshop. Now it is small, 6 ft x 4 ft but standing in there I thought a bench down the long side and across one end, would easily take a mini lathe and my bench drill and leave some space for assembly. I will have to move the shed and it needs a new base, insulating and of course electric.

The lathe I am considering is the CJ18A 7 x 14 from Amadeal. They do it as a package for £785 with a 100mm - 3 jaw and a 100mm - 4 jaw, fixed and travelling steadies, quick change tool post with holders, face plate, live centre, tail stock chuck, measuring kit, lathe tool set and a few other bits. From what I,ve seen that seems quite good value.

I have watched a lot of youtube videos on how to set up and improve a mini lathe as they all seem to need some work to get the best out of them. Now I am never going to be trying to produce a scale steam locomotive but if I can produce the parts I need for simpler projects then I will be happy.

Ron

p.s. I forgot to say, the thought of getting a lathe.....well lets just say I,m a bit excited.

Edited By Ron Laden on 01/06/2018 19:46:01

Well at long last some of the parts are coming together, they still need further work but at least its jobs I can do. I have the chassis top plate, the chassis side frames, the axle boxes and the motor mount plates. The spur gears have had the gear boss reduced and the motor pinions have been shortened and machined ready for pressing on the motor shafts.

I was very lucky with the side frames and motor mounts, I asked a friend if I could buy some 3mm steel from the engineering company he works for and he asked me to give him the drawings and dimensions. To my complete surprise he turned up a week later with the parts all laser cut. He wouldnt let me pay for the parts but said I owed him a couple of pints....I think a very good friend indeed.

Well at long last the minilathe is in situ, its the first time out of its box since it arrived. It was well packed and banded to a pallet and there are no signs of any damage.

I,ve had very little time today and apart from a quick start up to check it runs that was about it. Tomorrow I will clean off the protective gunge and check everything through.

I have a problem with the set of wheels and axles I purchased for the 0-4-0.

I have spoken with the supplier and he found that the complete batch of wheels from which my set are from all have the same fault. The wheels are normally machined so they are a sliding fit on the axle seat to within 2-3mm from the axle shoulder and then pressed on against the shoulder. Excuse the quick rough sketch below but you can probably see from the dimensions that my wheels will do this but back to front i.e. with the wheel flange to the outside.

The supplier is producing a new batch of wheels and when ready will send me a replacement set. He also told me to keep the set I was sent and if I can salvage them for now or in the future then fine. My thoughts are to reduce the axle seat to allow the wheels to slide to within approx 2mm of the shoulder ready for pressing on. This would of course leave a difference of 4 thou at the outer end of the axle seat/wheel but I think the wheel would sit square once pressed against the shoulder. Also if I pressed the wheels on and used some Loctite retainer this would take up the 2 thou gap around the wheel/axle.

Hope my explanation makes sense and would be interested to hear if there is an easier/better way of dealing with it.

Regards

Ron

I would set the wheels true in a 4-jaw chuck and ream or bore them out a bit bigger.

Neil

If it is just a straight axle it would be best to get a new axle made a tad over size and bore the hole parallel. Because it can sit cockeyed means it probably will just to be awkward. I realise you don't have facilities though so you need to find someone who can do it for you.from the local club.

Well at long last I managed to make a start on the loco build, pics below..

Pressed the oilite bearings into the 4 axle boxes and also the 2 axle bearings into the motor mounting plates.

Used the bench drill to press the pinion gears onto the 4 motors. I knew the interference fit was not heavy and it didnt take too much effort to press them on. I used a 1/4 drive small extension in the drill chuck with the pinion below and the 1/4 drive end of a socket to support the other end of the motor shaft. Lined it all up with a square and it worked really well.

I also managed to salvage the faulty wheels I purchased. I decided to modify the axles to fit so ran them up in the 3 jaw on the lathe and used strips of medium/fine emery cloth to reduce the diameter. Worked at it gradually until the wheel would slide on to within 2mm from the axle shoulder. I then pressed the wheels home using Loctite 368 retainer to make up the 2 thou difference at the outer face end of the wheel. I was trusting the axle shoulder would keep the wheels square to the axle and they have.

More to press on with tomorrow.

A couple of pics of part of the chassis and the motor drive temporarily assembled, gives some idea of how it will look. I know the rear wheel is the wrong way around, needs pressing on to be the correct way. 

Edited By Ron Laden on 26/06/2018 08:59:10

Is it possible to bond brass sheet to steel...?

The steel axle boxes I had made for me are excellent except for the channel machined down each side which is oversize.

I have some 1mm brass sheet which would take up the gap and also act as a rubbing strip. It shouldnt be heavily loaded as it will only see a sliding action as the axle moves with the suspension....well thats my theory at least.

I could always make the strips wider and fit them on with copper rivets which I suppose would add a bit more detail.

It would be very convenient though if there was something that will do the job, just wondered if anyone knows of anything.

Thanks

Ron

LBSC designed his Jenny Lind during material shortages. He specified strip brass as a liner to the steel horn blocks, retained with soft solder. I did this succesfuly on my Jenny Lind chassis. I used an acid flux (Fry's Fluxite). So, sticking a brass liner to your axleboxes with solder should work ok.

HTH,

Rod

I've seen a design for a crossheads with a phosphor bronze 'slipper' where your brass strip would be, kept in place by nothing more than a 'tab' at each end. You could try just bending up each end of your brass strips.

Neil

Thanks Roderick and Neil.

Neil I have just found that Noggin End Metals supply a range of brass micro channel, one of which is 4mm x 4mm x 0.5mm. A piece of this down each side channel with a tab at each end should work just fine, I will get some on order.

Thanks for the idea.

Ron

A bit further on, I have made up and fitted the 3 aluminium frame spreaders and also the 4 steel tie bars. The motors are mounted on the axle via the motor mount plate. Picture 2 shows a mount plate sitting above the tie bars ready for marking off. With the axle having suspension the motors move with the axle so the mounting plate cannot be hard fixed to any part of the frame. The tie bars act as anti rotation stops for the mounting plate but the plate will have cutouts/slots at each end to allow the plate to move up and down with the sprung axle, hope that makes sense..?

My take on some simple spring locators, turned them up from 1/2" alu. They have a 10mm spigot up into the spring with just a tad of clearance. The other end of the spring locates into a 10mm deep hole in the axle box. Spring strength is guess work so hoping they are about right, If not I have a heavier set that I can fit.