Building Kozo's New Shay locomotive

[b.lindsey]

Weren't most Shays and other geared locos based on the narrow gage standard of 3"?  If I am correct in that it would factor into the equation as well.

Edit: I meant to say 3 foot not 3 inches.

Bill

[crueby]

For the display stand I used the code 250, for the aluminum got the code 332, both look fine, and have plenty of clearance for the wheels. A .750 high track would be way too big. My shay is 3-1/2" gauge, at 3/4": 1' scale. At that scale, code 332 is equivalent to a 5.3" rail, which is correct. Code 250 is 4" equivalent, also in range.  Easy to go off the rails with these calculations. Pun intended...!

[crueby]

Weren't most Shays and other geared locos based on the narrow gage standard of 3"?  If I am correct in that it would factor into the equation as well.

Bill

I think you are right. Logging tracks were usually temporarily built, and quite windy and steep in many places. See my earlier post about the trains at Cass WV for some videos, great place to visit if you have not been there yet.

[crueby]

Just about done with the steam dome - just need to make the hold-down screw and the handrail stanchions. First up was to finish the base - last time had it fitted to the boiler, first photo here shows it after filing down the base to blend it with the boiler. Started with some coarse files (more of a rasp, really) and worked down to fine file an sandpaper to smooth it up. The hole in the side will be threaded for the handrail stanchion.

For the dome itself, started with another piece of the aluminum (that is hard to type!), turned a step in the base to match the base, and drilled a starter hole for boring out the center. The chamber in the center is to make room for the safety/snifter valves. It does not go all the way through, so the starter hole was made to same depth as finished chamber. (photo 2)

A bunch of shavings later, had the chamber half done. To make it easier to clear chips/shavings, I bored out the hole half-depth first, then went back and took it down to full depth (almost 1.5" deep). (photo 3)

After the inside was done, turned the piece around in the chuck, holding it with brass shims on the chuck jaws so it would not get marked up, and took the outside down to size at the top. Also, made up a card stock template for the curve at the top - this is important to follow, since going too deep could break through into the inner chamber. (photo 4)

A bunch of nibbling away at the outside, checking frequently with the template, and filing it smooth when the shape was reached, the outside shape is done. (photo 5)

Then, drilled the holes in the top - center for hold-down screw, outer ones for safety valves. (photo 6)

Last photo shows the completed dome sitting on the base. Just need to make the screw and the handrail stanchions, and it will be ready for paint.

Now, need to duplicate most of that same process for the sand dome. That one differs in two ways - much smaller chamber (just need room for water fill plug), and since that dome will sit on the tapered part of the boiler, the curve cut in the base will need to be done at a matching angle. Will probably use same setup, but with the vise on the tilt table - the same process should still work.

[ths]

That worked well, good result. I always find aluminium much easier to spell than aluminum. Hugh.

[b.lindsey]

So crueby, those holes in the top of the dome...are they just to let steam vent to the atmosphere should either of the pop valves go off?  You are going to have a real functioning engine here before too long

Bill

[crueby]

So crueby, those holes in the top of the dome...are they just to let steam vent to the atmosphere should either of the pop valves go off?  You are going to have a real functioning engine here before too long

Bill

The holes serve a couple uses - let out steam from safeties, in air for snifter, plus room for adjustment on the safety valves which project partly through the holes. Getting close to starting on the engine, been looking forward to that! 

[crueby]

Next up is the sand dome base, which sits over the water fill plug on the tapered part of the boiler. It was made pretty much the same way as the steam dome base, but since it has to sit on a slanted surface the piece needed to be tilted when milling the bottom.

Started out with another chunk of aluminum, bored out the center just like on the steam dome, and drilled/countersunk the holes in the sides for the handrail stanchions. (photo 1)

Then, tilted up the vise to 45 degrees and drilled the holes for the sand dispensing tubes. there are a pair of these on either side. To start the drill, used the mill to make a flat. (photos 2 and 3)

Back on the lathe, turned down the lip on the top and turned in a starting curve for the side bevel - this removes the bulk of the material possible on the lathe, saves filing time later on when blending the curve down to the boiler. (photo 4)

Then, back to the mill, with the base mounted with an inner disc just like I did on the steam dome (see previous post for that if you came in late). Again, like with the steam dome, made a card stock template of the curve of the boiler where the base will go, and fixed it in place at correct height next to the base. The base is held at an angle this time that matches the angle of the boiler top surface. (photo 5)

Next photo shows the piece from the side, to show the template in use. For each pass with the mill, I lowered the headstock a little, and cranked the table to the forward/back till the mill just touched the template, then ran the table across side to side to cut a step at that setting. On this base I used smaller steps, which should speed up the filing.

With the milling done, time to test fit the base on the boiler. Not bad, should not take long to get a close fit with some filing to smooth out the steps and match the curve - since the boiler is tapered, one curve wont fit exact at front and back of the base, so I got it close and will fine tune it with the files. (photo 7)

Last photo shows the two domes so far - really changes the look of it yet again. Next time I'll get the sand dome base fitted, and blend in the side curves like the steam dome is. Then, on to making the dome itself, which will be some straightforward lathe work...

[b.lindsey]

You have been giving that angle plate a workout crueby!  I love it. Handy accessory to have for sure.


Bill

[crueby]

You have been giving that angle plate a workout crueby!  I love it. Handy accessory to have for sure.


Bill

Definitely, the tilt table and the rotary table have gotten more use than the lathe on this project!

[crueby]

Coming down the home stretch to getting started on the actual engine (8 months in to this point). Made the handrail stanchions today - they are standoffs that hold the handrail around the top of the boiler. Started with some brass rod, drilled the cross hole for the rail, and threaded the end. (photo 1)

Then, moved the end out a little, and used the parting tool to cut into the shank for the post portion. The material is thin, so took in stages to get the whole shank done without bending it (next 3 photos).

Around the cross hole, used a combination of the parting tool and a small file to round the end before parting it off. (photo 5)

Sixth photo shows the handrails in place.

Last photo shows the handrails, plus the sand tubes from the sand dome in place.

Next up is to make the steam bracket/base, which form the mounting point for the engine on the side of the boiler. Kozo designed it so that the steam manifold to the engine is mounted on the side of the boiler where it stays hot, keeping the steam from condensing before getting to the engine. That will be the last piece before starting the engine parts (wahoo!).

[Roger B]

That worked well, good result. I always find aluminium much easier to spell than aluminum. Hugh.

You need to tell the spell checker that 

Still just about keeping up with your progress  I have always been interested in narrow gauge railways, especially the more 'rustic' ones and have followed the various US logging designs, Shay, Heissler, Climax, etc.

[crueby]

The steam bracket and base are well along now - the base is a simple slab shape with one side milled out to conform to the curve on the side of the boiler. In the book, Kozo turns this curve on the lathe, holding the base on a long L-bracket on the faceplate. My lathe does not have the capacity for that, so I made a template from the boiler for the curve, and traced the curve onto the ends of the brass piece, and milled down to that. (photo 1) One thing I have had trouble with in the past on milling or cutting off one side of a large bar is the bar deforming as the side is cut away, due to the stresses in the metal from when it was rolled to shape in the factory. I have gotten in the habit on pieces like this of doing a stress-relieving operation on it, which is simply putting it in the oven at 500F for an hour, and letting it cool naturally. This gets rid of the internal stresses without changing the hardness - never had a problem since. After milling to shape, I transferred the locations of the mounting bolts already in the boiler to the piece and drilled matching holes in the base. Machining: process of removing all the excess swarf from bar stock to reveal the finished part.

For the steam bracket itself, this is another slab shape, but left rectangular. It has holes down the length for both steam inlet and exhaust, with passages running from those holes to each of the three cylinders. Started out drilling the exhaust passage. (photo 2)

Then, counter drilled the end to a larger diameter, (photo 3) and bored an even larger diameter at the very end. (photo 4) These larger sections are to take the exhaust pipe.

After that, it was a matter of drilling sets of holes into the passages at each cylinder. Lots of these, I will not show the entire sequence, better left to the plans in the book. Suffice to say, LOTS of holes, both in the face and diagonally up from the bottom to connect all the passages and to form mounts for the cylinders. (photos 5/6)

Last two photos show the state of the base and bracket at this point - still need to go back and silver solder in plugs in the extra holes, where passages were formed but need to be dead-ended. Also, will make up the steam inlet fitting for the top - will show that next time (out of time for the day, time to head off to archery league). One more day should wrap up these pieces, then its time to make the cylinders!

[b.lindsey]

The standoffs look great crueby. That's some fiddly work too cause I know how small the chuck is .  The handrail is a bit height on the boiler than I imagined but looks good also. You have done a LOT of work in 8 months!!

Bill

[crueby]

The standoffs look great crueby. That's some fiddly work too cause I know how small the chuck is .  The handrail is a bit height on the boiler than I imagined but looks good also. You have done a LOT of work in 8 months!!

Bill

I went back and looked at the handrail - realized I had forgotten one of the slight bends near the front that lowered it near the stack - thanks! Comparing it to the heights on the cab, the walkway around the boiler up to the handrail distance makes it about a shoulder height, so should be right. It will blend in more once painted.