Building Kozo's New Shay locomotive

[90LX_Notch]

Awesome Chris! 

-Bob

[Tennessee Whiskey]

In the words of Cash," I hear the train a coming ". 

Cletus

[ths]

Excellent Chris, I'm very happy for you (and me too!). Hugh.

[crueby]

Well, in between running the engine more times, got a start on the rest of the reverse gear linkage. The hangers are brass bearings that bolt to the front of the piston rod guide columns and hold the rod that connects all the reverse gear link arms. They started out a length of brass bar, and drilled/reamed holes for three hangers down its length. (photo 1)

Next step was to drill the mount holes, measured off the centers of the bearing holes. (photo 2)

Then flipped it over and milled out the bearing shapes in the tops. (photo 3)

After cutting them apart and beveling over the corners of the bearings, they were all bolted up to the columns and the rod was test fit in them - a little adjustment on the positions and they were all set. (photo 4)

Next up will be the crank arms...

[Tennessee Whiskey]

"It's coming round the bend and I ain't seen the sunshine since the reverse linkages began "  Can't wait to hear this one pull out of the station .

Cletus

[zeeprogrammer]

Beauty.

Maybe a stupid question that has been asked/answered...apologies...'what does the 'new' in 'new shay' refer to?

[Dan Rowe]

Zee,
Kozo's first engine was a Shay then a bunch of other engines. This build is Kozo's second Shay design and the book is titled "Building the New Shay".

Dan

[b.lindsey]

Chris, you must be superhuman...do you ever sleep man??   

Bill

[crueby]

Chris, you must be superhuman...do you ever sleep man??   

Bill

Oh yeah, lots. Just don't have to do that job nonsense since retiring a couple years ago. I saved up all that wasted time in meetings and am playing them back now!

[zeeprogrammer]

Kozo's first engine was a Shay then a bunch of other engines. This build is Kozo's second Shay design and the book is titled "Building the New Shay".

Aha. Sounds like I'm missing a book then. Thanks Dan.

Chris, you must be superhuman...do you ever sleep man??   

Oh yeah, lots. Just don't have to do that job nonsense since retiring a couple years ago. I saved up all that wasted time in meetings and am playing them back now!

Just a few more years for me (if I'm lucky). And then this thread will be an excellent reference. Really nice work.

[crueby]

Kozo's first engine was a Shay then a bunch of other engines. This build is Kozo's second Shay design and the book is titled "Building the New Shay".

Aha. Sounds like I'm missing a book then. Thanks Dan.

Chris, you must be superhuman...do you ever sleep man??   

Oh yeah, lots. Just don't have to do that job nonsense since retiring a couple years ago. I saved up all that wasted time in meetings and am playing them back now!

Just a few more years for me (if I'm lucky). And then this thread will be an excellent reference. Really nice work.

I think this is Kozos' fifth book - the Shay in this one is from the 1920 timeframe, slightly different styling to it. One other thing he did in this one was to have two novice builders work from his drafts, and he updated/corrected from their feedback, so it has very few errors in it - tough thing on so many many plan sheets. I have learned a ton from his books.

[crueby]

Got going on the crank arms for the reverse gear linkages today. There are three identical arms, that connect to the slide links, and one at the end (slightly longer) that connects to the lever in the cab through a set of u-joint type links. I got all four out of one bar of stainless - as before drilled all the holes first, counting off turns on the table to space them correctly with some extra between arms for cutting room. (photo 1)

Then, turned it on its side and drilled holes into the larger holes on the three shorter arms - these will be the starter holes for the cross pins that will hold them in place on the shaft. (photo 2)

With all the holes drilled, it was time to taper the arms. Tried a different method this time - set the bar in the vise at an angle (used the tops of the holes from one link as a reference line), and used the fly cutter in a series of shallow cuts to form the taper. With the first side done, it looks like a shallow staircase. The steps end just short of the next links' large hole, where it will be cut and rounded later. (photo 3)

With the second side done likewise, you can see the taper in each link. This method worked well, quicker than setting up a jig to bolt them to, but it is critical to make sure the piece cannot slip in the vise - it started to on the second side since I had missed a spot with a bur from the first side. Fortunately I caught it in time. In this picture (photo 4) the longer arm is on the left end.

Then it was just a matter of sawing them apart, and rounding the ends on the disc sander table (lots of dips in water to keep them cool). The longer arm is on the right in this picture. (photo 5)

Then it was time to solder up the long arm and one short one to form the crank. Kozo gives the measurements for a jig bar to give a right angle. A little spacer ring is between the two arms. (photo 6)

With the end cranks soldered up, next photo shows a test fit on the rod - the other two arms are just slipped on right now, they will get pinned in proper position later. Still need to make a couple more small rings that hold the assembly in place on the hanger blocks. (photo 7)

Last photo shows the rod/cranks in position on the engine for a test fit.

Next up will be to make the other rings, and then the connector arms that go to the reverse gear slides...

[crueby]

Almost done with the reverse gear pieces now - been a fun day in the shop. First off, got going on the connector links from the crank arms to the sliders.Three are needed, and the closest stock of stainless bar I have let me get two out at a time. So, drilled the end holes in a bar long enough for two sets. (photo 1)

Then rotated it 90 in the vise, and milled the center sections out, first one side then the other. (photo 2)

After some rounding of the ends on the disc sander, put the links in the bench vise and sawed them down the middle to make the two pair. (photo 3)

Then, some cleanup filing, and it was time to test fit them on the cranks. (photo 4)

Last parts to make were the 'chain' that connect the lever in the cab down to the larger end crank arm. These are square links, with holes 90 degrees offset in either end. Two are same length, center one is a little longer (don't know why, that is what the book calls for. Seems like three equal length ones would work too?). Started like many other parts by notching the end tongues in on the mill on a longer piece. (photo 5)

Then drilled the holes in the tongues, and 90 rotated ones in the blocks. (photo 6)

After cutting them apart and sawing in slots in the square ends (fine hacksaw blade and filed smooth), all were assembled. The upper end will go on the end of the reverse lever arm I made a while back, at same time as the throttle lever. (photo 7)

Last shot shows the new parts test fit on the engine.

I am going to hold off pinning the arms in place on the rod though - this is a good time to do the painting on the engine. I will degrease the outside of the brass parts, mask off the crank/conn-rods, then airbrush on the black paint like the rest of the loco has. I may use that opportunity to do some touchup on the cab parts that were a little thin the first coat, and also paint the steam/sand domes. Its getting heavy to move around now! After painting, back to parts like steam inlet, exhaust, whistle....!

[ths]

What an interesting chain of links that adds up to. I've never seen something like that before. Hugh.

[Roger B]

As Hugh says that is an interesting looking chain for the reverser  I don't quite understand why it needs so many joints 
Still following and enjoying