CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO

[JULIUS]

Rich

I see on two pictures that you use some of my drawings. Are they any help? You know that my drawings are for a 5" engine!

Julius
 

[Firebird]

Hi Julius

Yes I know they are for 5" but they have been very useful as general arrangement drawings, helps me to visualise where things go

Cheers

Rich

[Firebird]

Hi

A pair of axles



I'm quite pleased with them, accurate to within a thou. I should have fitted DRO's to the lathe long ago

One of the wheel blanks has been turned to 1/2" thick, bored and reamed 9/16" and the recess machined. 3 more to go then turn a mandrel to mount them on and turn the tread and flange





I will need a short length of track. 6 pieces of alluminium offcuts have 12mm slots machined 3 1/2" apart



2 lengths of 12mm square steel 3 foot long. I know I know imperial and metric in the same sentence



I just have to screw them down to a bit of MDF now

Cheers

Rich

[Firebird]

Hi

Drilled and tapped 5mm and held together with 5mm countersunk socket head screws



Screwed down to a bit of MDF



Cheers

Rich

[Firebird]

Hi

The 4 wheel blanks have been turned to 1/2" in width, bored and reamed. 2 of them I have machined the recess. For some reason I found this hard work, changing from left hand tools to right hand then back again so I am going to have a go at the last 2 in the mill on the rotary table.



I have turned a mandrel, drilled and tapped 8mm to hold the wheels to turn the tread and flange.





Cheers

Rich

[Firebird]

Hi

I found a round cutting tool which is ideal to turn the tread leaving a nice radius into the flange



To round off the flange I have made a form tool. A piece of silver steel is held in the vise at an angle and has a 3/32 hole (the width of the flange) drilled through. Holding the silver steel at an angle while drilling gives a relief angle to the cutting edge.



Then machine away the end to half way across the hole. Heat treat to harden, I didn't bother to temper it. Clean up with a diamond file



A disc of alluminium was used as a test piece



The cutter worked really well



Turning the steel wheel



Then slipped them onto the axle



I couldn't resist dropping the frame on to see how things look



Cheers

Rich

[zeeprogrammer]

Nice!

Using the form tool helps ensure the flanges on all the wheels look the same. I'll have to remember that.

[Roger B]

Looking good     

[Admiral_dk]

I couldn't resist dropping the frame on to see how things look

I'm not sure that you belong here if you could  - nice build 

[Firebird]

Hi

Thanks Carl Roger and Admiral

All 4 wheels now have the turning finished. A slight lack of attention on one wheel  saw it machined differently to the other 3 so I have re machined them so that they are all equal. Not quite to plans but near enough and they are all the same.

I have cut 2 pieces of 1/4" thick steel plate and held them on the wheel mandrel



Then turned them to the diameter of the the recess in the wheels



The balance weights will be cut from these



Cheers

Rich

[Kim]

Sorry about the re-do on the wheels Rich, but they sure are looking good now!
Kim

[Firebird]

Hi

Thanks Kim

I made a boss from alluminium and sunk it into a scrap of wood



Cut off in the bandsaw





In the mill to machine to 5/8"





A nice fit



Cheers

Rich

[Kim]

That's pretty slick Rich.  Are you going to solder them in place?

Looks like you might have been able to get 3 weights out of one circle.  That wouldn't have helped you much when you need 4 weights, but if you needed 5 or 6 then you could save a disk!
Kim

[Firebird]

Hi Kim

I think I will fix them in with 1 countersunk screw and a bit of loctite

Cheers

Rich

[zeeprogrammer]

I can't wait to see more. Making up the wheels is very interesting.