Author Topic: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO  (Read 174200 times)

Offline Jasonb

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #390 on: March 12, 2018, 08:36:22 PM »
yes if you can fit them in

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #391 on: March 12, 2018, 08:50:39 PM »
Hi

Thanks Jason  :ThumbsUp:

I'm at work now until Thursday  :'( so it will be a few days before I can get back on it

Cheers

Rich

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #392 on: March 15, 2018, 09:29:13 PM »
Hi

I decided to go with the 4 holes



The end with the broken end mill has 3 holes but opened out to 3.3mm as Jason suggested

I printed out the bolt hole pattern



I think I will be ok to drill as per the plans. The hole that is at the steam passage position might break through into the passage but I will fit a stud with a short thread and fit with thread seal

A bit more work on the covers. This is one of the rear covers









The curved shape I'm not going to bother with at the minute. It will take a completely different setup to achieve. Maybe later.

Cheers

Rich

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #393 on: March 16, 2018, 06:08:57 PM »
Hi

Set up in the rotary table to drill the holes. 2 of the holes in the rear covers have to be counter sunk to clear the slide bars





Squaring up the cylinder and rear cover to transfer the holes




Cheers

Rich

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #394 on: March 17, 2018, 07:40:31 PM »
Hi

There are 40 holes to drill and tap  ::)

Nice and easy doe's it

After spotting all the holes they are drilled 2.5mm then the cylinders are transferred to my tapping aid and tapped 3mm



The taps I use are the 3 set type. Its a must that all three are used in the correct order. So its like tapping 120 holes



Thankfully all went well. No broken drills or taps












Cheers

Rich

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #395 on: March 17, 2018, 08:02:37 PM »
Hi

I am going to need 4 piston rings. They are quite expensive at around £15.00 each so I am having a go at making some. They are made of cast iron.

Car brake cylinders are cast iron, I have used them to make the cylinders on a couple of my engines. A rummage through the bits and pieces box yielded this one



Firstly chop off the unwanted bit



Turn up a plug to fit the bore and mount in the lathe



Turn the outside



Its not down to finished size yet. I am going to bore the inside first. Support with the fixed steady



Cheers

Rich

Offline Kim

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #396 on: March 17, 2018, 09:06:42 PM »
Boy, Rich, lots of progress!  Your covers look good, and you made it through all that taping nonsense without a mishap.  That's worth celebrating right there!
Kim

Offline NickG

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #397 on: March 18, 2018, 08:28:42 AM »
Cylinders look great Rich. Satisfying to fashion those from the solid I bet. Out of interest what was the cost saving compared with the castings? I bet it was nicer stuff to machine and nice having some flat datums to go from!


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Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #398 on: March 18, 2018, 09:20:44 AM »
Hi

Thanks Kim and Nick

There is a huge saving hacking them from the solid. The 2 lumps of cast iron were less than £60.00 and the bronze Julian gave me was probably less than £10.00 compared to



And lets not forget the casting set still has to be machined exactly the same but the big difference is mine are cast iron not bronze so should last longer

Cheers

Rich

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #399 on: March 18, 2018, 11:00:41 AM »
Hi

I have just gone back to page 1 looking for something unrelated  :noidea: and can you believe this topic was started back in December 2016  :o

Looking at the stats there has been nearly 29000 views, not too many comments but it seems a lot of interest

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun  :lolb:

Its a shame our friends at photosuckit didn't leave existing pictures alone  :cussing: :Mad: :disappointed:

Cheers

Rich

Offline NickG

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #400 on: March 18, 2018, 12:11:14 PM »
Yes much prefer cast iron than gun metal. It’s because a lot of people have something against Loco’s for some reason Rich! Suppose it is an engine forum but this is an “engine” to me!


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Offline crueby

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #401 on: March 18, 2018, 01:46:35 PM »
Yes much prefer cast iron than gun metal. It’s because a lot of people have something against Loco’s for some reason Rich! Suppose it is an engine forum but this is an “engine” to me!


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If it has an engine in it, or is run by an engine near it, thats plenty close enough for me! 

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Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #402 on: March 23, 2018, 10:04:14 PM »
Hi

Thanks Nick and Crueby  :ThumbsUp:

To continue with the piston rings. The cast iron has been turned internally and externally. I turned a length of steel to a good fit inside and centred and supported with the tail stock.





Part off the waste from the end and then part off a ring 1/16" wide as a test piece.



Try for fit in the cylinder, perfect  :whoohoo:



Using my DRO, an old set of calipres



Part off as many as I could get







Split each ring with a pair of cutters



carefully open each ring and clip onto a bit of 1/4" square steel and heat up



The ring will fall off on its own and retain the open shape



All done



After a bit of a polish I have 15 rings



And they have a spring tension

The valve chests I am also hacking out solid. " pieces machined to size



Cheers

Rich







Offline b.lindsey

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #403 on: March 24, 2018, 12:03:53 AM »
Nice progress since I last looked in Ruch. Very impressive work, and lcis are definitely engines in my book!!! Such complex projects take time, it's not a race to the finish. Just enjoy the journey  ;)

Bill

Offline Firebird

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Re: CONWAY 0-4-0 3 1/2" GAUGE LOCO
« Reply #404 on: March 24, 2018, 07:24:23 AM »
Hi

Thanks Bill, I do appreciate the encouragement.  :ThumbsUp:

After parting off the piston rings most of the day was spent just machining the 2 blocks of cast iron to size. Sometimes I don't seem to be getting very far for the time spent.

But speaking of journeys Julian and I are off on a bit of a trek today. I had a cheeky bid on a part built Simplex,
(a 5" gauge 0-6-0) on Ebay  :atcomputer: and I won it  ::)

So thats another one on the to do list  :ROFL:

Hey Jo I think I have caught this compulsive buying bug  :Lol: :Lol: :Lol:

Cheers

Rich

 

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