Building Kozo's New Shay locomotive

[crueby]

Hi Crueby

Just stopping in to say that I'm still following along, and still enjoying it!  You sure are doing
some nice work on this.

Standing  by for the next installment

Cheers, Joe

Thanks Joe - pass the popcorn!   

[crueby]

Still going on the steam and exhaust pipes. I got the elbows trimmed down and filed the corners round. First photo shows the pipework so far.

To get the pipes fitted to length, was finally time to install the engine for the (hopefully) last time. Turned out I needed to trim the slots a little in the engine cover, then I could start installing pipes. Next two photos show the engine in, and the steam pipe fit.

Fourth photo shows the exhaust pipe fit. It is an inner piece of tubing, wrapped in insulation, and an outer larger tube cover. The elbow connects to a short length of tubing in the smokebox that directs the exhaust up the stack.

Last part for the steam tube is the cover. In the real thing it would be an insulating wrap. In the book, Kozo shows to make a dummy cover out of wood, so I went down to the carving bench a cut s groove in two pieces of wood with a ball end rotary bit. The two halves are glued on, when set I'll trim and fair the outside to shape and install it.

While fitting the engine, I found that the chain links for the reverse gear mechanism came up a little short, so I am going to remake the center link a little longer. Then I'll be able to cut the slots in the lever rack for the forward full/60%, and reverse full/60% positions. Once that is done, I'll start work on some riser blocks to fit under the truck frames. These will raise the wheels off the track slightly, so I can test run the engine on air without the loco leaving the room without me - that would be embarrising!

[crueby]

Quick update - got the steam pipe cover faired down and installed (photo below). Naturally had to check for leaks in the connection, so gave it a little pressure from the compressor. So far so good. Then, backed it up to the end of the display track, ran the pressure up some more, and very carefully pulled back some on the throttle bar.... Got first revs of the loco as it moved forward the 6 inches available on the track under its own power (well okay, an assist from the compressor) !   

So, now gonna move forward with the jacking blocks to raise the wheels a smidge (lets see - two pinches to the smidge, three smidges to the little bit...) off the track so I can run it on the trestle - the mod to the reverse gear link can wait!

[b.lindsey]

I'm still following along too Chris...just had a crazy busy week and haven't been able to post much. Still looking at every update though

Bill

[crueby]

Big step today - got some riser blocks figured out (experimented with scissor jacks and such, just not enough room under the trucks for them - went with some shaped wood supports) so I could lift the wheels off the track a bit to run the engine without the train leaving the station on me. Took some fiddling to carve out recesses for the brakes, pumps, etc that hang down from the bottom of the truck frames. Here is a video of it all running on air, forward and reverse.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ORN9c9NtE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ORN9c9NtE</a>

Also, got a start on the tender. In the book, at this point Kozo works on all the plumbing still to be done (oil feeds, check valves, water feeds, etc). Right now I need a break from that stuff, and have decided to skip a few pages and work on the tender parts for a while. So far, I have the base plate made - does not look like much, just a rectangular plate with a whole swarf-load of holes to be laid out, drilled, tapped, countersunk. Most of these holes will be used to hold the supports for the tank sides, some will hold pumps and plumbing. Photos below.

Next up will be to form the support bars that will run on the inside edges of the water tank.

[b.lindsey]

Chris, you must be smiling from ear to ear after that...who wouldn't be!!  I have been looking forward to seeing that. Truly an amazing build and one which I know you are proud of too!!

Bill

[Tennessee Whiskey]

I hear the train a coming, it's coming round the bend  . Damn nice job.

Cletus

[fumopuc]

Hi Chris, congratulations on  this important mile stone.

[ths]

So good to see that video Chris. Congratulations. Hugh.

[90LX_Notch]

Chris-

One word: Awsome!

-Bob

[crueby]

Thanks guys - still grinning and going in to run it a lot!

[PStechPaul]

"I hate to hear that lonesome whistle blow.."
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIhwRkV8On8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIhwRkV8On8</a>
 
This is one of my favorite songs that I can play on my guitar. Here's a jazzier version. I use my own interpretation.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqOgdV4k2d8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqOgdV4k2d8</a>
 

[crueby]

Time to get caught up a bit - not too much time in the shop this week due to some minor family medical issues. Given the ongoing needs there, I will not be making it to Cabin Fever or Names this year  , but am planning on bringing the engine next year.

I did get the tender frame parts made - these bars line the upper and lower edges of the outer skin of the tender, holding them to the baseplate and providing a support for the tank lid. The book/plans give locations and sizes for cutouts at the corner areas where the bars are taken down thin enough to bend to a tight radius. After laying them out on the bars, and end mill was used to eat away the notches... (photo 1)

Second photo shows the  bars for the lower edge of the coal bunker recess in the water tank. The upper one has been bent to shape, the lower is ready to go.

Third photo shows the two bars bent to shape.

After this, the same was done for the longer bars that go around the water tank sides/back, plus the other bars that go around the top of the tank. (photo 4)

Next step was to make the tank side plates. They are cut from brass sheet stock (book calls for 1mm, I used nearest inch size). The tank also gets rectangular plates on the sides and back that double up the thickness. The corner areas plus the flat plates get embossed with dummy rivet heads. To make the rivet heads, the sheet is embossed from the back side with a center punch held in the drill press (NOT running, just pressing down), going into a recess in a backer block. To make the backer, I cut a row of hemispherical holes into the block with a small ball head bur. The holes were the same distance apart as the finished rivets will be, and the right distance from a fence block. (photo 5)

To form the rivets, the tank side was held up against the fence, and the drill press quill pulled down to push the punch into the metal, deforming it into the hole in the backer block. Then the sheet was moved over so the newly formed head dropped into the next hole, and the process repeated. By having the holes act as an indexer, a row of evenly spaced rivet heads can be formed very quickly. (photo 6)

Next photo (7) shows a closeup of a row of the rivet heads embossed into the sheet.

Last photo shows the side plates with rivets formed around the edges, plus another pair of rows down the midlle (same process, fence farther from the holes). After all the rivet heads were done, the side sheets were ready to bend to match the frame pieces....

[b.lindsey]

The dummy rivets look great Chris and the idea of using a previously formed head to index to the next position obviously worked well. Nice planning and execution on that!!

Bill

[crueby]

The dummy rivets look great Chris and the idea of using a previously formed head to index to the next position obviously worked well. Nice planning and execution on that!!

Bill

Got the idea for that from the old way I was taught to make finger joints in wood on the tablesaw, with a spacer block next to the dado head to step the block over cut after cut. The rivets had enough slop fitting in the holes that when getting to the next corner I could space them a tiny bit closer or farther apart to get them to work out even at the end - working some things out by eye is quicker/easier than measuring...