Start on a long term project

[ozzie46]

   Well I have made a small step on my Loco build. It is the model engineer "Simplex".

  Here are the frames leaning against what will become the cyl stock.

   

   This build may take quite a while to complete so please bear with me.

  All comments and advice are eagerly sought.

  Quite a bit of hacksaw and file work went into the frames. Another needed skill to practice for my foray into machining.  ;D ;D ;D


   The frames are still bolted together as I don't want to separate them til I'm sure I don't need to do more on them. They were cut and drilled as a unit to make sure everything lined up.
   
     Ron

[CrewCab]

Your hacksaw and filing work looks to be off to a good start Ron 

look forward to following your progress.

CC

[ozzie46]

  Thanks CC.

  Ron

[Maninshed]

Hi Have a look around the 'model engineers clearing house' webb site there are neumerous sections on simplex, there's a guy 'Dr John' on that web site who literaly gives a blow by blow description of building one good pic's to, follow the links to his site. Good luck.

[ozzie46]

  Thanks Maninshed, I found the Simplex web site but couldn't find DR. Johns.

  Did find a "Tich" bulid though.

  Ron

[tel]

Here y'go     http://dr-john.org/

[ozzie46]

  Man! What a gold mine!   Thanks Tel.


   Ron

[Maninshed]

Thanks Tel i'm rubbish at doing links and things on computer, dead down to earth that Dr John bloke calls a spade a shovel.

[tel]

.. and a message from the acerbic Dr John 'imself -

Tried to register on the madmodder site, but was told registration is disabled -

Anyroads, maybe you can pass on my message to them others:-

"I saw I was getting a lot of traffic on my website from here so I thought I'd come and see why.

It's my old aboriginal mucker, Tel, who pointed you to my site!

Anyway, I'm not a forummy person and have acquired the tag of "the acerbic DJ", so beware.

However, ozzie46, if you want any hints and help on building a Simplex, contact me through the contact form on my website and I'll do my best to help. I'm not a trained engineer and tend to do things my own way.

DJ"

[Brass_Machine]

.. and a message from the acerbic Dr John 'imself -

Tried to register on the madmodder site, but was told registration is disabled -

Anyroads, maybe you can pass on my message to them others:-

"I saw I was getting a lot of traffic on my website from here so I thought I'd come and see why.

It's my old aboriginal mucker, Tel, who pointed you to my site!

Anyway, I'm not a forummy person and have acquired the tag of "the acerbic DJ", so beware.

However, ozzie46, if you want any hints and help on building a Simplex, contact me through the contact form on my website and I'll do my best to help. I'm not a trained engineer and tend to do things my own way.

DJ"

Hey Tel,

If he is having problems registering, let me know. I can register him. Send me his email and name he would like to use.

Eric

[ozzie46]

   Thanks Dr. J

    Ron
 

[ozzie46]

 Heres an what I been up to so far.


















Got the frames together and started on the buffer beams.
I have the angle in for the beams. They are bolted to the frames and are supposed to be riveted to the beams, but I was wondering if it might not be better to tap the beams     and lock tight screws in and file them off flush with the front of the beams. The rivets were supposed to be filed off too.


  Ron

[ozzie46]

A friend of mine gave me some ductile cast iron for the cyls. That stuff is nice.

  It machines in little 6s and 9s. like steel.




  He gave me 2 of the round bars 5in by 6.250. Sure is heavy.  He said it is "continuous cast".

 I got 2 cyls out of one piece so I have plenty left for something else. 5in face plate maybe?

  The cyls are supposed to be 3x 2.750x2.375, these are not to finish size yet.

 I am going to try to do like "gbritnell" does and profile them and make them look like a casting. Wish me luck.


  Ron

[Darren]

Looking good so far 

Nice chunks of cast you have there 

[NickG]

Hi Ron,

Great start on the Simplex. There are a few in our model engineering club and are strong performers and look the part. Don't bother trying to lift it on your own when it's finished though!

Nick

[ozzie46]

   



           I haven't posted on this for a while so thought I would get you up to date.

           Made the buffers for the buffer beams.

         Started by making the bumper part of the buffers


         
         





         



         




          I was stuck on how to form the convex on the face of the buffer until Tel's friend DrJ poited me to this site.

       http://www.baggo.copperstream.co.uk/me/locos/25inch/helen%20longish/helen7.htm


        Go about half way down the page to where he talks about the buffers.  Worked really well.


       Check out the rest of the site too. Tons of info on Locos. Zee you will love it.

       

           

           
             

           I had to put packing in front of the headstock to get the right length of rod for the radius I needed
       Thats the reason for the wood clamp in the pic. It's clamping the packing to keep it in place. This is
       result.

         



         Ron

         

       

[ozzie46]

                   




               Forgot to take pics of making the receiver part of the buffer. I made it in 2 pieces as I didn't have any square stock big enough to turn from. I think the 2 piece  bit worked better anyway.


         

          Checking fit of buffer into reciever.

         

           

            Here is an assembly  view


               


          I mounted them on the buffer beams and tightened up the 3/8 nut on the buffer to hold everything in place and drilled the 4 holes in each square plate and buffer beams. Threaded the beams for 4-40 for 4-40 bolts. I am using round head machine screws to hold things now but I have scale hex head 4-40 bolts for final assembly. 



       



        On the frame temporarily.

           

       
             Till next time.

      Ron



             

[madjackghengis]

Hi Ron, good start on that project, it's looking good so far.  It's been a long time since I've seen someone use the pin and packing method for getting a good, repeatable radius.  It looks real fine on those bumpers, and you can get a good repeatable concave radius if you put the pin between the carriage and the tailstock, I've got half a dozen "center pops", on both sides of the carriage and on both head and tail stock for pins.  Those frames look nice too, crisp and on size from the pictures, personally, I like to rivet when ever possible, it makes a stronger joint than a screw can ever imagine, and when it goes right, it's quick and easy, and one can set quite a few rivets pretty fast, just going down the line.  I'm looking forward to the putting together of the more intricate parts, in and all around the frames.  Great Start, ought to be something to see run when it's done. :jaw:mad jack

[ozzie46]

  Thanks madjack, I riveted the angle brackets for mounting the beams on the frames. Thats why they are primer painted. I had to fill all the dings and bruises from the hammer.      I forgot I still have to mount  some 1/2 x1/8 anlgle to the beams to support the running boards so I will probably have more dings to fill. 

   Ron

[NickG]

Very nice Ron, I saw someone using that technique for the first time at harrogate exhibition last year.

 

[ozzie46]

     


  Hi all, I got a little more done on my loco build.
 

   Made the axles and axle boxes.  The axle boxes are cast iron and the axles are made from a long bolt made by Caterpillar Machinery. Don't know what it was for but it sure turned nice on the lathe with a very nice finish.


  I squared up stock for the axle boxes long enough to make 2 aout of 1 piece so that the hole would be concentric in both the left and right boxes. I drilled to 11/16 then bored to size.

   


    I then marked out the boxes and cut in half.


   

   Put them in the mill and trued up the saw cut ends and brought to size. Then marked out for and milled the grooves to slide on the horn plates.


   


   Then a lot of filing to get the boxes to fit well.

     

     


  Now a question, I know that the distance between the axles have to be really close as far as the distance between ,say, the leading axle and the drive axle. How big a variance is to much between,lets say, the distance from the leading axle to the drive axle on the right side as compared to the left side?
  I hope I'm not confusing you with my description. 


   Thanks for looking in.

   Ron
   

[shoey51]

Im enjoying this build

[madjackghengis]

Hi Ron, great start on the frames, in my book, you're not a machinist if you can't use a hacksaw and a file, and come out with good looking, accurate work.  Yours is looking good, nice and square and substantial looking.  I'd stick with the rivets, they will be at least double the strength of screws down the road, and vibration will eventually test the frame to its limits.  Rivets are always a better bet when you're using sheet or plate for framework taking a good load.  Once they've obdurated and filled the holes, there's no room for vibration to move sheets relative to each other, as screws leave, even if you locktite.  I do a fair amount of riveting in some of my own work, and I use a set of crimpers designed for crimping rings on "quest" plumbing fittings, but have been modified to squeeze rivets instead.  I had to weld up the ends, and then grind them down to fit rivets, but they reach in tight places and get full expansion of the rivet body (obduration), and if the head is a counter sunk one, and I countersink the hole, I have very little to file off.  Even just using a hammer, I always counter sink rivets at least a little bit, just for extra room for swelling up.  If you don't have much experience with them, you might want to try on some scrap, just to get the feel, and know the extra length is extra metal to fill in gaps.  Just get your sheet or plates tight up together before you set the rivets. mad jack

[ozzie46]

  Thanks  for looking in shoey51 and madjack.

  Madjack, I've already drilled and tapped for screws at this point, I will probably use permanent locktite on the screws when I do the final assmbly Thats good info on rivets as I haven't used them before. Good to know.

   I've learned several good things from your posts, as I do from alot of others on here.

  Ron

   

   

[ozzie46]

  Been awhile since I posted and have done quite bit on the wheels.

  I bought a cheapie 3 in rotary table at Horrible Fright and used it to mount the wheel blanks for milling. I also drew up full size wheels in Turbocad and glued them to the wheel blanks and basically milled to the lines. 

 


    I used a 3/16 Ball end mill to mill around the inside of the rim and the outside of the axle boss. Then I switched to regular end mill and milled out the spokes and such. Did this times 6.

 

   


    I didn't fancy trying to round over all the spokes by filing so after a few days of pondering I settled on trying a HSS dremel round over router bit and it workrd but the finish was not very good. It doesn't take much filing to make them presentable though.

 

   


    I then broke out my new riffer files and went work on the wheels. I have 2 done as far as the profiling goes to try to make them look like cast wheels. 4 more to go.

 


  I've never seen cast wheels before other than pics on the computer so I hope they look sort of right.


  Still along way to go before these wheels are done but the really hard part is done. I hope!!

  As always comments,tips are welcome.


  Ron