Air Locomotive

[Waldbahner]

Hello Michael,

I can't see your latest pictures.. is that a problem with my PC or something other?

Thanks, Gerd

[marc_reusser]

Well if it's you...then I have the same dysfunctional problem

Marc

[Waldbahner]

Hello Marc,

I just checked the path of the last two pictures and they goes to the 7/8th page instead to photobucket as in the pics before. Maybe we've to be looked in to the 7/8th page to see the pictures... As I've an account there too, I'll check it out.

Bye.

[michael mott]

Hello  sorry about the mix up, I have posted the pics again through the photobucket site, too many different paths
I hope you can see them now.
regards Michael

[michael mott]

Another update; I spent a few hours this weekend rebuilding one of the cylinders to better reflect the prototype. This work took much longer than I had andticipted. The thing that was bothering me about the existing cylinders was the ribbing of the main body. The new cylinder is formed from a series of disks the larger diameter one is .035" thick and the smaller disk is .060" thick". I wanted to see if I could pull this off without using a lathe, or laser cut parts. Basic fabrication techniques were used and all the drilling of the disks was done by hand with a drill in a pinvise. The thin disks were spun in  hand drill with a course sanding stick, then a fine one to get the taper on the edge. All other shaping was done with flush cut sidecutters and files and a jewellers saw.



shot shows the progression of making the disks



The web extension on the thin disk



the body extension on the thick disk



right and left showing the difference on the ribs or cooling fins



and from the other end.

I reused the front plate from the orignal rebuild The difference between the cylinders is not great but I am happy with the results, now that i have worked out the method I will do the opposite one.

regards Michael

 

[Gordon Ferguson]

I admire your patience, as well as your quest for accuracy - looks really good and you can see that all that work was worth it when you compare the before and after shot.

Question - the nuts and bolts ?  plastic rod for the bolts, are the nuts cut from hexagonal rod? can you buy this or is this something else you did in a few spare moments?

Gordon

[michael mott]

hello Gordon the hex rod is Plastruct pt#90877 3.2mm .125" 5 pieces per pack. I cheated and bored the 1/16th hole in the lathe then parted off the nuts.  I think that the next loco I build will be entirely from scratch, because i have gone back and made so many changes it would have been faster if I had started that way in the begining. One thing I will do this summer is to take a notepad and tape measure also a measure stick and do a much better job of measuring up the loco. All I will have to do is make sure that I am not alone as the original loco is at a high elevation in the mountains and it is bear country. After working on the model I have so many questions now and so aother expedition to the real loco will answer them. It is always great to spend a couple of days in the mountains.  I would like to build a model out of brass, I will finish this one first.

[lab-dad]

"Couple of days in the mountains"

I'll go! pick me, pick me!!!!
Great SBS too!

-Marty

[RoughboyModelworks]

Michael:

Really like the new cylinders. The cooling fins are much more convincing, but what a chore cutting all those disks by hand instead of using the lathe. 

Paul

[Ray Dunakin]

Wow, that looks great! Really nice work!

[michael mott]

Thanks for the compliments, I have not had much time to work on the loco this past couple of weeks, I hope to be able to get back to it soon.

[michael mott]

The parts for this model are all sitting patiently in a large tin box on the shelf, One of these days I will get back to it I promise.

Michael