Harriman Ten Wheeler

You sure do nice work...

Mark in Oregon 

Bob,

I am totally awed by any of your engines that you have built.  I'm not ready to try forming a boiler, but I do have a question how you do the valve gear.  I bought a brass K4 some years ago that was taken apart and I'm trying to fix it back up just to play with working on brass.  I've found it is missing the eccentric rod and the reversing gear.  My question is how do you measure how long to make the rod between the crank and the piston?  What is the best way to make that rod?  I don't have a shop of tools but I'm willing to give it a try using hand tools and willing to have a trash can of mistakes.

I was going to send an email, but I feel others could use the information.

Thank you,

Gene Anstine

Looks awesome! Could you please share a link to your detailed explanation?

Rods: I use .032 brass, drilled to accept small brass pins as rivets. The length is trial and error, but there is room for errors.  You are not timing valves; you just want to not lock up during rotation.

I file the rods to shape by hand, and, using paper between rods, solder the pin.

As to actually forming the boiler, my techniques are ancient.  I do the same thing that Fred Icken did - using brass tube.  I have described it here in a Challenger thread, briefly in some old OGRs, and extensively in 48/ft O Scale News.

I can always repeat stuff - it is nice to know it gets read.

bob2 posted:

Rods: I use .032 brass, drilled to accept small brass pins as rivets. The length is trial and error, but there is room for errors.  You are not timing valves; you just want to not lock up during rotation.

I file the rods to shape by hand, and, using paper between rods, solder the pin.

As to actually forming the boiler, my techniques are ancient.  I do the same thing that Fred Icken did - using brass tube.  I have described it here in a Challenger thread, briefly in some old OGRs, and extensively in 48/ft O Scale News.

I can always repeat stuff - it is nice to know it gets read.

Thank you.  I'll give it a try and show it.

Gene Anstine

I have read some of your scratch building articles in the past with enthusiasm.  I am getting ready to scratch build a SP P-5 Pacific.  As far as I can measure it looks the boiler and smokebox can be tackled with 1.5” brass tubing?

i really wish someone could create an anthology of those articles

Yeah, me too.  It was a quarter century ago.  I think I might have some notes somewhere.  We did the SP Harriman Atlantics and Pacifics, I think, in OSN.   The boiler needs to be split in the belly for a very gentle taper.  Let me check?

Sir, as luck would have it I found the relevant article including the other articles for the Harriman Pacific in OSN. I also found several other project articles.  If you want copies of the Pacific articles I can photograph and email them.  Wish I had a scanner... 

No - I have multiple copies of the actual magazines.  What I need to do is compile a list of dates and issue numbers.  For now, here are a couple photos.  All my locomotives follow the same general construction techniques.  The only dramatic changes are advanced tapers in boilers - like the ten wheeler - and whether sprung drivers or not.  Everything else follows the articles, from the lowly 0-6-0 through the 4-12-2 and giant cab forwards.  Herewith:  And thanks for the interest - always makes me feel good when somebody reads my articles.

And while I am occupying bandwidth, here is what I can do when I really try:  Again, same techniques.

bob2 posted:

And while I am occupying bandwidth, here is what I can do when I really try:  Again, same techniques.

Wow...    ...

Mark in Oregon

Inspirational!

I really like your Vanderbilt tenders!

Sir, What do you use for handrail post now?  It looks like in the past you used threaded handrail post from Babbit supply.

Do like the clean lines of that little 4-6-2, Bob.

I still use threaded posts.  Not sure what I will do when I run out.

Yeah, I have a lot of tenders around here.  I think I have one of every kind of SP cylindrical or semi-cylindrical tender - except maybe the coal versions.

I think Stevenson Preservation has threaded Stanchions.  In fact most of the detail parts you use appear to be from him.

He definitely has a few.  Not sure he sells them.

Most of my detail parts pre-date Bob's acquisition of the Pearce and KD Castings masters - but if you buy side rods, maybe a dome or two, and one piece passenger truck side frames, they come from my masters.  The side rods on the ten-wheeler are nickel silver from my masters.

I am very proud of the masters.  One side is I beam, the other is flat.  All are full clevis articulated except the Challenger straight rod.    They fit most Lobaugh wheelbases.

Bob also did a mold and a few brass underframes for my ancient HO Varney metal box cars.  They replaced the badly deteriorating zamac castings, and saved my 70 year old collection.

Remarkable!

I just got better photos of the Pacific, but forgot to shoot the Ten Wheeler.  Perfect lighting.

I was looking for the “FrenchTrains” ten wheeler thread - pretty obvious I don’t know how to search.  So since this one is only a slight leap away from a Harriman T-31, I figured why not stick it here.

Lee sent me a Babbitt modified AN Atlantic awhile back.  Babbitt modified the casting to remove the running boards and add what looks like a seriously undersize smokebox, so after neglecting it for a couple months, I resolved to mess it up pretty good.  I cut the firebox, added a narrow mud ring, domed the steam dome, and added a smokebox wrapper.  Oh, and quickly added another driver, carefully aligning the axle holes so maybe I can make it operate some day.

The tender is from another project - Lee's package included the original AN tender with Lobaugh trucks.

This will never amount to more than a hundred dollar locomotive, but at least it kept me out of the singles' bars for a couple evenings.

Truly a "high-stepping" ten-wheeler.  Running board and cab need slight straightening, and who knows what will happen with that tender?

Bob2

I’m glad to see the Atlantic/ ten wheeler model and glad to hear/read the project has kept you “honest and safe” from trouble. I always enjoy seeing your work. I still need to send you pictures of my three Lobaugh 0-6-0’s. Again, thanks.

Lee Gustafson