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I really appreciate the kind responses. The pilot is the original pilot, but I want to move it closer to the track. I haven't figured it out yet. I have not sprung it yet, but will probably use piano wire inside the frame.

 

I found a great resource." The principles of model locomotive suspension" by Russ Elliot can be googled. It explains everything.

 

The steampipe to the booster and the headlight are PSC parts.

The real thing had slots, into which slipped rectangular bearings, called "Driving Boxes", which were connected to leaf springs and equalizer bars.  Most sprung models use the same idea, but with coil springs at the top of each slot.  I may have a photo of a leaf spring locomotive frame.

 

The K- Line can be sprung, but I submit that a new frame will be required.  Piano wire could work - All Nation used that idea - but once you go to all that effort, you would be happier with coil springs.  Opinion.

Originally Posted by bob2:

Not the frame I was looking for, but you can see the slots.  They are called "Pedestals" and the huge strap beneath the slot is the "Pedestal Binder".

Bob,

 

On real steam locomotives this are referred to as "Pedestal Caps", on diesel units they are the "Pedestal Binder". The difference being, on real steam locomotive frames that "Pedestal Cap" is actually part of the frame structure, however on a diesel that "Pedestal Binder" is there to keep the Pedestal jaw liners in place, i.e. so they don't slide downward and fall out of the truck journal box jaws.

Bob2 and hot water, with all due respect go to the resource I mentioned above and look at figure 76. This is the method I will use. These articles are part of a series by some Europeans Scale Four 4mm buffs they are very thorough. They have been doing this forever it seems.

 

Also, it appears I will have to lower the body of the Hudson about an eighth inch to get the pilot and every thing else correct proportionally.

 

Do you guys know of any resource for braxx valve gear pieces besides PSC?

 

Ron

Ron maybe a dumb question, but have you called Bob Stevenson in Ames, Iowa to see what he has in stock? He alludes to the fact he must have a plenty of everything, as he has bought up many old train/train parts manifacturing companys over the past 15 to 20 or so years. I'm in the process of taking an old brass Williams 3 rail Hudson, and making a C&O L-2a Hudson out of it. Bob has about everything that I'll need parts wise, and alot of the stuff I called him on he didn't have in his down loadable pdf inventory file, from his web site......Brandy    

C. Sam will do when time permits. Brandy that is a great idea. I will call him, thank you very much.

 

By the way, there are two of the Williams crown NYC Hudsons on Ebay right now at attractive pricing. Do you think they are true !/48 scale except for the gauge? Is there room in the boiler to add fan smoke? I wouldn't mind another Hudson and the potential for detailing the Williams is probably very good. What do you think?

 

Ron

Brandy,

 

Please look on Ebay and tell me what you think. Both hudsons have smoke and sound, but they are in the  $400-500 range. If your dealer has the same I'll purchase tomorrow.

 

I got my start building new frames and super detailing Accucraft 1/20.3 DRGW locos.

The o scale is much more tedious and I'll probably have to build jigs for a lot of what I want to do.

 

Regards, Ron

 

Thanks

Ron, our dealer here in town said that what he has is rough to say the least, but they are brass. I told him I would come to his house to see them, as he is just a Mom-n-Pop operation, and buys-n-sells trains from other hobbiest, as well as collections. He use to be a Williams Dealer with a store front back in the 70's-80's. He's a member in our AMRS club. If they are what he told me I'm going to grab up both engines, get my parts from Bob Stevenson and hopefully build a C&O L2 and L-2a L-2's numbered 300-307 and L-2a was 310-314 and the last steam locomotives that C&O had Baldwin build. They were as tested, the largest, heaviest, and most powerful Hudsons built anywhere. I met a guy who lives here near me who started in C&O engine service at the ripe age of 14 years old in late 1941. Hired off a school play ground at Pikeville, Ky. WW2 was taking all of his railroadmen, and he was told to go home and tell his folks what he was about to embark on, then shag his *** to the rr station in town and start to work as a fireman on 3/11 sft+ weekends. He fired engines until he was 16 hears old, WW2 still going big, and qualified as a steam engineer in late 1944. Well anyway probably too much information, but it's been my pleasure to be affilated with him over the years, and he has a box full of old pictures of him firing, as well as engineering steam and diesel. I was invited to his retirement the CSX had for him, he received a 50 year pin and worked all those years, and never off sick, other than when his daughters were born. just scheduled off days and Vacation. Hows that for trivia. Getting back to the Hudsons on ebay, I don't thing that there is but one that is brass, and I think it's the one that has the charcoal grey smoke box starting bid of $400.00 I think the other is diecast or white metal as the old timers call it. If it is it's may over priced, but it's what ever a guy is willing to pay!.............Brandy      

On the Russ Elliott reference - it looks pretty theoretical.  I am going to guess that Russ has not yet built a locomotive using his principles.

 

He starts out well - the reason for springing and equalizing is to avoid derailments with fine scale wheels.  Fair enough.  If you are using Hi- Rail wheels, this will not help.

 

Then he gets to traction. If traction were affected much by how many wheels were in contact with the rails, one wonders why the GP- 7 did so well.  The SD-7 had more wheels - should have pulled 50% more?

 

You will be breaking new ground here - equalized mechanisms do exist in O Scale (I have three, including one live steamer) but they were not wildly popular and did not perform better than ordinary models.  Let us see your machining as you progress.

 

Hornboxes?  Thanks for the heads- up, Hot.  I will watch the nomenclature.

bob2,

 

I am by no means sure this will work and I may wind up scrapping a frame. The issue is the spring rate used in the suspension. Most brass models are sprung to stiffly to work properly.

Being a retired racer and now an rc car racer, spring rates and dampening are extremely important and consume a lot of our time.

The first time I really focused on locomotive springing I saw an SP Diesel at the front of a 4 loco lashup bob up and down on rough track outside of Houston at about 50 mph. The nose was bouncing a good 4 to 6 inches. As I've watched old film and locomotive chases one sees the locos moving up and down a lot. The steam locomotives and early diesels had no shock absorbers, the new ones do.

 

I've done some springing of F scale locos and the softer I can make them the smoother they ride.

 

Anyway, it's fun to try something to see if it works in this scale.

 

Ron

 

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