Author Topic: North Yard Project - Official Work Thread (Read 102204 times)

Stewart "Start" Rhine · « **Reply #105 on:** May 26, 2016, 06:49:59 PM »

Dave,

That is real nice work. Thanks for the pics.

Dave Crow · « **Reply #106 on:** June 13, 2016, 08:52:37 AM »

Friday, June 10th, Matt met me at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum so we could try to finish the mating point (a right-side point). The guys at BSM need to machine some axles and bearings for a truck rebuild for the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA. So... they need the mill for a while as well as the monster lathe on the other side of the aisle (for turning the axles). I had promised them I would clear out the switch points by this past week, so we got it done - barely!

Thanks, Matt!

Another pass, taking about 0.280" off the edge of the base:

An end shot of the point:

Dave Crow

Dave Crow · « **Reply #107 on:** November 17, 2016, 08:55:02 AM »

It's been a while since I have had a chance to continue machining switch points for the North Yard, but yesterday, Wayne Laepple (Thanks, Wayne!) came down to Baltimore to work with me on a set of points. The day's goal was to machine the tapered undercut on the base of at least one point; we managed to get the first point undercut and the second point is over 50%. Here a couple of shots from the day:

The first point's underside being taper-cut:

Almost done with the second point - for the day; each point requires two set ups on the 8-foot mill bed, since the total length of the cut is 97+ inches! What you see is about 5 feet in the first set up, with a set up on another day to finish off the second point:

Close-up of the second point's undercut base:

Wayne plans to deliver this set of points when the flanging machine's castings are complete from Cattail foundry, hopefully in early December.

Dave Crow

Jason M Lamontagne · « **Reply #108 on:** November 17, 2016, 04:51:07 PM »

Wow, fabulous, thanks guys! We'lol happily undo the temporary cob job (my half brained idea) we just installed on one of the switches!

Look how far away Wayne looks in that last photo... must be 60 MPH points...

See ya
Jason

John Scott · « **Reply #109 on:** November 17, 2016, 11:42:58 PM »

Consideration might be given to undercutting the stock rail head a little to permit a thicker and more durable point blade. It involves a little more work but it is a well-established technique.

Dave Crow · « **Reply #110 on:** November 18, 2016, 07:39:48 AM »

John,

The last machining step (after the base taper undercut) involves a 3/8" cut at the edge of the point and tapers up to full point height about 50+ inches along the point; this is due to the point actually riding up on and resting on the stock rail when the switch is thrown. I will take some photos once it is complete to show there will be a little more "meat" instead of such a knife-edge at the beginning of the point.

Dave crow

Wayne Laepple · « **Reply #111 on:** November 18, 2016, 10:22:29 AM »

Undercutting the stock rail so the point "nests" into a bit is a great idea, but we don't have the capability to do so. Most high speed turnouts are manufactured with that feature, but we don't have that luxury.

John Scott · « **Reply #112 on:** November 18, 2016, 07:47:44 PM »

Yes, a little more trouble is involved. Not to labor the point, but to illustrate it, I have dug out the attached image.

John Scott · « **Reply #113 on:** November 18, 2016, 08:22:58 PM »

Sorry about the pun!

Paul Uhland · « **Reply #114 on:** November 19, 2016, 01:39:35 PM »

AFAIK, doing precise work with metal is a fine art.
Fascinating.

Steve Smith · « **Reply #115 on:** November 19, 2016, 10:33:47 PM »

Well Paul, I hadn't thought of the WW&F Railway Museum as a museum of fine art, but hey, why not, especially if it might mean more grants.

Paul Uhland · « **Reply #116 on:** November 19, 2016, 10:55:03 PM »

You guys don't miss a trick.

John Scott · « **Reply #117 on:** November 20, 2016, 07:07:08 AM »

Railway engineering is undoubtedly a highly developed fine art, no doubt about it: it looks so simple but it is really sophisticated. Yes, simplicity is sophistication!

Dave Crow · « **Reply #118 on:** February 17, 2017, 07:50:18 AM »

Wayne Laepple came down to Baltimore yesterday so we could machine another switch point for the North Yard. We managed to perform the first two machining steps as well as cleaning and oiling the mill bed (no-one at BSM had used the mill as a mill, only as a work bench!) in about 4-1/2 hours. Thanks, Wayne, for coming down for the day!

As my buddy, Matt, would say, "Making metal chips." This is the 15-degree outside face, where the wheel flange meets the point:

\

And the second step, machining the 6-degree back taper to nest against the rail:

On our next work session, in about two weeks, we will work on the right-hand mate to the left-side point shown above.

Dave Crow

Dave Crow · « **Reply #119 on:** April 07, 2017, 08:12:28 AM »

Thursday, April 6th, Wayne Laepple came down to Baltimore to work with me on the switch points; we also had a session on March 9th. The second set of points have the first several machining steps complete: both sides of the head machined to 15 degrees (wheel side) and 6 degrees (mate side with stock rail) as well as the one side of the base machined off in line with the 6 degree taper so it can nest up against the stock rail.

Yesterday we machined the base off of the left side point and then flipped it on its side to start the tapered undercut so the point can rest up on the stock rail. We managed to undercut a little under 6 feet of the point, but either a second set up on the mill or judicious use of an angle grinder will be required to finish off this point. I plan to undercut the right side point next week; the points can then come north for final tweaking before installation.

A second pass undercutting the base of the rail:

An end shot (not the best photo quality) showing the undercut:

Thanks again to Wayne for coming down to Baltimore to help out with the machining!

Dave Crow

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