Tie Changer Machine - Official Work Thread

[Bill Baskerville]

The working head weighs a lot. When attached (after welding) it will make the machine more ballanced. I need to attach it for an overall picture, then it will be evident.

Mike, will the completed machine be too wide to roll past Alna and the sheepscot station?  What about the water tank?

[Wayne Laepple]

Bill --

While these machines have four wheels and towing points, in my own experience, towing is not a great idea, at least not for any distance. Because the wheelbase is so short and the machine is not balanced to the center, it tends to sort of "wiggle" up the track if its speed is much more than a walk and it may even twist enough to derail.  With the overhang created by the regauging and the weight of the work head on the opposite side, the wiggle may be even more pronounced. In my opinion, it's a much better plan to lift it onto one of our work flats with Ichabod, haul it to the work site and unload it.

[Jeff Schumaker]

Wayne,

Would Ichabod have to be taken with the work train to unload the tie changer?

Jeff S.

[Wayne Laepple]

That I do not know, Jeff. In my mind, a "mini" work train would be powered by the Brookville and consist of a work flat loaded with ties, spikes, and tools, Ichabod, and a second work flat to transport the tie exchanger. The ties would be distributed in the work area, the machine unloaded, and the work would begin. To clear up for a "real" train, it would be necessary to either lift the tie exchanger off the track into the clear or back onto the work flat so the whole works could proceed to the nearest siding. Once the crew gets the hang of the tie exchanger and learns its daily capabilities, presumably a work train could distribute the ties in advance, and only the Brookville locomotive, Ichabod and the work flat to transport the machine and tools would be necessary. All these details remain to be worked out.

Note: As built, this type of machine was equipped with two retractable rubber tires on one side and a pair of handles on the other, such that a couple of strong guys could "wheelbarrow" it off the track when necessary. Our machine is missing this feature, although the lifting handles remain. Whether someone wants to engineer putting set-off wheels back on is not my call.

[Mike Fox]

Mounts for the wheels have been cut off previously. Could be reinstalled, but I think Wayne has a great suggestion. Ichabod would easily lift that on and off the track. Low speed towing would get it back to Sheepscot if you were close. Rubber wheels would only work well at the crossing, because every where else has ditches.

[Mike Fox]

Bill, the machine without the head is about 60 inches. If the platform and buildings are more than 48 inches from center, there will be no problem.

[Wayne Laepple]

It should be noted that this machine weighs around 1200 pounds ready to work, so unless the track crew has eaten its Wheaties, Ichabod will be the preferred method to load and unload it. Also, in thinking about it a little more, there should be space on the push car that Ichabod rides on to carry tools and a can of spikes.

[Bill Baskerville]

Great ideas and thoughts. Thanks everyone.

[Gordon Cook]

It should be noted that this machine weighs around 1200 pounds ready to work, so unless the track crew has eaten its Wheaties, Ichabod will be the preferred method to load and unload it. Also, in thinking about it a little more, there should be space on the push car that Ichabod rides on to carry tools and a can of spikes.

Great work, gentlemen, all around. Gracias. We riders of the rails will appreciate the improved maintenance.
 
Actually, I think we would need more than Wheaties to lift that much weight.

Is 1200 pounds pushing Ichabod's limit? I thought that was around 1/2 ton?

[Mike Fox]

Ichabod when standard broad gauge had a lift capacity of 2000lbs. After painting, I stencilled 1000 lbs on it. For safety. No official engineered calculations. If someone would like to do all the figuring, we can get you some measurements.

[John Kokas]

The biggest thing that is going to effect the higher load lifting is whether the rail clamps are functional and properly clamped or not.  I've seen similar types flip with lesser loads because someone forgot to set the clamps.

[Graham Buxton]

I'm not an 'engineer', but I would expect that if the only significant change to Ichabod was the track gauge, then the  weight  lift capacity of a load was on a flatcar that is  "ahead" or "behind" Ichabod  (meaning on the same track) would be pretty much the same as when Ichabod was standard broad gauge.
If the load was swung to one side or the other, then the narrower gauge of  the WW&F rails could negatively impact the stability of Ichabod.


It seems to me that the Tie Changer could be loaded/unloaded from a flatcar without swinging the load by picking up the Tie Changer with Ichabod, then moving the flatcar out of the way and setting the Tie Changer down without any swinging around.

[Mike Fox]

Ichabod, with the addition of the jacks, is actually more stable than without. When we started using it, we figured out that if you set the rail clamps and use the jacks to get them tight, you can pick up as much as you can crank. We lifted then set two culvert sections that weighed about 1200 pounds each. But I used extra precautions. So it will handle the tie changer with no trouble, as long as properly set up.

[Mike Fox]

Took a few minutes last week and fired up the steam cleaner. The orange is growing on me.. I think I'll just touch it up.



This cylinder was wet when I picked it up. Leaked all over the pallet it sits on, so I figured it should be fixed. There was a little ridge that I had to remove to get the guts out. The only thing I could reach it with was my dremmel with an engraving type bit.





Once it was apart, I had to remove the 3 o-rings so I can match sizes





I found the o-rings to be very hard, and in fact the one that I suspected of leaking was so hard it broke on removal (bottom one in the stack).

[Bill Baskerville]

Took a few minutes last week and fired up the steam cleaner. The orange is growing on me.. I think I'll just touch it up.

Mike, you do great work.  The tie changer cleaned up real nice.  Good job!