Author Topic: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread  (Read 116065 times)

Ira Schreiber

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #105 on: June 29, 2016, 03:17:02 PM »
True works of art and design.
Thanks Alan

Carl G. Soderstrom

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #106 on: June 30, 2016, 12:23:19 AM »
Just WOW

Thanks Alan

And thanks for the update.

Dave Crow

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #107 on: June 30, 2016, 10:05:51 AM »
Very nice work, Alan!

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #108 on: June 30, 2016, 07:43:01 PM »
Fantastic work, Alan.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

Bill Baskerville

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #109 on: July 01, 2016, 10:34:26 PM »
Yesterday James and I visited the Cass Mountain Railway and took the ride to Bald Knob.  We noticed that on all descents they tied down the brakes on each car in addition to the air brakes.  We were told that the engineer then makes a small air application as needed.  The brakemen (and women) would check often to be sure that none of the wheels locked.  I guess they use that method since they don't have retainers in their system.

My understanding is that we won't have that compressed air problem of a limited number of applications down a given grade.  Is this correct?

Bill
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john d Stone

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #110 on: July 02, 2016, 08:53:34 PM »
I think one advantage of a straight vacuum brake system is the lack of reservoirs to deplete. As long as you have enough steam to blow out a vacuum, you've got brakes available.
How this will differ with WW&F's improved vacuum system is something for those knowledgeable gents in the R&D department to expound upon.
Which brings up another thought: will #52 be vacuum brake equipped? If so, I'm guessing blowing out air to create a vacuum?

John   

Mike the Choochoo Nix

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #111 on: July 02, 2016, 09:50:10 PM »
[quote author=John Stone link=topic=2524.msg28109#msg28109 date=1467510814
Which brings up another thought: will #52 be vacuum brake equipped? If so, I'm guessing blowing out air to create a vacuum?

John   
[/quote]
Just pull the vacuum from the motors intake manifold, that's how the old semi's did it, I have friend whose father had a semi trailer with vacuum brakes and that's how it was done.
Mike Nix
Mike Nix

Bill Baskerville

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #112 on: July 02, 2016, 10:00:02 PM »
I know Jason's plan is, once the initial testing is complete, to put the No 9 locomotive test stand in 52.  I don't know how he intends to create vacuum, from the intake manifold is one possibility, using compressed air thru a venturi instead of steam to create vacuum is another possibility.  He will have to address that.
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Rick Rowlands

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #113 on: July 03, 2016, 07:49:23 AM »
I am so happy to see that the castings are machining up well! 

A little story on the production of the castings.  My original intent was to produce the castings from Alan's patterns at the WA Young Foundry & Machine Shop.  I reactivated their coke fired crucible furnace, which had not operated since before WWII,  and successfully melted bronze in it.  I brought down three molds to pour, but for various reasons all three ended up as short pours.   We had planned to try again, but word got out to the press that we were to be running the furnace, and since I did not have permission for the metal pour to be a public event, I had to cancel it.  Then about three days later the site was hit with torrential rains and enough water came down the hillside behind the building to penetrate the rear wall and run like a river right down the middle of the casting floor and out the front door!

By now I was very late in getting the castings finished, so to save time (Youngs is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Youngstown) I fabricated a temporary crucible furnace out of some 3" thick refractory board that I had salvaged from a steel mill, borrowed a propane forge burner and set out to melt the bronze in the J&L 58's enginehouse.   Over two separate days I ran that furnace and melted down enough old Lunkenheimer, Walworth and Crane valve bodies to cast all nine parts that Alan needed. 

I used to work in the foundry industry, from making 100 ton iron castings to tiny nonferrous parts, but pretty much gave it up several years ago.  But it all came back to me fairly rapidly, and now I have caught the casting bug again .  I will probably pour more bronze down at Young later in the year,  and have plans for the construction of an iron cupola furnace in Youngstown now as well.   From the same steel mill I also salvaged about 1,000 lbs. of SAE 660 bearing bronze, furnace fodder for a new set of rod bushings for the J&L 58 and whatever else comes along. 

The vacuum brake castings were produced absolutely free of charge as a way to help support the work of the WW&F. 

Rick Rowlands
Chief Engineer
J&L Narrow Gauge Railroad
Youngstown, OH

Rick Rowlands

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #114 on: July 03, 2016, 08:04:39 AM »
The valve body molds were rather interesting to make.  The cores for the internal passages are exceptionally tiny, and usually broke when taking them out of the core box.  I would then glue them together and then sand and fit to get them to sit still in the mold. 

For these castings I did not use greensand but instead used a nobake process that is alkyd based.  Mix 2% by weight resin into the sand, then add 1/2% co-reactant and mix it in.  I did 25 lb. batches in a 5 gallon bucket with a paddle on a drill for mixing.  A concrete mixer is a very effective and low cost mixer for no bake when there are larger batches to be made.  The molds set up in an hour or so, ready to strip and make the next one.  I carved risers and gates into the molds with a stone on an air grinder.  The nice thing about nobake is that the molds are practically indestructible with normal handling.  I can make molds today, put them on a shelf and pour them in 10 years and still be perfectly usable. 

Rick Rowlands
Chief Engineer
J&L Narrow Gauge Railroad
Youngstown, OH

Ira Schreiber

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #115 on: July 03, 2016, 08:09:30 AM »
Rick, I am very impressed. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #116 on: July 04, 2016, 04:59:17 PM »
What Ira said.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

Stephen Piwowarski

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #117 on: July 04, 2016, 10:29:29 PM »
Thanks Rick! These look great- nice contribution. My wife and I are headed through your neck of the woods in late August. We'll have to see what your up to!

Steve

Carl G. Soderstrom

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #118 on: July 05, 2016, 01:23:49 AM »
Thanks Rick & Thanks for the explanation.

John Scott

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Re: Eames Train Brakes - Official Work Thread
« Reply #119 on: August 01, 2016, 10:52:20 PM »
The latest (July / August 2016) issue of the Museum newsletter carries an excellent article describing vacuum automatic brake equipment to be fitted to passenger cars operating on the WW&F Railway. The article is very well thought out and it is nicely illustrated.

Some of the vacuum equipment that will be needed on cars is not dealt with in the newsletter article, including the Release Valve that is needed on each car to enable its brakes to be bled off and the Conductor’s Valve that should be fitted on each passenger car to enable the application of the train brakes in an emergency. The design of these valves involves special consideration as they must not permit dirt or moisture to enter the vacuum brake system.

The normal strategy for obtaining the function of a Release Valve is to arrange for the check valve that is described in the newsletter article to be manually lifted, when desired. This produces equalisation of the pressures on either side of the brake piston, allowing it to fall as a result of the action of gravity on the mass of the brake rigging (assuming vertical mounting of the brake cylinder). The Release Valve mechanism can be sealed from the atmosphere by a diaphragm in a manner similar to that employed for the brake cylinder piston rod.

The actuating mechanism of the Release Valve of a car (typically a pull chain or light rodding) should be arranged for manual operation from either side of the car. When the braking system of a car needs to be cut out (because of some defect), means are needed to tie back the actuating mechanism of the Release Valve to keep the valve open.

A Conductor’s Valve needs to incorporate some means for the filtration of incoming atmospheric air. The valve should be designed to remain open, following manual activation, until all brake pipe vacuum has been destroyed.

As indicated in the newsletter article, the car equipment for the vacuum automatic brake system can be relatively simple. Equipping the locomotives will present greater challenge as there are additional issues to be considered and provided for.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2016, 10:55:39 PM by John Scott »