3-1/2 Inch Gauge Flat Car - Revision history

Dnevil: /* 2019 Version */

2019-05-03T02:41:20Z

2019 Version

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:41, 2 May 2019
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			File:Bob ThreeQuarterRidingCar 20190501 01.jpg
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			File:Bob ThreeQuarterRidingCar 20190501 09.jpg
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Dnevil: /* 2019 Version */

2019-05-03T02:32:35Z

2019 Version

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:32, 2 May 2019
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	I decided that I should be able to build the car with materials that I had on hand; I have therefore used bed rails found in the barn, a 2 1/8 inch round bar of steel left behind in my little garage by someone, a scrap piece of 3/8 inch aluminum plate, and numerous other odds and ends, including a punctured inner tube to make rubber vibration dampers between the trucks and the frame. I calculate that I have spent around $15.00 on it so far (had to buy wheel bearings and a bit of 1 x 1/2 inch steel bar), and shouldn't have to spend more, as all remaining materials are at hand and I have lots of leftover paint.		I decided that I should be able to build the car with materials that I had on hand; I have therefore used bed rails found in the barn, a 2 1/8 inch round bar of steel left behind in my little garage by someone, a scrap piece of 3/8 inch aluminum plate, and numerous other odds and ends, including a punctured inner tube to make rubber vibration dampers between the trucks and the frame. I calculate that I have spent around $15.00 on it so far (had to buy wheel bearings and a bit of 1 x 1/2 inch steel bar), and shouldn't have to spend more, as all remaining materials are at hand and I have lots of leftover paint.

	Wheel shoulder, flanges, and everything else follow ~~a 1945 flat car plan I found on the web~~. I wondered about the shoulder, thinking it perhaps should have been more pronounced, but the general opinion seems to be that coning the wheels is more significant for tracking. The design I used did not call for coned wheels, but I cut a 3 degree taper there, though it's hard to see over a 3/8 inch tread. Moreover, the track on which this is to be run is not one of those snazzy factory-made rail things, but 3/8 x 1 inch mild steel bar set on edge, and I think that the square shoulder will work better with it (there is a teensy little radius there to preserve strength). Flange depth may be a consideration if the car is to travel over frogs, points, etc., but my track is a simple oval, and I just don't see a wheel hopping up and down.		Wheel shoulder, flanges, and everything else follow George Taylor's plans. I wondered about the shoulder, thinking it perhaps should have been more pronounced, but the general opinion seems to be that coning the wheels is more significant for tracking. The design I used did not call for coned wheels, but I cut a 3 degree taper there, though it's hard to see over a 3/8 inch tread. Moreover, the track on which this is to be run is not one of those snazzy factory-made rail things, but 3/8 x 1 inch mild steel bar set on edge, and I think that the square shoulder will work better with it (there is a teensy little radius there to preserve strength). Flange depth may be a consideration if the car is to travel over frogs, points, etc., but my track is a simple oval, and I just don't see a wheel hopping up and down.

	As you can see, I arrived at the wheel profile after a lot of mulling and reading, and I like to think that I've done the right thing here. Of course, if I haven't, I'll find out in May when I run this car. Even then, though, it won't be all that hard to re-shape the wheels if I have to (I hope).		As you can see, I arrived at the wheel profile after a lot of mulling and reading, and I like to think that I've done the right thing here. Of course, if I haven't, I'll find out in May when I run this car. Even then, though, it won't be all that hard to re-shape the wheels if I have to (I hope).

Dnevil: /* Platform */

2019-05-03T02:17:49Z

Platform

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:17, 2 May 2019
Line 62:		Line 62:

	The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.		The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.

			== 2019 Version ==

			Bob from Canada wrote, 27 April 2019:

			I recently found the plans for the [[3-1/2 Inch Gauge Flat Car]]. I found it interesting, as it could double as a riding car, and I needed one of those to tow behind my Rob Roy.

			I worked on it over the winter and am just putting the finishing touches on it today. I'm not a machinist, so I found it challenging as well as rewarding.

			Thank you for making the plans available. I'm sure the car will work perfectly this summer--and every one thereafter.

			The local live steam club sold its riding car (or driving car, if you prefer), and I was left without something to tow around behind my Rob Roy. Accordingly, I decided to roll my own, so to speak.

			I decided that I should be able to build the car with materials that I had on hand; I have therefore used bed rails found in the barn, a 2 1/8 inch round bar of steel left behind in my little garage by someone, a scrap piece of 3/8 inch aluminum plate, and numerous other odds and ends, including a punctured inner tube to make rubber vibration dampers between the trucks and the frame. I calculate that I have spent around $15.00 on it so far (had to buy wheel bearings and a bit of 1 x 1/2 inch steel bar), and shouldn't have to spend more, as all remaining materials are at hand and I have lots of leftover paint.

			Wheel shoulder, flanges, and everything else follow a 1945 flat car plan I found on the web. I wondered about the shoulder, thinking it perhaps should have been more pronounced, but the general opinion seems to be that coning the wheels is more significant for tracking. The design I used did not call for coned wheels, but I cut a 3 degree taper there, though it's hard to see over a 3/8 inch tread. Moreover, the track on which this is to be run is not one of those snazzy factory-made rail things, but 3/8 x 1 inch mild steel bar set on edge, and I think that the square shoulder will work better with it (there is a teensy little radius there to preserve strength). Flange depth may be a consideration if the car is to travel over frogs, points, etc., but my track is a simple oval, and I just don't see a wheel hopping up and down.

			As you can see, I arrived at the wheel profile after a lot of mulling and reading, and I like to think that I've done the right thing here. Of course, if I haven't, I'll find out in May when I run this car. Even then, though, it won't be all that hard to re-shape the wheels if I have to (I hope).

			As for the side frames, they will do the job, but I messed up on the symmetry of the outlines. It's not too easy to see when the frames are under the car, but trust me, they could be a lot better. I didn't re-do them both because they're hard to see and because they really did take a lot of time to make.

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Dnevil: /* Description */

2016-12-29T14:51:40Z

Description

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:51, 29 December 2016
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	The use of springs in these trucks -- following full-size practice -- is not very good procedure because the "pay" load on the car, compared with the weight of the car itself, is all out of proportion. Your weight can be shifted from side to side so quickly, depending on your movements on the car -- especially when going around curves -- that it becomes very uncomfortable and actually dangerous. It is better to have a positive stop in a lateral direction. If <i>vibration damping</i> is desired, it can be taken care of by stiff rubber pads placed under the platforms.		The use of springs in these trucks -- following full-size practice -- is not very good procedure because the "pay" load on the car, compared with the weight of the car itself, is all out of proportion. Your weight can be shifted from side to side so quickly, depending on your movements on the car -- especially when going around curves -- that it becomes very uncomfortable and actually dangerous. It is better to have a positive stop in a lateral direction. If <i>vibration damping</i> is desired, it can be taken care of by stiff rubber pads placed under the platforms.

	The second important thing is the use of ball bearings. This allows a little locomotive to pull about five times as much load than if plain bearings are used. The ball bearings should preferably be of the self aligning type to allow the necessary amount of flexibility to the truck sides. If these are not available, the next type of bearing is that which takes an end-thrust as well as a radial load and can be taken apart, something like a Timken bearing. However, if neither of these are available and the plain ball bearing has to be used, then the counterbore in the truck sides which carries the bearings will have to made about ".005 to .007" larger than the outside diameter of the bearing. The fit on the axle itself should be a light press fit.		The second important thing is the use of ball bearings. This allows a little locomotive to pull about five times as much load than if plain bearings are used. The ball bearings should preferably be of the self aligning type to allow the necessary amount of flexibility to the truck sides. If these are not available, the next type of bearing is that which takes an end-thrust as well as a radial load and can be taken apart, something like a Timken bearing. However, if neither of these are available and the plain ball bearing has to be used, then the counterbore in the truck sides which carries the bearings will have to made about ".005 to .007" larger than the outside diameter of the bearing. The fit on the axle itself should be a light [[Press fit\|press fit]].

	The third important thing is a good <i>brake</i> -- one that can stop on a dime! Having brake blocks on the wheels as in full-size practice is not much good and requires a lot of adjustment to make them work right. The best type of brake is one which presses down on the rail; this will stop you in one foot flat, and sometimes you have to stop like this. Well, so much for a general chaw on flat-cars.		The third important thing is a good <i>brake</i> -- one that can stop on a dime! Having brake blocks on the wheels as in full-size practice is not much good and requires a lot of adjustment to make them work right. The best type of brake is one which presses down on the rail; this will stop you in one foot flat, and sometimes you have to stop like this. Well, so much for a general chaw on flat-cars.

Dnevil: /* Trucks */

2015-12-21T04:31:46Z

Trucks

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 20 December 2015
Line 40:		Line 40:

	== Trucks ==		== Trucks ==

			[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 4.PNG\|thumb\|right\|400px]]

	The drawing showing the truck practically explains itself. The truck sides will have to be castings, of course, in either bronze or aluminum; both of these metals work well. The patter is a simple straightforward job and anybody who can build a locomotive can certainly make this pattern. If you can't swing the casting in your lathe to bore out the recesses for the ball bearings, then you'll have to do as I did. Centre-punch all the bosses, that is, those at each end of the bearings and the one in the centre for the bolster and drill with a 1/2 inch drill. Drill them in pairs back-to-back, so that the centre-to-centre distance on each truck will be the same. Next make a counter-bore as shown in the sketch; put the counterbore in the four-jaw chuck and be sure that it runs true. If you have a collet, so much the better. Then get a bar of [[CRS\|cold-rolled steel] about the size of a tool-holder and clamp it in the toll-post, parallel with the lathe centre-line. Centre the 1/2<F2> inch hole (which you drilled in the truck casting for the bearings) on the end of the counterbore and bring the tail-stock chuck up against it. Open up the chuck so that the short end of the counterbore just runs freely inside the jaws. This steadies the end of the counterbore. Be sure that the inside face of the truck casting faces the counterbore. Now start the counterbore revolving, using the lowest speed on the lathe. Rest the free end of the casting on the piece of cold-rolled steel you clamped in the tool-post and start feeding in with the tail-stock. Take your time and don't rush this job; feed it <i>very slowly</i>. You can tell how far the counterbore has gone by watching the graduations on the tail-stock spindle. After all the recesses are bored for the ball bearings, face off the inside and ouside of the centre boss for the bolster.		The drawing showing the truck practically explains itself. The truck sides will have to be castings, of course, in either bronze or aluminum; both of these metals work well. The patter is a simple straightforward job and anybody who can build a locomotive can certainly make this pattern. If you can't swing the casting in your lathe to bore out the recesses for the ball bearings, then you'll have to do as I did. Centre-punch all the bosses, that is, those at each end of the bearings and the one in the centre for the bolster and drill with a 1/2 inch drill. Drill them in pairs back-to-back, so that the centre-to-centre distance on each truck will be the same. Next make a counter-bore as shown in the sketch; put the counterbore in the four-jaw chuck and be sure that it runs true. If you have a collet, so much the better. Then get a bar of [[CRS\|cold-rolled steel] about the size of a tool-holder and clamp it in the toll-post, parallel with the lathe centre-line. Centre the 1/2<F2> inch hole (which you drilled in the truck casting for the bearings) on the end of the counterbore and bring the tail-stock chuck up against it. Open up the chuck so that the short end of the counterbore just runs freely inside the jaws. This steadies the end of the counterbore. Be sure that the inside face of the truck casting faces the counterbore. Now start the counterbore revolving, using the lowest speed on the lathe. Rest the free end of the casting on the piece of cold-rolled steel you clamped in the tool-post and start feeding in with the tail-stock. Take your time and don't rush this job; feed it <i>very slowly</i>. You can tell how far the counterbore has gone by watching the graduations on the tail-stock spindle. After all the recesses are bored for the ball bearings, face off the inside and ouside of the centre boss for the bolster.

Dnevil: /* Frame */

2015-12-21T04:31:00Z

Frame

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 20 December 2015
Line 36:		Line 36:

	[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 2.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]		[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 2.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]

			[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 3.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]

	== Trucks ==		== Trucks ==

Dnevil: /* Frame */

2015-12-21T04:30:21Z

Frame

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:30, 20 December 2015
Line 34:		Line 34:

	The logical place to start is the frame. This is built up of 1-3/4 x 1-3/4 x 1/8 inch and 1 x 1 x 1/8 inch angle iron. The perspective view shows the construction and the dimensions can be taken from the drawing of the car. Starting by cutting the angles to length and shape and assemble together with 1/4"-20 flat-head screws. You will have to countersink the holes in the angles so that the top of the flat-head screws will be flush with the surface to allow the wood floor to sit down on the frame. The end pieces are car-end castings supplied by [[Lester Friend]] ([[Yankee Shop\|Yankee Machine Shop]]). These come with two lugs on the side which are cut off and the castings screwed to a piece of 1 x 1 inch angle-iron backing. One leg of the angle-iron is left as it is, while the other is cut to the shape of the car-end castings.		The logical place to start is the frame. This is built up of 1-3/4 x 1-3/4 x 1/8 inch and 1 x 1 x 1/8 inch angle iron. The perspective view shows the construction and the dimensions can be taken from the drawing of the car. Starting by cutting the angles to length and shape and assemble together with 1/4"-20 flat-head screws. You will have to countersink the holes in the angles so that the top of the flat-head screws will be flush with the surface to allow the wood floor to sit down on the frame. The end pieces are car-end castings supplied by [[Lester Friend]] ([[Yankee Shop\|Yankee Machine Shop]]). These come with two lugs on the side which are cut off and the castings screwed to a piece of 1 x 1 inch angle-iron backing. One leg of the angle-iron is left as it is, while the other is cut to the shape of the car-end castings.

			[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 2.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]

	== Trucks ==		== Trucks ==

Dnevil: /* Platform */

2015-12-21T04:30:02Z

Platform

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:30, 20 December 2015
Line 56:		Line 56:

	The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.		The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.

	~~[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 2.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]~~

Dnevil: /* Platform */

2015-12-21T04:29:12Z

Platform

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:29, 20 December 2015
Line 56:		Line 56:

	The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.		The platform is a piece of five-ply wood or a piece of hard wood, according to choice. It is 3/8 inch thick and is screwed to the frame with short wood-screws from underneath. Just be sure the screws don't go through the platform or there might be disastrous results when you get on and off the car.

			[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 2.PNG\|thumb\|center\|500px]]

Dnevil at 04:23, 21 December 2015

2015-12-21T04:23:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:23, 20 December 2015
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	[[Category:Construction]]		[[Category:Construction]]
	[[3-1/2 Inch Gauge Flat Car]]		[[3-1/2 Inch Gauge Flat Car]]
			[[File:GeorgeTaylor flatcar Nov1945 1.PNG\|thumb\|right\|400px\|George Taylor's flat-car in operation on his pike. From <i>[[The Model Craftsman]]</i>, November 1945.]]

	by George Taylor		by George Taylor