Adventures of 486

by Daris A Nevil

IBLS Webmaster

In this column we'll following the adventures of Allen Mogul #486.

Bagley Oil Burner

Replaced the Peterson oil burner with a Bagley Oil Burner.

Toolbox of Requirement

Everything that is is needed is in the Toolbox of Requirement.

Repairs

A derailment due to a branch across the rails damaged the pony truck described here: Allen Mogul Pony Pivot Repair.

Pony Wheel Damage

14 March 2014

I'm pretty hard on my Allen Mogul #486. Seems like every time I take it out to a meet I break something.

The most recent damage occurred happened at Houston Area Live Steamers Chugga Chugga Chili fest. We had a great meet, enjoyed some hot chili, and drove trains all day.

During a run #486 hopped off the rails at a turnout. It went half way onto the wrong turn. Took a bit of work for me and my passenger, Spence, to get it lined back up on the rails.

I didn't take time to inspect for damage. Everything seemed fine, so I continued to run throughout the meet. At one point I heard a squeaking noise up front, but again I ignored the warning sign.

I didn't discover what was wrong until I loaded up after the meet. What I discovered is shown below. During the derailment the the cattle guard caught the frog or one of the guard rails and was bent back about 3/8". The brace between the apron and the cattle guard was bent down and started rubbing against the flange of the pony wheel.

By the time I loaded up the flange had been worn to a fine edge. Looks like I will have to turn a new wheel.

But hey, that's part of the fun of the hobby too!

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  The flange of the wheel on Allen Mogul #486 was ground down by the bent brace.

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  This photo shows the cattle guard bent from a derailment. This caused a brace to curve down onto the flange of the pony truck.

This evening I began work on the damage to #486. My first try thought was "I bet I can hammer the cattle guard straight with a rubber mallet.". Well, after a few whacks I decided that was not going to work out.

Removed the cattle guard and used my 30 ton press to straighten out the kinks. The engineer's side brace was bent, along with the bottom of the guard. A few well placed pressure points straightened it right up! Looks as good as new (except for the paint).

The point of the guard was cracked. It had been brazed when it was made. I don't have brazing equipment, but I do have a Lincoln AC225 welder. I used a small rod, set the current to 70 amps, and welded the joint from underneath. I'm not a professional welder, but it turned out ok. It should be strong. 70 amps was a little too high; it melted part of the edge of the brace. I should have used 60 amps. or even 40 amps. But, the weld will hold, and I think it will look fine after it is painted.

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  Cattle guard for Allen Mogul #486 after straightening and welding.

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  Back side of cattle guard of Allen Mogul #486 shows weld repair at point seam.