# Four Cylinder Heisler Build Log



## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I am still finishing up a few projects at home but I thought I would get a start on this build log which is still in the design stage
I was originally thinking of just doing a 70 ton Three Truck Heisler. My friend Henner lent me a book on Heislers and I saw the Patent drawing below.








Below is a West Coast Special, a 70 ton three truck available in standard or 36" gauge. My model will be similar to this but with four cylinders similar to the patent drawing











Although the patent drawing shows two simple cylinders on both sides. Charles Heisler contemplated making them Compound as he felt the V-4 configuration was ideally suited for compound due the the fact that the high and low pressure cylinders were inline with each other as in the drawing below thus ensuring the low and high pressure cylinders have equal temperatures










The unique thing about the Heislers is that with the 90 degree V configuration a dual acting steam engine has four evenly distributed power strokes per revolution while having only one crank journal. The four cylinder design has two crank journals 180 degrees apart
My design is similar to KOZO's using a one piece crankcase. My design is different from his as the crankcase is relieved on the lower side per the prototype allowing more of the crank to be seen from the side. My machining process is also different.
In the drawing below, the crankcase is made from a 2" square bar thus assuring perfect 90 degree alignment. The cross head tubes will be turned from 1" round stock and the cylinders from 1" square stock. After a forum discussion on compounding, I have learned that the low pressure cylinder should be 1.7 times the cross section or 1.3 times the bore for optimal performance so I will increase the LP from .625 to .650









Yesterday while waiting for some paint to dry on another project, I picked up some brass for stock and while I was there I picked up a piece of 2 x 2 x 2-3/8 long bar stock
With the table saw, I whacked off the diagonal cuts and did a .002 skim cut on the four sides with the fly cutter.










The top cut was cleaned up and trimmed to size 









In the same manner the bottom was done with the fly cutter










The center of each cylinder facing side was marked and a right angle drawn to show the connecting rod center and as you can see below, they both meet 
where the center of the crankshaft will be 









I used a 3/8" end mill to hog out the crankcase relief 









Then flipped it on it's side to cut into the center for the crankshaft clearence 









So, here is what I have so far. I decided to use ball bearings for the mains. I picked up some 5 x 8 x 2.5 bearings on eBay and I think I will use two on each journal










Next up is the Main bearing caps, cross heads and cylinders. I may need to take a trip to Dennis' house to turn the cross heads as he has a larger through
capacity on his lathe


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm looking forward to seeing this engine progress. I love seeing how you go about fabricating all the parts, and taking the time to document it all. Thank you.


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill,

the crankcase looks exactly like the one Kozo designed. On my ride-on engine the center of the axle also coincides with the bottom of the casing. It is only the bearing blocks which protrude.


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

That's great,the Uintha isn't cold yet and here comes another "Masterpiece"
Bill ,while you just started making parts for the Heisler could i order a complete set of"Heisler" spare parts to make my own?

Manfred


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Hi Henner
If you look at this drawing of the 90 ton here you can see that the crankcase from the side looks like an inverted "U" and you can see almost all of the crankshaft between the journals.
This is what I am trying to get bu relieving the sides.


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

My crankcase has the same cutout, but it is in part covered by the substantial bracket which attaches the engine to the frame. If you make this bracket slimmer, you get the effect you are trying to achieve.


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## Reg Stocking (Sep 29, 2010)

If you wish to get really tricky you could have the cylinders exactly opposite instead of offset and use fork-and-blade connecting rods. The top Lincolns from the '20s and '30s, Rolls-Royce in the Phantom III and V-12 aircraft engines such as the Merlin, and I believe Harley-Davidson even today are so equipped.


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Reg Stocking on 05 Oct 2013 12:35 PM 
If you wish to get really tricky you could have the cylinders exactly opposite instead of offset and use fork-and-blade connecting rods. The top Lincolns from the '20s and '30s, Rolls-Royce in the Phantom III and V-12 aircraft engines such as the Merlin, and I believe Harley-Davidson even today are so equipped. 
These offset cylinders are prototypical for Heisler locos.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Henner is correct about the 90 degree offset being the prototypical one and what Heisler would have done on a four cylinder. We even discussed leaving the cylinders at 90 degrees and offsetting the crank 45 degrees which would make for eight power strokes per revolution but that would make for a very complex engine and I am not sure how it would work with two different size pistons. 

Speaking of Crankshafts, I have heard stories of crankshaft problems with the Catatonk Heislers. I understand there are cases of excessive crankshaft main and rod journal wear and the pressed/glued crank joints coming loose. 
In speaking with Bob Trabucco who has repaired some, he seemed to recall that the journals are only 1/8" or so vs my design of 5mm (.196") 
I will be using ball bearings for the main bearings as they can be easily slid on each end of the shaft for assembly. 
I would like to use ball bearings on the crank journals also but if I silver solder the crank together, I am afraid I will damage the bearings. 
I was thinking of drilling the crank a couple of thou under and then heating it up to 500 degrees and freezing the journals to ten below and then assembling the pieces 
Or, I could do a press fit and use hi temp locktite 

I wonder if any one has any knowledge or experience of any similar construction


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill,

my son build a crankshaft almost 30 years ago. It was just assembled with Loctite and then pinned (The pins were also secured with Loctite). It still runs like a charm. This way you can use ball bearings everywhere and need not silver solder. I'll show you the crankshaft next time we meet.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Sounds like a plan 
Thanks


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, 
What size table saw are you using to rough cut your parts from brass. Also what type of blade please. I use my band saw to cut many of my rough parts. 
N


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Noel 
I have a 10" Delta contractors model and use Carbide tipped blades from Harbor Freight I have found the 50 or 60 tooth the best and the 50 can also be used for ripping wood which I often do without changing blades. 
The main think in using a table saw is a slow feed as if you jam the brass in too fast, you could chip off one or more of the carbide cutters. 
The next thing that is important is that the more rigid everything is, the better the accuracy of the cut. The contractor and cabinet maker's saws are much heaver and rigid than the portable ones 
Using my home made cross cut sled, I can get very accurate cuts. I get within a few thousands of a perfect cut on 1" stock and the smaller stuff, I don't even have to clean up the cut 
I cut the four cylinders out of 1" square stock this morning and was within .010 of a perfect square cut on all pieces. It took about two minutes for the whole operation. I then trued the ends on the lathe when I bored them out. 
When I get my material cut at the steel supply house, even with the huge band saw, larger pieces have over .030 variance with large saw marks so I usually get them oversize and trim them at home on the table saw


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Bill...very informative and interesting. 
N


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Made a few new parts over the last couple of days
The main bearing caps are milled and drilled with a .030 recess for the bolt head








The caps are mounted and then the crankshaft bore is drilled








Holes are bored to receive the four cylinder frames (cross head guides)








The crankcase with the offset cylinders on either side








the main ball bearing fits perfectly








I went down to Dennis' yesterday and we turned out the cylinder frames and the cylinder caps








Above is a good shot of the pieces which will go together, You can see the high and low pressure bores on the left, the crankcase and cylinder frames in the middle and the cylinder caps on the right. The cap on the bottom is holding the o-ring which fits in the groove shown in the cap above

Below you can see how the cylinder will attach to the frame. The thin plate in the center seals the o-ring and registers the pieces 









I still need to drill all of the mounting holes and machine out access slots in the cross heads.
The cylinders need to be cleaned up and the ports machined and drilled 
Then the crankshaft, rods. cross heads and pistons get made


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

The crankshaft on my 3 cyl Shay (7.5" gauge) is loctite and tapered pins. Taper pins -- not scroll or spring pin. The crankshaft on my Stuart #8 is just loctite, 25 years and still going strong. If you loctite the crank, machine the parts to the tolerance they call for. Loctite #680 is the strongest bond they have.

Loctite and pinned crank will do just fine.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Ho Bob 
I am thinking of loctite and pins 
Thanks


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I am currently in the middle of three projects but I was able to get some time this week to work on the engine









The cylinders are ported and the valves are made. The plates in the upper right are for a cross porting project I am doing and only four of the valves are for this project








The cylinder frames/cross head guides are milled out and the cross heads are made








The connecting rods are out of the three pieces on the left. The rid material is 1/8 x 1/2 brass flat stock and the top yoke is made from 1/4" square.
A 1/8" slot is cut on both the top and bottom of the square stock and it is silver soldered in place. the shaping is done with end mills and a 1" belt sander. 








The crank is made from material I had around the shop. The end webs were shaped from a 1-1/4" cast iron bar stock. the center web is from low carbon steel and the journals from 5 mm drill rod. The center shaft is silver soldered on and the other journals are secured with JB Weld and pinned with 1/16" taper pins loctit'ed and driven in








The center shaft is cut with a hack saw and a dremmen is used to clean everything up.
The cross heads are installed on the rods and the assembly is bolted on to the crank









Here you can see where the pins were driven into the crank








The wrist pins are secured with e-clips 

e


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work Bill!! Lower end turn smooth?


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Bob 
Yes it runs very smoothly. Better that I thought it would 
It seems very well balanced also, I put a drill on the shaft and ran it at full speed with no noticeable vibrations


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Bob 
Yes it runs very smoothly. Better that I thought it would 
It seems very well balanced also, I put a drill on the shaft and ran it at full speed with no noticeable vibrations


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## Moleman (Dec 17, 2008)

Very nice work, I am looking forward to seeing future updates.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well, I just finished the valve linkage and I must say it was not too easy. I had the Kozo book and I borrowed a ride on Heisler engine which Henner was rebuilding just to see how everything should go together. The Kozo book shows you how to make each part and if you follow it to the letter, I guess everything will fit when you are finished but as he doesn't go into the theory behind things when you are doing something different, it is hard to follow.

The steam chests are secured and the valve rod is fitted in place. There will be a rocker arm on the head which will transfer the valve action to the rear cylinder 









Now that I have the cylinders mounted, i can finish the head construction. the holes ended up being exactly where I had planned but I wanted to make sure before making the heads









Here is the single head for both cylinders








As I mentioned, the lower half of the engine is well balanced and has no noticable vibration when spun with a drill but when I added the pistons, I noticed 
a wobble at high speed. In conversing with Redbeard (Larry), he told me that even the full size ones he has ridden on have this quirk.
It seems to be that the reciprocal motion of the pistons which goes from side to side vs forward and aft on a regular engine causes this.
Heisler thought a four cylinder engine would run smoother than a two cylinder and I didn't really understand his thinking there but now I think I do.
The four cylinder has two pistons which oppose each other thus counteracting the motion. The problem for me was that with the compound configuration,
the LP piston had over twice the mass of the Hp one. I made two aluminum pistons and replaced the brass ones and spun it again with a world of improvement. 









Here is the ball bearing eccentric with two set screws to secure them on the crank. each eccentric will be individually adjustable 









I used red lay out dye and with a caliper, marked the radius of the link an a piece of brass. I then cut this piece on the band saw and finished it on the sander 









I then cut and drilled out the blocks








The two sides of the cylinders are 90 degrees apart so the valve action needs to be exactly 90 degrees off also
The eccentric hangers were cut from a 1" square bar on the lathe. the strap on the left is silver soldered in place while the one on the right pivots per the prototype









The pieces are set in place to check alignment with the valve rods 









The two funny looking levers on each side are called rocker arms and they keep the valve rod from moving with the expansion link 









here is a top view of the left rocker arm. The rt & left are different because the cylinders are offset 









Here is the rocker arm with the valve rod end installed and the block on the front. Note the set screw in the corner which holds the pivot pin in place 









The forward and reverse are controlled by a tumbler arm which converts the linear motion of the Johnson bar to the circular motion needed here 
I penciled it out using Kozo's dimensions converted to 1:20.3 and glued it on








After trying it on, I found that it was 1/8" short so I silver soldered a piece in the center of the long arm at the bottom








Here is the finished setup with it in reverse note how the tumbler arm is lifted on the left and the curved area just missed the left valve rod and link









Here is forward with the arm all of the way down 









And here is a close up in neutral. The eccentrics and valves are not set in any of these photos as I will be doing more work on them later.


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, 

Unbelievable work! Congratulations! 

Best regards, 

Alan


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Wow that is cool! I am really enjoying seeing this one come together!


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, That is some complicated linkage! Not sure I understand it but it looks Great!


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill that is some fun valve gear. Looking good, cant wait to see the rest of the beast. Did you have to make the Aluminum piston with a bigger clearance with it expanding more than brass?


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Hi Winn 
Yes it is complicated. The theory is that the V configured cylinders are 90 degrees offset and if you make the eccentric straps 90 degrees offset also, you can use one eccentric for two cylinders vs on a regular engine where the cylinders are on opposite sides of the loco. and you need one eccentric for each side for each direction. The ninth photo down shows the simple Stephenson linkage with both sides linked to a common eccentric. The rest of the linkage is just to hold everything in place and to switch from forward to reverse. 
Except for a couple of links, this is prototypical 
Jason 
Yes I did allow extra clearance for the aluminum expansion factor


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well, I finished the engine today (I think) and it ran pretty good on air. It runs in both directions very smoothly. My only concern is that it needs 25 PSI to run. I have heard that the compounds need about 45 PSI to run but it doesn't seem to make sense. I have four pistons with o-rings and 10 other o-rings for the piston and valve rods and I am sure things will loosen up with a little running. It is hard to run it and check for leaks by myself but it looks to be steam tight with no blow by


Here is what I did to finish things up
The fitting on the top rt is the admission from the superheater. It will be an insulated pipe coming from the smoke box 
The top left is the exhaust from the high pressure cylinder and the admission for the low pressure one.
The bottom left is the exhaust for the LP cyl.
The valve rod on the right goes through the valve body and the valve nut is secured with a set screw as shown in prior postings
The rod is then attached to the 1:1 rocker arm which activates the rear valve which is 180 degrees out of phase with the front valve.










Here is a top view of the assenbly 








And a perspective view. I have to keep myself from just sitting down and admiring it. The extra time it took to do the studs for the steam chests and fittings was worth it. It also looks cool when it is running and the rocker arms are working.
I almost hate to paint it 








I have some retro's to do on the Uintah so I will delay this project for a while so I put the engine in a box so i won't be distracted by it.
Next up is the diamond frame and wagon top boiler.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Blacken it Bill allow all the edges to wear in and show a light brass. Jax blackener will do it nicely


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Amazing! Beautiful piece of work. 

Maybe it needs higher pressure to run because the steam has to "go farther" before it's released into atmospheric?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Tiffany and Company would be envious of the beauty of such craftsmanship.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well
I finished the final tuning and it now runs fine on 5 psi.
Dennis has been taking over the wheel casting. He printed out an exact duplicate of the original 10 spoke wheel in Acrylic and we tried making a mold from plaster but when we removed the acrylic wheel, the plaster came out with the wheel in the small crevasses . We then made a rubber master which did the job. here is a link to the picture story of how it was done.

This is the site I use to transfer photos to MLS and it is owned by a member of our hobby group. There are also other albums under the LARGE SCALE MODELS link at the top of the page including Henner's Guinness 

http://www.wegmuller.org/gallery/in...els?page=1

If you click on the first picture, you can view the whole set by hitting the next button. If the link doesn't work, you may need to copy and paste it.

Here is a wheel which is ready for the final turning. I have nine done and need 12 so we will pour the last three tomorrow and finish off the hub and tread/flange next week 











In the mean time, I started the diamond frame yesterday. This frame was used on all Heislers over 37 tons. It is very complex as there needs to be clearance for the engine, valve gear and boiler
The lower frame drops down 1/4" at the engine area so I cut slits where the bends needed to go and used some 1/4" stock to get the right drop and keep it straight 









I then fluxed it up and silver soldered it 









The upper half is made from several pieces. I used my scale drawing as a pattern for the cuts on the table saw and here I am using the cutoff sled to get a 90 degree cut









Per the prototype, I have plates holding everything in place. I used 0-80 bolts and then soft soldered the entire assymbly. The cross members are not soldered as they need to be removed to mount the engine. 









Front view showing the engine in place 









Rear view 









You can see the engine mounts and the clearance for the valve gear and admission and exhaust pipes


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

* 
Bille, 
That is just beautiful. What a piece of machinery. Love the tutoring on wheel casting. Amazing 
Noel*


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Just amazing Bill, will it be done for July? You must be retired to have this much time. The wheels came out nice. I assume that the Aluminum cast wheels will handle occasional running with no problem.


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow nice work so far. Good choice for a live steamer.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Jason & Noel 
The castings are actually Zamak which is Zinc, Magnesium aluminum and copper which should hold up better than aluminum 
Here is some info on it 
http://www.fonderiabeninifoundry.com/perche-usare-la-zama/dalla-a-alla-zama 

It melts at about 700 - 800 F 
You need to get pure Zamak and not something recycled. 
What we used to call pot metal was a zinc alloy containing led for easy casting but the lead causes the product to fail over time. Zamac has no lead in it 
I believe that most if not all metal die-cast wheels on our G scale electric drivers are a form of Zamac and I haven't heard of any breaking or wearing out 
It can be purchased at metal supply houses for around $2.00 a pound


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, 
Can Zamak be cast with silicone molds? 
Thanks 
Steve


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Steve 
The silicone won't withstand the heat from the melted Zamak. 
We just use the silicone to form a plaster mold. 
The plaster is Hydrocal which we got at a casting supply house. 
http://www.douglasandsturgess.com/mm5/merchant.mvc 
They are in the SF area but there are probably similar places elswhere and you can order online from them 
Dennis also mixed glass fibers (from Douglas and Sturgess) to keep it from cracking and cured the molds in the kitchen oven over a long period of time raising the temp slowly to 500 degrees


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the information. 
Steve


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Took a week off for Thanksgiving and started on the trucks and the boiler when we returned from Tahoe. I was able to work on the trucks while pickling the boiler so I was able to get quite a lot done

Here is the start of the trucks. The red is layout dye. The triangular piece is cut from bar stock and the bearing caps are milled from flat bar. they are drilled out using the DRO and then attached with JB Quick which is not as strong as JB Weld and can be removed after the holes are drilled for the 0-80 screws. The caps are then bolted on and drilled again using DRO 










The holes are a push fit for the 8mm OD bearings 









On the top a .300" hole is drilled for the chassis spring. A slot is milled for the cross piece which the boiler frame will set on. 









These gears are for a RC car which I got on eBay. The assembled gears are on the left. On the right, the 5mm pinion shaft is turned down to accept the pinion and the bronze collar is turned to fit the ring gear and then both gears are silvered soldered 









My gear case is left open at the end and will receive a cover later. With the open end, I was able to drill out a recess for the pinion bearing. This also allowed me to cut out most of the opening on the band saw.
The backlash is adjusted with the bronze washer between the pinion gear and the pinion bearing. The ring gear is secured with two 4-40 set screws with flats cut in the axle. The thrust of both the ring and the pinion are taken by the ball bearings. The pinion shaft has a bearing at each end of the case.








Here is the setup put together. You can see where the triangular wedges with the spring hole are now covered with a plate which holds the cross bracket against the frame.









This is a three truck engine so the center truck needs to have a drive shaft which passes through to the rear truck.
Heisler did it with spur gears but there are no drawings that I could find of exactly how it was done. I decided to make the spur gear case part of the axle case and made this short piece on the right and milled out as shown. I cut the gears from a 12" spur gear stock I got from McMaster and milled the slots to accept drive pins








The two pieces are silver soldered to form one.You can see the through shaft and pinion shaft with the drive pins installed.
At the bottom rt corner is the gear stock i used. It is 3/8" pitch diameter and I bored the holes .375" apart and it is smooth as silk 









Here is the pinion in place you can see the drive pin in place 









And here is the assembly. The through shaft drives the top gear which in turn drives the bottom gear and the pinion. 









I finished soldering the boiler today and it is pickling overnight. i will test it tomorrow and clean it up and post some photos then


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Here are the boiler shots
I followed the Kozo procedure for the most part.

Most Heislers have a wagon top boiler which is what Kozo did
In the past, I have been lucky enough that tie scale boiler size was close to a standard copper pipe size but here I had to go with custom sizes all around
The cone shaped one was drawn out by Dennis on cad. I then printed it on card paper, taped it together and tried it out in the shop. It was just slightly off so I cut the over size ends and added masking tape to the short ones. I then had a perfect patern and cut the piece on the band saw staying shy of the line and finished it up on the sander.








I took 3" ID and 2.5" ID pipe and cut about 7/8" out to get a 1/4" reduction in the diameter. I then used the cut out piece as support for the seam.
I attached it with rivets made out of copper wire and silver soldered it from the inside 








Here is the outside view. you can see where the ring is soldered at the bottom which ads strength and allows for alignment during soldering
You can see one of the rivets on the right of the seam 









This is different from Kozo and is prototypical. It is much harder to form the sheet but it allows for the four tubes at the top. 








Here are the two major parts ready for soldering. The backhead is soldered to the firebox so the final solder jobs will be the backhead and front tube sheet and mud ring.









Here is the mud ring after soldering (UGH) 








I had a fer minor leaks which were easily fixed and here is the boiler after cleanup


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill,

the trucks and especially the boiler look fabulous. Getting the complicated shape tight is a big success. I remember when just 2 years ago or so we gave you some advice on how to make things. By now it is the other way round! You have come a long way, congratulations.


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## Alan in Adirondacks (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, 

Beautiful! I really enjoy seeing your projects. 

Best regards, 

Alan


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## Joe Johnson (Jan 2, 2008)

Please keep this thread going. I'm learning a lot. 

Thanks!


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I did a little more work on the trucks this week.

I closed in the transmission case as I will be lubricating the gears with 90 wt gear oil.
The ring and pinion will have a separate reservoir from the spur gears. the cover on the top will mount on the bottom and provide clearance fot the ring gear 










I wanted to show you how the truck is put together
The round bar at the bottom is 3/8" and turned at both ends to 1/4" which is a close fit to the holes in the frame. The shoulder measurement keeps the frame from coming in and the wheel bushings keep it from going out. This keeps the frame in alignment while allowing a rocking movement which keeps all four wheels on the track at all times.
The flat bar is where the boiler frame will attach. it is supported by the springs in the holes which are drilled to 3/4" deep. The springs are from "cut to fit" SS stock and the tension is set for five pounds per truck. The bar has only 1/16" movement before bottoming out which is where it will ride under normal circumstances.










Here is the truck with the wheels cleaned up and quartered, The side rods came out real nice as if I push it, it keeps going on its own with no binding 










Here is the start of the U joint yokes. They are turned from 5/16" 303 SS










I use this piece of brass strip to get a true center for drilling the 1/16" pin hole 









Now i mount the yoke vertically in the vise and put the drill through the hole I just drilled and line it up with the vise jaws. you can barely see the centering drill touching the nub left over from the lathe. It makes for a fast centering job 










With a 3/16" end mill I notch out the middle and put a .010" flat on each side 










Here is the rough yoke fresh off the mill 










A 1" bench sander is used to shape the yoke. No precision needed here just need to relieve the two ends 









Here is one completed U joint. The longer yoke is a sliding one. 









A close up shows the sliding yoke. The square shaft is 1/8" tool steel which is silver soldered into a hole drilled in the 1/4" drive shaft. The yoke has a piece of K&S square tube with a 1/*" inside measurement silver soldered into a hole drilled into it. The pins are 1/16" music wire peened over at the ends


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## Two Blocked (Feb 22, 2008)

Hi Bill. I've not been following mls.com, and thus your latest project, for some time. You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon five pages of outstanding text, sketches, and remarkable photos; all of your authorship. You are truly a mechanical wizard in the small scale live steam hobby, and I look forward to seeing the finished product next Summer Steamup.
In my 19 years in the hobby I have always looked to Kozo, LBSC, and Ole'Fart for inspiration and instruction with regard to simplicity and cleverness of model design and manufacture. Now I find myself admiring the progress of your simple approaches to complex live steam model design and manufacture as well. In fact your work comes from a different, and unique, point of view that I like very much. Please continue to amaze and inform all of our small community of live steam modelers by virtue of your outstanding contributions to the mls.com Live Steam Forum.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Kevin 
Thank you for the kind words 
This means a lot coming from an expert such as yourself


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Started on the brakes this week


I took some 1/16" square stock, annealed it and bent it to the wheel curvature. i then cut off pieces to the brake shoe length
Here I am ready to soft solder them. I coat a 1/16" strip with paste flux and place strips of 1/32" solder as shown 









In the band saw, I cut the inside curcature out and finish up on the spindle sander 










I cut the remainder of the profile on the band saw with a 1/8" blade and form the dummy turnbuckles from 1/8" square stock
I turn the round on the lathe and cut the slot on the mill
I then hold the assembly against the wheels to get the right angle and glue it together with JB Weld 









Here is the eccentric for the axle pump. I used Kozo's design for the pump
The strap fabrication is the same as on the Uintah but with the ball bearing 









The quartering was done on my home made jig. As you can see, you have to have all of the guts on before you put it together.
The 680 Lictite sets up very fast and you need to be quick 









Here is the pump mounted on the rear truck. 









I then demount the frames and bead blast them for painting 









Here are the three trucks. I still need to do some cleanup 









Here is a photo of the prototype and my rendition 









The drive shafts are made and the trucks mounted to the frame 









Side view of the trucks mounted


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Billie - As always you amaze me with your fast work and well thought out design. Ive used the 680 for a crankshaft on my Idris build and yes with a reamed .005 fit it was almost instant. I need to get back on those locos so they are finished. A little bit of the opposite if your speed, been 3 years now.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Jason 
I was using some old 680 which gave me more setup time but I was afraid to use it here because it had lost some holding power. It would be nice to find some loctite with the same strength but a 5 minute or so working time.


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Kovacjr on 22 Dec 2013 07:41 PM 
Billie - As always you amaze me with your fast work and well thought out design. Ive used the 680 for a crankshaft on my Idris build and yes with a reamed .005 fit it was almost instant. I need to get back on those locos so they are finished. A little bit of the opposite if your speed, been 3 years now. 
No comment on your speed there speedy. Got a date lined up for Lillly in abut 16 years. Will try and send some pics.

Noel


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

On the Loctite... 
Henner just forwarded me an article that says that the setup time can be increased to about 10 minutes by putting the parts and the loctite in the fridge for 30 minutes.


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## RickWeber (Mar 7, 2011)

Exceptional workmanship and photos! Thank you, Bill, for taking the time to provide these to the MLS community. 

Rick


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill: Very nice work. The boiler is magnificent. That will steam like crazy.

See you in July at Sac

Bob


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Happy New Year everyone. I thought I would update you on the Heisler progress

I didn't show this detail last posting but in addition to the side bars lining up on all three trucks (for looks), the drive shafts should be timed meaning the yokes at each end need to be lined up or there could be a vibration. The Heisler will be a fairly slow loco but it has small wheels and a 2:1 ratio so the engine will turn at a fair speed so it is best to be safe here. Here is the short shaft on a 5' radius track 









The smoke box is formed from copper tubing and silver soldered similar to the boiler but without the reinforcement. The rivets are Micro Fasteners 1/16" head and 1/32" shaft
The fitting on the side is for the super-heated steam pipe 









Here is the underside of the smoke box saddle. The two exhaust pipes will bolt on at the sides and then go through this "T" to the blast pipe. 









Here is the top side 









I made a change to the boiler by adding this 5/32" tube on the left. This goes through to the front tube sheet and can be used to run a blower tube to the smoke box should I decide to convert to coal or alcohol at a later date.
I also fitted it with the mica window fire door 









Here is how she looks on the 5" track. should be able to handle even smaller radii 









I didn't originally plan on cylinder drains but I figured I should do it now rather than having to do it after I find out that there is too much condensation
The items on the outside are the automatic drains I used on the Uintah but with a slightly smaller body.
I am pretty sure these need to be in a horizontal position to work right but positioning them that way would point the spray at a very weird angle, either straight ahead or back.
I also didn't like the look of them just hanging out on the side of the engine so I turned out the extensions in the middle to improve the look and to divert the spray in a more typical manner.
The stems of the valves are 3/32" bronze and are silver soldered to the valve. You can see the mounting holes in the cylinders which are a tapered boring so that the valves must be tapped in to bottom out in the holes.
The valves are also secured with blue locktite and can be removed with a pair of pliers by twisting and pulling. 








Here is a close up. The hex on the end of the valve is just a press fit plug. the hex is there to be able to remove it if the valve needs cleaning









And here it is installed 









The engine was removed for painting. I painted the engine semi gloss and I think it is too glossy. The frame is low gloss and I like it better so i need to wait 7 or more days to re paint the engine
I also started the front buffer. I still need to make some straps and a step there 









Here is how the smoke box will mount You can see where the steam lines will mount at the top and the exhaust on the bottom









Here is the ceramic burner box almost ready for bench testing. I will be trying the screen as a defuser to get an even burn.
I used a 6:1 ratio on the length of the gas pipe to the diameter.
The box is silver soldered as it is the support for the rear of the boiler but the gas tubes are soft soldered in case I need to change something.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Looking good, Bill! 

What type of paint are you using, and what prep is called for? 

Thanks, 
Matthew


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Hi Matthew 
I have used several paints in the past. Rustoleum is good for burgundy and green and any spray seems to work for black. Here I am using Dupli-Color engine enamel. The high temp is not necessary for the frame but it is for the smoke box and maybe for the boiler. 
The prep is the main thing. 
I have a bead blaster from Harbor Freight which you can see in the third from the last photo. This gives the brass a good tooth but you have to be careful on thin metal. I use glass beads and set the air pressure at one psi per thou of thickness (a sheet which is .025" thick gets 25 psi pressure) Walnut shells are more forgiving but don't give as good a tooth. The alternative is a good sanding and a wash either with TSP or acetone. Brass starts oxidizing immediately after cleaning so if you wait too long after prep, you will need to do it all over again. I have a can of self etching primer(Dupli-Color or Rustoleum) ready to coat the piece immediately after prep. 

I live in California where our main mission in life is to save the world from global warming so our paint formulas are probably different from what is sold in the other 49. I find that the new formulas for spray paint can take up to a month to fully cure and at least a week before the paint can be re-painted without danger of lifting the previous coat. Most directions warn of re-coating before 1-7 days but I have had problems even using these guidelines


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well, the project is going along pretty well

The boiler is wrapped with Fiberfrax insulation and the center cone is used as a pattern for cutting the .025 brass wrap 









The wrap is silver soldered together and primed 









the superheater is hooked up to this tee and then to the two fittings on the smoke box 









I turn some jet blanks on my lathe 









and then use .2mm watch bearings as the jet nozzles.
I test the .2mm (.008") but they are too small so I use some .010" jets I already had 









This is Kozo's design for the sight glass. he says the column of water between the glass and the boiler will give a more consistent reading 









Here it is mounted. The manifold at the top can accommodate four more attachments. 









Here is the burner in place 









The back head view shows the throttle and super heater tube connection 









These air compressors will be used as lubricators.
At the bottom the SS tube is silver soldered to a 1/16" brass tube which is threaded to 0-80
The 1/8" hex nut is used to adjust the flow 









Here is a close up 








Here it is in place. you can just see the 1/16" line at the top left of the air side which goes to the steam line.
The tube in the center looks like a piston rod for the pump and the upper chamber is the oil reservoir 









The steam and sand domes were turned on Dennis' lather using the same technique as on the Uintah 
The steam pipes are copper ground wire 









The engine gets a coat of low gloss paint 









Installing the engine created a few scratches and chips in the paint as you will see in the video below so the whole assembly received a second coat









Here is the clack valve made from 1/4" stock with a 1/8" ball 









At Henner's, we tested the boiler for burning. This is at low setting 









We then ran the engine on air. As I had washed the engine down with acetone before painting and planned on painting it again I left everything dry and only ran it for a short time in both directions at 20 psi


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill

Congratulations on the test run. Looking forward to another highlight at NSS!


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Bill. 
Amazing job! 
Can't wait to see it.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well, today was the test for the compound engine design...would it run on steam without hooking up complicated steam switching devices to get it to move
Rob was having a steamup so I figured if I had trouble, I would have plenty of brain power there to help me figure things out.
I had a portable gas tank which was ice cold so there wasn't much gas pressure but it still came up to 60 psi in about 10 minutes.
I held my breath and opened the throttle. 
For what seemed like forever but was probably only a second or two, nothing happened. Then a little water started squirting out of the drain cocks and then a little more and finally some wet steam. At that point the wheels started to turn in a slightly jerky fashion for two or three revolutions and then it took off. It immediately started running smoothly and quietly. The ceramic burner is noiseless and the compound engine has very little exhaust noise as it uses the chuff energy to power the expansion cylinder.
It runs smoothly at low and high speed and seems to have good power, I notched the Johnson bar back and it seemed to lose no power but I guess it was running more economically.
As you can probably tell, I am very happy with the run.

Here is a photo of it after the run. You can see that I added running boards, and a smoke box door, bell, boiler straps and Johnson bar this week 









The Johnson bar was a bit if a bugger to make. A lot of fine detail to get it to work and look like the prototype. Kozo's book was a help there 









The site glass and pressure gauge are now in working order. If you look at the site glass you can see the red SS rod which breaks the surface tension between the water and the glass and shows as being larger where the water is 










Here is the whistle valve and the Whistle which again the placement is from Kozo. Mounting the whistle close to the valve reduces condensation in the feed line and having it on top of the boiler keeps it warm 









Ok, so now I just need to add a few more fittings and I will be ready to start on the cab


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Fantastic, Bill. It is always a great joy when you build something and it works as well as you hoped it would. Congratulations!!! That is really a beautiful piece of machinery.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Here is a video clip of the Heisler under steam


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work Bill. Looking forward to seeing her run at Sacramento. I'll have the rolling stock ready for you.

vr Bob


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Bob 
Your cars should look great behind it


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I started the cab and tender this week and got pretty far along. Yesterday, I ran the engine and tender on my track. It ran 45 minutes on the temporary gas tank which is about 75% of the size the permanent one will be

The cab is several pieces cut, rivet embossed and soldered together 









This whistle design is from Kozo's book. the whistle is in the cab and a tube is run to the dummy whistle near the dome.
When the whistle blows, steam is expelled from the tiny eyebrow slot in the whistle
The dome has a dummy pop off valve at the top from which the steam is released from the real pop off under the dome. 
The whistle is mounted onto the boiler wrap vs the dome, so that the dome can be easily removed to access the pop off 









The Johnson bar looks nice through the window 









The beading around the bunker is made by ripping a piece of 1/8" copper tubing to 3/32" on the table saw. this reveals a slot where the sheet metal can be inserted.
A 36" long piece of tubing is used to get the 18" ripped length needed. This way, I can hold the tubing with my push hand at the end to keep it from twisting or kicking back. A zero clearance throat plate is necessary to keep the tube from being pulled through by the blade. 
It is then annealed and bent to shape and attached with JB weld 









Here is the coupler for the tender which will be a permanent connection 









Here is the frame for the tender. you can see the axle pump in the truck. The tender will house the axle pump, hand pump and bypass valve so there will be only one water tube going to the engine 









Rear coupler mount 









So here it is all put together
The scale is 1:20.3 of the 70 ton measurements but it seems to me that the tender would look better if it were narrower and a bit longer but I will wait to see what it looks like with some decking on top


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Simply Amazing. Interested to see how you ripped the tube for the beading. I ended up milling a slot with a 1/32 endmill for some that I needed but that was a horribly long job. I cant wait to see it at NSS


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Yea, it took about 2 minutes but it is a two hand job so I couldn't take any photos


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

What kind of blade do you have in your saw? 

Fantastic build, instead of paint, she's worthy of Gold Plating. 

John


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks
I use carbide 10" carbide blades, usually 50 to 80 tooth from Harbor Freight. They last pretty long using them on brass, bronze and copper and are cheaper to replace than have sharpened.
My saw is a Delta contractors saw which I bought at a garage sale 20 years ago and still has zero play in any direction. I have a link type drive belt which eliminates any vibration so all cuts are very true. 
The main thing is the throat plate. I use the stock throat plate as a pattern to cut out blanks out of MDF or plywood and then raise the blade, while running, through the new plate to get zero clearance.

Kevin O'Conner suggested I do a thread on the use of woodworking tools in building engines so I am thinking of doing that but I don't know how many people would benefit from it.


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## John Allman (Jan 2, 2008)

I would benefit. I appreciate all the work you put into these posts. 
John


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Bill, 
I agree with Kevin and John. Probably many of us have tools which can "cross pollinate". Your workmanship is inspiring. 
Thanks in advance, 
Tom


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Keeping up with your thread is great exercise for my mind. 
While I may never incorporate your skills with my work, I read every word. 
I had an old bandsaw blade that was beginning to wander, I ended it's life cutting a piece of Stainless Steel rail. It did the cut. 
I'll vote for the series. 

John


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I'd keep with Kevin's request. I have both a old cast iron Rigid belt drive saw and a smaller Byrnes table saw. Both are very good and accurate. I still need to make a 0 insert for the Rigid but need to drill and tap the base as mine is a partial clip in with only one screw. There are 4 set screws underneath to level the inserts though. For the 50.00 I bought this for you cant even come close to a equivalent saw until you hit the 600.00 mark that then its still aluminum and direct drive. 

I though about a wood holder for the tubing in the past but never actually tried it.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Getting close to the end of the project. I started it on Oct 4th and am nearing the four month mark.

Since this is a loco that was never built, I have a lot of latitude on the design but I want to keep it as realistic as I can so I would appreciate any feedback on the paint and lettering schemes as well as anything I have missed on the design. i still need to add front steps and a headlight or two.
I am thinking of naming it Woodside Lumber co, #1 and going with a paint scheme similar to West Side Lumber with the red cab and buffer beams

The roof is bent to shape and the hinge wire is bent to shape and fed through a 3/32" tube which is soldered to the roof (far left behind the yellow clamp.
The cab attachment of the hinge is made by drilling a hole in a piece of 1/4" round stock and then cutting it to 1/4" long. This is then soldered to the curved strip showing at the back of the photo.
Because the roof has to fit almost perfectly, I then JB Weld the strips to the front and back of the cab with the roof in place and clamp everything up. 










Here is a dummy sun roof made from solid stock 









A rain gutter is added to the side of the roof 









I am now painting the cab so while the side floors are removed, I make and mount the side steps. The original Heislers had a back to the steps but I want more of the wheels to show through









I made a few changes in the cab. The brass levers got too hot so I made new ones from SS.
I changed the pressure gauge so it is facing the rear 









The fuel tank is made from 2" copper tube and has one stay going from end to end 









The hand pump is 1/2" SS piston in a 3/4" round cylinder
Here I am measuring it for the length of the base 









The cylinder, base and risers for the handle are fluxed and ready to silver solder 









Then it is placed in the tender to line up the wings for mounting it 









Here it is with the wings , check valves and handle attached 









Because the handle operates in an arc and the piston doesn't, the handle has a slot where they meet










I will try to explain what is going on here
Top rt tube is going from the hand pump to the inlet of the axle pump.
Lower rt tube is coming from the output of the axle pump
second from the bottom tube(partially hidden) goes from the bypass valve to the engine
Copper tube above that hose is the bypass tube 
Note the two hex head screws on the pump wings. they hold the tender, pump, bypass valve, fuel tank, and handle holder in place. The wings have a 1/4" round recess at the bottom which is cut with an end mill and holds an o-ring which seals the water tight tender. The screws attach to the truck cross member 









Looking in from the hatch you see the pump, the handle in it's holder and the copper tube from the bypass valve 









And here is the hatch cover 









A view of the painted tender and cab
note the sand box on the rear of the tender
The large knob at the rear of the tender is the gas valve and the small one id the bypass valve 









Here are a couple of front views
I like the monochromatic look but I wonder if a little color might spruce it up


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## jwalls110 (Dec 12, 2012)

Bill, truly a work of art! 

I also vote for a series on using woodworking tools for metal.


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## Eric M. (Jan 3, 2008)

It looks really nice Bill. I think the oxide red roof and end beams would look good. I also think you need an air tank, piping, anglecocks and gladhands to go with those nice big air pumps.

Regards,


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## PINE RIDGE (Feb 1, 2014)

It is truly refreshing to see a real craftsman's work. I really enjoyed all the photos and storyline. I think you should just put your own name on it. LOL I hope to see more video of the V4 in action. 
Just a thought on the "vibration" you spoke of. My Dad had a Moto-Guzzi mortorcycle, the crankshaft is length wise with the chassis (like a Heisler) unlike say a Harley (Climax). Riding it you do feel a different vibe from the tourque twist. I think it would be just the nature of the beast. 

Great job! Regards, Lawrence Pine Ridge RR


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## Eric M. (Jan 3, 2008)

You know Bill. After looking at the photos a bit more I think it also might benefit visually from adding a step to the end beams, particularly the front. Just a thought.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

That is a great loco. If it was smaller it would make a beautiful piece of jewelry!! I can't believe you did that in 4 months, it took me 2 1/2 years to build my Mason Bogie.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks guys 
Eric 
The step has been in the plans. It will go on this week. 
By the glad hands, I assume you mean at the front and rear for coupling up the air brakes and by anglecock do you mean drain cocks for the air tank?


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## Lorna (Jun 10, 2008)

I must say I am absolutely amazed by the craftsmanship. I just keep watching the video of the model steaming and amazed at what you created.

Lorna


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## Eric M. (Jan 3, 2008)

Bill,

You are partially correct. The addition of brake hoses is often overlooked but important detail. The gladhand is the coupling that joins the brake hose lines between locos and rolling stock The anglecock is the special angled valve that is visible at the top of each brake hose. Trackside (brass), and Hartford (white metal) both make nice sets of these. The Trackside part number is TD-250 (provide your own small hose-- I use wire insulation.) The Hartford part number is HP-055 (Hose and tiny hose clamps provided in kit.) Jason at the Train Dept also sells magnetic gladhands called "Proto Hands" that actually connect but you will need to make or buy anglecocks to use with them. The part number for those is PH203.

Hope that helps.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know whether the European style vacuum hoses have ever been done in metal, but am guessing that they have. Anyway, I have "cheated" by making "pseudo airhoses" from the LGB plastic vacuum hoses. The photos below pretty much tell the story. It just takes a few cuts with a razor saw, some paint, and a little bit of metal rod stock (I think I used the plastic coated wire by PlaStruct).




























Thought I would share "just in case." They look pretty good from ten feet.

Best,
David Meashey


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Finishing up with the ginger bread items this week

I made headlights for the front and rear
Here i am contouring the number plates on my oscillating spindle sander. This is a great tool for this as it has a variety of drums and can get very accurate curvatures
They are not expensive either. I think I paid $89 for it on sale at Home Depot
I am holding the piece with vice grips 









Here is the completed headlight. I didn't get any photos but here is how I made it 
Body turned from 1" stock
Lens turned from 3/4" aluminum
All other parts cut from brass stock on the band saw and sanded to final shape 









The 6v bulb from Radio shack is slid into a 5/32" hole in the lens and the two leads are soldered to 22 ga wire
inside the 1/8" curved tube. The 22ga leads are then fed through a 3/32" tube into the cab 









Here is the rear light. I don't have a bulb in it but it can be easily converted to a working light 








And a read view









The smoke box braces consist of 1/8" brass rod and flanges cut from 5/16" round rod. 
The curvature was done on the oscillating sander when the rod was at full length and then the flange was cut off in the lathe and silver soldered to the 1/8" rod
The brace is below the center of the smoke box and thus the wedge shape to the brace 









Here it is painted 









Air tanks were added to both sides and cooling lines on the left side 









I decided to go with the West Side Lumber paint scheme. Here the steps are just set in position. I am waiting for some longer screws to come in for the final mounting









And here is the rear step and new paint 









And finally the proofs for the decals are installed and checked for size.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Bill, you could have a 3 cylinder 4 truck Shay done by NSS.

Great machine!!

vr Bob


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Good idea Bob but if I were to do another geared one it would probably be... 


This 100 ton monster would have to be in 1:32 
With a wagon top boiler and 5/8" cylinders and a 4 or 5 to one ratio, it would probably pull well over 10 pound drawbar
The only limitation would be the weight on the drivers 








or this little guy would be fun but complex


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## Accucraft UK (Sep 16, 2013)

I had heard of the four wheel version but have never seen it - what a fascinating thing to model!! Maybe 7/8ths" scale? 

Graham.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

looking at where the wheels set, I would think it is standard gauge so 7/8 scale would probably not look that good. 
Perhaps one could do a hybrid scale going only 3" - 3-1/3" wide but 6 or 7 " high 
If you did it in the correct 1:32 it would probably fit in your hand


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Could be a neat small locomotive for one of the ride-on scales ... 

I don't see a chimney in the photograph, doesn't appear to have a normal smokebox, either. I wonder if there is "U" shape boiler tubes going back to a rear sokebox and chimney - or is it an early perpetual-motion machine?


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

If you took Kozo's Climax, which is in metric measure and scaled it by 1mm = 1/32" it would fit the 100 tonner very well. The bore ends up 9/16 and stroke of 3/4. Geared as you said, it would be a real road monster. 2-1/2" copper pipe for the boiler.

vr Bob


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## Accucraft UK (Sep 16, 2013)

Generally held opinion is that the Lake Shore four-wheeler was either 30" or 36" gauge - 1:20.3 version anyone? 

Graham.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

even 1:20.3 would have the wheels mostly hidden under the frame 
One of the neat things is the scotch yoke between the wheels which I assume is the main drive. 
It looks like there is a stack in the middle of the cab roof so a U shaped tube or possibly a return tube from the smoke box through the boiler to the backhead 
I would use a Ruby poker and the return tube with a door on the smoke box for lighting 
Since it was a switcher, reverse would be necessary. A Ruby type reverser would be a lot easier than the Stevenson-Heisler setup 
Bob 
The thing that strikes me about the 100 ton'er is how massive the cylinders are compared to any Climax I have seen. That is the look I would want to get. I'll have to look at Kozo's to see if he has that look


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well, I think it is completely done and ready for some shake down runs

I ordered the decals from Stan last week and while I was waiting for them, I started on the carrying case 
The Uintah case I made was good but on our BAGRS track, the sidings were too close and the edge of the board was hitting on the main track
so here I am notching down to 6" wide to eliminate that problem 
I use a piece of walnut plywood I have left over from a project, cut it to shape and then rip some edge bands from mahogany strips and glue it up
The bottom is then tapered to allow it to be tilted up and let the engine roll off 
This is done with a dado blade in the table saw and a 1/2" strip is put under the rear of the board as it is guided through 










Groves are cut in the top on the table saw










A section is cut out to clear the outside of the rails 









A piece of .010" galvanized steel sheet is cut and bent to clear the inside of the rails. This is flashing material which I got at Homer









This material is strong but easily bent
The short dog leg bend is made by holding a piece of 1/8 x 1-1/4 brass bar with both hands and then pulling it while pressing down on the edge to get a sharp bend. 









The piece is checked for fit and then glued in place with E6000 glue 









I make a bracket for the rear of the case to fit in the rear coupler and keep the engine from moving forward or aft
As the engine weighs 30 pounds, this needs to be substantial so I will silver solder it together
Here I am using a clamp made from coat hanger wire. It has a nice holding quality and won't rob much heat from the project 









The finished piece is polished up and installed 









The rear bracket will be all that is needed in carrying the engine but for transportation by car, I want something to keep the front from bouncing up and out of the grooves.
As the front of the case has been narrowed, I can't put a permanent brace there so I made this removable one
The two brass pins at the bottom will slide into holes drilled in to the board at the bottom
The upper right corner will then be joined with a pin locking everything into place









You can see there are two grooves which were made with a router bit mounted in the mill
In the lower groove, I have attached the felt material used to put on furniture to keep it from scratching the floors
The upper groove on the left will slide over the buffer beam to keep the brace centered. 









Here is the finished case with two coats of tongue oil 
I like open carrying cases as you can display your engines without unpacking them but this board roll-off setuo will work for box cases also.









I had some Accucraft Freight cars on my electric track that probably didn't appreciate the fact that no one ever noticed their air brake hoses so I removed two and used them here
here is the rear 










And the front 









I had put this off earlier as I wasn't sure of the knob to use
Brass gets too hot and composite isn't strong enough to close them completely numerous times 
So I decided to make the blow down valve, which actually just relieves the boiler pressure after a run, with a homemade SS valve
I took a piece of 1/8" strap and cut it into a square with a hack saw and the ground it to shape and silver soldered it to a 4-40 SS screw 










The decals came yesterday so I put them on then and clear coated them this morning
Here are a couple of shots from different angles. 





































And here it is on the carrying case 









And hunkered down for a long trip.


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

That right there is a work of art!


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

It's beautiful - AGAIN! So what's next?


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## Eric M. (Jan 3, 2008)

That looks awesome Bill!! Now for some suitable rolling stock..... 

What kind of clear coat did you use over the decals? 

Regards,


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Eric 
Per Stan Cederleaf's recommendation i used Krylon Matte #1311 
I had to go to Michaels to get it 
It is fast drying so you need to be careful not to put it on too wet or it will crinkle the decal. Just a couple of dusting coats does the job 
Bruce 
I haven't decided on anything yet. Maybe some log cars. 
Any suggestions?


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## 1191 (Nov 12, 2013)

Absolutely Stunning! I know all you master builders hear this a lot, but it is really unbelievable what you guys can produce. I guess it's time to start my not-quite-as-exciting ruby bash topic. Your engine is really beefy but lets hope you don't have to roll it down a hill as many times as Westside's engines to find out!


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Bill,
Log cars would be good to have but I'm afraid not much of a challenge to your skills. I would suggest looking at the following patents - 1077760 and 1140218 - both are unique locomotives by Baldwin and would be a good challenge for your abilities. They are somewhat in the same vein as the 4 cylinder Heisler loco.


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## Lorna (Jun 10, 2008)

How about the Baldwin 'Climax style' geared locomotive? Definitely something odd and unusual and rare. 
Lorna


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

That's what one of the patents is for.


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## redbeard (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Bruce,

I think you missed it by one number, shouldn't it be 1077769 ?
Larry


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Lorna on 15 Feb 2014 01:19 PM 
How about the Baldwin 'Climax style' geared locomotive? Definitely something odd and unusual and rare. 
Lorna Don't give Bill ideas for his next project







. He frustrates us (the East Devils Hill work group) with his speed building! But to be honest, I have the drawings for the Baldwin Climax, so he might have a look at it next time we meet....


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Those are both cool 
The 1140218 is really wacko 
drive train looks something like a Shay on its side


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Bill, Right down your alley! There are many other geared locos of weird designs that there were patents for.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

This is an attempt to post a photo directly from my hard drive
I hope it works because it is a cool picture


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Bill, The picture is there but rather small and when clicked on it has a clock spinning but never gets loaded bigger.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Ok
Now I see how it works
It shows up as a thumb nail but if you click on it, it comes up full size
Here I will try it at 1200 wide


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Bruce
I just tried it again after going out and then back in again and it worked fine


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Nope! Same thing as before.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

ok
I'll report it on the company thread


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Bruce,
It works for me.
Are you using an Apple?


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

Tom,
No apples in our house - usually only when we have visitors.
Something changed and it now works just fine.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

For me, the 1st time I click it I get a dark overlay on the screen and the spinning "clock" icon goes around for a while an then stops. if I move my mouse over the area where the clock is, it goes another 1/4 way around and stops again. move the mouse away and back again and it goes another 1/4 way around. THEN if I click the "X" in the upper right corner, the dark area closes and the 2ND time I click the thumbnail the actual photo opens just fine... I can then close it and open it again and again with no problems... until I clear my cache and then I have to do the same "Open, Close, Open" sequence to see it again.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, That is a superb piece of including the carrier!! I am really glad to see you are writing it up in Steam in the Garden, that will make a great companion piece to your thread in this forum. I have enjoyed the entire build. Thanks for taking the time to do all the write-up. I know it takes a lot of effort to do it right as you have.


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## Joe Johnson (Jan 2, 2008)

Just got my *Steam in the Garden* yesterday. Bill, I enjoyed your write up in it as much or more than your original post. THANKS!


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Congrats on finished it up. Cant wait to see it as NSS.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill, I enjoyed the write up in Steam in the Garden, and your posts here to keep us informed. THANK YOU.
A True craftsman, wish I had even a little of your talent.


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