Simplex build in Colorado

[ozzie46]

Hi, My name is Ron and I am in Colorado USA. I am currently trying to build a Simplex.

I have the frame started and some cast iron cut for the cyls.

I will be not be using castings for the cyls.
I have never made a Loco before and know less than nothing about them, so any help will be much appreciated. this will be a long term project.

Here is what I have so far.










Here is the cyl material.



Thanks for looking
Ron

[drjohn]

Hi Ron

I was looking at those buffer beams on the madmodder site and was going to email you - the plans ask for 3/16" - those look to be about 3/8" - is that deliberate?

DJ

[ozzie46]

Hi DrJ.

Found where you are. Really like your site too.

There are two 3/16 clamped together. I was just mocking things up. I later separated them.


Ron

[drjohn]

Fooled me - they're so accurately made I couldn't see the join ! ;D ;D

DJ

Thanks for the compliment about my site.

[ozzie46]

DrJ,
A question if I may. On the bumpers, the mushroom shaped head,what is the thickness? I can't tell from the plans. Is it a "that looks about right" thing or is it something specific. I see he whole thing is 5/8" long but the widest part is what I'm referring to.

Ron

[drjohn]

About 1/16" at the periphery and I just made them "look right" as you say.

Baggo www.baggo.copperstream.co.uk/me/meindex.html did an interesting dissertation on turning buffer heads, but I can't find it on his website just now.

Basically, he fixed a rod from a dent in the headstock, to a dent in the cross-slide in such a way that as you advanced the cross-slide to centre, it followed the radius of the rod between the dents - maybe a PM to baggo would help you.

DJ

[ozzie46]

Thanks DrJ, will look into it.

Ron

[ozzie46]

Found it . Its on page 7 of his Helen build.

Ron

[drjohn]

That's what I was referring to - goodness, must have taken you a while to find that Ron.

I don't know how he keeps a pressure on the cross-slide to stop it drifing off towards the tailstock. I don't think he mentioned that.

I'm just about to do the buffers for the blsck 5 and was going to do it that way, so I thought perhaps a spring from the tailstock to the saddle might be the answer.

DJ

[baggo]

I just used light pressure from the saddle coarse feed wheel to keep the pressure on the rod - it doesn't take much. More important is to keep the pressure on when withdrawing the cross-slide otherwise the rod keeps dropping out ;D

I did try a bungee cord to pull the saddle towards the headstock but it seemed to be too strong and made the feed very stiff.

John

[drjohn]

OK for you John with a Myford and coarse feed - my Chinese lathe doesn't incorporate such a facility

DJ

[ozzie46]

Thanks for posting John.

I had found your site earlier and have gleaned a lot of info from it.
Still haven't read everything on it yet. But will get it done.

Ron

[atgordon]

Ron,

When you get further down the path, I have casting patterns for wheels and cylinders, valve chests and pistons in Michigan (I did see that you were planning to machine cylinders from solid). I'd be happy to loan them to you, or I could recommend a very good (and reasonable) local foundry that does very high quality work for GM and Delphi (well, they did until the bottom dropped out of the US car market .... unsurprisingly, they are looking for work!).

I do have a lot of the castings for the loco as well, many of which could be used as patterns as well.

Tony
Midland, MI (enjoying 70-80 degF weather at the moment and bloody glad to see the back of the white stuff for this year!)

[drjohn]

That's a bit nippy, Tony! Today the cold water here was above blood heat - not nice!

DJ

[ozzie46]

Thanks for the offer Tony. But this is being done on a shoe string budget and there isn't any budget for castings at this time.

However if I win the lottery and the offer is still open I may take you up on it.



As far as weather, I was born in Indiana and raised in Illinois so I know what midwest winters are like. Thats why I like it so much, no, love it so much in Colorado. Not very cold in the winter and I don't consider it hot until it gets over 100 F. Humidity is very low. We consider high humidity anything over 35 to 40 percent.

Sorry to go so far off topic.

Ron

[atgordon]

Ron,

They will be here for some time, I'm sure. Just let me know. Incidentally, Robin Smith (another N American Simplex builder, who passed away suddenly last December) found that the US casting route was cheaper than buying and machining CI stock for a lot of the items! Now, if you have a source for drops, that might not apply. Still not sure how you will machine wheels that look cast though (5-axis CNC mill?) ...

In terms of weather, Michigan's summers and fall are wonderful, spring is too short ... winter is hell! My cabin fever is almost all gone having worked in the workshop all week getting the machines ready to make chips once more, but tomorrow's predicted snow is most unwelcome.

Dr J, I'm not sure I could cope with 95 degF heat as being the coldest temp of the day, but then a sauna-like climate might help me lose some weight ... but thinking about it, I'd then have to drink more beer to cool down .... so there is a plus side to high ambient temps!

Tony

Apr 7, 2010 20:47:41 GMT ozzie46 said:

Thanks for the offer Tony. But this is being done on a shoe string budget and there isn't any budget for castings at this time.

However if I win the lottery and the offer is still open I may take you up on it.



As far as weather, I was born in Indiana and raised in Illinois so I know what midwest winters are like. Thats why I like it so much, no, love it so much in Colorado. Not very cold in the winter and I don't consider it hot until it gets over 100 F. Humidity is very low. We consider high humidity anything over 35 to 40 percent.

Sorry to go so far off topic.

Ron

[drjohn]

Hi Tony

The heat isn't the problem it's the dew-point humidity that drains you. I'm sitting here with a fan blowing, watching globules of sweat appearing on my forearms, which just don't evaporate - that sucks! Although, this afternoon when I had a "cold" shower and the water was above blood heat, I did say to myself "Oh deary-me" or words to that effect!!!

DJ

[russell]

Difficult keeping the rust bug out of the workshop as well I guess!

Russell.

[drjohn]

Apr 17, 2010 8:11:10 GMT russell said:

Difficult keeping the rust bug out of the workshop as well I guess!

Russell.

Impossible!

DJ