Disney American

[jbodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here is a little 7-1/2" gauge tea kettle that has been going together. Originally designed and made for Walt Disney to run in his back yard. The drawings and castings are still available although these castings were purchased back in the 1970's. I have built several Americans over the years and I am always struck by how lightly they are built. But they ran on very light track, and pulled light loads so they were quite popular. Thousands were built and their light weight kept many in service on lightly built branch lines after their more modern and heavier sisters went to the scrap line. Here is a shot of the lead truck.

[jbodenmann]

Here are a few photos of the rocker boxes going together. The drawings call out for a casting but as I didn't have them it was just easier to fabricate them. The main bodies were whittled from free machining brass. Here is the start, just some lumps of brass.

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[jbodenmann]

After a bit of milling.

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[jbodenmann]

More brass, some silver solder and then bronze bushings were pressed in.

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[jbodenmann]

After building Nickel Plate Berkshires a tea kettle like this is a delightful little puzzle!

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[jbodenmann]

Cylinder drains, no automatic variety for an old timer like this. Mostly free machining brass and a little silver solder.

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[jbodenmann]

The round bits are just brass balls bought from McMaster Carr.

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[jbodenmann]

Silver soldered and then held in a hex collet and cross drilled.

[jbodenmann]

Bronze bushings were made and soldered in using Stay Brite solder. Although sold as silver solder, this solder has a lower melting point than most silver, solder but considerably higher than ordinary soft solder, so there was no danger of melting the solder that holds the brass balls in place. A .124" reamer was used to size the hole in the bushings. Then the plug material was spun in the lathe and massaged with #600 grit wet or dry paper and water until it was a nice fit.

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[jbodenmann]

Although only four drains were needed they have a way of getting broken so while I was at it a few extra were made. The square bosses were silver soldered to the plugs rather that trying to turn and machine them from one piece.

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[jbodenmann]

Here are a couple of the levers that the linkage will operate.

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[jbodenmann]

Cylinder drain.

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[jbodenmann]

For some reason that I can't figure out the driver castings were brass?? So some tires were made up.

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[jbodenmann]

Here the driver centers have been stuck to a face plate and will be turned down. I machine all wheels on a face plate rather that sticking them to axles and turning between centers.

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[jbodenmann]

The tire inside diameter was .006" smaller than the wheel centers. The centers were put in the freezer, and the tires in a 500 degree fahrenheit oven for about half an hour. The tires then dropped right on. The centers and tires had a shoulder to line things up. This is something I had never done before so a test run was made and just measured to make sure all was well. Then back into the freezer and oven before they were actually fitted together.

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[jbodenmann]

All stuck together. Too much fun! These early engines had some very interesting tender trucks, the spring rigging is unlike anything that came later. Pictures soon.
See you in the funny pages
Jack

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[davebreeze]

Very interesting to see these photos, I'd love to build one of these old 4-4-0s some day.

[jbodenmann]

Hello My Friends
Here are a few shots of the tender truck bits. The axle box castings were set up for the end thrust to be taken by the half brasses. On model axle boxes with half brasses I like to deal with this lateral thrust by a thrust washer between the wheel and the back of the axle box, preferably with a Delrin AF washer. These axle box castings had no back on them so backs were made and silver soldered in place. Here the axle box has had a bit machined off and the new back is sitting next to it. Now with a proper back on the axle box there is a cellar to retain some oil.

[jbodenmann]

Here the axle box and new back has been well cleaned and fluxed and set on some fire brick. Some tiny bits of silver solder have been placed between the box and back. Once evenly heated the solder slurped between them quite nicely. The back was made slightly oversize. After cooling and a dip in the acid pot the oversize back was trimmed off with an angle die grinder and a 1-1/2" #80 grit wheel.

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[jbodenmann]

Here are the side frames and axle boxes with the lids.

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