Passenger Truck Question

[EZnKY]

Making the cast parts from Hartford match the Ohio Falls trucks required reducing the overall length of the beams to match the shorter wheelbase, and shifting the angled ends closer to the journals to provide room for the springs.

I started by removing the cast spring seats from the Hartford parts using snips and files.

[EZnKY]

I then drew a quick template for the original equalizing beam profile, as well as the new, shorter version.  On the bottom drawing you can see two sets of red vertical lines.  The outer line is the cut line for each end, and the inner line is the length of the tenon I'm using to splice the beams. 

[EZnKY]

I'm using a piece of brass tubing to splice the cut ends together, which requires tight friction-fit tenons on the cast ends.  I placed the splice joints where the brace rods are located so the rods will conceal the joint. 

Shifting the curved ends closer to the journals required cutting a notch to clear the journal itself.  (Compare to the unmodified beam at the bottom.)  The notch isn't prototypical, but it will be concealed behind the pedestals.  I also decided not to attempt to taper the ends of the beams since so little of this will be visible on the finished trucks. 

Shifting the curved ends also meant the original pin was in the wrong location, so I filed these off and inserted new brass pins in holes drilled in the new location. 

[EZnKY]

Here's how the splice looks with the brace rod in place.

[EZnKY]

And here's how the beams sit on the journals.  I've got two more sets to make, and then I'm on to the spring seats.

[Ray Dunakin]

Very nice work, and a good solution to the problem.

[finescalerr]

Did you hand file the end sections? Exceptionally precise work throughout. -- Russ

[Bill Gill]

Very exacting planning and execution, excellent fabrication.

[lab-dad]

Yea, nice work!
How did you make the tenons?
-Marty

[EZnKY]

I cut the tenons just like you would with a furniture joint.  I marked both ends of the tenons, made a shallow shoulder cut at one end, and cut all the way through at the other end.  The shoulder cut needs to extend all the way around the piece, and this is the most precise part of the process.  From there it's just about careful hand filing.  I file on top of a wood block so it's easier to see that I'm keeping the file parallel with the surface.  It helps that the cast pieces are a lot softer than the brass tubing.  Once the fit was close, pushing the brass over the tenon indicated the high spots.  A little more filing and things fit like a glove.  It took about twenty minutes a tenon. 

Getting the new pins in the ends was much worse.  The white metal is too soft to simply drill a hole the same diameter as the brass rod.  Instead I had to start small and work up the final size using progressively larger bits. 

[EZnKY]

I found a little bit of time to work on the lower spring seats this weekend.  I made them from several bits of brass soldered together. 
I started with a small brass screw and enlarged the slot using a Dremel and hand files to fit snugly around the equalizing beam.  Once this was done, I filed the threads down so they would fit inside a couple pieces of telescoping brass tubing.  The idea was to use the tubing to form a raised lip to keep the springs in place. 

[EZnKY]

I used a brass washer to form the bottom of the seat itself.  I turned the washer down in outside diameter using a lathe, and then rounded the edge profile to match the photos of the Ohio Falls car.  The hardest part was making sixteen of them in the same size.

[EZnKY]

I soldered everything together, and once each piece had cooled, I filed down the telescoping tubing to leave just a bit above the washer to keep the spring centered. 
Here's a test fit on one of the equalizing beams.

[Chuck Doan]

This is great work Eric! Very clever way to splice the bars.

[finescalerr]

And you must make seven more? You are a very dedicated lunatic. Nonetheless I am impressed by both your ingenuity and your patience. -- Russ