Bez I was trying to solder multiple "pipes" (rods) to feedwater tank: first one was great, however I tried to add second "pipe" and the tank was heated so much that the first "pipe" "unsoldered". As you can imagine, adding a couple more "pipes" quickly turned into a lot of cursing and time wasting. I am using small flame gun. Would the soldering iron be better? How do I "heat sink" other parts?
The first thing I advise is to get a good temperature-controlled soldering station, with a good thin pointed tip, and become familiar with its use. Then get a good non-acid no-clean flux, a bronze tip-cleaning 'sponge', and several different solders of different melting temperatures -- see the resources in a couple of the recent soldering threads. You start by attaching with a relatively 'hard' solder, perhaps using the torch, then add sequential details with a combination of gentle preheat and selective tip temperature just to the liquidus of each successive joint. Use little cut and shaped bits of solder, held if necessary by flux -- don't just whack the strand up against the joint and torch it until the solder liquefies into the joint! The solder MUST melt of its own accord, heated by both halves of the adjacent material, and 'wet' the surfaces to be joined.
Other parts of the structure can be cooled or masked with heat-sink things like wet paper towels or alligator clips. Some of the descriptions of soldering in the 'bad old days' of uncontrolled elements or even flame-heated dumb irons have eloquent descriptions of careful heat-sinking planning. If you are careful with the microflame torch you may be able to raise a small part of a complex assembly to liquidus while 'the rest' is actively kept cool or cold with water or even cold gas -- the flame providing the spot heat to the faces of the joint so they 'tin' and then bond well.
Theoretically you might be able to jig a complex assembly with flux and appropriate dressing of the various joints, mask the areas not to be 'soldered', preheat it, and wavesolder it. This makes all the joints simultaneously while everything is held in register, rather than one by one.
There are now very good laser soldering devices, some of which also provide controlled preheat. Even used, these are still things used for high-value industries or the jewelry business, but some of them (for example the freehand devices from LaserStar) might have a use, especially if the cost is shared by club members or the device is 'rented' to others periodically until paid for.
There are also micro-scale resistance welding rigs, which can relatively easily produce autogenous fusion welds that never 'soften' like solder braze as sequential joining is done. See the YouTube video on how to make Nixie tubes for a couple of demonstrations of this type of device at 'model scale'. These are not as simple as they appear, but the necessary modulation control of current during the progress of a weld is easily automated.
Wow! I am actually speechless, I was just hoping for brief description... you Guys rock! Thank you very much to all.
I have a follow up question - perhaps this is a different topic - is there an effective method of soldering the brass details? Here is what I mean: I was trying to solder multiple "pipes" (rods) to feedwater tank: first one was great, however I tried to add second "pipe" and the tank was heated so much that the first "pipe" "unsoldered". As you can imagine, adding a couple more "pipes" quickly turned into a lot of cursing and time wasting. I am using small flame gun. Would the soldering iron be better? How do I "heat sink" other parts?
Thanks again,
Bez.
OvermodI suppose I can stop gritting my teeth in envy long enough to ask 'is that the OMI H10b'?
Indeed it is. I have longed for one for quite some time and lo and behold one was offered on eBay at a price about 1/3 of what I have seen others go for. No one else bid on it and I have gladly adopted it for my railroad.
NYC_H-10b_threequarter by Edmund, on Flickr
NYC_H-10_painted2 by Edmund, on Flickr
(Just out of the paint shop and further details need to be applied)
I have the older LMB Mike as well. Still a worthy model but the Overland is certainly exquisite in the level of detail.
I have seen some locomotives that have a fuse box mounted to the front of the cab wall on the fireman's side at the end of the handrail. From there the power was routed to the cab for the gauge and ceiling lights and, of course, to the headlight and back up lights.
Here's a handy reference:
Engine_wiring-crop by Edmund, on Flickr
In later years, as automatic train stop, cab signals, Mars lights and additional electrical loads were common, a second (some NKP Berks) and, as I believe the S-P Daylight locomotives (maybe others) even had a third turbogenerator to supply the needed wattage.
SP 4449 5-9-09 by Chemung, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
SeeYou190Do you know what the fitting I have circled is for? It looks like it is a pipe tee going into the handrail with a big washout plug...
Here is a somewhat better detail view of what's going on: the electrical connection from the 'generator' part of the turbogenerator is being routed forward and under the coupling between turbine and generator. The steam exhaust is, as usual for these devices, straight-piped to exhaust, the loss of steam mass and heat being deemed less important than low operating back pressure
NYC_H-10b_detail by Edmund, on Flickr
I suppose I can stop gritting my teeth in envy long enough to ask 'is that the OMI H10b'?
OK... Thanks Wayne. I never noticed electrical junction boxes tied into hand rails before. Nifty idea.
The Cyclopedia of Steam Locomotives is a great reference.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190Is there a current good Steam Locomotive book out there for novices?
While not current, this book is a wealth of information in an easy to understand format:
Model Railroad Cyclopedia Vol. 1 Steam Locomotives
I picked up an excellent copy for less than $20.
Wayne's got you covered on the handrail/conduit
SeeYou190...Do you know what the fitting I have circled is for? It looks like it is a pipe tee going into the handrail with a big washout plug. Did the NEW YORK CENTRAL use ther handrail as a pipe for something?
Many steam locomotives used the handrails as conduit for wiring, usually for the headlight, or electrically-powered class and marker lights. The circled item in the photo is a junction box.
Precision Scale offers them as two-piece plastic castings (possibly in brass, too) and I used them on this tender, "powering" the back-up light...
...and also the auxiliary tender which accompanies it...
For this Proto 0-8-0, modified to better represent a CNR prototype...
...I used a piece sliced-off of a length of styrene rod as the junction box on the smokebox, then added faux BX cable to the class lights, number boards and headlight.
A "click" on the photos will (or might) enlarge them.
Wayne
to the Model Railroader forums.
On a lot of locomotives the turret was covered with a shroud, and the piping was hidden beneath the boiler jacket, so this does not need to be modeled on all locomotives to be accurate.
The picture you linked to of the USRA Pacific has most of it visible, but even on USRA designs, this was not always the case.
Nearly all steam locomotives had the safety valves, whistle, and turbo-generator in plain sight. The rest of the details would vary.
Is there a current good Steam Locomotive book out there for novices?
I learned most of what I know about steam locomotive details from a couple of books that are long out of print.
Ed: I am adding to the questions...
Do you know what the fitting I have circled is for? It looks like it is a pipe tee going into the handrail with a big washout plug. Did the NEW YORK CENTRAL use ther handrail as a pipe for something?
Hello and
I happened to have these photos of an NYC H-10 Mikado which also show some of the details you are inquiring about.
NYC_H-10b_turret by Edmund, on Flickr
From the left you can see the cab roof with ventilators, then the turret which, as previously mentioned, acts as a manifold to distribute dry steam to the various appliances. The elbow shown going through the boiler shell actually communicated with a "dry-pipe" which runs forward and rises inside the steam dome. This is to assure that as little water as possible gets fed to the various appliances.
Ahead and above the turret is the turbo-generator, pretty obvious. Continuing right and centered on the boiler is a centrifugal blowdown muffler that some locomotives were fitted with which helped reduce the noise, poor visibility and "dirty boiler wash" coming out of the mud ring when the boiler was blown down. Some engines used an automatic blowdown system.
Following that is the whistle and right of, and behind is one type of low-water alarm as Wayne mentioned, and farthest right are the three safety valves (some call these pop valves) which are set progressively, just slightly above boiler operating pressure at roughly three pounds difference each.
Here's a view from the other side:
Some locomotives in later years had their turret piped to the superheater header. There was some thought that this would increase efficiency and reduce fuel waste but it also increased the need for more lubrication.
Good Luck, Ed
to the Model Railroader Forums, Bez!
Your first link doesn't work, but the second one shows a USRA Pacific, and about half-way between the steam dome and the cab is a generator. The stuff behind that is, as Overmod has mentioned, a turret manifold.
On many locomotives, that piping is covered, as on this locomotive...
The live steam line, pointed out by the arrow, comes from the turret manifold, and travels under the sheet metal which has been applied over the boiler lagging (most of the piping for the manifold is in the white enclosure atop the boiler, just ahead of the cab).
Here's the same locomotive after painting...
I believe you're looking at a turret manifold. My experience is that on most engines these are lagged in to reduce heat loss.
If you look at backhead pictures of modern locomotives you will notice a number of valve wheels and handles located up near the cab roof. Instead of having multiple separate valves screwed through the firebox outer wrapper, we have a casting with one steam admission and multiple 'taps' to various Things That Require Steam.
One of the devices that go on top of the firebox is the low-water alarm, a device no locomotive should be without. There were a number of ingenious designs made to get around various patents, and we have had discussions on some of these recently. For accurate detail see the early-'20s version of the Locomotive Cyclopedia (that used to be downloadable free...)
Hello,
I am in the process of adding details to generic IHC 4-6-2. I am trying to identify a device that on the model I have looks really unsightly. It sits on top of the boiler directly in front o the cab. No, it is not a generator. I would like to remove it and replace it with a replica. Below is the picture of the actual 4-6-2 that shows it somewhat - it sits between generator and cab. Could someone please explain what this device is?
(link just in case:USRA 4-6-2)
Thanks,