I've had the above-mentioned kit sitting on the shelf for a while and just got around to opening it and starting to build it.
Unfortunately, though, they included only about an inch of the black thread to be used as the cables between the horse head and the crossarm. That can't be right!
Getting more black thread isn't a problem, but I need to know approximately how long it should be. I can guess based on the illustrations of the assembled model, but having a starting point that's at least somewhat accurate would really be helpful.
Before I call/email Walthers, I thought I'd ask here if someone has the kit (preferably unbuilt) and can measure and post the thread length here.
Thanks!
"Before I call/email Walthers..." Don't bother emailing Walthers. I have never received any kind of response from Walthers to an email. Use your telephone to make a call.
Good luck.
An Inch! I've heard of cost cutting before... but?
Walthers gave me a very generous 36" piece of ordinary thread.
I just took the shrink wrap off this kit which has been sitting on my shelf HOW many years???
Here's one of the kits that I had assembled, I was waiting to do all three before painting and final detailing... then they somehow got pushed to the back burner
From the crosshead to the hook at the top of the beam runs just over 1-5/8.
I bought the motorizing kits as well and these things sound like coffee grinders! You had better plan on running them at around 6 volts, too. 12 volts is way too fast (and noisy!)
I plan to re-work the piston rod so it is flat as the round (and very soft) wire in the kit allows the crosshead to spin and the thread twists. Or I'll figure a way to guide it from below. It requires a weight to keep the cable (thread) taut. I would treat the thread with some wax to remove the fuzzies. Maybe EZ Line would work better here?
Let me know if you come up with a quieter motor setup...
Hope this helps, Ed
ED,
Looks to me like Music wire would work better than the soft wire? Would not have to weight it to keep it taut, yah think?
Something like a K&S .020 Music Wire, little smaller than thread.
Take Care!
Frank
Hi,
I used the supplied thread, and then coated it with clear paint after it was installed. This stiffened it up and it looks pretty good.
Putting the HO model in the background of my HO layout looks "passable", but it is too large for my 1950s era layout. In hindsight, the N scale models would have been better for background use.
I've seen more than a few of these, and the model is representative of a very large jack. Most of them in the field are smaller.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Ed,
Thanks, that's great info!
I would have thought that since they didn't specify how long to cut the thread, that they gave you the correct length. But since that's not the case, I appreciate the measurement from the crosshead to the top of the beam. That will certainly make it easy for me to get it right!
Thanks also for the mention of the piston rod. My kit didn't include any soft wire, either, and ISTR the instructions had you cut a length of the same wire used as the top rail for the fence. I'll have to double-check that.
And I do have the motorizing kit, too. I use DCC and was planning on using a mobile decoder to power it, so keeping the speed down won't be a problem. Which part is noisy, the motor itself, or the gearbox in the pump? If it's the gearbox, I wonder if a liberal application of plastic-compatible grease would quiet it down.
zstripe and mobilman44,
Thanks for your comments and suggestions as well. Lots of good info for what I hope will be an interesting addition to the layout!
Here's an additional question about walking-beam pumps: Around what year did this style first come into use?
I remember seeing these in the late 1960s, but would like to know whether these were used in the early 1950s.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
The part that goes into the hole should be a rod, not cable.
This modeled pump jack - or similar ones - have been around for a very long time, going back to the 20s or 30s. Typically it was more common to have a lot of smaller ones vs a few bigger ones. And this model is a "big one". Especially in average or smaller fields, pre 1960s (give or take) the owner/operator would have a larger quantity of smaller jacks as they were cheaper, easier to install, and they could remove a few as the field panned out.
Oh, while there are pics out there of nicely decorated/painted jacks, the vast majority were dirty/oily black/brown.
rrebell The part that goes into the hole should be a rod, not cable.
I agree rrebell, it should be a rod. I'm just sayin' that there is nothing to stop the piston from turning inside the pump casing so the cross head twists and makes the cables look out-of-whack.
Frank, music wire would be fine for the piston but the cables that wrap around the arc of the "horse head" have to stay flexible. I'm going to try the EX Line since it has a flat cross section and would "lay" on the horse head better. There are no grooves molded in it and the cables—thread— will slip off if you bump them.
Stevert,
You didn't get any wire? My kit had five pieces to use for the fence rails and the piston rod. As I mentioned it is VERY soft. Useless for the fence, too. I got some hard brass K&S .010 or .015 for any of the Walthers fence I've made and as Frank suggests, music wire would be better for the piston itself. You would still need some weight at the end of the rod which, of course, is under the table.
See how crooked the piston rod is on my model? That is just from houseflies bumping into it! I mean, it is really soft. I plan to rework the three I have and use the suggestions mentioned here before I finally mount them.
Did you get the loose 16 tooth nylon gear in the kit, too? Maybe Walthers corrected it but in mine they made a change in the gearing and included a different gear and a slip of paper explaining where to use it.
The gear noise is from the motor gearing itself. Slower speed and Labelle PTFE grease should help.
Have fun with your kit! Ed
mobilman44 This modeled pump jack - or similar ones - have been around for a very long time, going back to the 20s or 30s. Typically it was more common to have a lot of smaller ones vs a few bigger ones. And this model is a "big one".
This modeled pump jack - or similar ones - have been around for a very long time, going back to the 20s or 30s. Typically it was more common to have a lot of smaller ones vs a few bigger ones. And this model is a "big one".
Most of the ones I saw in West Michigan were considerably smaller than Walthers' HO model, so I'll start with the N scale model and go from there.
Were it Me....I would try using, Music wire or brass rod for the whole cable system. The horse head must come up and down always at the same point. Put a little grease in the sleeve and You would not need any weight on the rod. For the loop, Music wire is shapeable/bendable and will keep it's shape, just hard to cut, unless you have the correct cutter. As far as gear noise, if the gears are meshing all the way into one another, that is where the noise is coming from. Labelle # 106 should eventually quiet it down.
You guys got me to thinking of getting one to try out....love to tinker with automation.
I must have gotten an updated version of the kit. It included the five pieces of wire for the fence toprail and the piston rod, but it's fairly stiff. I think I'd have to put some effort into getting it kinked like the piston rod in your photo! But there's certainly no mistaking it for piano wire, so I may just get something stiffer to replace it anyway.
And I have three gears, two smaller ones and a larger one. (Sorry, haven't counted how many teeth.) But no note about usage other than what's in the instructions.
That's a good idea about the EZ line, too. I hadn't noticed that there weren't grooves in the horsehead. Something else to add to the shopping list for my trip to the LHS!
Again, thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions. Lots of helpful stuff here that I'll be sure to put to use!
mobilman44 Oh, while there are pics out there of nicely decorated/painted jacks, the vast majority were dirty/oily black/brown.
These things were all over the part of Pennsylvania I grew up in, in various states of decomposition or operation and the only thing they ever seemed to have in common in all those states was the part where they were jet black.
Also, they were all accompanied by a cylindrical tank, usually one that was wider than it was tall, and never taller than the pump itself.
The size of the pumping unit is determined by the depth of the well. more weight=bigger unit. The rod coming out of the well is called the polish rod. These are made of stainless steel and are 30ft. long. The rod clamp on the cables needs to have a small amount of the rod sticking out the top. There is a piston pump at the bottom of the rod string.The well is hung on so that the pump does't bottom out or pull out of it's seat. To get the wires on the horse head to hang straight I used.020 wire. Put a 180 turn on the bottom of the wire that is below the table top and hung a couple of flat washers on it. Bees wax did the trick on the cables. I spent 16 years working on oil wells with pumping units as small as 4 ft. tall and as big as 30ft. Try riding one!
Phil, CEO, Eastern Sierra Pacific Railroad. We know where you are going, before you do!
Here's my pump.
Just like Phil, I used .020 wire with washers for weight:
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Matt,
Really nice set-up.
That looks great. Thanks for sharing!
I just motorized mine and added a light. Used the Faller motor. I used a nail that I glued to a shortened length of rod that came with the kit. It has plenty of weight to work. It esily sits on the layout.
Richard