The Latest from the Strasburg Rail Road Shops

Dave · **Posted:** Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:25 pm

On the other hand, an old timer told me about the pitted pins on his 2-8-2 - never ran hot, they served the purpose of carrying the pin grease from the top of the bearing all around its bore. Everybody's situation is different. If some pits aren't troubling you, leave them be until they do - you never know what the law of unintended consequences will provide once you start fixing what is working fine.

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

crij · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:15 am **Posts:** 585

Kelly,

Is that outer bearing surface (I assume Main Rod) tapered or is it an optical illusion caused by the camera lens?

Always impressed by the work the shop does.

Thanks,
Rich C.

Kelly Anderson wrote:

Work included replacing the tires, turning the axle journals and polishing the crankpin journals. Polishing this crankpin revealed severe pitting that required pressing out the crankpin so it could be turned, and then pressing it back in, in exactly the same orientation so the eccentric crank was where it needed to be.

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

Russ Fischer · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2016 10:48 am

Kelly,

What material do you prefer for main rod brasses? Do you use the same material for split and floating bearings?

Thanks.

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

Bernie Perch · **Joined:** Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:35 am **Posts:** 2

Kelly,

What type of bronze do you use for your steam castings and what foundry do you use? I am making patterns for a project where I need to find a foundry where I can get this done.

Bernie

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

LV 601 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2016 1:24 pm

Hi Kelly,
I took a tour of your shop in October and was really impressed on what you can do. Our guide mentioned that you can hold plus or minus .005 on the wheel lathe and that you had held the diameter on all of # 90's wheels to within .002 of each other. How in the world do you check the diameter of something that big? Do you have a humongous set of verniers or micrometers?? :) :) :)

HudsonL · **Joined:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:22 am **Posts:** 548

I am guessing they use a tape measure.

The method is to measure the circumference with the tape,
which if you remember "pie are square", allows you to
hold very tight tolerances.

-Hudson

Bernie Perch · **Joined:** Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:35 am **Posts:** 2

Kelly,

Thank you for the foundry information. I will hopefully post the results a year or so from now.

Bernie

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

LV 601 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:33 am

Thanks Kelly for the info on how you measure the wheel diameter. Never have used the tapes to measure something like that but I'm amazed they can read something as fine as a .001 . I have never worked on anything that large so mics and verniers would do the job for me most of the time unless I was working to a tighter tolerance. All and all you guys do some amazing work and I am so glad I took the tour to see it.
Thanks again..

Jay

Dennis Storzek · **Posted:** Mon Nov 28, 2016 9:24 am

The tapes have a verier scale at the zero end. Since the difference between the diameter and what the tape is actually measuring is the factor Pi, the scale is three times easier to read than the scale on a vernier calipers.

What the Pi tapes can't do is check roundness, but coming off a lathe, that is assumed.