Leverage

Now that the little trail truck is running and the bulk of the big fabricating is behind us it is time to begin all of the fun small stuff. I’m currently working on the levers which will control the functions of the vehicle. The Johnson bar which is bolted to the running board controls the forward and reverse of the variable speed hydrostatic transmission. To operate it you pull the safety back and then move the lever forward and reverse. The disc brake is controlled by the new lever addition – just above it. To operate the brake you push on the lever. This controls has a safety which will lock the lever in position to act as a parking brake. I still have to fabricate the throttle which will be located just behind the brake.

Each lever is to be slightly different and all will have a steampunk flavour – just for fun.

All of the cutting files were designed in EnRoute and then cut on the MultiCam plasma.
 

This morning I got an idea for the other side of the cab. The previous controls were mounted on the opposite side to keep them out of reach of the kids – for safety reasons. But those little ones will want to do much more than just ride. So I am going to add two more levers between the cab of the truck and the sidecar. I sketched out the ideas before starting the designs in EnRoute. These two levers will be hooked to cables which will be connected to the whistle and bell. The kids will be able to control both functions while still fitted safely in the sidecar. That’s bound to entertain them endlessly and our neighbours too!  🙂

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Success!

This morning I cut the a last few pieces of steel on our MultiCam Plasma cutter, then welded them into place. Then I hooked up the throttle cable and took a link out of the chain. I welded up the bell mount as well. I then fired the truck up and carefully powered it out of the shop to position it on the track. I shot a few pictures and then called Phoebe over for a test drive. She was a little apprehensive after last week’s failed attempt but game to go. I fired up the engine and together we made a couple of trips up and down the four hundred and fifty feet of track. All went well. 
Then it was Phoebe’s chance to take it for a spin while I took some pictures and video. (I’ll post the video tomorrow) Phoebe gingerly eased the Johnson bar forward and she was off. She went up and down a few time and after twelve years waiting was pleased with her first powered ride!
This afternoon I went back to the parts store for a few more pieces to do some tweaks. A bigger pulley on the engine will give us a slightly higher top speed. A heavy duty throttle cable and a second heavy duty control cable for the Johnson bar controls will make them fool proof – especially in a sudden stop. I also sourced a disc brake caliber of the correct size to give our rig some stopping power. I’ll have to design, cut, fabricate and install a hand control lever for that system tomorrow as well. So tomorrow I’ll put the little rig back in the shop for a little more work. 

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Back to the shop

I’ve been busy on weekends and an hour or two on weeknights working on my personal project – the little rail truck. Last week it was at long last ready for a test drive. I called Phoebe, my grand daughter, who has been waiting twelve long years for a test drive. 

The throttle was still jury rigged, the drive train chain was not yet tightened, and a few other things yet to be done but I was confident the little rig would power it’s way down the track without difficulty. I jumped into the cab and Phoebe into the sidecar. The vehicle was stable – despite Phoebe now being almost adult size and weight. The goal was to do a couple test runs un and down the completed track and then do a video pass – which I would post to the blog for all to see. 
Things did not go quite as planned. The drive chain was far too loose and jumped the sprockets continually. Then as we approached the first corner things went awry. The tandem rear wheels bound badly as the front of the car negotiated the corner. My design simply wasn’t going to work. Phoebe took it all in stride for she knew I would come up with a solution.
As we used the rig back towards the shop I puzzled how to do a fix. By supper time I had the solution.

The answer was to pull one of the axles in the rear. It didn’t take long. Once the axles were pulled I cut off the bolts and welded in a new set. The single axle was then bolted into place, entered under the fender. I was almost happy but thought things looked a little sparse. It was time to do a little research…

I decided I would add a single spring to the back axle and a arch bar suspension to the front truck. Using some historical pics from the web I designed the steel components in EnRoute. The pieces would be cut from 3/8″ and 1/8″ plate steel. The screen grab below shows the file for one side of the truck. It took a couple of hours to assemble, weld and grind each piece.

As I worked I was amazed at how fast and efficient the Plasma cutter made the operation. Everything fit perfectly and little grinding as necessary. This little all steel vehicle has been in progress for twelve years and much of it was done without the benefit of our MultiCam CNC plasma. Things are much better now!

The springs and archer setups are actually non-functioning as the axles are supported by pillow block bearings off the frame. The spring assemblies look massive and fill in the fender space nicely. Visually and in actuality they add weight  to the lower half of the chassis. 

There are still a few more details to add to the chassis of the rail truck but I am pleased with the result. It should function a whole lot better on the rails. In the next couple of days I’ll put it back on the track and call Phoebe for another test drive. Hopefully all goes well. Stay tuned…

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Pickup artist

Each time I can spare a few minutes of my free time I head out to the shop to work on the rail pickup. In those minutes I build a file, fire up the plasma cutter to cut some pieces or do a little welding. Those minutes add up and I am making real progress. The pickup bed is now largely complete and the four fenders are fabricated and welded into place. The transmission is in place and will soon be mated to the motor. A test drive isn’t far away. This is fun!

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Metalwork fun

More than a dozen years ago we decided to build a fifteen inch gauge railroad around our yard. Every grampa should have a model train to share with their grand kids… and mine would be big enough to ride in. I started work on the project before our fist grandchild was born. There was a small engine, some railcars and an inspection vehicle. This little vehicle would be gas powered.

I designed up the car which resembled a narrow model T with a side car. I wanted something really different and so it had only three wheels – which seemed like a great idea at the time. The truth is I actually outsmarted myself. When I finally got it rolling and tested it on the track which we had laid down the driveway  it worked great – until we came to the first corner. Then it derailed. It was time to go back to the drawing board! The project languished for many years as we tackled a thousand other projects.

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