After a couple of months of delay, here is Part Two of "Terry from Delaware's" quest to rebuild his Rivarossi locomotive that he bought from some cad on eBay (uhh...that cad was me! Strange story right? No, I did not know Terry before he won my eBay auction).
The good news is that Terry completed his rebuild of this loco! I hope you enjoy this post, please check out Part 1 here, and my original blog post when I first added this same loco to my collection years ago. Jerry/Quinntopia
Even more apologies to The Italian Job and The French Connection.
The story and completion of the rebuild and refurbishment of
this Italian made N scale French locomotive picks up with part 2 of 3. And I
must make an admission or confession. Those reading the first part of this tale
may recall my recommendation not to throw away anything during a disassembly or
rebuild. Throw away nothing.
That is still a good idea, but in the past it seems I have
ignored my own advice. Maybe that was before I fully realized the value of
keeping things. Or not having the sharp eye for a second use or rebirth of an
item of object.
The value in keeping a small scrap or odd item is a trait
that I learned from my late father. But don’t get the wrong idea. He was not a
pack rat. But he did have a knack for holding on to certain things. And he was
wise and thrifty. Low and behold many of those ‘saved items’ found a second
use. This is a smart and frugal behavior I learned from Dad and I am glad I
have that characteristic. So in the case of this rebuild, the item of utility
might be surprising. It is not a screw, washer, wire, bulb, or other oddity. It
is not a new or replacement item made by Rivarossi or another N scale
locomotive maker. No nothing of the sort. The item I refer to are those older
format 3 ½ inch floppy disc cases. The older black case color in particular.
One might ask “what on earth could that have to do with a train rebuild?” Read
on.
Part 1 ended with having soldered the new upper light bulb
mount to the original cut stump remaining on the locomotive chassis apron. It
was a good effort and helped turn the corner on this project.
Next I looked over the remaining pieces and pondered their
refinement and reassembly. It is a good idea to work slowly. This is for two
reasons. Some steps may be irreversible. Hence you cannot backtrack. The second
reason is that I was unfamiliar with the original assembly of these Italian N
scale trains. And for that reason, if some steps are not irreversible, others
may be permanent or fatal. Then it might be necessary to go out and buy
another. That may be a poor option too. And I often remind myself of Aesop’s
fable of the tortoise and the hare. Remember, the tortoise won the race. Slow
and steady wins the race is a mantra that I like to say.
I set about the work on the cut boiler tube. If you look at
the sixth picture in part 1, it is evident that I had to sever or cut though
the small plastic pin or tube that protruded down through the chassis apron
into the piston or valve head body assembly. I was determined to replace that
cut pin. Working with the wire gauge drill bits and the fine point X-Acto knife
I cleaned out the portal in the chassis apron. I carefully drilled out the
bottom of the boiler tube bottom end with either an ~80 or 90 wire gauge drill
bit (if I recall correctly).
Now for that prized item of which I had previously thrown
away about 30 cases. The 3 ½” floppy disc. I believe they are made of ABS or a
polystyrene based plastic. My understanding is that is similar if not the same
as the shells of many of the early Rivarossi and similar scale locomotives. So
I set about to make a new pin.
My first ‘second use’ and interest in the floppy disc cases
actually arose from a desire to practice N scale decaling or lettering. One of
my other goals is to build certain locomotive and passenger car combinations.
Some of those ‘liveries’ can be purchased and others are less often seen for
sale. So I wanted a canvas or practice surface. If I was planning to paint a
loco and tender shell, and then either decal or stencil lettering or other
decorative ornamentation I did not want to practice on an ‘A+’ grade item. No I
needed practice. Enter the floppy disc cases. But that will be the subject of
another build. For now I need to finish this Italian - French connection.
I stripped open a few cases and removed the electronic,
spring, and soft wiping wafer guts. This left only the two outer clam shells or
halves. An added bonus inside those case shells, are ridges and grooves of
varying thickness. So with a little research, testing, and cutting and
assembling chips I found that cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and Plastruct solvent
weld are two good means to glue these ABS cases and components together. But those
two solvent or glues work and function very differently. So depending on the
need a different mode might be needed. For example, the Plastruct solvent is
quite good at softening the ABS or polystyrene and will give a fairly good bond,
although perhaps not rigid strong. Generally it will not leave a haze or cast
residue or sheen if carefully applied. But, it will also soften or dissolve. So
if you don’t have much to work with and only a small piece that can be a
problem. If you are not careful, everything will collapse to a dark or
blackened morass in front of your eyes. So be very careful if you are trying to
reconnect thin tender grab rails or the front pilot of a Berkshire or a Mallet
with a ketone-based solvent. Because once gone – they are gone. Some good
advice I obtained from one of the guys at Nicholas Smith Trains in Broomall,
Pennsylvania, was use a very fine detail brushes. Like a 3O or 4O. That is wise
advice. (PS. - if you want to visit a neat train and hobby shop with just about
everything, then you need to get in their store. I don’t think you will be
disappointed.)
The CA glue is also good, but use it where it can be hidden.
It tends to have a sheen and thickens since it does not dissolve the ABS. So it
must be used sparingly. (Remember the boiler shell CA glacier I had to work
with previously.) So the trick is to gauge what you need. Sometimes trial and
error on expendable items is needed.
To fashion the pin I shaved and chipped at the inner ridges
of the floppy disc case. Doing so you quickly learn that the thin ABS can curl
or roll. It does not have much dimensional stability. Slow careful work with a
razor sharp blade is essential. Otherwise you will have black, inedible shave
ice that would not be palatable. And since I needed a round pin, I first used
the blade and through scraping I rounded a large portion of the ridge before
severing it from the case. In short time I had a few suitable pieces. Whatever you do don’t sneeze or leave the table. They will be gone when you
return.
For reasons explained above I decided to use the CA glue to
position the pin inside the drilled cavity. Once dried I would then carefully
scrape away any excess. With a little CA, some adjustments, and time I had the
pin completed. At this point it is still evident which one is glued in. I then
set that aside and let it dry.
Now it was time for the next big challenge. The reappearing
front smokebox boiler cover. Those reading this story will recall the surprise of
finding that item still attached to the locomotive boiler shell. Granted it had
been ground, drilled through, installed backwards, and had a brass tube
protruding through it – but it was there. Damaged goods but it was not missing.
The brass tube escutcheon was cut at an angle. How would I get this sorted?
So I headed to the basement to ponder this next step. This
detail piece is much smaller than a dime. With all the work items and dark
crevices, boxes, etc. in the basement I decided that working there would be a
bad move. This little piece would head off somewhere to never appear again. Many
of us working with these small gauge trains will know this all too well. A
small spring or screw gone, forever. Not to Davy Jones locker, where it might
wash up with the tide, but instead somewhere far away, out of sight, out of view. Gone, but
near and irretrievable. For that reason, one of my odd tricks, I sometimes work
inside a small chocolate candy box or cigar box. It works quite well. (Now - and
this is not a product placement - but if you are looking for good chocolate,
check out Hughes Home Maid Chocolates from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Ok, maybe this
is a plug. But I get nothing from this, other than passing along this wonderful
source. They are located on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. And the best part, if
you eat the candy quickly you will have that wonderful box and lid to retain
and store those small items. If you look at picture 10 in part 1, showing the
pieces in a small white box, that is a Hughes Chocolate box lid. One of our family
friend’s sharp eye caught that right off the bat when they read part 1 of this
story. I apologize for the digression, but it really is good chocolate.) So I
shut off the basement lights and headed back upstairs.
I figured a solution to work up the smokebox cover. First I
would secure it and then carefully cut it with an X-Acto saw blade.
Careful work with a small flat file and it was getting to a better place.
After some final cleaning and polishing I filled the inside reverse
side of it with a metallic epoxy and let it sit and cure.
These next pictures show the gathered pieces in various
stage of repair and rebuild. The first
was taken just prior to my having soldered the light bulb post. The second
before the air tanks were set in place.
Next I returned to final fitting and positioning of the new
light bulb mount within the boiler shell. This took many clips with snips,
filing, and careful adjustment.
This is where another little odd “Life lesson” entered into
the crevasses of my mind. A “Life lesson” is a term that my eldest daughter
uses to describe something that we should pay attention to, something of note.
And I agree with her entirely. For this project, I had visions of that small,
sacred, smokebox cover flying across the basement never to be seen again as I
worked with it. And if that happened, with already considerable time and effort,
as well as money spent and no spare or back up – I would be out of luck. It
would be one of those irreversible moments. So what do I do?
For some reason I recalled rebuilding a lawnmower in
Yorktown, Virginia as a young teenager. Yes – an odd story from decades ago but
it was fun and it brings back great memories. And it had a present day message,
a life lesson. As that young teen some decades ago, I was given an old ~20 inch
4-stroke push mower by a neighbor and family friend. It had sat outside in his
front yard for years. It was ‘solid as a rock’. So of course I accepted the
gift and the challenge. (Remember, I can’t pass up the odd item. And the price
was right, it was free.) So I pushed it home. That was a project for my father
and me to tackle. We did and it was fun. We took it apart, freed the stuck
piston, rebuilt it, put in new rings, ground the valves, and she was ready to
go. Well almost. There was a reason it sat there those years. The recoil
starter spring had broken. Now that was a challenge. The small end with two grooves
that held the spring securely in the metal housing had snapped. What to do?
Without being held securely, you got one pull and no recoil; the spring was not
held or coiled so it would not rewind. And if the engine did run, trying to
carefully recoil the starter rope on a running engine is not advised. It is probably
a good way to lose fingers or fingertips. So at about age 12 or 13 I tried to
figure it out. And I did. I clipped two small grooves in the end of that
spring. I would simply reattach it in the cast housing, put it back together
and all would be well. And then I tried to reassemble it. Well, if you have
ever tried this, I offer the best solution. Have someone else do it. Pay them. Pay
them well. I chased that slithering sharp serpent all around the garage for
about a half hour. And what is worse, it is hardened or blued steel. And it is
sharp, has a strong memory, and will whip and snap like a caged bull or worse. But
I was determined and I finally got it. The trick. I used what we have always
called ‘sugi wire’. It is the 30 or 40 thin single strand bright color-jacketed
phone or communication copper wire cables that were housed in a ¾ or 1 inch
gray vinyl sheath. I pulled single strands and tightly wrapped that spring in
several strands of the wire, getting tighter and tighter with each twist. And
somehow I got it wound tight, set the new ‘grooves’ to hold that coiled strand
in the housing, got the coil spring fully rewound, reassembled, and
functioning. And I used that mower for about the next four or five years mowing
lawns. So the moral of the story, or the “Life lesson” was ‘secure your work’.
Why that story entered my mind as I sat at the kitchen table figuring how to
fix that smokebox cover I will never know. But that is how it happened. And it
saved me from losing that irreplaceable smokebox cover.
The solution - I would invert the smokebox cover, duct tape
it securely to a board in my vise. I then used a punch to cut a circle in the duct
tape and then used a Dremel with a small grind stone to remove most of that
inner protruding brass tube.
It is not pretty but it would be
hidden. And best of all, it did not wind up somewhere lost in my basement. Here
is a good picture of the completed lightbulb post.
To Be Continued!
See Part 3 for the stunning conclusion and final assembly of Terry's Rivarossi Chapelon!
No comments:
Post a Comment