WM6 – Part 3 – DAMAR Southern Railroad

2012 – 2013

Right-Side Journal Box (04/29/2012)

Work continues on machining the right side journal boxes. All the CNC programs have been written and tested. Even so, I still managed to mess up two of the castings and have obtained replacements. Once I got the new castings, I caught them both up to the rest of the group so now the five remaining unfinished castings are all finished with Stage 2 of the machining process (there are a total of 5 stages to in case you were wondering). Yesterday I set the machine up for Stage 3 and got one casting completed before I ran out of time. The pictures below show all 6 of the castings; one is complete but the other 5 are ‘in the works’.

Right side journal with axle and bearings

Right-Side Journal Bearings (12/22/2012)

After a summer and fall that included a trip to Train Mountain in Oregon in July for the 2012 Triennial Meet, I have finally gotten back to work on Shay parts. I’d been working on the programming to machine the right journal bearings for quite some time so I figured it was about time to make some chips. Below is a picture of the bearing blocks and a few other parts that are almost ready.

Left-Side Journal Bearings (12/23/2012)

I guess I am on a roll. I’ve managed to get the bar stock for the left-side journal bearings machined (see pics below) and sliced into 6 pieces (not shown). I am dangerously close to having a truck that can roll by itself (albeit without any gears or line shaft).

Rolling Truck!! (12/26/2012)

Once I got the block blanks ready I could cut the holes that hold the bearings. And then, finally, I was able to do the first truck mock-up that would roll by itself!

More Parts in the Works (12/31/2012)

I set up the Hurco to spot face the spring locations in the spring planks and machined the three upper spring planks. I still have to disassemble the trucks to do the lower spring plank. I used a broach to cut the keyways in all the wheels and then mocked up a truck for show-n-tell at the upcoming New Year’s Day run. I’ve also started working on the various braces for the trucks.

Brakes (5/29/2013)

A lot has been going on but not much of it has to do with WM6. I finally got back to working on it and have been focusing on assembling the trucks to the point where they are actual rolling trucks. As seen in the previous update, most of the parts were ready except for the brake components. I have gotten them built now and am working on installing the first set on the first truck.

More Brakes and Parts (7/10/2013)

I finally got the brakes mounted on the first truck. The pictures don’t show it but all the brake hangers are now painted. I’ve also fabricated the lower brace rail that runs under the journals on both sides. They aren’t exactly like the prototype but they will work just fine. They just need to allow clearance for the universal joints on the line shaft. They still need some paint. I didn’t install them on the first truck yet because it all has to come apart to mount the gears. I am out of excuses so they are next on the list.

Boiler Arrives (9/27/2013)

Made a quick trip to the FedEx Freight yard this morning to pick up the new boiler for Big Six. The boiler was made by Marty Knox of Ridge Locomotive Works. It took a while to get it made due to various interruptions but it is finally here and it looks fabulous. Based on the shipping weight (allowing for the crate) it weighs about 270 pounds.