Tink rolling chassis

I've just finished a Tink rolling chassis for a customer, and it's due to leave tomorrow. He's already made the rear pony truck, and will also receive the smokebox door, brake blocks and chimney base and top castings with the chassis.

October

The rolling chassis I'm building is now nearly complete. The cylinders are on, as are the motion plates and slide bars. That just leaves the piston rings, conn rods and retainers and she's ready to go. Her owner is going to collect her early December.

I have machined the fairlie smokebox door back, and have started to work in the hinges etc. I want these to be stainless as Tal's are bare metal, and quite characteristic.

September. . . .

This month I've started to assemble the rolling chassis I'm building for a friend's tinkerbell. I have all the parts ready, it's just (ha! just. . .) a matter of assembling them. So, in a couple of days work, the frames are together, the wheelsets are in, the cranks quartered and the coupling rods are on. Next week (hopefully) the assembled cylinders will go on, followed soon by the motion plate, slide bars, crossheads and connecting rods. At that stage, it can go to its owner, who wants it by the end of the year.

The fairlie has also seen some progress - I have completed the reverser (which I ended up shortening a bit so that it would fit comfortably under the regulator handle), and machined the brake and reverser shafts. I also had the handbrake wheel laser cut - Tal has just a wheel, no handle on it, which is good for me because I'm using a handbrake cable to be flexible on to the bogie, and I don't want people to be able to over tighten it and stretch the cable. Hopefully this lack of handle will mean people can't over tighten it. This had a bit of machining done to it to round off the edges. I have also welded the sandpot base on to the front of the tank.

I got the flexible steam pipes for her from Pirtek. Unfortunately, when I measured up on the chassis there wasn't as much side play available for the exhaust pipe as I'd like, so I've had to dis-assemble the live steam feed to the cylinders, and order some more parts so that I can move it an inch further left. She should never go round corners that sharp - but I don't want any problems.

Some fairlie good progress

Today I trial assembled the Fairlie's frames:

I have also recently completed her sandpot (every Fairlie needs a sandpit at the front of its tanks). The top and bottom were turned from aluminium.

Not just locomotives . . .

We don't just build locomotives - pictured here is a coach (in primer) just completed for a customers garden railway.

The Tinkerbell cylinders are now done, so it's time to get them on the frames.

cylinder progress

The two sets of Tinkerbell cylinders are nearly done. Today I fitted the piston and valve rod glands, just leaving valve rod buckles, gaskets and fixing bolt holes to do. Hopefully these will get done next week, and the first pair on their frames early the week after. Meanwhile, I have fitted the Fairlie drop links, so that's moving on too!!