Welcome

Live steam model on 7¼" gauge of the Württembergische T3 no 924

Welcome to this blog. It will inform you about the progress of designing and building live steam model locomotives. The blog contains the description of a model Würrtembergische T3 on 7¼" gauge (built between 2006 and 2017), the wagons for this loco (built between 2018 and 2022)  and a 5" gauge model of a Great Eastern Railway Y14 class loco (started in 2020)

On the left you'll find the index where you can browse through the different articles and on the right you'll find all the extra's. On the top tabs you'll find a brief description of my other locos.

 

 

Click for the direct link to start of construction series below 
T3 7¼" steam locomotive 
 
Enjoy this site. Erik-Jan Stroetinga. The Netherlands. Europe.

 

 

 

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Bier-Kühlwagen side doors (4)


The side doors are made of steel. These are relatively low, because under the roof of the real wagon the trays for ice were located. The two 'fleugeltüren' ( hinged doors) are locked in the middle with a sliding strip that locks at the top, bottom and middle simultaneously. 

 It took me some time to figure out how this system worked; especially the top of the locking mechanism. This was not to see on photos or the H0 or Gauge 1 model.  But a visit  this summer to the French railway museum in Mulhouse (Cité du Train) gave the solution.
Although a different wagon, they have a refrigerated beer wagon (Meteor) which has a similar locking mechanism.



The Meteor Beer wagon.


A sliding strip along the door, that can be moved up and down by a handle. 

Top clamp.

A T-end that catches into the top clamp, when moved downwards.

 

The shaper put to work to make all the small profiles for the doors. 


The base for the handle, that will operate the door strip.


Cutting to length in the milling machine

The doors are made of sheets of 1,5 mm steel plate, glued togehter.

The locking strip on the right hand door. This door is wider than the left door. 


The locking strip is 6 x 2 mm and slides under the base of the grip

Drilled, tapped (M3) and riveted to the door;  the base of the door handle

Testing the assembly. Some adjustments to the door and door frame had to be made (fillling) to make a nice fit possible. 

Support bracket for the sliding strip. 

Cut from 1 mm, corner pieces, which are riveted to the door.

Left door done

And right hand door done. This two times, for the doors on the other side of the wagon. 
Dimensions of these corner pieces were measured from the black and white photo of the wagon and the gauge 1 model by Märklin. 

Doors, hold in position with magnets on the inside; next job are the hinges

These are made of 1,5 mm strip, were the end is formed in this simple die. The punch is a 3mm steel pin (the end of a broken tap)

The hinges are only hold by 1 rivet (2 mm) and are (as on the original wagon)

It's beginning to look like a door assembly

Again the shaper was put to use to make the fixed side of the hinge.


cross drilling the 3 mm holes for the hinge pin.  Because the shaped profile is long, it's easier to keep it clamped straight in the vice.

And cutting to width is also easier, if the profile has some length. 

All 12 hinges in production. 


Twelve hinges, with two rounding on top, and two on the ends. Forty eight fillets to be filled; an evening well spent.

The doors fixed to the wagon. 

The top catch, made in two separate parts. This way it could be made with the shaping machine.


The top of the locking mechanism. 


A extension is silver soldered on the top of the strip. 


At the bottom a simple catch is made.  To get these catches in the correct position, I've used some superglue to fix them, before drilling.  


The door handle, sawed to width and bended in the vice.  


In the locked position, the handle is faced downwards. 

When moved upwards, two small lifting arms push the strip upwards. 

On the inside of the door frame, small wooden strip are glued. The support the doors, so they can not be moved inwards. 




The middle catch and locking strip.



The doors almost completed. A door grip is the only thing to be made.





Opening the door.