Main Bearings and Drivers - Pennsylvania A3 Switcher, Part 39

[@natalieritchie3128]

its my machine shop and ill cry if i want to

[@steveh8724]

you would cry too if it happened to you!

[@raymondbuterbaugh3117]

Yes, and being a wear item. Your all ready set up. Wouldn't hurt to have extra. Don't want to cry the second time.

[@mikewatson4644]

Thanks Lesley Gore.

[@DavidLindes]

Indeed. Glad y'all have "a shop of their own", too. :) (Because that's the reference I recognize at 10:17.)

[@OmegaGamingNetwork]

It's why I don't call my shop a machine shop. Because there are some tools that I absolutely cry when I break them.

[@jwbrit]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but I want to appreciate your consistency. Every Saturday every week. Always good. Thanks!

[@stevedaenginerd]

Yeah, Quinn’s gotta be getting close to some kind of record! For years I’ve been able to count on something cool she’s done and going to tell us about! 🤓

[@1slotmech]

I was just thinking the same thing. We're spoiled for a great vid every Saturday morning here. 😅

[@jamesfmilne]

Hello Internet, My name is Quinn, and this is Saturday.

[@FireCrack]

Collective screams of ToT and Clickspring viewers (And yes, Quinn earns the comparison by being totally on the same level as these fellas)

[@oldfarthacks]

It's hard to produce on a consistent schedule. Quinn is doing very well. Of course, from time to time, she does put in some "filler" content. It makes for a nice break and also assures us that she is still OK.

[@pamthevan7340]

Seriously Quinn would make a fabulous voice over artist. Such a calm and reassuring gentle tone.

[@JohnRidgeway-p2j]

Mike Rowe, Morgan Freeman, and Quinn should compete in a voice over contest.

[@dikkie1000]

@@JohnRidgeway-p2j More of the lesser seen maker crowd would do very good as a voice over, like This Old Tony and Chris from Clickspring.

[@oldfarthacks]

I quite agree. Doing voice over is an art. She has the correct type of voice for it, mellow, and well spoken. So with that said, one of these days she is going to have to do a voice over blooper reel. Working from a script, which is the right way to do this, can lead to some interesting oops actions. I, in my videos do not normally do a voice over, instead I try to get it with the live real time commentary. Of course, that then leads to exposing you all to my stream of consciousness, to which I do have to apply a extensive filter system. But again, Quinn is a pleasure to listen to.

[@BloopTube]

@@dikkie1000 Were that a thing I dont think id be physically capable of feeling stress again

[@dikkie1000]

@@BloopTube Then today (or 7 years ago was the day) you can have a look at "Origins" by Tony and Chris. It's awesome.

[@cameraforchristmas]

Great video! I would never have thought lapping compound would be a good idea. In my submarine power plant where I was a young and impressionable mechanic and operator, we had Babbitt bearings. Those could take up grit which became embedded in the soft bearings and then abrade the axle. That point was driven home quite a bit - free grit would destroy shafts, not just bearings. Much bigger deal. Anyway, Babbitt is much softer and I guess the bronze just doesn’t take up the lapping compound. So, I learned a new thing and that is the joy of following this channel. I learn tons. Mostly because of the way Quinn teaches, much more than just the choice of subject.

[@brianpentecostaldeplorable9841]

Thank you for taking the time to explain to all of us who love seeing your work, the intricacies of why you do each step. You're a good teacher !

[@nicholashacking381]

Astonishing dedication to the project, as ever. Today, my wife and I took a train to Carlisle (up the West Coast main line) and back (around the bay) - pulled by a steam locomotive: "Braunton" 34046. You would have loved it: the smell of coal, the noise of the steam, the firemen with their faces blackened by soot, the raw power of the beast... And yes, the wheels were a joy to behold.

[@girliedog]

When you started this project I thought how boring but boy was I wrong. This has been fascinating all the way. So many nuances and learning junctures for novices to enjoy. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@JamesTM]

I look forward to your video every week. Even as someone with no interest whatsoever in trains, and very limited experience with machining, your projects are always fascinating.

[@paco_vazquez]

Can’t agree more!! 😅

[@RonCovell]

Quinn, beautiful video, as always. I must say I was shocked at how many tries it took to get all the bearings turned to perfection, but I salute your commitment to 'get it right'.

[@dwaynetube]

Loved the Star Wars reference and all your selfdeprecating humor. But most of all I love to see your methodical work and the great explanations you give! And I certainly would love to see some of your electronics projects here on video, but I am also very thankfull that you share them in your blog.

[@oldfarthacks]

Yep, a tour of Veronica would be a nice little video.

[@LoneEagle2061]

Cast steel drivers? Or are steel tyres just more trouble than they’re worth at this scale? The really cool thing about abrasives in bearings is how counter intuitive the wear works out. The abrasive particles tend to embed themselves in the softer material under load. Rather than the softer material just wearing faster (as we might expect) it effectively turns into sandpaper and the wear on the softer material can be minimal; while the harder material wears far more rapidly. I remember pulling the hinge pin from an old Zippo lighter to find it looked like a miniature camshaft. Dirt and crud had embedded itself in the brass of the hinge, and every time the lighter was opened or closed, each loop just machined away at the hardened steel pin. This effect is also why we like to make laps out of copper.

[@gherkinisgreat]

Unfortunately steel tyres on smaller scales are incredibly difficult as the tolerances involved become ungodly small to get a proper fit

[@nicolashuffman4312]

I saw the same effect on my bicycle when dirt embedded into my plastic water bottles and abraded most of the way through the harder aluminum bottle cage. Between that and a lot of Robin Renzetti videos, I most often use Time Saver brand lapping compound. It is friable, so even if it embeds into a soft material, the grains break down to smaller and smaller particles, effectively becoming such a high grit that they do not remove material.

[@andrewmagosky7181]

Steel tires are usually always better than no steel tires. However, with such small engines on 2.5", 3.5", and 4.75" gauge, the cast iron wheels are usually fine by themselves. The heavier 7.5" and 7.25" gauge locomotives do benefit from tires due to the greater forces on the wheels going around curves. That said, it only matters if you run the locomotive. One of these engines running odd weekends for a couple of hours a few times a year will not wear out the wheels. However, with regular running steel tires might be worth the time.

[@johnapel2856]

Hey, that kinda' looks like...a LOCOMOTIVE! I'm not sure why, but those are particularly beautiful parts. Everything on this is amazing, but there was just something about them that was particularly pleasing. Beautifully done. Thanks, and Meow to Sprocket.

[@oldfarthacks]

The sad thing is, we can begin to see the beginning of the end of this series.

[@joshclark44]

Everything machined out of bronze is beautiful. It's just an inherent material quality if you do it right 😍

[@terminalpsychosis8022]

What a sight! Seeing the boiler sitting on wheels now... amazing. Really coming together now. Split bearings are a trip. Simple idea, but seems very tricky to manufacture.

[@thedabblingwarlock]

Getting closer and closer to the part I really wanna see, the parts that actually make this baby move. She's looking good, Quinn! Looking forward to seeing the next installment here and with the grinding jig.

[@raystevens1458]

Looking good Quinn, you may want to start shopping for that engineers cap, you're going to need it.

[@johnmoorefilm]

Quinn, thanks so much for posting at the same time every week - something to really look forward to ! Love from Dublin! Ireland 🇮🇪

[@WSmogpule]

I came away from the European Parliament elections early to see this. Not only is she precise in her measurements, she' precise in the release time of her videos!

[@stevedaenginerd]

Speaking of Quinn’s precision, she’s been holding back on the banana guess-o-meters! Guess she hasn’t come across a project that requires that level of precision! Lol

[@FishyBoi1337]

always so satisfying to watch other people do work like this, I could never with my perfectionism and shaky hands!

[@charlesrinebold3512]

For a lightly agressivw Laing operation you can use Comet scouring powder or Barkeepers Friend. Works beautifully and is not as aggressive as lapping compound.

[@Kim-kl5jh]

Hey Quinn! Nice work on the bearings. Those are tricky little guys but you did an excellent job on them. And that's great that you got some cast drivers already mostly machined. That will be a time saver for sure. On the other hand, I'm a little sad for you that you didn't get to machine them yourself. They are such a cool, iconic part of the engine. But there is so much more cool stuff to come. I'm looking forward to seeing the running gear emerge on your engine, part by part. It is really rewarding to see it all come together! And as others have said, you do an incredible job of filming, editing, and creating a coherent story (with humor!) to go along with your work and explain the hows and whys. Not a small task, and It is truly amazing. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this and share it with us every week. Thank you!

[@Blondihacks]

I was in awe when I read about your fabricated drivers! That was ambitious and they came out great

[@Kim-kl5jh]

@@Blondihacks Thank you, very kind of you to say. 😊 Yeah, that was my answer to not having a foundry handy! 😅 Yes, a lot of work, but fun. And I was quite pleased with them, as you should be with yours. They look great, Quinn! Can't wait to see them all painted up.

[@rickfazzini22]

These builds really do teach you all the necessary milling and lathe operations. So cool you’re sharing this with all of us, Thanks Quinn!!

[@iain3411]

Very nice of the person who sent the driving wheels , they look great . I could just imagine the steam coming out of your ears over a half Bearing crash.

[@gydo1942]

Wow, it's really starting to look like a loco now, This project is coming along well! Thanks Quinn for the entertainment and keep em coming!

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

Very satisfying. It’s really taking shape now.

[@Hyce777]

Not sure if you can get it in Canada, but Timesaver is the good stuff for lapping bronze and other softer things (pretty much every valve seat we run into). You mix it up with a little hydraulic oil, and it's much less aggressive than typical lapping compounds for bronze. Seems like whatever you used did the trick, but if you've got bronze in your future (which, well, dealing with valves and all the fiddly bits I can imagine) it might come in handy. The split bearings came out beautifully! What a pain. Simple ain't easy. Cheers!

[@larryvaughn2567]

Absolutely beautiful. Looking forward to the next installment.

[@ego73]

Always a Saturday pleasure!

[@pauljacquemin5909]

Brasso is also good for lapping bearings thanks for the video

[@allenlandis4504]

Thanks . Very interesting work.

[@stevedaenginerd]

“There’s no crying in machining!” - I totally heard you say this in Tom Hank’s’ voice! Lol

[@Raytenecks]

I generally find that *right* as I'm getting really good at making something, I have made the last one and no longer need to make it. :D

[@paulkinzer7661]

You are a vital and anticipated part of all my Saturdays. Thanks for the excellent content every week! I learn more from you about not just the whats, but the whys of machining, so that my own beginning efforts have been far less frustrating than they otherwise would have been. And you bring the fun, too.

[@HSkraekelig]

Waited all morning for this. Not disappointed.

[@bluegecko6770]

Thanks Quinn, always a delight to watch your work

[@johnsolimine1164]

Excellent teaching style. Very easy to listen to.

[@DanielGafner]

The vid about train wheels is well worth a watch .i learnt a ton of intresting stuff. Cheers Quinn

[@stevedaenginerd]

That’s one thing I like about Quinn’s videos, always something to learn! Helped me to become a better machinist! 🤓

[@rexmyers991]

Quinn never fails to deliver. Interesting and informing. Thank you.

[@elizabethturner2421]

That half bearing getting caught between the chuck and the tool post? Better that than a part of Quinn.

[@richardw3294]

It's never boring. Always on time. Thanks!

[@mrimmortal1579]

To be fair, it _is_ sometimes boring, but only when the accuracy of drilling just won’t cut it.

[@ronweiss8529]

Thanks for the new video. Really enjoying this build. Always have loved trains.

[@keithslayback4626]

I never thought I had any interest in making something like this but after watching this video I believe that there is another project in my future. Thoroughly enjoy your videos.

[@a_pakhomov]

In my experience the only way to get the lapping compound out is an ultrasonic bath

[@davidwilliams1060]

Thanks for the good words about model railroading. My metal work is in support of that hobby but all aspects of machining have a beauty of their own.

[@EngineerRaisedInKingston]

What an awesome milestone, Quinn, so satisfying to see this colossal project take shape. Well done!

[@johnmoorefilm]

“Stack O’Guagepins” was a grand-uncle of mine… 😅🇮🇪

[@MicrobyteAlan]

I used to go to a boring bar

[@akasusnevelas8294]

I look forward to the next video every week! It's just a pleasure to watch you, even if something doesn't go as planned, you always find a way! Reminds me every time of my time in the metal workshop :D

[@grahamebell7505]

Beautiful work Quinn, you're an inspiration to us all! 😊👍

[@davidtaylor6124]

Looks great!

[@planeflyer21]

Thanks, Quinn. Doing a perfect first part has often led me to multiple scrapped parts to follow the first.

[@roflchopter11]

2:44 Not relevant for bronze, but high-end connecting rods, especially in diesel engines, are made by fracturing the cast or forged parts across the big end bore. This produces a rough surface that perfectly matches and keeps the bearing caps aligned.

[@jmmandg]

Great to see the pieces coming together.

[@glacierwulf26]

This series has made my inner 6 year old happy. Thank you

[@craigspicer4296]

Quin its looking great. It would have been great to see you do the drivers but its one less stress because when you get poor castings and which you don't know until your machining it but that's the fun i guess lol. I wonder if the company that does the driver castings does 5 gauge as i i am doing mine in 5 gauge due to popular rail size in Australia with most tracks.

[@heighRick]

Another great video Quinn, thank you, helps a lot!

[@ianh1212]

Totally agree with the order of 0pperations, split bearings can be a total pain in the ass, so by starting with square stock you can guarantee every dimension perfectly 🥰

[@mikekeuleman]

model railroad people, (ho gauge etc) typically use a little bit of jewelers rouge mixed with light oil like 3 in one to run in new tight bushings.

[@AirwolfCrazy]

Wonderful to see the engine on wheels.

[@craigpuetz7020]

Bear with me? I could barely contain my enthusiasm.

[@oldtractors]

Look up Timesaver lapping compound.

[@TheXkyneticx]

Oh man its coming together!.... So excited!

[@UpLateGeek]

It's really starting to come together, and it's looking great! In relation to getting parts cast, it's more often not what you know, but who you know. My brother used to work at a pretty full-on custom vehicle shop, and they would make patterns from original or broken parts to get cast iron replacements made at the "local foundry" that they can machine and/or customise as required. It was mostly for vintage/antique vehicles that original parts are hard to find or way too expensive, or sometimes a modification would have required welding an original part which would've distorted it more than machining could fix, so casting a new part from the original with the feature built-in was often easier. So if I were a hobby machinist and needed a part cast, I'd ask my brother. But in the absence of a direct contact, if you can find a local machine shop that does similar work and get chatty talking shop, you might be able to find out from them where they get their parts cast and who to talk to.

[@Antti_Nannimus]

What an EXQUISITE machining video! It made me cry.

[@jamesknaus4482]

Another fantastic video. Very interesting and informative.

[@vincejamison8078]

Looking like a locomotive! I've been following since the beginning. When you're done, a fast forward montage of each part being made and installed would be cool.

[@tom_tom_go]

CI for bearings works fine in this scale!

[@fladder1]

24:42 that's one heavy boat. Let's christen her "Chunky" 😂

[@nocturnhabeo]

Thanks for the great video. Looks fantastic

[@mattomon1045]

Quinn on some locomotives the driver axle were hollow Geat work !

[@manythingslefttobuild]

13:20, I think you might have made some awesome drawer pulls for a jewelry box. Great video Quinn, nice balance of what to do with the mostly complete wheels.

[@timhooper8617]

I had to Google 'quartering the drivers'......... It all makes perfect sense now. Well, sort of.....

[@markedwards7601]

Wow Such great work! Congratulations

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

I have something nice to announce, too: it finally happened, I bought me an arc welder! Just a teensy machine but good enough for the girls I go out with. Cheap it was, so cheap (and new) You won´t belive. The copper in the wiring might be the most valuable parts on it. But I was to make blue light, test my mains power and burn a few sticks: me happy. And when I´m happy I can way easier be glad for You. Happy Days to come, You build a locomotive and I get to learn stick welding. Cheers!

[@richb419]

Hi Quinn, take a look at Time saver lapping compound, this stuff is guaranteed to stop cutting. I purchased their test kit of yellow and green lapping compound, it works! also it comes from Canada.. oh, by the way it's (no crying in baseball)!

[@niranjannidhi]

omg shes making the train again

[@justinstrik7125]

So glad to see you alive and kicking and full of enthusiasm for your "hobby" every other youtuber I follow seems to have hit a point in their youtube career where they "hit a wall" and "need a break" ( wonder if the people who clean our public toilets feel the same sometimes) You may have the right work/life balance. Mind you I haven't watched the video yet and see the word cry below... oh oh

[@firebird8600]

Yay!! It's Blondihacks time!!!

[@OscarSommerbo]

Beautiful parts!! But I think I agree with the soft soldering, superglue is great but here it might be outside its envelope but quite some margin.

[@Blondihacks]

and yet

[@OscarSommerbo]

@@Blondihacks Indeed. When it works it works.

[@kleobrix]

I was wondering how you were going to tackle the wheels. Kozo doesn't tell why he went with a casting (I think?) instead of his usual fabrication. My guess it's much easier to get all the aesthetic details and spokes right that way, where hewing it out of rod stock would involve a lot of time with files and a jewelry saw if you, somehow, don't have a CNC. Just need a foundry that will do small runs (because some extras to ~~scrap~~ sacrifice to the machining gods never go amiss) at non-astronomical costs, which everyone just has down the street.

[@stevedaenginerd]

This here is why my son and I started learning smelting, we’re about to get into making casts now. We’ve saved up a ton of copper and aluminum so that we can try this. Is a super fun journey! 🤓

[@mrimmortal1579]

@@stevedaenginerd Casting does sound like a fun and interesting hobby, especially if you are also into machining. But copper, brass, and aluminum are a completely different monkey than casting iron (from what I’ve read ). Iron requires much higher temperatures than the other metals do, so they encompass a whole ‘nuther list of dangers involved.

[@urbancyclingpdx]

You’re amazing!

[@nineoneten]

The 3-point compensation to damp out irregularities in the track works well and is even more important in smaller scales if the locos are electricaly powered with pickup of current via the wheels. I am kind of surprised that the bigger scale loco doesn't have any actual springing like the 1:1 scale loco. Is that normal in this scale ? Beautiful video as always.

[@Blondihacks]

Working suspension is sometimes done at 1:16 scale, but not often. The prototypes are all leaf sprung, and leaf springs don’t scale down well. There are ways to fake it, but it isn’t necessary for function at this size, so it’s not common. At larger scales like 1:8, working suspension becomes mandatory because of the weight of the model

[@nineoneten]

@@Blondihacks Thanks Quinn. I will stick to my HO scale US engines. Your videos are all super well acted and filmed. You are a star. xxx Rob ( in the UK )

[@stanstevens3783]

Is there any need to dial in longitudinally to ensure the split line remains central along the bore?

[@meerkatmcr]

One of the most common uses for the axle-end centres on full-size wheelsets is for turning the wheel profiles back true as they wear. There's some very impressive lathes involved; both the steam-age that turn a whole wheelset with 6ft+ drivers on it after removing it from the loco, and the modern ones that can machine a wheelset in situ. I have no idea how they maintain concentricity when machining in situ, either: they have no references but the periphery of the wheel (they certainly don't interact with the centres).

[@mkegadgets4380]

I really enjoyed this build. Thanks for showing your mistakes. I guess I’m not the only one that does that, make mistakes that is. Do these barons need to be oiled periodically?

[@peetventer9704]

Beautiful Quinn.

[@duanedrouillard2495]

And the engine too😊

[@paulmorrey4298]

Thanks Quinn

[@richardvanasse9287]

Great video as always. 👍🏻

[@mr.b6034]

If you have the correct size reamer then just need to true up the hole with the boring bar and finish with the reamer...

[@JasonRosinger]

Hello! Just a thought with the final operations on the split bearings - have had some success in the past on similar parts with hose clamps and even cable ties.

[@columjevens4612]

Great project to follow , thanks . Just wondering what is the difference between a parting tool and a grooving tool? 👍

[@Argosh]

10:18 it is vital to leave the shop when you need to cry. If you let them see you like that you will never be able to assert dominance over your tools ever again.

[@oldfarthacks]

True, if they sense weakness, they will chatter among themselves and then you are never going to have a happy finish.

[@generessler6282]

Excellent. Hey if you need castings in the future, maybe you could do a colab with Windy Hill Foundry. Clarke starts with spent brake disks as raw material and ends with some beautiful results (as do you).

[@Blondihacks]

Yep! Clarke and I are friends. 😄

[@LukebridgesCoUk]

If you want a UK trip, bring her to Maidstone club, have a thrash on our 1/3 mile 1:100 ruling gradient

[@southern207hobbies]

Allen models sells drive wheels for the a3

[@moldyapples]

If machining is second only to model railroading (12:04), then machining FOR model railroading must be some kind of hobby nirvana!

[@jimsvideos7201]

That Kozo, clever man.

[@laptopdragon]

I love your videos... If ever comes the time of apocalypse... I'm going to fly my blimp fortress around until I find a mechanist such as yourself... I will go by the name Cid Highwind, a former Shinra engineer...

[@laignechfaelad]

From a more civilised age...top marks for PCR

[@robertbriggs8465]

Another interesting video, as always. I’m following this build with interest. One thing worries me though, a lot of brass and bronze being used, this is going to be an expensive project. Surprised Kozo hasn’t gone for steel throughout apart from bearings etc which would be the usual method. Keep up the good work!

[@richardsweet5068]

The clockmakers use Autosol chrome cleaner for lapping in such parts as it is a non embedding abrasive.

[@Radiotexas]

Wonderful!