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| Posted: Tue Feb 23rd, 2010 03:27 am |
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41st Post |
HollywoodFoundry
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A number of McKeen cars were imported into Australia. Two went to the Victorian Railways and I think 3 went to the Queensland Railways. The VR ones were 5' 3" gauge, and the Queensland ones were 3' 6" gauge.
The Victorian ones were a little different because the VR used platforms at all its stations, not ground level access as in the USA, so the centre door had to be raised with a corresponding 'bump' in the roofline to give enough height.
This web site has an on-line copy of the operating manual for the McKeen car, and also shows photos of the cars in VR service. They did not last long with the engines installed as they were horrendously unreliable. The VR removed the motors and used them as locomotive hauled cars in suburban service
http://www.hobbiesplus.com.au/temppics/mckeen.htm
Oh, and Hello to Bill, I seem to encounter you whereever I go...
Geoff
Last edited on Tue Feb 23rd, 2010 03:29 am by HollywoodFoundry
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| Posted: Tue Feb 23rd, 2010 05:19 am |
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42nd Post |
| Posted: Tue Feb 23rd, 2010 05:24 am |
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43rd Post |
HollywoodFoundry
Registered
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No Bill, I am just trying to keep my head above water with orders at present. But I have received back the brass etch that will make up the 'Spring Belt Drive Replacement' trucks. It is those trucks I will be using to replace the inner ones on the IT Class C. Then I will use a pair of LoBoys as the outer trucks, coupled to the inner ones.
Time, I need more of it......
Geoff
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27th, 2010 07:38 pm |
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44th Post |
| Posted: Mon May 10th, 2010 04:16 am |
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45th Post |
| Posted: Mon May 10th, 2010 07:27 am |
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46th Post |
HollywoodFoundry
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That looks superb. I would have given up one of the family jewels to be there on the day and see that!
Geoff
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| Posted: Mon May 10th, 2010 01:11 pm |
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47th Post |
| Posted: Mon May 10th, 2010 06:39 pm |
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48th Post |
rich
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| Joined: | Fri Jan 27th, 2006 |
| Location: | Salem, Oregon USA |
| Posts: | 247 |
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Great info and thanks for posting. Need to get to Reno and check it out this summer.
rich
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12th, 2011 06:17 am |
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49th Post |
CMmodeler
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I just thought that I would share some information about the McKeen cars. A few years ago, I researched McKeen cars for a presentation to the Northern Colorado Model Railroad Club. I also had an opportunity to see and photograph V&T #22 in 2008 during its restoration. I have purchased several books on McKeen cars including "McKeen Motor Car #22 Restoration Feasibility Investigation". All of these books shed a lot of light on V&T #22 and McKeen cars in general.
First, the front truck, engine and drive system were extremely unique. W.R. McKeen Jr. insisted on a mechanical drive system and would not even discuss hydraulic or electric drive. Gasoline engine technology was in its infancy at this time. The engine was a marine style distilate engine complete with exposed connecting rods and an open oil pan. It was actually two 3 cylinder engines that shared a common drive shaft. One half of the engine would be run with compressed air while the other half of the engine would be fed fuel and started. Once one half of the engine was running on fuel, the other half would be switched over to fuel and started. The engine did not have a carburetor but used a fine screen to atomize the fuel. It was often necessary to heat the screen in a gasoline fire to red hot, replace the screen on the engine and then the engine might start. It is no wonder that railroads that owned McKeen cars were forced to store them in heated car barns in the winter.
The drive system was a drive chain to the front axle only. There was no reverse gear. In order to reverse the direction of travel of a McKeen car, the engine had to be stopped and re-started running in the opposite direction. Since it was a one axle drive, it didn't do well on steep grades.
Most railroads bought one or two McKeen cars to try them and never made a repeat purchase. Due to the unreliable engine and drive system, most McKeens were converted to some other engine/drive by the railroads that owned them. V&T #22 was very rare in that the original engine and drive were retained throughout its entire operational life. It was retired in 1945, and sold in 1946. According to restoration study, the master mechanic's last entry in the maintenance and repair book states "Sold to Mr. Deniss of Carson City, Nev. Made a restaurant out of it. Sold for $1000. Motor car #22 was scrap and sold Aug. 26, 1946. Ought to have been sold 30 years ago". When V&T 22 was sold, both trucks and the engine were scrapped.
By the time V&T #22 was being considered for restoration, no original trucks, motors or drives were known to exist anywhere in the world. An excerpt out of the Sage Headlight, newsletter of the Friend's of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, explains the use of a modern engine and drive for the restoration "It was suggested by more than one person that an old, or period, prime mover be used. This was rejected out of hand. If, for example, a 1936 Cadillac was being restored and a non-Cadillac replacement engine was installed, regardless of the year of manufacture, it would not be a Cadillac engine." Basically, if you can't find the correct drive system, some other old drive system will not be accurate anyway so you might as well use a modern engine and drive system that works well.
Here are some pictures that I took of the drive truck as it was being fabricated. Note that the final drive system is still a chain drive to the front axle only. Bill Fornshell included a link that show the completed truck.
Darrel Ellis
Last edited on Tue Jul 12th, 2011 03:44 pm by CMmodeler
____________________
Darrel Ellis
Yes, I do still play with trains.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13th, 2011 03:43 am |
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50th Post |
CMmodeler
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That is an interesting shot - the only one I've ever seen where the 42" wheels did not have spokes. Various details were different with every car body so it makes sense the power truck and engine were different on every car. McKeen called that knife edge front end a "wind-splitter" and claimed that this design reduced wind drag. Later wind tunnel tests showed that the car was more aerodynamic if it ran backwards. In later years the front was more rounded - maybe McKeen also discovered that the knife edge front didn't do anything - especially at the speeds that they typically traveled.
If you have a copy of "the American Railroad Passenger Car" by John White, look in part 2, page 594. There is a picture of a McKeen power truck and engine. This looks like a later design with an enclosed engine and drive train. The engines were called type A, type C and type D (I assume that there was also a type B). V&T #22 had an early type A engine. The 200 hp type C and 300 hp type D engines came out about 1913. One car even had chain drive to both axles of the power truck. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried a gear drive at some point. Whatever drive system was used, the engine and drive were mounted on the power truck and were subject to every shock and jar that the roadbed had. This kind of vibration is not good for anything mechanical.
Another interesting note - there were no truth in advertising laws in the early 20th century. McKeen made many claims about his motor car that were simply not true. His first motor car traveled all over the country and he claimed that it performed flawlessly. In fact, it had to be towed into many stations due to breakdowns. He claimed that his cars would handle a 4% grade. They struggled on any grade over 2%. He claimed that wind-splitter design was the reason that the wind drag was less that a standard passenger car and ignored the fact that his car was 2 feet shorter than a standard passenger car.
All in all, every McKeen car is unique.
Darrel
____________________
Darrel Ellis
Yes, I do still play with trains.
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