Locomotive wheel lathe

[jnielsen]

We can have it if we want, pic attached

[Spencer M]

might as well take it, you can't beat free! where is it located?

[40avery]

Accepting any donation needs to be cleared past the board of directors before we bring it in. We have had many problems with "free" items not being free or costing us a lot of money to dispose of later down the road when it was never used and either in the way or deteriorated to the place that it cannot be used.

The RR group should first talk it over and see if there is a use for this unit and then bring it to the board.

Rick

[M Kirschenman]

IF the railroad decides they want this, I would be happy to commit some time to helping set this up (i.e. pour a pad to properly support it, line it up, etc). If this thing is just hauled down without a home or someone willing to champion it, it will almost certainly end up sitting indefinatly like the Nebraska engine (hence the concern alluded to in the previous post). It could conceivably go in the roundhouse, but again it will take a champion for this to happen.

We passed on this for the machine shop as we're simply out of room and anything you'd want to run on it would be to difficult to get into the building anyway.

Would be too bad to let this go though!

-MK

[Kenronsberg]

I don't want to speak for Jerry, but we did talk about the lathe at our last meeting. Jeff was sent to take pictures of the unit by Jerry. It appears to be in good shape and according to the employees it is.
We haven't come up with a great spot for it yet. You would think in a building that big we could come up with a spot, but come fall everything get's pretty tight. It should be in the roundhouse, but until we figure out where I hope it can sit where it is, out of the weather.
Even with my strong dislike for lathes in general ( former machinist who would love to get a mill in the roundhouse ) I'd hate to pass this up.
Jeff I forgot to ask you about the tooling for the wheel lathe. Did they still have any of it laying around?
Ken Ronsberg

[M Kirschenman]

I didn't ask if they had any tooling for it. I do have a couple of holders that would fit this size machine, and can scam more if needed.

I suspect the tooling will be the real cost of this thing; we're probably looking at ceramic or tungsten inserts to chew through the work hardened steel that this would be used for. (the dingy's wheel sets for example).

That's the part that probably needs to be thought through here - to use this machine we'll need to pull complete wheel sets off of equipment. The machine work is the easy part.

-MK

[edin]

Mark, will Rollag be getting this lathe?

Thanks!

Colt

[40avery]

What will we do with it if we get it?

[80pfd]

To All;
What is the brand of the lathe? I do not know if that makes any difference in tooling, but I will ask a couple of guys I know in my area who used to work at the Clinton, IA. car shop of the old Chicago Northwestern Railroad.
I will also ask my brother-in-law, who is a conductor with the Norfolk and Southern Railroad, to do some asking in his area.
Dumb question; would there be anyone left, from the group that put the 353 together, who may have contacts with the railroad in the Twin Cities area, and get help from them?
By the looks of the picture of the chuck face, it looks as big as the lathe at Cullen and Company in Fulton,IL. That lathe used to make heavy artillary barrels for the military during WWII. When I left the company in 1993, we used that lathe to turn pressure screws for corn processing plants, like ADM.
If the lathe cannot be relocated to Rollag, is there anywhere else close which can do wheel resurfacing for Rollag?
Food for Discusion; would a firm like Jim and Lynette Briden's be able to purchase the lathe and utilize it for their business, and allowing Rollag work to be done on it?
Thank you for your time;
Paul

[40avery]

The only wheels I know that could use turning are on the Dingy. To get any wheels trued you need to have them off of whatever they are on. - huge job -
If we did get it I am not convinced that the volunteer hours it takes to make use of it would benefit the show. I would like to hear from Jerry and others from the RR group on this subject.

[jasher]

The lathe was discussed at the RR portion of the annual meeting.
After discussing the very limited uses for it and the considerable amount of space, not to mention labor and concrete, required it was decided the RR would pass on this donation.

[40avery]

Thanks for the response Jerry.:)