Let's return to the CA&E 451 project for a day. Here's the heavy iron casting that serves as the threshold under the train door at each end of the car. It was held to the wooden floor with flat head wood screws; they had become entirely rusted into the casting and had to be drilled out. That was quickly fixed. However, we should of course have two of these, and we can only find one. I just don't know how these things happen.
In despair over ever finding the other one, and lacking an iron foundry in my basement, I decided to make a wood replacement. I had picked up a scrap piece of wood at IRM before the lockdown, and finally got around to machining it. It didn't take very long.
You will notice, of course, that the casting has a shallow square pattern cast into it. I suppose I could reproduce this (at least on the top surface) by setting the table saw to a very shallow cut and running the work over the blade, carefully moving the work by exactly 1/4" more than one hundred times. The chances that I could actually accomplish this without a mistake are despairingly small. So I'll just paint it and call it a day. Meanwhile, if you happen to find one of these in your collection, or for sale, we'll buy it. It's exactly 4" wide and 27" long.
1 comment:
Randy We had two new cast iron thresholds cast at Meskan for the CRT 24 a couple of years ago. In that case we had to make a new pattern since the diamond thread was completely worn away. You could possible use the one you have as a pattern.
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