MINIATURE LOCOMOTIVE DEVELOPMENTS  Ltd

Building a DUCHESS

BOGIE

 

               I will start with the Front Bogie, why? well I always suggest to customers, especially new ones to our hobby, building the Bogie, Pony Truck or Trailing Truck first, does give the builder a finished assembly, which can be shown at a club meeting, rolled on a track or just a self contained piece completed
               The Duchess Bogie design is very similar to that of the G.W.R. Castle, being a large  central casting with bar frames, as shown in photograph (left). The centre casting pattern did present a couple of problems in the making, the main one being the cavity to house the side control springs, in the end it was decided that this cavity would be machined out, as shown in photograph (above). After assembling the unit, and offering it up to the bogie pivot stretcher, ( which sits inside the well) it was found to be restricted  rotationally, requiring more material to be removed from the inside face of the well. This was covered in Duchess update No2. Still to be completed is the springing details, the strength of the side control springs are still being thought about, the strength of the springs is argued in many ways, to the point were some say none is required at all. I guess test runs will establish a satisfactory compromise.

Finished Bogie Assembly

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