Making lagged pipe...

[doctorwayne]

I thought that I had moved this here earlier, but I can't seem to locate it.

Rather than buying cast brass lagged pipe, you can make you own easily and at low cost, too. I made my pipe to represent a steam supply line for a Barber-Green Snow Loader.
First, fabricate the pipe from suitably-sized brass wire: use wire about two scale inches or so smaller in diameter than what you require for a finished size. The one shown below is .052", which is about 4 1/2" in HO. Make all of the necessary bends and determine the method that you'll be using to fasten it in place before starting the actual lagging procedure.
For lagging, stick a length of ordinary masking tape to a sheet of glass, then, using a new blade, trim off the factory edges and discard them. Next, measure and mark for the width of lagging that you want to use: for my large pipe, I made it 1'(HO) wide, and for the 4" (actual) length of the pipe, I used about 16" (actual) of tape.
Start at an end, or, as I did, at one of the mounting fixtures. You can cut 1/4" or so of the end to a taper or start with a square end - it doesn't seem to make much difference in the appearance. Hold the end against the pipe, with tweezers if necessary, until you can get the tape wrapped at least partway around, and keep some tension on the tape as you wind. I overlapped each preceding wrap by about 1/3 or 1/2. When you come to the end, cut it off with your X-Acto blade.

   

I ended the first wrap at a point where the pipe goes through a mounting clamp on the smokebox front. The lower end will get lagging after the pipe is installed on the loco.
All of the other mounting clamps are installed on the pipe, along with stand-offs to keep the pipe in the proper position. The small wires protruding through the stand-offs will be inserted into holes in the boiler, then bent over to hold things in place.

   

When all of the lagging is in place, apply ca to all of it - all sides and especially the ends. Soak up any excess with tissue. The glue on the masking tape will eventually fail, but the ca will keep it in place. I have pipe that was lagged this way over 30 years ago that is still solid.

   

If you have areas to be lagged after installation, as I did, do so, then apply the ca as before.

   

Here's a look at the installed pipe:

   

The front end has a simple plug, made from a large nbw casting. I drilled out the end of the wire, then ca'd the casting in place.

   

On the prototype, when the snow-loader was to be used, a hose would be attached to the end of this pipe, with the other end connected to the snow loader.
After you've installed the pipe, paint it using your usual paint and techniques. I brush-painted mine, using Floquil paint, as it was installed on an already painted loco.


And, on a different loco, some steam delivery pipes for an Elesco feedwater heater:

   

I hope that you'll find this simple technique useful.

Wayne

[Tom]

Heya Doc, could you do a flatlander a favor and tell us what a snow loader is?

[doctorwayne]

Tom, here's a picture that someone sent me:


As best I can tell, the machine, pushed by a locomotive, picks up the snow, with the conveyors moving it to a converted tender. There, superheated steam from the pushing locomotive converts it rapidly to water (so that it takes-up less space). Presumably, when the tank is full, it's taken somewhere to be emptied. I'm guessing that such a device was most used in urban areas, where a rotary or wedge plow wouldn't have enough open area in which to deposit the displaced snow.

Wayne

[Sumpter250]

That looks like it could be a relatively easy "scratchbash". A flat car, an old crane cab, a couple of conveyors, an unused tender (oil, would have the steam lines already built in). . . . Poof!!. . a new piece of maintenance equipment.

[MasonJar]

I'm guessing that such a device was most used in urban areas, where a rotary or wedge plow wouldn't have enough open area in which to deposit the displaced snow.

Or, you could use a rotary plow to deposit the snow several blocks from the tracks...!

Pete - that would be a great scratch-bash!

Andrew

[cn nutbar]

That looks like it could be a relatively easy "scratchbash". A flat car, an old crane cab, a couple of conveyors, an unused tender (oil, would have the steam lines already built in). . . . Poof!!. . a new piece of maintenance equipment.

Hi Doc---another possibility for the "to do "list --- hey,we already have two locomotives to push the thing

[doctorwayne]

Hi Doc---another possibility for the "to do "list --- hey,we already have two locomotives to push the thing

I'd start one, but Bachmann (or someone else) would release a model of one just after construction was completed.

Wayne

[UP SD40-2]

OUTSTANDING tutorial Wayne , that lagged pipe really made a Fantastic addition to that steamer! :mrgreen:

[cn nutbar]

Here's a couple of Beeg Boys waiting for the snow---Excellent job Doc

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

Another way to achieve lagged pipe is to use "flat wound" guitar strings. Regular wound strings make very realistic "glad hands" . Guitar strings are pretty cheap & I use them for hand rails, they come ( unwound) in many sizes, some as small as about .006 or .008 & are much stronger than brass because they are stainless steel.

What you have shown here is VERY impressive . Nice work.

[doctorwayne]

Thanks, Dave. Now that you mention it, I have some strings that my son gave me from his bass - I keep forgetting to try them.

Wayne