< Saddle Tank 2 >
I found the saddle tank is slightly too long to put between the smokebox
and the boiler firebox. I guess it is due to accumulated error in the chassis.
In order to reduce the length of the saddle tank, I cut 0.5mm in thickness
of the front plate. The front plate was stuck on a face plate with double-sided
tape and cut in 0.1mm steps.
Manhole cover and flange are made from gunmetal castings. The flange is cut in all faces.
The flange is set under the manhole and secured with brass angles. And then the flange is soft soldered around the manhole.
The cover has a knob that is turned from a brass rod. The knob is screwed into the cover.
The handrail stanchions are made from 9.6mm dia. brass balls and brass rods. They are silver soldered together.
Holes for handrails are drilled in three-jaw. Note the stanchion is protected by aluminum sheet.
The stanchions are put into the saddle tank, fixed with nuts and soft soldered. The hand rails are made of 5mm stainless steel rod.
The outer plate is fixed with countersunk head screws. So I cut countersinks
in the holes as the photo shows. I utilized "point drill" with
90 degrees tip.
The tank is finally assembled and soft soldered in all of seams. I employed propane torch.
In order to hide the screws, the screws' countersunk heads are covered with soft solder and filed flush. Finally I did leak check of the tank filling water.
Fittings for the saddle tank are axle driven pump's suction, hand pump's suction and left-right balance pipes. They are connected to the tank bottom with flanges. I made the flanges from brass rods. They are fixed to the tank bottom with two screws in each.
The finished saddle tank was tentatively mounted on the chassis with the cab front plate. Note the left bottom of the cab front plate is a little floating. It is because the saddle tank has twisting warp. Finally I settled it by expanding the fixing holes at front and back of the saddle tank.
