 6" Brake Wheel HM161 |
| This is a replica of the brake wheel used by Carter Brothers in the 1880's. It is my first casting made from a pattern which was 3D printed. I don't have a price on it yet since these are trial castings, but it will be in the neighborhood of $20 each. Check back in a few weeks. |
 Journal box, archbar, solid HM046. Lid HM042 |
| I have gotten static from friends who think I should have journal boxes that can take ball or roller bearings. Here is one for archbar trucks. It is the same overall dimensions as the one for plain bearings, but is solid except for a cored hole in the middle. A drawing (with a suggestion for a bearing) may be found below. |
 Journal box, pedestal, solid HM084. Pedestal HM083, lid HM042. |
| Another "solid" journal box for ball or roller bearings. This time to fit my large pedestal. This uses the Carter Brothers styled lid with the star. |
 A set of one small pedestal, one solid journal box and one lid is HM065 |
| The third "solid" journal box for ball or roller bearings. This is for a small pedestal. This pedestal is small enough to be suitable for 4" or maybe even 3" scale. Look at the drawing below. |
 Harp switch stand - HM051 |  15 1/2 " tall |
| This switch stand is patterned after a Union Pacific version used during the construction of the transcontinental railroad in 1868. The one from which I took dimensions ended up on the Sumpter Valley Railroad. I have seen pictures of a similar stand used on the Denver, South Park & Pacific. |
 Link and Pin Couplers - HM021 |  Shank has 5/8-11 threads |
 Link and pin couplers. Patterned after those used on the earliest D&RGW 4-wheel flat cars - HM091 |
| Link and pin couplers have been around since railroads were invented. Supposedly one reason the Diamond and Caldor RR (in northern California) was abandoned in 1952 was the federal government insisted they stop using link and pin. That gives them a lifetime of at leat 120 years. Automatic couplers are safer than link and pin, but much more expensive. Even in 5" scale, using your fingers to lift up a link while coupling could earn you the nickname "Old Three Fingers". That being said, toy railroads do very little coupling and uncoupling and a small piece of flat metal to lift the link would make the process perfectly safe. You can buy a number of sets of either of these L&P couplers for the cost of one set of automatics. |
 Stack, 19" tall - HM901 This pattern was intended for a smokebox diameter of 10 1/2". I built up the pattern to fit a diameter of 12 3/4". The casting can be machined or ground to fit diameters throughout this range. |
 Brake shoes, locomotive, 10" (HM121) or 12" (HM122) diameter. These are meant to have a slot machined in the back projection to fit a brake lever on a locomotive or speeder. The 12" shoe could be machined for larger diameter wheels with some loss of thickness. |
 10" car wheel - HM071 |
 Journal box - HM041, cover - HM042, rub plate - HM123, and swing link hangers - HM043, HM044 |
 Brake shoes - HM011 and backup - HM012 Brake shoes usually come in two pieces - the brake head and the brake shoe. In 5" scale, this makes the brake head rather thin. The cost of having separate castings for head and shoe is almost double the cost of either. Therefore I have made them one piece with lots of thickness for wear. I'll bet a home railroad would have to run lots of trains to wear out a set of these. The rectangular casting in the middle is the "washer" or backup behind the wooden brake beam through which the brake rod passes. |
 truss rod bearings - HM045 |  Pin is to locate truss rod bearing in wood cross beam |
 Carter Bros. end beam washers, with an original example |  8 washers are needed for one car - HM031 |
| These little washers are an interesting bit of detail characteristic of Carter Bros. design. I bought a sawmill that supposedly came from the Westside Lumber Company property and three of the original washers came with it. That was my inspiration to make a pattern for the 5" scale version. |
 Here are the parts needed for a complete (almost) car. Notice there are no bolster plates. I have not decided whether to make castings (as on the original) or simply to use steel plates. Give me your opinion. Since I don't have a complete drawing of the truck yet, here is a link to pictures of building a real one: SPC Truck |
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| Part No. | Description | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| HM011 | Brake shoe, car, 10 inch | 2.8 | $7.00 |
| HM012 | Backup, brake beam | 0.4 | $1.00 |
| HM021 | L&P coupler, shank mount | 8.1 | $24.00 |
| HM031 | Washer, car end beam | 0.4 | $4.50 |
| HM041 | Journal box, archbar truck | 4.1 | $25.00 |
| HM042 | Journal box lid | 0.6 | $3.00 |
| HM043 | Swing hanger, short | 0.3 | $1.50 |
| HM044 | Swing hanger, long | 0.6 | $2.50 |
| HM045 | Truss Rod bearing | 0.4 | $1.50 |
| HM046 | Journal box, archbar, solid | 7.5 | $25.00 |
| HM051 | Harp switch stand | 20.5 | $95.00 |
| HM060 | Set, small pedestal, box, lid | 8.3 | $34.00 |
| HM065 | Set, small pedestal, solid box, lid | 8.6 | $34.00 |
| HM071 | Wheel, car, 10" | 30.5 | $55.00 |
| HM081 | Journal box, pedestal style | 4.1 | $25.00 |
| HM083 | Pedestal, large | 8.5 | $26.00 |
| HM084 | Journal box, pedestal style, solid | 7.5 | $25.00 |
| HM091 | L&P coupler, beam mount | 7.8 | $18.00 |
| HM121 | Brake shoe, loco, 10 inch | 3.0 | $7.00 |
| HM122 | Brake shoe, loco, 12 inch | 2.9 | $7.00 |
| HM123 | Rub plate, car | 0.7 | $2.00 |
| HM131 | Wheel, car, 6" | 8.0 | $18.00 |
| HM901 | Stack, 19 inch | 40.6 | $95.00 |
Terms and conditionsThis is a hobby, not a business. I am making these castings available because such parts for large scale trains are not easily available. They are cast from a high grade of grey cast iron at a California foundry. These parts are offered with no warranty as to suitability for any purpose other than models of historic train parts. Specifically, they are not offered for use in any commercial service. The buyer would be responsible for any testing or certification required for any such commercial application. I have drawings for many of these parts and will share them as AutoCAD (R) .dxf files or as .pdf files. The .pdf versions are listed below. Contact me for .dxf versions. All packing and shipping is in addition to the list prices. Small parts will be shipped USPS, UPS, or FedEx, at your choice. I have found USPS Flat Rate boxes to be the lowest priced shipping alternative. There is no weight limit for shipment anywhere in the USA. The drawback is that the Flat Rate boxes only come in three sizes. Large orders can be shipped by truck from a terminal in San Jose, CA. You will have to contact me for details of truck shipment. Because many of these are heavy, pickup is certainly preferred and it might be possible for me to meet you in various places in California or other western states. I have a small stock of every part shown on this website. Further quantities can be supplied, although delivery depends on the schedule of the small foundry I am using. Terms are cash (but mail is not advised), check, or PayPal. Please let me know of your interest by email at the following address: cwilliams@grandscaleparts.com |
| Part No. | Description | Drawing |
| HM011 | Brake shoe, car, 10 inch | HM011 |
| HM012 | Backup, brake beam | |
| HM021 | L&P coupler, shank mount | HM021 |
| HM031 | Washer, car end beam | |
| HM041 | Journal box, archbar truck | HM041 |
| HM042 | Journal box lid | JBDetails |
| HM043 | Swing hanger, short | |
| HM044 | Swing hanger, long | |
| HM045 | Truss rod bearing | |
| HM046 | Journal box, archbar, solid | HM046 |
| HM051 | Harp switch stand | HM051 |
| HM061 | Journal box, small | HM061 |
| HM063 | Pedestal, small | HM063 |
| HM064 | Journal box, small, solid | HM064 |
| HM081 | Journal box, pedestal | HM081 |
| HM083 | Pedestal | HM083 |
| HM084 | Journal box, pedestal, solid | HM084 |
| HM091 | L&P coupler, beam mount | HM091 |
| HM121 | Brake shoe, loco, 10 inch | HM121 |
| HM122 | Brake shoe, loco, 12 inch | HM122 |
| HM123 | Rub plate, car | |
| HM901 | Stack, 19 inch | HM901 |
