Member postings for Simon Robinson 4

Hi

I was watching an interesting YouTube video on modifying a 5” gauge GWR directly imported Chinese made loco (14xx). The YouTuber has kept the price a secret.

The build quality is good but there are some areas for improvement hence why it’s being modified.

Any ideas how much one of these would cost? I have looked all over google and can’t find it. I know Silvercrest does them but they are quite expensive and directly imported ones are cheaper.

Hi Dave

I was thinking of 3.5” gauge but of no particular region and either standard gauge train or narrow.

Thanks

Whats the cheapest new coal fired live steam locomotive I don’t mind Chinese built locos? Any gauge will do just the cheapest.

Thanks.

Hi

I know a little about how a one arm bandit works, you pull the lever it sets off a clock and releases the brake holding the wheels. Let go of the lever and the spring activates the ‘kicker’ which sends the wheels spinning.

My questions are:

1) The 3 payout disks correspond to each wheel and are located to the left of the 3 wheels. How does each payout disk connect with each wheel. For example. How does disk 1 connect to wheel 1 when the other two disks are between it and wheel 1?

2) How does the kicker spin the wheels and do the wheels rotate around the axle independently while connected their relevant payout disk?

Hi Thanks for your advice Trevor. What would you recommend for the underside of the shed floor? It’s tongue and grove on an underside frame of 1” x 1” that will be mounted on 3” x 3” pressure treated posts laid flat on a solid concrete base.

I thought of creosote by the smell is rather off putting for my family, I have some cheap Wilkinson’s red cedar wood preserver....Any other ideas of what I could use?

I’ve heard they use aluminium wood primer on boats. But is it any good on exterior soft wood at preventing the wood rotting.

I have a new untreated shed and I’m coating the sides in Cuprinol shades paint. Is it better if I do the areas at high risk such as the bottom of the frame etc in Aluminium wood primer or is my Cuprinol good enough?

Im trying to better understand how Walschearts valve gear works. So I have decided to make a working model of it, that I can hang on my wall. Does anyone know where I can find the dimensions of the different rods and parts eg the Radius rod, Combination lever, expansion link etc. (With the dimensions I can calculate them to the scale of my model)

I have looked at engineering diagrams on google images and the proportions of rod length vary. Some for example have the radius rod the same length as the combination lever.

Does the rod length vary in different locomotives and are there variations on the design of Walschearts valve gear?

Thanks in advance.

What kind of small Diesel engines are fitted to miniature gauge locomotives such as 5” gauge and 7 1/4” gauge?

It’s always puzzled me because small diesel car engines would probably be too big to fit inside a locomotive body for those gauges.

Thanks.

Hi

I know some one who has a coal fired 3 1/2" gauge live steam locomotive. There appears to be a leak possibly from one of the stays inside the copper fire box. Water drips slowly when filled but can't see exactly where it's coming from. This is a very difficult area to reach. All I know is its from the top crown of the firebox. The boiler is silver soldered.

How can it be fixed?

I’m thinking of getting a 7’ x 5’ shed from Argos for £229 made of feathered edge board.

Does anyone have any experience of these sheds are they any good?

I did once get a cheap shed some years ago and it was rotten after only 3 years.

I want the shed to be dry for storage etc.

So in the space of about 8 hours I’ve thought about building a live steam loco, then a scale model tram, then a scale model of a 1938 stock underground carriage and now a highly elaborate Austrian cuckoo clock (minus the mechanism) made from wood with cable cars etc....Each idea I get fascinated about look at YouTube videos of it and really get the tast until another idea creeps in.

My interests: Model making, Railways both real and model, London Underground, woodwork, gardening, landscape and townscape painting to name a few lol...

Some might say having lots of ideas is great but problem is you never decide what project to do and nothing ever gets started.

I think the steam locomotive was far more technologically advanced for its time than any jet airliner is today.

Even looking at an A1 Pacific there is far more to it than the jet engine. The jet engine is relatively simple, fans that get smaller as the force air into a narrow appeture to combust it. Attached to wings a body and tail.

The steam engine is far more complex than that. Fire tubes, superheater elements , firebox stays. Even the complex shaping of the firebox end and boiler barrel that holds immense pressure, a pressure able to pull hundreds of tonnes of freight. All manner of steam pipes and tubes, water injectors, lubricators. Accurately timed valves and Walcherts valve gear that to this day I have difficulty understanding.

So is the Steam locomotive far ahead of its time compared to airliners?

What is the cheapest price in recent years a 5” gauge live steam loco has been sold for?

Ive seen one on Ebay a flying Scotsman for £2800. It’s not been run in 15 years, the boiler needs re-commissioning and a good clean, rust removal, a new coat of paint. Is this the starting price you could expect for one that’s in working condition but needs good tidy up, or have you seen cheaper?

What is the average price for one in working condition?

I just seen some metal digital calipers advertised at Lidl for £8.99. At such a cheap price are they accurate and suitable for model locomotive engineering?

How do you prevent the boiler exploding on a live steam loco that has crashed or fallen on its side? Obviously with small locos you can quickly right them but it’s a lot harder with bigger heavier locos such as 5” or 7 1/4” gauge.

I recently saw a picture of a 15” loco on its side. How would the driver prevent the boiler from exploding considering its safety valve is probably under water.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Hackworth valve gear over Walschaerts or Stephenson’s valve gear?

From what I can see on live steam locos Hackworth looks a lot simpler, is this true?

I read about an incident in a BR standard class 7 in the 1960s where a driver was killed when the firebox blew back filling the cab with flames. What causes blowback to happen?