Member postings for Steve Addy

Absolutely awesome work Fred. I wonder if you have seen the YouTube videos of this Danish gentleman. Find Hansen YouTube Channel

To Redsetter

Am I right in thinking this clutch also allows you to set the balance of tick and tock, bu adjusting the angular position of the pallets in relation to the pendulum? There is some vague memory from when Dad bought the kit.

Thanks Michael. Glad it isn't just me. It usually does it when you make the final hair splitting adjustment. You then have to lengthen the pendulum and start again.

Thanks guys

In answer to Dick, I have just examined the driving chain with a very bright light, it still looks like new and shows no sign of the links opening up at the top.

To Michael, I can't see the escapement with the movement in the case.

I have watched it, and listened carefully for more than a minute, which ought to have run the escapement wheel through a full revolution. It isn't steam so I don't know! . The tick is very even and at the same angle at both sides of the swing. If the bloody thing suddenly went slower, I could imagine the screw at the bottom of the pendulum slipping, but not to make it shorter!

In 1998 my father purchased a Keininger RK grandmother clock with moon phase dial. He also had a swan neck top long case from Craft Supplies in Miller's Dale. Total cost was £679.50. On my parent's passing, the clock became mine about five years ago. It has an irritating feature I'm at a loss to explain. Clocks are not really my thing, but I do like it. It has just chimed a quarter as if to chide me for insulting it!

When the clock has been adjusted and is keeping good time, it will suddenly start galloping away at a rate of minutes per day. The pendulum adjustment required to get it right again is considerable.

Does anyone have any bright ideas about the cause of my rubber pendulum?

On a slightly different tack; work has been done on the oiler bracket for the Eaton Hydrostat Hiwin linear rail carriage. Pictures show the initial model in Fusion 360 and a purple 3D version clamped in the body, to see how it looked in practice. The other thing is a dual magneto/battery ignition control switch. This is a work of fiction as I've been unable to get a good photograph of the original dashboard. Splitdorf was in business at the time so could have made it.

I have also made progress on the dummy radiator, thanks to Mike Jack for the forty radiator panel castings. The pictures show the finished radiator fastened to the loco, and the jig made to sweat the 2mm, half-round brass beading round the front hole. The jig was laser cut from 3mm commercially pure aluminium to my drawings by ME Laser and worked better than I could have hoped. I have become a big fan of forming taps over the last year or two. They are not cheap but tapping M2 in steel with a cordless drill is a breeze. I'd recommend them as long as you buy quality kit.

I've got a bit further with the body doors/catches. These are more or less done now.

I did make a "brick arch" for a friend's Polly boiler. It was only mild steel welded to two legs at the front of the grate and not touching any of the boiler shell. It lasted remarkably well and made a big difference to the issue of blocked bottom row.

Thanks Nigel and Neil.

I don't know what the holes do and I wondered that myself when I first saw the drawing a few weeks ago. Unless they drew the embers back into the system and beat them repeatedly until they were ejected as harmless dust. There was a another design for areas where the fire risk was greater which I've included below.

She's a whole lot of fun to drive though and so much faster than I ever imagined. It is a shame that you only get to hear the engine when you slowly reverse across the traverser back up to the steaming bays at RVLS. Otherwise at 12 beats per revolution it is just a whoosh.

Pictures are of the Radley and Hunter stack with ports for emptying the cinders. I've put a sectioned version on too but that is slightly different in the initial spark diverter. It wouldn't like the oil we throw out of miniatures!

Steve

Finally a link to a clip on my YouTube channel of Lucie running at RVLS. I know the big ones were slow, but this one certainly isn't. Lucie at RVLS

She is a miniature 50 ton standard gauge loco to Lima code Baluster of about 1920 as near as I can make out.

Loco in steam at Ribble valley Live Steamers, Clitheroe. This was before the spark arrestor was made, there is a bit of wood on the fire for photographic effect. The only thing which doesn't work now is the steam pump. Much closer than it was, but no cigar as yet.

New nameplates to return her to the original name- I don't like ships and locos having name changes. These were CAD models, wax printed and cast in silicon bronze by Mike Jack in Auckland New Zealand. The enamel is a product called Efecolor available from Cookson Gold. Usual disclaimers.

This is the completed device.

Lima stack drawing

This strange thing was the start of of a Lima Improved Spark Arresto, which has been added to the diamond stack. I have a copy of the Shay book and put a picture of the Lima stack drawing into CAD and drew the diamond stack fitted to the model. I was pleased it is actually the same shape. I've designed a laser cut frame and it is effective with an 8 hole per mesh on the top. The exhaust comes out of the full area like the big ones and steaming is not impeded.

The brass collar seen here resting on a drive shaft has been replaced with a smaller diameter one in steel with a bronze thrust washer. The idea is that the materials are more suited to purpose and the smaller diameter collar cannot foul the gear if things come loose.

Here new glazing is being fitted to the cab windows after repainting the inside of the cab. The buffer beam red used originally really jarred on my nerves.

The loco going back together with the new oil supply visible. She has had new pistons and rods, a new regulator needle, the square cylinders have had the corners knocked off and a lot off pins in the valve gear were replaced when it was found they were in fact using a thread as a bearing surface. I have changed all the visible cross point screws in the engine for socket heads. Not prototypical but they look a lot better.

This is the lubricator dismantled for inspection and cleaning.