Member postings for Steamcoalnz

Does anyone know the current status of Castlesteam and if they are in operation?

A friend here in New Zealand has a V.6 vertical boiler on order and has tried e-mailing them over the last few weeks but has not replies.He is a little worried.

one of there principles has some health issues but there should be at least some sort of reply from someone I would hope.

Does anyone know more?

Thanks Hayden

Martin.

Now with the drawings of Don Youngs Hunslet to hand I will use this as the basis for the chassis for a Super sized IDRIS ( called Wendy) ? I will worry about the motion and works later being that #1 might be electric driven but as long as it conforms to the gauge requirements it should be ok.

The frames are 4mm plate.

Hayden

Jon,

I am just a bit further East than Darlington and to the south a tad, just beyond Australia in a place called New Zealand.

If you take a long boring bar you should come out just up the road from me, maybe 100 miles but thats pretty good. Just remember to turn the coolant on first

Most of my drawings are done on the back of an envelope but they are les common these days, so are the back of cigerette packets. Anything else is too complicated.

Just got a copy of the Don Young's Hunslet drawing so its a start, still looking for IDRIS though.

Hayden

Edited By Steamcoalnz on 12/04/2018 10:46:20

Martin.

I thought you might have built BIG steamboats, Lake Windemere like ones. All steamboats are good steamboats but ones you can carry in the car are even better

Jon mentioned about the Hunslet look to IDRIS, I agree and I own a nice 5" NG Dinorwic Hunslet too so can confer with those thoughts. It would be nice to bring a bit of simplicity to a steam loco without too many complications. To me the Sweel Pea and those Stafford type engines are just a little industrial for my liking and that's why a bit of brass and a nicely wood clad boiler looks the part, much like in a steamboat as you will appreciate.

I will look at the issues that relate to the series and se if I can draw up something

Hayden

Thats me Steamcoalnz, importer of the finest Welsh fuels for miniatures...and steamboats down under.

I must be like you as I have a steamboat half hull sitting on my desk as I type, but thats a project for well... some other time.

I am just after a GA drawing of the loco out line, something I can enlarge to 5" gauge at least and create a Super Size IDRIS. Its already named WENDY by the way, after one of the girls at my work.

Can you P.M me please?

Hayden

P.S You don't want a three drum steam boat boiler by any chance?

Jason B.

That's the one, but I would like it bigger, in terms of Sweet Pea or the like. Something about that wooden cleading as not many engines have it.

Dear I say it could even go electric or free lance. Have the Sweet Pea loco building book so there a start.

I might have the other issues but just need a .pdf of the loco outline. Will try to contact Martin via here.

Thank you .

How can I get hold of the designer of IDRIS that 16mm loco?

I was looking back at this older back issue and i like the look of the locomotive with wood cleading etc. Make it bigger maybe

Anyone help me out here?

Hayden

Guess if I order and have the material parts shipped by sea to New Zealand the construction issues might be to hand.

No really ..just being sarcastic chaps and thanks for the list Jason. I am sure amongst friends we could scrap together the materials and give it a go. Maybe I should start on the boat first.I quite like stationary boilers and the other half seems at ease now with the 8" dia one sitting in the living room. I'll squeek a few more in when she is away.

Thanks.

Hello.

The I have received the first part of this series but ask if anyone who has received the following copies can list the materials required for the drawn tubes and the firetubes, number, lengths, dia and gauge.

It would be good to assemble these parts before receiving the boiler construction issues later.

Thank you.

What is available by way of drawings for 3" scale portable engines apart from one that Reeves advertise?

Edited By Steamcoalnz on 08/03/2018 09:27:26

Would have to be rather large for a crossing.

I know its not the North Island but the South Canterbury model engineers had a ground level track as an oval. We have it now in private use as a raised track and its much like LBSC "Polar Route" of about 75 metres around.

What type of coal are you using?

Is it proper Anthracite Steamcoal so that it does not make smoke and block the tubes?

Neil.

Good on you for encouraging the 3.5" and hope it works out. See no reason as the other gauges have their specific groups and associations.

Their are some nice examples for sale in various places at the present, I have one but would live another or two. We are trying do do similar things in the Southern Island of New Zealand and have a bit of a collection so it does work here too.

bogstandard2

Is that a Raboesh brand variable prop in the photo.

I have two of them unused. Do not think they manufacture them any longer but I think I could machine my own up now with a bit or reverse engineering.

Hayden

John.

You will know Russell Ward?

Where you going...thought AKl was the best place to live in the world!

HB

Edited By Steamcoalnz on 23/01/2015 02:06:25

John.

Are you from NZ, Aust or the UK?

Nice boat and compound engine.

Maybe Kiwi engines are not ment to run on good Welsh coal. All my models are English and run fine as do my friends X-UK so maybe this is the problem.

Hayden

Lofty.

I have both Anthracite ( hard black carbon) and Welsh Dry ( soft brown).

The Welsh has a slight blue tinge to the smoke and a different aroma. Both are alluring to a loco driver!

You use exactly the same method to lite up I do, except I use soaked Namibian charcoal then natural charcoal and gradually feed in the beans. I can be lit up and on the track when the rest of the house coal brigade finally clear the smoke and find the firehole door!

I almost need my own "non-smoking" steaming bay !!

Never failed yet.

Andrew

If you have a read through this forum and the other pro.board one you will see what is written and I think Julian has provided some good information and data on the fuel. There is also another member who was a mine engineer in Wales and has plenty of knowledge of the variations which you would expect from a natural product under ground for 300million years.

From a calorific and ash point of view Welsh Coal are supreme. There are other true steam anthracite coals from other countries by I guess us in the New World look at the old countries for historical guidance and judging by what model engineers have fuelled their locos with since the late 1800's you will find no other reference apart from Anthracite. Honestly they do not even make reference to anything else as no other consideration was give apart to burn Anthracite fuels...end of story!

I will not repeat what is written but if you burn anthracite you cannot go wrong. It has twice the heat output, minimal sulphur and tar and will not damage tubes. If I did not think it was a fine fuel I would not have imported the quantity I did to New Zealand. Value for money it is cheaper and better but some modellers have found every way to discredit it you can think of. It will take time and those that have worked out how the run their engine correctly enjoy the benefits, nil emissions and less fuel used and a sweet aroma. No tarry cough after a days running!

I think they are trying the third version of Char now, Original Char which worked well but supply is difficult and production may have stopped, Coopers Char and Pacific Carbon Char are indifferent according to what I read in the Aust Model Engineer.Essentially I think that Char is a conglomeration of reconstituted coal fragments that have been heat treated and compressed with a binder to form a nugget. It has had the bad stuff removed. It does burn OK but if supply has become difficult then an alternative needs to be had. I'm just offering an alternative.

Anyway I am sure the experts in the industry will figure it out. I'll stay with the tried and true.

Hayden

Andrew.

If you want some proper Welsh stuff I have it here in New Zealand.

I offered to send some over to Australia as a trial, for free, to Melbourne but it seems no one is interested at all. Surely up there in Queensland there must be something to burn considering you are the largest carbon exporting state in the world.

I hear that in New Zealand they are waiting to try something else which sounds like a microwaved collection of leaves compressed into something to form coal. All I can say is they they must be mighty desperate if they are going to those lengths to find fuel. Just image they want to burn something that has not even been invented. Balmy in my book.

Anyway we happily tootle around the track with our Anthracite and not a care in the world.

Hayden

Hello John.

I have purchased some nuts an d bolts off of M.B.M in Auckland and they are OK for small quantities but I think if it was a big project from the start then the UK is better priced. I have had a fixing set from Stuarts and it was OK.Post and carriage is just a part of life and effectivly the less VAT rate for export equals the post cost.

Tools are best bought from the UK and pricing what I needed was going to cost £300 more if I purchased the equivalant in NZ.

I have bought all my locos and boilers out of the UK and also coils of steam 3/8 th steam copper coils and even with the duty and tax it is still half to one third cheaper than buying it in NZ, if you can get it at all.

luckily I have free shipping to New Zealand for heavy stuff so it saves many hundreds of pounds freight. If you need anything heavy sent out I might be able to help.

Hayden