Gun Metal/ cast iron / Brass

Hi guys i am building a 5" Tich with out castings on the drawing for the cylinders it calls for gun metal can i use cast iron or brass as i have lots of cast iron & brass.

thanks Kevin

CI would be the better of the two.

Hi Kevin,

Tich is not a club workhorse design. It is unlikely to see much use when completed. Most end up as ornaments on a shelf.

So I would make the cylinders out of brass. I would use cast gunmetal for the pistons and valves, and with soft old fashioned graphite packing and a decent lubricator. The rear axleboxes and conn rod small end bearing will wear out well before any noticeable wear on the cyinder bores or valve faces.

Cheers,

Julian

Even in 5"? ...or did you miss that bit?

Steve.

.

I have no real personal interest in 'club workhorse' designs [or, for that matter, model railway locomotives in general] but; I think that must be one of the most disillusioning statements I have ever read.

It's hard to imagine the countless hours 'wasted' by budding 'Model Engine-eers' over the decades.

MichaelG.

Well said Michael!

Steve.

The Emperor strikes again. Keep building.

Yes, sincere apologies Kevin, missed the 5"g bit.

Cheers,

Julian

Thanks for the comments guys as this is my first Loco it will give me the experience for bigger things as i have always wanted to build a loco.

i guess i will join a club at some time in the next year.

i probably will be asking questions from time to time also are there any drawing error i heed to be aware off

thanks Kevin

Cast Iron usually wears less and is much to be preferred for heavy use. Brass is not the best material to use for cylinders. However, it's quite easy to do what I did and fabricate cylinders from bits of brass tube and plate and then fit cast iron - or gunmetal - liners. Making them from mild steel is also an option - but you'll need to line these for certain, and to take care to squirt WD40 or similar into them after a run.

Using cast iron piston rings in cast iron cylinders is also an excellent idea; making them has been described several times.

Good luck with your Tich, Kevin. I run a little 3.1/2"G 0-4-0ST that is a tad bigger than Tich and a bit smaller than Juliet. It's older than both those designs! It goes like stink for a while (until it gets choked up) and it does need to be thrashed a bit to take two round the track at Eggborough, but it brings a smile to my face, and it can also serve as a mantelpiece ornament when not in use... Your 5"G version should be a lot less difficult to keep going, too.

People forget the origins of Tich. It was primarily intended to provide a way for 2 1/2" gaugers a 'step up' to 3 1/2" gauge that could use some of their left-over castings and materials but was also consciously intended to be the 'smallest 3 1/2" gauge loco yet... inexpensive easy and simple".

It was never intended to be a hard-working passenger hauler but :

"I can just imagine the roars of derisive laughter that the mere suggestion of such an engine would have conjured up in the days gone by. Thank goodness we know better now ; not only will the tiny engine steam and run, but she will give you a ride no matter what your size and weight."

... and she does!

N.

I can only agree with you Neil, I was given the "Tich" book as a birthday present in the early '70's after seeing it advertised on the back of the Model engineer magazine. I started the loco at school during Metalwork classes and made a few parts. I didn't make a lot of progress and then life started to get in the way. I fully understand that it may not be the ideal beginners engine to build but I still think that the book gives an excellent introduction into Model Engineering for any beginner. "Read the Tich book and then build a Simplex or Rob Roy" is a common cry. To dismiss it as a "Useless ornament that lives on a shelf" is very unfair and as many examples have proven, totally untrue. I find it very annoying when people feel the need to spout off about what some builders regard as their pride and joy, just because they don't like the model in question. In this particular case the wrong engine was targeted and the thread was derailed. Rant over.

Steve.

Build 2 chassis and make a Kitson Meyer!

Hi Steve,

All I can say is when I started this lark at age 16, I joined my local club which was then the IWMES, and I was told not under any circumstances build a 3.5"g 'Tich' by very experienced fellow model engineers. Instead I was told, in fact directed, to build Don Young's 5"g Railmotor design as a first loco.

As I knew the 'words and music ' for 'Tich' almost off by heart, this was an initial disappointment, but I do not regret the sage advice I received all those years ago, and a 5"g Railmotor was started straightaway. It was so easy to fire and drive that my 2 daughters when quite young learnt to drive on it at the club track.

I do not apologise at all for my earlier post that most 3.5"g Tichs remain as ornaments, or not even finished as ebay proves.

LBSC's Juliet is a much better design and better proportioned re the boiler.

Cheers,

Julian