Steam Engines

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Reading Bobs new thread on aircraft engines made me think that we don't see a lot of steam based stuff pictured here. Consequently I thought I would try to address that.

These engines are as follows:

The twins are Graham Industries TVR1A BBs kits with home made cylinder and valve chest covers. Set up to reflect each other as a twin engine tug installation.

The maroon single is also a Graham Industries kit with again home made covers.

The green single is a Stuart Turner 10V, which was bought in a very rusted and seized condition and was completely stripped down and refurbished. The green paint is actually marine two pack epoxy paint from the ship's main engine spares!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Wonderful engines Richard.

I always think of these model steam engines as little works of art, and I would happily have a few on a shelf to gaze at (if we had any shelves)

They always have a hand-made element to them, be it repairs, custom bits or just simply the copper plumbing to connect them up.

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Ashley, I can just see you in a steam punk outfit operating some wonderful experimental steam plant on the pond!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i once owned a Stuart Tripple expansion engine in an early stage of build which i had been given…..probably about 35 years ago, but not being a model engineer i couldn't complete it and couldn't get anyone to complete either even after advertising in Model boats magazine at the time……..so sold it.

i know i couldn't have machined and built it, as 10 years before that i had bought from Stuart in Henley on Thames where they had their works and shop, with built engines in the windows at the time on the main street, and often went up there to have a gaze, as i used to teach just down the road in Maidenhead.

For i had a bash under the guide of the metalwork head of department of turning and milling one of the con rods for my new kit…..the Stuard compound twin launch engine which cost me 90 quid at the time.

but i would have loved to have seen both finished and working………..but not to be, as i sold them on to friends at the time.

whether they got built i dont lknow…….but the sands of tiome move never to reform the same way. a chance missed and now lost for ever.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Do you have to have a Mamod type steam plant tested and certified?? Sort of fancied a vintage Bowman style steam boat…

Ashley

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 03/07/2021 10:22:49:

Ashley, I can just see you in a steam punk outfit operating some wonderful experimental steam plant on the pond!

Something like this !!

SHANTY : Down To Old Maui | Abney Park – YouTube

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I like that sequence Larry!

Colin

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Posted by The Long Build on 03/07/2021 12:03:06:

Posted by Richard Simpson on 03/07/2021 10:22:49:

Ashley, I can just see you in a steam punk outfit operating some wonderful experimental steam plant on the pond!

Something like this !!

SHANTY : Down To Old Maui | Abney Park – YouTube

That's about the size of it Larry, can you just imagine Ashley dressed like this?

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Posted by ashley needham on 03/07/2021 11:15:57:

Do you have to have a Mamod type steam plant tested and certified?? Sort of fancied a vintage Bowman style steam boat…

Ashley

Yes, but it is a very basic steam test after the initial pressure test. If you buy something like a Tony Green plant, which is along the lines of a Mamod type plant then it comes with a test certificate.

Have a look at Boiler Rooms 77 through to 83 where I put one of their boilers into a Krick Anna kit. Makes for a very pleasing yet simple and cheap set up.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Posted by neil howard-pritchard on 03/07/2021 10:46:28:

i once owned a Stuart Tripple expansion engine in an early stage of build which i had been given…..probably about 35 years ago, but not being a model engineer i couldn't complete it and couldn't get anyone to complete either even after advertising in Model boats magazine at the time……..so sold it.

i know i couldn't have machined and built it, as 10 years before that i had bought from Stuart in Henley on Thames where they had their works and shop, with built engines in the windows at the time on the main street, and often went up there to have a gaze, as i used to teach just down the road in Maidenhead.

For i had a bash under the guide of the metalwork head of department of turning and milling one of the con rods for my new kit…..the Stuard compound twin launch engine which cost me 90 quid at the time.

but i would have loved to have seen both finished and working………..but not to be, as i sold them on to friends at the time.

whether they got built i dont lknow…….but the sands of tiome move never to reform the same way. a chance missed and now lost for ever.

Neil, The Stuart triple expansion is probably well regarded as the pinnacle of model engineering machining. It is not only very involved from a machining point of view but there is a huge parts count with every piece being demanding. I suspect that there are a great number of them that never get finished. Things like this are a lifelong project:

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

When it comes to external combustion engines I have always been intrigued by the hot air Stirling engines. At the 2009 Brighton Modelworld show there was a very interesting boat on display. A couple of pics below plus my original report in Model Boats.The drivetrain is very ingenious with it's forward/reverse mechanism.

Colin

Two models were of particular interest. The first was an experimental Stirling Hot Air Engine powered launch, Stirling Silver II, constructed by Richard White and Roy Darlington. The hull is made from four sheets of 1mm plywood with just two bulkheads and is fitted with an aluminium deck. The powerplant is particularly ingenious in that the Stirling engine drives two flywheels mounted each side of the cylinder in a fore and aft direction. A rubber faced disc is then installed athwartships with a limited amount of pivot which enables it to engage with either flywheel or neither, controlled by a servo, which gives forward, neutral and reverse thrust. Final drive is by toothed belt to the propshaft. Performance is claimed to exceed comparably sized steam engines while the single gas cylinder gives over three hours of continuous use. Now that’s what I call clever!

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

That reversing mechanism is very original and beautifully built.

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 03/07/2021 13:04:35:

Posted by The Long Build on 03/07/2021 12:03:06:

Posted by Richard Simpson on 03/07/2021 10:22:49:

Ashley, I can just see you in a steam punk outfit operating some wonderful experimental steam plant on the pond!

 

Something like this !!

 

SHANTY : Down To Old Maui | Abney Park – YouTube

That's about the size of it Larry, can you just imagine Ashley dressed like this?

 

 

Does he not !!

Edited By The Long Build on 03/07/2021 22:38:46

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

Posted by Colin Bishop on 03/07/2021 12:58:40:

I like that sequence Larry!

Colin

There not a bad group, mainly covers but with an interesting twist in the way they perform Them, Check out there Chitty Chitty Bang bang version.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Love the imagery of the old maul song. There was a film with air boats like that in, can’t remember the one.

The Stirling engine boat is fabulous. Always fancied a lathe, but not sure I would either get the use from it or be good enough. Don’t suppose I will be making steam engines soon.

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

A lathe is an incredibly useful tool for anything imaginable that can be made by turning. Despite protests from traditional model engineers I use mine for polishing, tapering, woodwork and plastics. You can make up a simple bush or fitting in a matter of minutes and I could not imagine being without mine.

You shouldn't think of it for just metalwork and you certainly don't have to be an expert to use one. Experience and familiarity does enable you to produce more and more with it.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Richard take a look at the steam engine, I`ve just posted, in my list of boat builds blog

It`ll blow your socks off!

Built by my brother many years ago

Beautiful

Bob

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Sorry Bob, where is that?

Forget that, I've got it!

Edited By Richard Simpson on 04/07/2021 12:10:21

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

Posted by ashley needham on 04/07/2021 08:57:53:

Love the imagery of the old maul song. There was a film with air boats like that in, can’t remember the one.

The Stirling engine boat is fabulous. Always fancied a lathe, but not sure I would either get the use from it or be good enough. Don’t suppose I will be making steam engines soon.

Ashley

Stardust 2007 ?.

 

Edited By The Long Build on 04/07/2021 14:25:33

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I loved the imagery of the Old Mauai song too. It reminded me of my visit to Steampunk HQ in New Zealand, I just loved it!

**LINK**

Or Google it. Very imaginative.

The original airboat was Jules Verne's 'Clipper of the Clouds'.

**LINK**

Colin

[bill Stafford 4Participant @billstafford4]

could i ask richard, what hes next choice in engines as the tvr-1 is not available

and,i noticed a trend in model gas boilers to simplify a scotch boiler w only 6 fire tubes and 1 main furnace tube, any opinions??

im only a new chum but im getting bits together for a boiler, but a lot of red tape in au to deal w

cheers

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Hi Bill, I was particularly disappointed to hear that production was to cease by Graham Industries as I have always believed they were lovely engines.

With them gone if you still want to consider a valve operated engine then there are some beautiful examples from Chilterm Model Steam in kit form:

Chiltern Link

Or there are the Marten & Howes engines here:

Marten & Howes Link

and for oscillating engines there is Clevedon Steam:

Clevedon Steam Link

and a lovely range from Miniature Steam Models:

MSM Link

There is also a Chinese supplier who uses Ebay who produces some very nicely built engines, this is one example:

Galglg Link

I must admit I have not seen the type of boilers that you refer to however the only reason for reducing the number of tubes would be cost of manufacture. This of course would then be at the expense of efficiency but the question would be whether the loss of this amount of efficiency would be noticed in a model boiler. Perhaps not so maybe the reduction in cost might be seen as worth it.

[bill Stafford 4Participant @billstafford4]

dear richard, thank you for the advise, i really enjoy your column in MBs, especially the new steam launch, its nice to see the gadgets in use the boiler i was refering to was the archer article about 5 yrs ago??

it has 1 furnace fire tube and 6 smaller fire tubes, no secoundary return fire tube, and steams at 25 psi.

ive seen centre flues on a 100mm boile w D-10, who coundnt keep up, and they went to a scotch, no problem

out here in au its really tough, boiler safety is controlled by loco clubs, who consider marine boilers toys, and the regs are very tough, to the point were boilers arnt being built

another design ive looked at is multi tubular, im keen on twin burners, if needed

so im thinking a scotch,5 or 6 inch in diam, about 78 inch long, built w 3 fire furnace tubes, so as i can select single or twin burners, due to my lack of experience, options are important, and the cost will be high plus 510 3 hr trips to get certification, we have built our own boiler test set up, but that wont get through certification.regards and thanks bill s

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