The Home of Articulated Ugliness
Ralph, et al.
I was mistaken earlier when I wrote that Days only produced the one steam loco. I have since found this other loco, known as Richard's Big Loco. (His small loco was a Kerr Stuart 0-4-2 T which derailed at every opportunity.)
Note this is a Heisler clone, while Ezards was a Climax clone.
Maybe this will be my next project...
Mick
Chief Operating Officer
Northern Timber Company - Mt Beenak
Here is a link to David Fletcher's model of the Harman loco. As stated in the site, the Harman was a disaster and was replaced by Climax number 1694.
http://4largescale.com/fletch/d30a.htm
There are two builders photos of the Harman on this site:-
http://steamplace.com/harman.htm
Ralph,
That website is bizarre
Love the website, and I love the collection of wierd loco types you have researched.
I am a fan of the Garratt. We had two on the 2 foot six Narrow Gauge in Victoria, Numbered G41 and G42. They were 2-6-0 + 0-6-2. I rode behind G42 the other day at Puffing Billy, where I volunteer as a Conductor. I built one many years ago in On2-1/2. (Now called On30 by the yanks).
My next project is to find photos of the Harman and post them for you. I know you will appreciate it. It was a fairly unique loco, if a total failure. It is not entirely unlike your Hannah loco.
Here the the remaining photos of Ezard's loco. Hope you find them interesting.
Mick P.S. Thanks for teaching me the process of posting photos.
Wow! A geared Garratt! I have never seen that before, but it looks like a wonderful design, and eliminates the problem of the flexible steam couplings.
I have some clue of what Days did in building the loco, but I do not have things like critical dimensions. I am happy to use the cylinders which come off the LGB Orrenstien and Koppel loco (#23140) and that is what Ezard used. However, I am not sure about the overall length, width, height, boiler diameter etc. The only dimension I know with any accuracy is the wheel diameter... and I am not using accurate wheels, just the ones from the mechanism that comes closest!
Does any one know of a way to scale dimensions from a photograph, when the view is not side on?
What do you know? That worked. Prepare to be bombarded with every photo I have ever taken. Here is an earlier view of the loco, before the side tanks were added.
The large square box at the rear was a water tank. Later two side tanks were added, but I don't know if the water tank was retained at the rear or if it was used for fuel. In some shots the fuel (fire wood) was seen stacked on top of the boiler, between the tanks.
Anyone able to identify anything else of the history of this loco?
I finally created an account in photobucket, and here is my first attempt to link a photo to it.
This is the view of it in its later life.
You have it almost exactly, except the differential is on the axle closest to the central gear box, not on the outside axle.
We had one example of a loco similar to your Hannah, known as the 'Harman'. It was manufactured by the Harman Company, who were known locally for very successful steam winches. Their only attempt at a steam loco was a dismal failure. It had steam delivery to the four wheel bogies through the central pivot of the bogies, and small cylinders on the outside of each bogie frame, similar to the photo of 'Hannah'. It was two foot six inch gauge, but never did anything much more than its delivery run!
It was replaced by a class B Climax number 1694, same gauge. That loco was salvaged by the Puffing Billy Railway and fully restored to revenue service. It is currently undergoing a full rebuild. I saw it Tuesday. It looks like it is ready to go back together. The Bachmann Climax is a really close model of it.
Ezard was a logger in the early 1900s who had a flair for design and engineering. He bought two used german steam locos, an 0-4-0 and an 0-6-0 and sent them to Days Engineering in Melbourne with instructions to create a climax style loco. The cylinders off one loco sat horizontal to the track below the centre of the loco, and drove a central gearbox, from which drive shafts ran forward and back to two four wheeled bogies. The inner axle of each bogie was driven by a differential and the outer axle was driven by side rods off the other axle. This was a one off loco. Days mainly built petrol and diesel powered rail tractors. There is no other evidence of them producing another steam loco.
Imagine two LGB field railway loco mechanisms being the drive units, and the steam chest and pistons off one loco slung under the boiler driving a gearbox off a Bachmann climax. Over one bogie a Stainz 0-4-0 loco cab and side tanks, an extended boiler, a diamond stack off a Shay... are you starting to get the picture...
All I need now is the critical dimensions, and about $2,000 for the five locos which will give their lives to build it.
Being such a quirky and local topic I don't know that anyone outside my backyard will be able to help, but you never know. I have one or two pictures of the loco, but I have no idea how to post them.
G'day guys, (this may be specific for Australian members, sorry)
Has anyone done any research on Ezard's geared loco. It was used in the Warburton and Erica areas of Victoria. I am going to build a model using the mechanisms from two LGB field locos and a scratchbuilt upper body. I plan to write an article/photos as I go about building it. I know it had a number of changes in its life, but I don't know what and when or the exact sizes of major details. I would appreciate any help or correspondence.
Timber tramways down under.
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