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Pics of steam chain-drive engines or critters?

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Pics of steam chain-drive engines or critters?
Posted by hoofe116 on Monday, October 6, 2008 8:40 PM

Can anyone point me at a site(s) where there are chain drive, gear drive steam engines and/or critters?

Thanx,

Les

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Posted by cabbage on Monday, October 6, 2008 10:51 PM
Hoofe,

As requested!

http://www.trainweb.org/nzgearedlocomotives/index.html

http://www.gearedsteam.com/

I have built quite a few of my 16mm scale locos from the NZ site....

regards

ralph

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 9:00 AM

Here's a nice un.

And another:

 

 

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
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Posted by hoofe116 on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 4:25 PM

Okay,

Thanks guys.

Les

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Posted by Takasaki Matt on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 4:55 AM

So, come on les, what are you planning?

Looking to buy or build?

There are a few geared / chain driven live steam loco makers out there.

Regards,

Matthew Foster Takasaki Light Railway http://www.freewebs.com/mjhfoster/
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Posted by cabbage on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 8:07 AM
Hoofe,

I have lots of pictures that I took during construction of my Davidson 12 wheeler that I never posted to the web site -you are free to have them if you like? The Davidson is actually one of the cheapest models that I have built, the major problem relates to building the transfer box between the chain cogs and the gear wheels. The original used double herring bones -but I use simple straight cut ones.

David took some photographs of the sole survivor in NZ and I am sure that he would allow me to pass them along to you?

regards

ralph

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Posted by hoofe116 on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 5:54 PM

T. Matt,

Buy?? Perish the thought.

If you have a collection of NG&SL Gazettes, in one of the 90's issue there is a critter article named Donkey Hote. (The 'e' should be accented, but I don't know how to make this 'puter do that stuff--so it'll sound like 'Don Quixoti', aloud.) Not sure on the spelling. It's a freelanced--aren't most of 'em?--little chain-drive steamer using a donkey boiler. I already know I'm going to change the gearing. I can give you the exact issue if you'd like.

The other reason I posted was, I'm getting so frustrated with unexpected projects--a furnace in my mother-in-law's apartments, for instance, complete with rewiring underwired outlets via crawlspaces (and I'm old)--that I've decided to string long extension cords as needed to my 'model shop' (1/3 of laundry room) and at least begin mocking up some projects. I realized that I have no good concept of how fast these small can motors turn under load, so I thought I'd put together a gear train and find out. All spur gears, so far. They're simpler to figure out. Obviously, starting at the beginning, much/most of my initial efforts will be aimed at building jigs and fixtures, like an engine roller test base. I have a nifty design in mind that beats these astronomical--make that galactic--prices by far. If it works out, I'll post it.

For example, when I read that the Japanese to excellent layered card-stock modelling, I got some heavy tag paper and glued up various thicknessess to see how workable it is. Got involved with a misc emergency, and now the specimens are MIA. Frustrating, I say.

Les

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Posted by hoofe116 on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 6:11 PM

Cabbage,

Regrettably, by building indoors I find I am forced to stick with the shortest possible engines and rolling stock. I'm figuring on two-axle rolling stock and x-4-x engines. (Though I did see an 0-2-0 + a single-axle tender--I think on the new AWNUTS site.) I'm not sure you'd find one of those interesting, given what you're building. I still need to see if I can build something in F scale that will navigate a 45mm gauged radius under 24", which number I believe I got from you some time ago as the recommended minimum radius for that gauge. Since my RR will be PP and mining, logging w. no passenger revenue, I think it can be done, figuring handlaid track. So the long ones, fascinating as they are, just won't do for my circumstances. This is no large problem, because my initial fascination with LS is/was the ability to scratchbuild.

Thank you for the kind offer, though.

Les

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Posted by DannyS on Thursday, October 9, 2008 2:31 AM
Refer Gear Driven Steam's attached photos, the lower one is of the Foden locomotive on the Beaudesert Shire Tramway, south of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.  This line closed in 1944.
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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Thursday, October 9, 2008 6:45 AM

Along these lines, This could be of some help.

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Posted by cabbage on Thursday, October 9, 2008 9:20 AM
Hoofe...

Really!!! The reason you build articulated locomotives is to get the big ones around the corners!!!

This is 12 wheels on a 2 foot curve (front of loco to left):



This is 16 wheels on a 2 foot curve:



The curves are not prototypical I will admit -they are actually WIDER than the ones the originals were designed to take. A Price 16 wheeler could take 90 foot curves and the driver could see the INSIDE of the flanges of the wheels when it did so...

regards

ralph

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Posted by hoofe116 on Thursday, October 9, 2008 2:16 PM

Holy cow, Ralph! I had no idea such length was possible. Well, now ... new vistas opening....

Thanks for the headzup!

Les

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Posted by cabbage on Thursday, October 9, 2008 2:41 PM
Hoofe,

I have already written a PDF on how to build your own Price 16 Wheeler -feel free to use it as a guide to building larger articulateds. There is also the missive on types of articulateds in the home page. The biggest thing I have ever got to go around a 2 foot curve is a "Super Golwe" at 87cm long.



This is a 2-6-0+0-6-4 locomotive and is not recommended for any beginner to model!!! Mine is a true functioning Golwe in that gets longer the tighter it corners...

Have fun and welcome to the weird and wonderful world of articulateds!!!

regards

ralph

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Posted by hoofe116 on Thursday, October 9, 2008 7:02 PM

Gear,

Yeah, this is in the ballpark of what I'm looking for. Small, clunky-looking.

Thanks for the drawings.

Les

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Posted by hoofe116 on Thursday, October 9, 2008 7:09 PM

Ralph,

"... the tighter the radius, the longer it gets..." ? Hm. Let me guess: and expansion-type connection between the mainframe and the 'tender'?

No, that's definitely not a beginner's model. 87cm? Let me think: @2.5cm/in we have ... that's pretty long, y'know?? Smile [:)]

Les

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:13 AM
No problem at all hoofous. I'm still lookin, too.
It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 11, 2008 10:44 PM

I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.

Toad

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Sunday, October 12, 2008 2:36 PM

"I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.

Toad"

You were gone? 

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 12, 2008 8:25 PM

Yeah left computer and all for about a week.....Was fun.

Toad

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Posted by hoofe116 on Monday, October 13, 2008 5:28 PM
 ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote:

I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.

Toad

Toadster:

Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.

Hoofe

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Posted by hoofe116 on Monday, October 13, 2008 5:33 PM

Toad,

Dude. You need to take the ampersand (the &) outta your handle and change it to a plain 'and' (w/o the quotes). It makes this site barf my posts to you. I got Bernie to figure out what it was.

Les

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Monday, October 13, 2008 5:43 PM
It does that to me too. It says "no matching quote blocks".
It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 13, 2008 7:19 PM
 hoofe116 wrote:
 ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote:

I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.

Toad

Toadster:

Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.

Hoofe

Hoofe,

If you can pull off a Pikes Peak Loco then I would buy one from you. Cog man, I should be able to make the RR for it.

Toad

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 13, 2008 7:21 PM
 hoofe116 wrote:

Toad,

Dude. You need to take the ampersand (the &) outta your handle and change it to a plain 'and' (w/o the quotes). It makes this site barf my posts to you. I got Bernie to figure out what it was.

Les

Les,

Yeah I have known all along..... All you have to do is delete it when quoting me.

Toad

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Posted by hoofe116 on Monday, October 13, 2008 8:05 PM
 ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote:
 hoofe116 wrote:
 ToadFrog and WhiteLightn wrote:

I leave here for a week and find Les and Gear up to there elbows in chain! Oh man.

Toad

Toadster:

Chain drive is the wave of the future. Count on it. Don't doubt me.

Hoofe

Hoofe,

If you can pull off a Pikes Peak Loco then I would buy one from you. Cog man, I should be able to make the RR for it.

Toad

Not sure what model you have in mind, but I do believe I can build one. It's just a gear and a rack, and likely either well-laid track or sprung axles + judicious weight on same. What's the big deal?

H.

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 13, 2008 8:15 PM
 hoofe116 wrote:
Not sure what model you have in mind, but I do believe I can build one. It's just a gear and a rack, and likely either well-laid track or sprung axles + judicious weight on same. What's the big deal?

H.

Show me some Pikes Peak models and yeah I want the cog chain drive.

The big deal is I have always liked the old RR (that it was). Now it moves people.....

Toad

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Posted by hoofe116 on Monday, October 13, 2008 9:08 PM

Toad,

Mechanically, it shouldn't be hard. Can't you grab a rack loco and put the superstructure on it you want?

As for 'showing models' I have none and don't expect to for awhile as I'm still trying to get started myownself. Being a tool & die maker is one thing, being a scale modeller is a different ball game. I want to one day make a cog RR, just to see what it takes. The concept is simple enough, but, the devil's in the details. Yeah!! [yeah]

H

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 9:21 AM
Does someone make rack track to go with the rack loco?
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 9:55 AM

 GearDrivenSteam wrote:
Does someone make rack track to go with the rack loco?

Gear,

If my information is correct LGB at one time made the rack track but don't make it any more and the only person who may know is Buckso now.

Toad

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Posted by hoofe116 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:42 PM

Gear,

I don't know. I'd assume, if a rack loco was made and sold, it would about have to.

From my perspective, making a rack is not a big deal. Just thinking off the top of my head, I'd try a delrin-type sprocket from one of these gear suppliers, and just to cheat, buy the matching chain. Fix the chain between the middle of the rails, affix the sprocket to the driven axle, and viola!

Here's the hard part (if one is building it): finding a pair of large driver wheels, and a smaller diameter set of other driver wheels--assuming you want an x-4-x, both of which provide enough 'rake' to keep the boiler level on the grade you choose. I'd imagine some fiddling back and forth would be necessary. Wait--the rack gear would be the driver, so the rest would all be idlers.

I have some wide gears that came out of a power tool. Perhaps 1/2" w. and about 1-1/4" dia. I was discussing with someone about using one of those, and just hacksawing teeth in a hardwood strip. By dusting the gear's teeth w. carpenter's chalk, perhaps one revolution's worth of teeth could be marked, then cut. Some filing would be needed, I'd think. But it could be done provided the gear tooth engagement was deep enough to accept unevenness in the track.

This board needs 'Etch a Sketch'! Sigh

Ol' Frogster seems pretty handy. Bet he could do it. I imagine anyone could if they wanted to climb the sharp part of the learning curve.

Les

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