The Home Machinist!

Guys: There is a little more to the system than is shown here. I have a paper on an automatic brake system that is almost like the one shown except it uses a PRV on the apply side along with some other improvements. The paper I have includes all the Parker part numbers and a very comprehensive expla...

Years ago I had a problem with my Pacific slipping. I didn't know what the weight distribution should be so I checked with the Chief Engineer of the V&T Railroad in Virginia City, Nevada and was told the distribution should be 10% lead truck 80% drivers and 10% trailing truck. No idea what it wo...

David:

Be Nice.

It's the mans first post and you jump down his throat like there is no tomorrow. I can understand his posting, he has this stuff and has no idea of its worth so he goes to the forum for advice on value. Lets help him out, not jump down his throat.


Bill

Charlie: In answer to your question. Mechanical lube oil pumps are driven with a ratchet mechanism driven by a lever driven off the valve motion or some other means to obtain fore and aft motion. I had the same problem on an INVICTA I recently purchased. I solved the problem by increasing the length...

My last steamboat had a 5 HP Semple vertical boiler that was fired with a steam atomizing burner from a 1" scale loco. The steam for the burner was supplied by a pressure reducing valve and controlled by a needle valve. There was a loop of stainless steel tubing in the firebox between the needl...

I did not consider the rest of the world when I made my comment about the 7.25" gauge live steamers in the US, I specified the UNITED STATES, not the world. The probability of my ever going to any part of the old world with my steamer is maybe 1 in 1000000 so I don't see any reason to even cons...

What are the odds of this ever coming to fruition ??? When will the 7.25" gauge realize they are out of step with over 90% of the United States live steamers and convert to 7.5" gauge? Why limit yourself to just a few tracks in the New England area of the US, convert to 7.5" gauge and...

That would be fun. Making the engines work, not just running steam through them and out the stack with 95+% of the power still in the steam.

Keep up the good work and have fun.


Bill

Make another burner and mount it in the center. You can never have too much heat. I remember from years ago when my children were playing with R/C airplanes I told them to install the largest engine available. You can always back off the throttle if its more than you need but when its wide open and ...

Over the years I have had four full size steamboats, most with vertical boilers. All were oil fired. The usual method of firing is to mount a steam atomizing burner vertically in the firebox with a baffle plate mounted above the burner to protect the bottom tube sheet. Another method is to mount the...

Hey Guys: How many have run at Fiddletown? Mainline is about 3.5% and Reno has a test track for the Shay boys that starts at 3.5% and goes up from there. There is one spot on the lower loop where the grade is about 6%. Very few engines can make that pull without breaking traction. I have run at trac...

Interesting run but not a challenge. I could set the throttle on my steamer and run the complete loop without touching the throttle. Have you considered putting in some grades? Nothing too steep, just 1 or 2%. You have your tunnel so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to route a track over the tun...