Search found 504 matches

by James Powell
Wed Jun 07, 2023 8:03 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line
Replies: 342
Views: 742538

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

John, where is this at ? On the west coast ?
by James Powell
Thu May 25, 2023 11:18 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: New York City - Live Steam
Replies: 11
Views: 2419

Re: New York City - Live Steam

Live Steam did an article on steam in NYC - I'm going to say in the 70's, when there were still businesses using steam engines to power various things, fed off the Con Ed district heating steam (& other competetors). Things like chocolate factories, and IIRC, some small scale sugar refining oper...
by James Powell
Wed May 24, 2023 12:52 pm
Forum: Live Steam Marketplace
Topic: Seeking 3/4" rail
Replies: 21
Views: 4983

Re: Seeking 3/4" rail

Transport boxes- my Britannia has a wooden box, with a flat bottom piece of ~5/4" or so and relatively thin plywood sides, which is a fairly close fit to the engine for lifting/manouvering. https://live.staticflickr.com/7652/27159827715_ed005db7d1.jpg DSCF1147 by Peach James , on Flickr (Brit i...
by James Powell
Thu May 11, 2023 4:19 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Superheated or Saturated?
Replies: 30
Views: 6385

Re: Superheated or Saturated?

We've done that- I have the gear for the throttle on my Britannia. Throttle only, no reverser. Used to double head with Caribou I, as the front engine. The 5" 040-040 (the D class, DHR) will likely have servos to control the valve position, as the real one had issues when designed with the reve...
by James Powell
Thu May 11, 2023 9:50 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Superheated or Saturated?
Replies: 30
Views: 6385

Re: Superheated or Saturated?

I hope you put a substantial incline at the ends of the track ! One of the previous efforts at a up and down is in the background of this image: https://live.staticflickr.com/5775/21555010450_47157283be.jpg Thing4 by Peach James , on Flickr (merely 25 years ago...) Next thing you know, he'll want me...
by James Powell
Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:49 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Boiler expansion brackets
Replies: 17
Views: 2216

Re: Boiler expansion brackets

Well, scale wise, it'll be relatively proportional, and I know that on full sized steam tractors (traction engines) that use the boiler as the mainframe, you have to allow for up to 1/16" of difference between cold and warm on the valve gear...so probably 5-10 thou on a 3.5" loco. That bei...
by James Powell
Tue Mar 28, 2023 8:10 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Boiler expansion brackets
Replies: 17
Views: 2216

Re: Boiler expansion brackets

I just took a look at my Caribou (it's sitting here at work with me...), and it appears as though the front of the firebox is tied to a stay plate similar to the one in Dick Morris's photo. The rear of the firebox is "wedged" between a set of brackets that holds the cab on, with a U shaped...
by James Powell
Sat Mar 11, 2023 9:48 pm
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Cylinder to piston clearance
Replies: 17
Views: 6059

Re: Cylinder to piston clearance

It depends on what you are using for rings. If you are using something hard (like, for example, cast iron...or PTFE, or...) then a fairly large clearance will work fine. If you are using soft packing, then a rather much tighter clearance is needed. Remember that in the smaller sizes, it gets much ha...
by James Powell
Fri Mar 10, 2023 7:26 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Regulator size
Replies: 27
Views: 4571

Re: Regulator size

Paul, how many pounds per hour of fuel are you going to burn ? Or how big is the grate (if coal fired). Multiply that by 10, and that's a rough (but good enough for this) answer. So, if you have 2 sq ft of grate (288"), you likely can burn not more than 100 lb/hr, and generate ~1000 lb hr of st...
by James Powell
Wed Mar 08, 2023 9:41 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Is buying a part finished project worthwhile?
Replies: 27
Views: 7903

Re: Is buying a part finished project worthwhile?

I suppose I should note something about the wagon above- it started out as someone else's project, in the form of David Turner (who moved to NZ from Ontario) boiler, which got a rather large dent put into it where the cylinder should have sat. (it's a 1 1/2" Allchin boiler). That's all that arr...
by James Powell
Wed Mar 08, 2023 9:28 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Is buying a part finished project worthwhile?
Replies: 27
Views: 7903

Re: Is buying a part finished project worthwhile?

A much younger (6 years ago !) view of the wagon that David built: https://live.staticflickr.com/3859/14633515979_634076f470.jpg DSC_0009 by Peach James , on Flickr With the trailer finished: https://live.staticflickr.com/8719/16966649739_5c81a6981d.jpg M4H02863 by Peach James , on Flickr
by James Powell
Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:46 am
Forum: Live Steam
Topic: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line
Replies: 342
Views: 742538

Re: Alcalde & Coalfield High Line

Hey Jack, how about another snow photo? The forecast for you is a lovely blizzard with gusts to 50 mph and a wind chill of 17. So poke the camera out the window and show us what that looks like! :P Come on taking pictures out the window seems kinda lame the Canadians over on the 3.5" Facebook ...