Small Diesel engines for motive power

This forum is dedicated to Riding Scale Railroading with propulsion using other than steam (Hydraulics, diesel engines, gas engines, electric motors, hybrid etc.)

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Steggy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by Steggy »

rkcarguy wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:37 pm I've got a piece of 8x6x3/8 rectangle tube about 15" long that will be my "fuel tank" muffler. Exhaust will flow into the top, make several passes through some tubes and perforated metal packed with rock wool, then exit into the stack.
Here's an exhaust silencer I built for a friend's Kohler-powered F7. No rock wool was harmed in the making of this silencer. :D


One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (inlet end)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (inlet end)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (outlet end)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (outlet end)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (partial)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Assembly (partial)
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Exploded View
One Cylinder Exhaust Silencer Exploded View
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Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
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Steggy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by Steggy »

Bill Shields wrote: Thu Sep 06, 2018 8:11 pm another way to 'eliminate the lawn mower effect' is to put steam through the exhaust :shock:
Steam-powered Diesel locomotive. Now there's a novel concept. :D
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Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
rkcarguy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by rkcarguy »

BDD, yeah my muffler is going to be similar to that, except both my inlet and outlet will be on the same end(baffled) and I'll use packing in the perforated metal.
nabob
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by nabob »

Have you seen "For sale 1.5 scale 7.5 ga. diesel/hydraulic box cab " in Sept 19 live steam marketplace? nabob
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steamin10
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by steamin10 »

As an aside, you can use those copper based chore-boy pads as packing for mufflers too. They do not blow apart or corrode much and strain the gases for slowing the wave pulses nicely.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
rkcarguy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by rkcarguy »

I've played with and made a lot of mufflers in my time. I feel that for what we are doing here, rock wool or other muffler packing will have a pretty long life. On the other hand, I owned an old RX-7 which was done up for spec class road racing in the late 90's, and this things exhaust was about 1,650* running in it's "sweet spot" and it ate mufflers and burned out packing in short order.
My racing buddy tried those scrubby pads in his RX-7 and it was burning them up and spraying glowing little chunks of them out the exhaust and he got black flagged lol. They should work fine for a 3-15HP utility engine powering a backyard locomotive though. I have a big package of 4 sheets of 1-1/2" rock wool 2'x4', so I have plenty.
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steamin10
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by steamin10 »

Dealers choice, some things are better than others. A former relative had a pulling tractor that made crazy horsepower. On a good pull it would melt the tubes for the exhaust and blow hols through them right before it spit aluminum from the piston tops. Crazy power. Too much money for me and repeat work too. It seemed like setting fire to money. Almost as much fun as running a roundy-round car. Still too much money.

I still like steam and its lore, for brute power that you can feel the pulse of.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
rkcarguy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by rkcarguy »

I can't say the racing I did burned up money like that, if you are melting pistons something is wrong with your tuning. My car was $50, engine and transmission from another wreck for $150, $600 for a cage kit, about $300 for springs and rear shocks, and I filled the front struts with 80wt. Racing seat, harness, and safety suit and helmet around $1,000. Tires were spec tires for less than $400, stock rims required. Some "free mods" were allowed but engine and transmission had to be stock. Figure I had about $2,800 in it all together and raced it for 2 seasons before I sold it and got my first house.
I like the live steamers a lot and have the access to the equipment to build one, but it's going to be a good 20+ years before I retire and could actually get to really put some time on one so it's not in the cards right now.
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Rk....

You won't have time then either. I'm working harder than when I was working, all I had to do then was show up and drive the train :shock: I always told people at work I was too lazy to retire :lol:

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
rkcarguy
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Re: Small Diesel engines for motive power

Post by rkcarguy »

That's a good one Mike. :lol:
I guess what I'm saying is right now I don't have time between work and kids and everything else to fill up and steam-up a live steam locomotive, use it, and then drain it, blow everything down, and oil everything, at least not very often. I'd get to use it maybe once a month when I'm going to need it probably twice a week and more if I want to "play" too. The "diesel" is going to be pull start, let the engine warm up for a minute or two while I build air pressure as well, and then off I go.
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