Building a Burrell Road Loco called Thunderbolt

Hi,

I am showing you the build of my road loco. A lot of big parts are built and nearly all painted and are now being fitted to the boiler.

Hi,

Thunderbolt update,

Horn plates are fitted with their bearing housings attached. It isnt tightened up yet and they are not aligned.

One quick question. Should the bolts that hold on the horn-plates have washers on them?

Thunderbolt wrote:One quick question. Should the bolts that hold on the horn-plates have washers on them?

One quick answer. No. A washer would create a second bearing surface for the hornplates to move against and you really dont want that to happen.

Thank you

We are now dry fitting the cladding. All pieces are fitted apart from the ones which go I live with the cylinder block and has the belly tank bracket cut out. We are a little confused as to how it fits and is held in place. Has anyone go an idea and don’t hesitate to ask for photos.

This is the road loco by the way because I know the showman’s engine is different.

If you’re referring to the brass boiler bands, there’s 2 short ones in the kit that goes on the saddle of the cylinder block and meets at the bottom. That’s what I assume the question is about

No sorry i probably didnt explain myself well enough however me and dad have since worked it out but thank you for the replies and messages.

Simon C wrote:

Thunderbolt wrote:One quick question. Should the bolts that hold on the horn-plates have washers on them?

One quick answer. No. A washer would create a second bearing surface for the hornplates to move against and you really dont want that to happen.

Fitting a washer with the bolts that secure the horn-plates to the boiler will make no difference whatsoever. Washers do not form a "bearing surface". If you want some security to stop the bolts coming loose use Loctite Threadlocker.

I've heard that the best security for hornplate bolts is to use Foliac (Steam seal) just around the shank. This will harden with heat and they will not come loose. Apparently, this is what the original Burrell engineers used!!
Regards
Greg

Hi all, think I remember reading Lynn suggested using J B Weld on the Hornplate bolts.

Hi

Nope not me with the JB weld. My bolts are as is metal on metal. Never moved in 10 years of running and many hundreds of miles on the public roads.

The agricultural engine was prone to the horn plates moving as they only have four bolts. The key is to remove all paint where the boiler & horn plates touch. I use a 'collar' of JB Weld to infill the slack between the diameter of the bolts and the hole diameter in the hornplate. Even the slightest movement will show up with a cracked gauge glass.

More updates now

Hi All,

I am about to grind my crankshaft bearings in. I have got timesaver lapping powder which gets mixed with oil to make the paste. My question is which colour label should i use Yellow or green. And are the crankshaft bearings hard bronze?

Hi, The crank bearings are bronze, therefore use the Yellow timesaver! I used the fine grade ( not the ultra fine) and I had my crank bearings ground in beautifully in under 30 mins or so! It is a superb product ! Good luck and enjoy! Grég (Goliewogs)

Goliewogs wrote:Hi, The crank bearings are bronze, therefore use the Yellow timesaver! I used the fine grade ( not the ultra fine) and I had my crank bearings ground in beautifully in under 30 mins or so! It is a superb product ! Good luck and enjoy!  Grég (Goliewogs)

I see in pictures that others have used 2 nuts on the bearing housings…. But how tight should the lower nut be ?  It’s easy to get the crank to turn smoothly after using a bit of yellow “Timesaver” if the lower nut is finger tight + 1/4 turn with the spanner… but is that tight enough or should I tighten the nut a bit more and keep going with the Timesaver ?   Thanks for any advice !

Hi all,

Are there any useful websites to get supplies for my engine from. This may include parts as well as firming equipment and other things?

Many Thanks

Hi Milford,
I kept lapping my bearings in until the bearing cap nut could be done up tightly! (I haven't double nutted mine yet but I may do now!). My crank runs like silk with no latertal, or vertical movement in the bearings - all this in 30 minutes!!
Regards
Greg

Goliewogs wrote:Hi Milford,
I kept lapping my bearings in until the bearing cap nut could be done up tightly! (I haven't double nutted mine yet but I may do now!). My crank runs like silk with no latertal, or vertical movement in the bearings - all this in 30 minutes!!
Regards
Greg

That’s helpful info - thanks very much Greg.

If you think about the forces acting on the crankshaft bearings I would suggest you would want the bearing cap nuts tightened up fully - whether you use a single nut of fit locknuts...