Road Loco - 'Blackbeard'

make sure the engine is ready for the 11/12th May Chetwode, target for Brian M also

Chetwode Arms
Street Lane
Lower Whitley
Cheshire
Wa4 4EN


if not you are.........

Thanks Dwaine, that's sounds a good weekend. I already have a commitment for the 11th but I would love to come for the day on the 12th. Lets discuss this more once we know the ETA of the cylinder blocks.

Cheers

Brian

Guys,

You'll be pleased to know that the big machine was repaired at the end of last week so as soon as we've machined the boilers that are scheduled on next the replacement blocks will be on as the next priority.

Dean

Dean

Thanks for the update, that is excellent news, just make sure you keep putting 50p in the meter so it can keep running.

Brian

With a full three weeks of business travel I did not do much last week as it was my first week in the office for a while. I tended to avoid going in the workshop and spent some chill out time with the family, especilly as my wife was not so well either and was due in hopsital for a day.

However, A little more progress on the roof as the insert for the cutout is currently being made - the frame was made using an additional cross member STW provided for me to cut up. A 6mm square piece of wood was also glued/pinned to the back edge of the roof cross brace that forms one side of the opening to form a ledge for the ends of the planks to sit on once they are fixed to the frame.

Roof has a now had a coat of black bitumen paint on it too, another one to go.







I have also been working on the seat frame modifications I felt were necessary, the photos show the part prior to weldiing. There is an extra mounting bracket with a square tube spacer to prevent the seat from tipping sideways and give a more robust fix into the drawbar.

Additonally there is an additional steel angle to be welded over the part that hangs over the tender back. This will spread the load to the tender sides to prevent the flex that is evident in the tender rear panel when you put load onto the existing seat frame design, especially if your going to have a two seater unit. The step between the provided mounting face and the extended angle above it will ensure all surfaces are touching at the same time. I will also make pads from cork sheet with holes cut in to clear the rivets.

The other piece you can see is the pivot for the extended regulator. The piece in the photo needs turning down at the end before welding but you can see the idea - more to follow.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

Super work sir!

I concur & eagerly await further updates, good job Brian
Regards,
Tony

I have also been making the front number plate bracket and here is the actual Burrell drawing for it taken from Gilbert's Traction Engine Design supplement book - I will be riveting the brackets on mine tonight and trial fitting it so will post more pictures. Also, the seat frame is back so will be cutting the cork pads to go under it.

Here is the number plate finished and mounted. Just need to come up with something for holding the flags, some tube with an end cap so it can be welded or silver soldered on and then off to powder coat in the same black as the smokebox. The actual scale number plate is on order and should be here soon, an aluminium pressed one with the exact letter size as per the drawing. I ordered two, one for the front and one to go on the rear of the canopy or on the tender - not decided yet.

Have you got a current reg number to be pressed or are you replicating the number on the drawing? I ask as every time I have tried to get my actual number done because its a modern one they wont make anything other than a full size plastic type due to the law. If you have details of someone who is willing to press a new one I would be very grateful.

Cheers Kev.

Kev

I will PM you the company details. The plate will be the scale width, have the correct size letters but will be higher due to processing restrictions. I will have to trim the height above and below the characters to finish it off.

Brian

Brilliant job.

sonick45 wrote:Brilliant job.

I had to raise the bar just to match the paint job!!!!!

Really neat Brian, but I don 't really need the elegant bracket for the showman's, as it will be on the roof.
I'd appreciate the company details, as I lost the contact or the firm that did my previous plates on 'Madeline'.

Tim

Tim

I just PMed you too.

Just to confirm for Kev and any others interested too I had to stress it was for a model and that I already have a legal plate for it but they did it. It will need the height reducing once it is made as there is a minimum amount of material needed to hold the plate for processing but the width will be correct.

My plate is goiong to be 6 3/4" wide based on scaling down the drawing and the company has 30mm high characters which match the scaled drawing - after scanning the page I then reduced it to get the drawing the actual size of the plate at 1/3 full size which ended up being 70% on my scanner/coppier. This is how I got to the 30mm high characters and I was also able to cut out the brackets from the page too and overlay them onto a piece of angle to mark them out. No machines here, just sawing and filing and the pillar drill for the fixing holes, the old fashioned way.

Good look to all who try this.

Brian

Well the seat frame is back and now attached to the engine again, there are cork pads with holes cut out to clear the rivets and the weight should now be spread accross the whole width of the tender giving a lot more support for when two people sit on the engine.

Need to make the extra regulaltor handle and connect it to the STW one using a double ended shackle (like the shackles that connect locomotive brake rods for those that can't picture it) that will then connect to the regulator rod and the extended regulator rod. The extended regulator will not have any stops on it as the main regulator has them. The extended regulator will be free to move without stops so that any movement of the top of the seat frame will not affect the regulator.

I have been reading your posts about the reg mod and would like to try something like that to keep the roof in place, still cant actually visulaise how you will attach it to the current reg handle so need to see pictures!! Also are you planning on doing anything for the steering through a UJ of somekind as this is also very inaccessible with the roof on?

Where STW doing anything about this for the Showmans owners or where they left to fend for themselves?

Regarding the mod for the showman, I was talking to an engine builder, and he suggested moving the handle for the steering wheel to the brake wheel and making a longer handle for the steering wheel, which sounds like a good plan.

I will see what our latest AMTEC member does , and maybe use his design.

As far as I am aware, no mods have been made by STW for the roading of the showman.

Regards,

Brian

Brian:
Your frIend has the right idea. Prototypically, the brake wheel should in fact be the same diameter as the steering wheel and on Frederick it is - the rotating handle on the larger diameter wheel makes this easy to use and the rear wheel brake works very well indeed. I spent a lot of time trimming the wood blocks so that they bite evenly and then attached brake lining material to give grip.

I think that that the steering rod could be a least an inch longer, which would take the wheel further away from the flywheel and bring it back a little. Quite a good idea to put a longer steering knob on it as well, as this would not be very visually intrusive.

Steve Trail and I have discussed the remote regulator ideas a few times over some Cornish wine / beer, as well as with Steve B at GDSF. I think STW will wisely wait and see what people do with their engines before making mods.

Will you be at the SAC do at Old Warden?

Tim

I have received the scale aluminium pressed number plates and thought I would put them on to get your opinion. The supplier could not use the correct size number tools with the correct size blank but I am trying to find out what space the next size up numbers would take up. If the numbers fit into the space of the scale plate but the manufacturer needs to use a larger plate to produce it then I will ask for it to be done and then trim the plate to the correct size.

If you could get the traditional raised boarder round the circumference of the No plate, I think you'd be spot on with what you have now!!
I like it!!
Regards,
Tony

As I understand it the borderless plate is correct for that age of machine.
The borders were used more on the classic cars at a later date

I would also leave it as it is. I agree with Tony that a border would look good but I think that more because its what we are used to seething today.

spot on!