Road Loco - 'Blackbeard'

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!

Well, if any of you were wondering why I had not been posting or replying lately I can tell you - my cylinder block and belly tank arrived in my garage last Monday evening 20th May. I was chemical blacking all the things I should have done earlier when they arrived but I had been doing my waggons. Now after 7 days and over 50 hours of long evenings and a busy weekend I had Blackbeard back together including all the painting and finishing around the block and steamed last night after dinner.

Steam was slowly raised and no leaks present apart from a slight weep from under the HP valve cover at the bottom which would have been the blanking plug that closes off the cross drilling holed. However, it stopped after an hour so it has sealed and was fine for the rest of the evening. There was a slight bubble from the lubricator one way valve but that was probably due to the fact the Heldite did not have time to cure as I fitted it as we raised steam

Blackbeard ticked over so nicely and although I did not fine tune the valve settings during this first steaming it was very smooth and would run on the third notch back very nicely. I will be steaming again on Wednesday evening for fine setting of the valve events. The moment of truth was when I put him into first gear and set off up the driveway, what a feeling after all this time. I then changed to second for a short run and finally into top gear and wow Blackbeard has some speed too. Last thing I did was to put the roof on and have a go with it fitted. visibility into the driving area was fine and although you loose sight of the front wheels it is feasible to drive, any tight manoeuvring will have to be done with care but it is possible. Before that I let my steam apprentice nephew have a drive too and you should have seen the grin on his face.

Due to the fact that the light had faded the video I took outside of Blackbeard ticking over was a little dark on playback so I took a short one in the garage after I had parked him for the evening with just 50psi on the gauge and he runs just as smooth like this. Also, the pictures are not great but there will be more as I get the motion covers fitted and other bits done. I hope everyone can now see the look I was going for with the black and brass.

I have my official boiler test on Saturday now so I just have to make the adaptor for my steam siren before then and the adaptor for the hydraulic pipe for the test and we are done for this week - I now need some sleep.

Marvellous!

Tim

Wonderful and congratulations.

Tick over looks and sounds good.

Well done.

Wonderfull, what a great sound it makes

Great, when's the first outing Brian?

Mike

There is a small local event this weekend only a few miles away, if I get my boiler certificate on Saturday I could pop over on Sunday - either that or a run to the local pub to celebrate

I have to say it runs almost silently when up at 160PSI, it holds pressure for ages too. I wrapped my insulation in tin foil before putting it back on and it sat for 45 minutes with last coal being put on at least 30 minutes before then ticking over and pressure never moved. Once there is heat in the engine it is very efficient (for a steam engine).

That really does sound sweet, Brian. Sooooo exciting
So good to see a success story like this!!
Hope all goes well on Saturday!!
Regards,
Tony

Nick

You certainly know how I feel right now!!!! Looks like you will have something to play with at Banbury.



Brian

Very nice Brian, is that video on your account on Youtube I cant find it for my favourites? That sound is almost like a dog with a poor chest, very deep and satisfying though, do you have the valve springs in? I don't get quite the same sound on mine as I don't have the springs in due to the mishap last year but it means the HP and LP valves fall off the valve faces and it makes the sound change somewhat and creates a ticking noise where the valves flap a bit. It will be interesting to get these altogether and compare running, I suspect there may be slight differences in the regulators. I also tried the roof over the weekend for driving and whilst possible not particularly comfortable and on a crowded rally site somewhat unnerving, I took some video and pictures of this weekend which I shall post shortly.

Otherwise congrats, now the never ending cleaning begins..... I was looking back at some pics and the clean looking engine is just a distant memory now, and Yes Steve T I suspect I am lazy when it comes to cleaning although The Coleman does a good job