# 3 1/2" Gauge 2-4-0 Locomotive



## SBWHART (Jul 21, 2009)

Ok Chaps Her's my starter for ten

The Loco is a 2-4-0 LNWR Precedent Class to LBSC's Mabel Design. Hers a photo of a model built by a chap in Canada







I choose a LNWR loco because both my Grandfather and Great Grandfather had both been loco drivers with the Company. LBSC otherwise known a Curly Lawrence serialised the construction in Model Engineer in the sixties, just before died, his last of over fifty model loco designs. The Precedent class of Loco earned the nick name JUMBO by its crews from its power and work rate, with one engine HARDWICK clocking up over 2 million miles in just over ten years, this Loco is know preserved at the national railway museum in York. I like the idea that my predecessor may have drove this engine

I bought a set of castings and drawings from Reeves and being on the lazy side ordered set of laser cut frames from another company this saved me a fair bit of work (and hacksaw blades) as they also marked out all the holes positions.






Just to give you a update a few pics of progress so far

This is the assembled frame with the wheels in place






This is the crank axle with con rods and eccentric rods.






The cylinder and slide valves with gland packing






The Alan valve linkage






The reversing bracket and wheel






The cylinder loosely assembled with cross head





That more or less bring you up to date with progress so far, next job is to assemble the cylinder and linkage etc into the frame set the timing and try and get it running under air.

Im doing a more detailed write up on another forum but if its OK Ill copy in over onto her as well.

Cheers

Stew


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## arnoldb (Jul 21, 2009)

Stew, that's simply STUNNING - Thanks for sharing!

Kind regards, Arnold


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## BMyers (Jul 21, 2009)

I can't wait to see more


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## itowbig (Jul 21, 2009)

wow thats a great looking loco. ill be following this. thank you for showing us


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## Maryak (Jul 21, 2009)

Stew,

The reactions of others and myself would seem to suggest that we are very interested in your loco build.

Very nice. :bow: :bow:

Why is it called Alan linkage ??? It looks very much like Stevensons Linkage.

My loco heritage is a bit further North - LMS. I had 2 great uncles who worked for LMS, one was a guard and the other a painter. As an 11 y.o. I once did a trip from Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness on the footplate of a Jubilee Class Loco called Bechuanaland. 45 miles of every young boys dream. I arrived at my grandmothers as black as the coal I had unsuccessfully attempted to shovel into the firebox. In 1953 OHS - whats that ??? ??? but we seemed to survive life's hazards by experiencing them.

Best Regards
Bob


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## vlmarshall (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for sharing this build!


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## hammers-n-nails (Jul 21, 2009)

very nice, what era would an engine of this type have come from? my dad and i are both looking forward to our build of the 71/2"gauge 2-6-0 from railroad supply. i looked at reeves but decide against them because i was afraid of large shipping costs, how is the quality of castings? right now its just prints and a pile of castings and bar stock on the bench, should be able to get started later this fall. i look forward to watching your project come together.

maryak heres a link that explains variations of the stephenson gear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephenson_valve_gear#Allan_straight_link_valve_gear


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## SBWHART (Jul 22, 2009)

Thanks for your kind comments and encouragement chaps.

To Answer a few ?

Yes it is like the Stevenson Link the main difference is the lifting link is straight, easyer to make, a chap called Allen devised it.

They were made from the 1870 through to 1900 they were in service up until about the 1920, and they were made in my home town of Crewe in fact I was born in my Grandmother house which was opposite the main entrance to the old loco work, one of my early memories is fealing the ground shake from the steam hammers in the forge.

I have had some problems with the casting quality the driving and driven wheels don't quite match, and I had to return one due to a bad blow hole, I also had problems with the steam chest cover this also had blow holes but I was able to replace that with a piece of brass sheet.






I actually scraped the cylinder casting off at my first attemp the coolant pipe got traped between the casting and the boring bar and grooved the cylinders, a new casting would have cost 90 squid so I bought a chunk of phos bronze thatwas as near to dam it the correct size for 35 squid

Casting with grooves






Replacment






Cheers

Stew


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## Paolo (Jul 23, 2009)

Great work!!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:...I'm attracted from Locos..maybe one day...!!!
Best regards 
Paolo


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## SBWHART (Sep 3, 2009)

Well I've finally got the Loco running on air, not without some problems getting the linkage sorted and the timing set believe it or not this has taken me the best part of 6 weeks, very frustrating I had to put it a aside a couple of times just to take stock of my next move.

In the end I ended going back to basics and digging my books out a working out the slide valve dimension myself and machining up a dummy valve to new dimensions so see how it looked, looked ok so machined the slide valves up to these sizes, connected her up to air went outside to turn the compressor on and she just started up, just like that.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTeVvCwtzAA[/ame]

One happy guy

Stew


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## vlmarshall (Sep 3, 2009)

Ah, wow, that's just great to see. I wish that direct-drive air compressor wasn't making noise over top of all the GOOD sounds. ;D


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## CrewCab (Sep 3, 2009)

SBWHART  said:
			
		

> One happy guy



Well done Stew, knew it was only a matter of time :bow:

CC


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## PhiberOptix (Sep 3, 2009)

Very Nice 

:bow:

thats some very intricate work, most impressed  :bow:
I hope to work my way up to doing something like this.

regards
Andy


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## slick95 (Sep 3, 2009)

WOW :bow:

Outstanding work. Really enjoy watch all the components operating in formation.

Thank you for sharing.

Jeff


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## SBWHART (Sep 4, 2009)

slick95  said:
			
		

> WOW :bow:
> 
> Outstanding work. Really enjoy watch all the components operating in formation.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your comments Chaps.

Jeff:- Your quite right it gets quite hypnotic you can understand the appeal these old steam locos had over the modern Diesel/Electric loco. 

The valves are Stevenson with Alan straight reversing linkage could never quite get my head round ??? how it worked from the drawing and websites explaining it, but know that I've got one working I've got it sussed:- you've just got to admire the old time engineers for their ingenuity.

Thanks again and have fun

Stew


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## Maryak (Sep 5, 2009)

Jeff,

Marvellous motion bloody well done. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## zeeprogrammer (Sep 5, 2009)

I hope to see something similar to that on my road to my dream.
Thanks! Very nice.


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## SBWHART (Sep 8, 2009)

Ran her for over three hours now she's losend up nicely now ticks over at low pressure lovely.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqDAAMWftJg[/ame]

Tucking her away under the bench for a few months while I get on with a couple of other projects, I like to run the changes.

But I'll keep you posted on my further adventures.

Have fun

Stew


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## vlmarshall (Sep 8, 2009)

Amazingly amazing. ;D :bow:

Zeep's not the only one that dreams of these.


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## ozzie46 (Sep 8, 2009)

great job, this is my ultimate goal.

 Ron


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## zeeprogrammer (Sep 8, 2009)

Beautiful sound. Ought to be in a sound machine for sleeping or meditating.


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## ROBSO (Oct 11, 2009)

hi, fantastic motion, really nice. I am looking at buying a half done one of these, with motion and frames done, boiler aswell, any advice would be welcome


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## GWRdriver (Oct 11, 2009)

Stew,
I can't tell you how pleased I am to see a 3.5"ga Jumbo project come alive again. When I first became active in live steam, as a teenager, my first mentor had just about completed an LBSC Jumbo chassis and I was inspired. Unfortunately he and those who controlled our local club decided to go 7.5"ga-only, and neither of us were in a position to build our own track facility, so his Jumbo was hung on his workshop wall and mine was never begun. Some years later I recalled that chassis and went back to see if it was till there with perhaps the notion of completing the locomotive but it had long since been traded away.

That mentor was a meticulous craftsman and superb machinist having spent his life as an aircraft and later aerospace machinist and inspector and as I recall there was an error in the drawings, which distressed him greatly, because it caused him to have to move a screw hole in the frame plates. My recollection is that it was either a screw hole for a valve gear hanger shaft or an upper crosshead guide support. IIRC the hole had to be moved forward.

A few years ago, Aster Hobby, Japanese maker of fine Gauge 1 locomotives, issued the Jumbo in three liveries and the entire production was quickly sold out.

Anyway, fine work so far and I'll be watching with great interest for future notes on your progress.


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## SBWHART (Oct 12, 2009)

Hi Chaps 

Thanks for your kind remarks.

Bit of an update on my problems with the slide valve, I posted a summary of the problem on the Model Engineering web site, and got some good responses, top and bottom of it I shouldn't have changes the slide valve sizes, what I've done is set it for running on compressed air, when on live steam I should keep to the drawing sizes, the travel I've got with the slide valve is correct, its just me not getting the setting correct.

For now I've left things alone I'll pick it up again in ernest in a couple of months, in the mean time I've made a start on the lubricator but this is a bit of a fill in job around another project i have underway.

Hi ROBSO

Only advice I can give is to be wary of the boiler if its home made, if its a commercial boiler with all the certification then go for it they cost about £1000. Hope this helps 

Cheers

Stew


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## SBWHART (Nov 18, 2009)

Her we are again as happy as can be etc etc:-----

I thought I'd make a start on the lubricator for my loco.

The design as drawn is a ratchet driven osilator pump similar to the little engines we make but instead of driving its driven, so you can use it to pump. I'm going to follow a design recently posted in Model Engineer (22nd May 2009) that uses a much more efficient friction clutch instead of a ratchet and instead of having sprung balls for the none return valve uses a Nitrile rubber valve like the bicycle valves.

The first bit I made was the stand.






The diagonal groove is where the oil is sucked up into the piston, it then swings over and pump out the other hole on the return stroke.

Next bit to be made the piston.






I wasn't too happy with the O ring on the piston, I'd seen another build where the chap had fitted a small stuffing box on the cylinder, so I re-made the cylinder to this design and used PTFE tape to stuff the gland, it seems to work Ok, so this is it all together.







Fabricated an oil tank up, my first attemp from copper was a disaster I think the copper was too thick to get nice neat bends, so re-made out of some nice thin brass I had, this is the lubricator squeezed into the the tank.











Tried it out under drill power I won't run it under loco power with the ratchets until I've completed the water pump then I'll strip everything down and fit both at the same time. This is it running.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVT-Xk5m1s[/ame]


 :big: :big: :big: :big: :big: :big:

Have fun

Stew


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## arnoldb (Nov 19, 2009)

Good going Stew Thm: - thanks for the update 
I haven't thought of using an "oscillating engine" as an oil pump :big:

Regards, Arnold


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## SBWHART (Nov 19, 2009)

Thanks for your feed back Arnold

Oscillators are used in a lot of pumping applications, water into boilers, air for ballast tanks in submarines etc etc.


Have fun

Stew


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## SBWHART (Mar 8, 2010)

Well the loco has been on the back boiler for long enough and I keep getting the od  stickpoke about it but I keep getting and side tracked onto other engine builds, so decided that I would have to do something stern to get myself back on track:-


RITE A TO DO LIST

This is it pinned up in the shop, now that's stern stuff  *knuppel2*






First part to get started on the regulator stand, you can get a casting for this but decided it could be easily fabricated, its mainly brass with a phos bronze port face.

These are the bits for the stand machined.







I then silver soldered the bits together, I was going to take a picture of the soldered stand but disaster struck I'd had it in the pickle for 1/2 hr took it out and went to wash it off in the garden pond.

Yes that's correct I dropped it in the pond  :redface2:

I've currently got the pump going emptying the pond, it has got me a few brownie points the boss's been on about cleaning the pond out for ages, I haven't told her why I'm doing it.  Rof}

A wet and muddy Stew


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## SBWHART (Mar 8, 2010)

Found it






 :big: :big: :big:

Stew


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## arnoldb (Mar 8, 2010)

:big: Stew; Did you really have to find a reason to clean the pond THAT badly ? ;D

Those To-Do lists have a habit of growing... DAMHIKT. Good start on the regulator stand though 

Regards, Arnold


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## Deanofid (Mar 8, 2010)

Hi Stew;
I barely remember this from some months ago. It wasn't that long, I just have a short memory. 
It's a beauty, and glad to see some more progress!

I like your new watermark, buddy.
: )

Dean


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## SBWHART (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks Chaps pond sorted.

Bin somewhat distracted this week any way got the regulator part finished as it got to fit on the boiler it will nead a bit of fetleing when the boilers built.

So her it is in the Closed position.






And Open






As its out of vew in the boiler i didn't bother with bling but its got it where it counts

Thats one struck off the to do list.

Cheers

Stew


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## SBWHART (Mar 21, 2010)

Spent a very pleasant day visiting Dave Stilldrilling and vewing some of his engine collection.

Thanks for you'rs and Mrs Stilldrilling,s hospitality Dave I realy enjoyed my visit.

Then job realy hit the buffers well four of them to be correct for the loco just a simple turning job but one that had to be done.






And her's the finished job






Thats another one off the To Do List

Work has now progressed onto the tender hand pump.

For the body I used a bit of Phos Bronze tubing I picked up at the scrappy it was one of those chance finds, luckily the bore cleaned up nicely with a 1/2 " reamer.

Hers the set up for drilling the pump body to take the valve chest.






And her it is all silver soldered together.






Have fun

Stew


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## don-tucker (Mar 21, 2010)

Absolutely brilliant,the loco and the build,thanks for sharing
Don


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## SBWHART (Mar 23, 2010)

Thanks Don your comment is greatly appreciated.

On with the tender hand pump.

I needed some Hex bar to make some of the fitting I didn't have any but I have quite a bit of ally bronze, so using the indexer with its tail stop I made it into some 1/2 hex.






I've made a few pump using balls and was never to happy with them so decided to make this one with poppet valves. 

Her it is






Tested it out at first it didn't do much then I remembered that they like a bit of back pressure so stuck my finger over the end that did the trick got a eye full of water, made a little reduction cap with a 1mm hole just to test it out, it gave a nice jet over 5 M across the garden.

Her's the completed pump






Thats another strike off the To Do List






Next job up the chimney I've bought a nice bit of 1 1/2" Sq brass for this job, and then I can't escape it any longer I'll have to make a start on the boiler.

Have fun

Stew


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## GWRdriver (Mar 23, 2010)

Stew,
Good show . . . would that I should be making such progress. On the regulator, I have a thought for you. Have you enough port cover in closed position to nick the holes a bit? If you do, a small triangular nick in the leading sides will pre-admit a whisp of steam and reduce the tendency of the engine to make jackrabbit starts when opening up. I've seen some ports done as full teardrops although my experiments tell me that this admits steam almost as quickly as a drilled hole. I've recently finished off a Stroudley type regulator (wot you got there) and I drilled a couple of small pre-admission holes in my plate to make graduated steam admission so as not to be quick to spin the wheels. It will be some time yet before I will know if the holes are too large, too small, or just right.


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## SBWHART (Mar 23, 2010)

Hi Harry

I've made the top port of the regulator tear drop shape as you suggested, thanks for passing on the tip, I read some ware that LBSC drilled small pre holes in some of his regulator builds.

There seems to be so many different regulator deigns, I've no experience of any of them so just followed the one in the plans as it seamed a simple design.

As I said for the pump I went away from the plans and worked to a design from an article in Model Engineer (4346 27th Feb 09) by Neville Evans, I also used his design for the mechanical lubricator, mainly to get away from ball valves.

Cheers

Stew


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## SBWHART (Mar 24, 2010)

On with the Chimney, you can buy a casting for this but I just find the hassle of castings too much, far easyer to make it from solid.

Visited Macmodels and picked up a chunk of 1 1/2" squ free cutting brass I asked for 4" but he gave me a good 6" for the cost of 4".

Her it is in my self centering four jaw, both ends faced with a running centre.





First the chimney was roughed out, then with the help of some radius gauges I ground myself up some form tools.





And her it is with the OD finished, just got to stick a hole down the middle now.









Have fun

Stew


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## Deanofid (Mar 24, 2010)

Hi Stew;
Your pump sure looks to be very robust. Nice job there.
The chimney is a thing of beauty! Pretty stuff. Good use of those radius tools.

Dean


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## SBWHART (Mar 25, 2010)

Thanks Dean

Drilling the hole in the chimney small drill then bigger then bigger then 7/8 to take the copper liner.





Then part it off.

Now a bit of forward planning is required the chimney still needs the base flycutting to match the smoke box but I can't do that until I've made the smoke box, it will be an awkward shape to hold its got a 1 1/2 deg taper and all those radiuses and flanges to get round, to machine the taper I set the compound over, so without changing the compound bore out a collar at the same angle.





Split it and you've made a split collar that will perfectly match the chimney taper.

Her it is being used to clean up the base of the chimney after parting off, this will help when I come to set it up to fly cut the rad in the base to fit the smoke box.






Her is the chimney part finished with the copper liner and the collar I'll safely store them away.





That another off the list.

Stew


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## GWRdriver (Mar 25, 2010)

Stew,
Very clever, very nicely done. I'm always interested to see what dodges folks use to get an awkward job done.

For me an awkward job is, among other things, one which the shape and material present holding challenges which if not done securely could be potentially fatal to the part. Brass and bronze are especially difficult due to the tendency of tools to snag and dig in, thus the need for very secure holding . . . without damaging or crushing the part of course!

I'll have exactly the same job to do for my loco this summer and your collet technique bears remembering, especially for flycutting the base.


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## arnoldb (Mar 25, 2010)

Good job Stew; that's coming along very nicely Thm:

Regards, Arnold


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## Maryak (Mar 25, 2010)

Stew,

Very nice work and set up idea. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## SBWHART (Mar 27, 2010)

Thanks Guys

Now for the inner steam dome, the regulator fit in this which sits on top of the boiler to collects dry steam. Its fabricated from 1 1/8 dia copper tube and copper/Phos bronze:- here are the bits set up for soldering, I used the brass bar to keep the copper collar in place.







Whoops :doh::-- Soldered one of the brass bars to the dome  :lol: 






Never mind just cleaned off when I set the job up true in the lathe to clean the face that will seal on the boiler.







Last job drill 12 holes in the collar for bolting to the boiler, using the PCD feature on the DRO.






Thats it another one off the list.






Cheers

Have fun

Stew


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## 4156df (Mar 27, 2010)

Stew,
I saw your first photo and the first thing that ran through my mind was: "If I tried that, I'd probably solder the rod to the work." Had to chuckle when I saw photo two.

I'm enjoying following this build and am learning a lot. Thanks.
Dennis


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## Blogwitch (Mar 27, 2010)

I see you found a piece of 1.125" copper tube then Stew. I had a look, but no joy.

Nice work BTW

John


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## SBWHART (Mar 27, 2010)

Thanks John

Picked a bit up from the scrappy on Friday I was after 18G but could only find 20G it should be OK as the pressure is acting on a small diameter cylinder. I'll mention it to the boiler inspector if he sucks his teeth its not a big job to remake.

Thanks Dennis

I was chatting to the clubs boiler inspector, an ex Crewe Works Copper Smith, about building the boiler and he gave me a good tip:- to leave the clamps I was planning to use to solder the boiler outside to go rusty that way they won't stick to the solder. These old craftsmen are a rich source of knowledge and experience well worth cultivating.

Cheers

Stew


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## Deanofid (Mar 27, 2010)

Ha! I thought the same thing as Dennis. Then saw your next pic. : )
Everything is coming out great, Stew.

Dean


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