Fowler BB Ploughing Engine (unfinished)

AlanS · Mar 10, 2024

Thanks for the welcome messages I received after becoming a member yesterday. I mentioned in my introduction that I was currently working on a Seal Major IC engine. What I forgot to mention was that I also have another model under way at the moment, here's a picture of the other model, a Fowler BB ploughing engine. The model has been run on air but will have to wait for completion of boiler fittings before a steam test. The scale is 1 1/2 inches to the foot, that's as big as I can lift. I started with a set of model drawings in 2 inch scale and was redrawing to 1 1/2 inch but I gave up on them as they were crude in the extreme and lacked sophistication. I generally don't use castings, all the parts of this engine were machined from solid or fabricated - all my machines are conventional.

Jasonb · Mar 10, 2024

That's looking very nice. I know what you mean about Haining's drawings I have the castings for Superba but lost interests with the thought of redrawing it all to get it more like the prototype. What the model aircraft boys call "stand off" scale - looks OK from a distance!

AlanS · Mar 10, 2024

Jasonb said:
That's looking very nice. I know what you mean about Haining's drawings I have the castings for Superba but lost interests with the thought of redrawing it all to get it more like the prototype. What the model aircraft boys call "stand off" scale - looks OK from a distance!

Thanks. I have the Superba drawings as well as the BB1 set. My model is now a BB thanks to an error in the third shaft gear mesh, so I could scrap the tail rod on the LP cylinder. I modelled the simpling valve, works on air (increase in speed) but I’ll have to wait until a steam test to see if it really works.