Rob Roy, Caribou, Juliet

[Dusty1]

I was poking around on the internet a couple of months ago
and found DrJuz's channel on u-tube.

I found it by searching Caribou Live Steam.

I have had a Caribou locomotive sitting by the fireplace for
thirty some years.

DrJuz also has a Caribou on his channel, first one I ever saw
besides mine.

That gave me the bug.

Maryland requires the origional blueprints to inspect
any engine boiler.

Prints were Ordered from AJReeves in England.
"Well I'm all set now".

Poking around again, and found Doubletops Rob Roy.
Well I had a Robroy and lost it in hard times years ago.

That engine really never ran very well.
I tried coal, and gas firing, but not much luck.

That is where the Caribou came in. It has a huge firebox,
compared to Rob Roy anyway.

It always ran great.

Poking around again and I find a Rob Roy at antiquesteam.com.

For the price, I could buy a new boiler, and castings, and have to
spend a year of machining.


Graham (antiquesteam.com) had that loco air freighted, and in
my hot little hands in four days over a weekend.


With Doubletops thread and some other info off the internet
that engine should run great too.

DrJuz also has a Juliet (LBSC design) and it runs like a
champ on utube. I now have Juliet prints on the way from Reeves.

Should be able to Americanize it with a different saddle,
bar frames and a couple other changes.

You will be seeing more of metal mite around here.

Better keep off the internet more.

Kap

 

[Jtrain]

Well isn't that something! I just got a 3/4 inch scale Caribou in November. I got the Caribou book by Martin Evans and the plans also in Live Steam magazine in the mid 70s. Mine was built in 1977. John

 

[Dusty1]

Hi John,
Seems every one i talk to at the train club
has, had, or has drawings castings or one of those three.
Virginia is a popular one too.
thanks for your reply.
kap

 

[steamdoug]

Hi I bought an unfinished Rob Roy from an auction about a year ago this started me off on model engineering. Since then I have bought a C1 combined lathe and mill and a Hobbymat lathe and Hobbymat BFE milling machine. I have so far turned out 6 small model engines and a couple of Wobblers for my Grandson. I am currently working on my 7th scratch built model. So far I am enjoying making the models and get a kick out of firing them up when assembled for the first time. So far I have had no none runners but I am running out of room to display them. I have posted a few pictures for scrutiny and would appreciate any hints or tips on getting better finishes on them.

 

[Dusty1]

Steam Doug,

That's beautiful equipment you have there!
Congrat's!

I started the drive wheels for the Juliet on the cnc
mill.

They are milled up from solid steel bar.
Once the program is tweeked they were down
to an hour and a half or so.

Right now I'm tied up with a semi comercial job so don't
have a lot of time.

In the meantime a locomotive became avaliable
in my area that I built in 1979.

It's a 2 x tich. that runs on 7 1/2" track.

I'm happy as a pig in poop about that.
The Tich always ran like a champ and we put many miles on it.

It still has "KP Loco 1979" engraved on the smokebox.

It didn't draft very well for the previous owner
so I have a bit of work to do on it.

Too Much Fun!

Kap

 

[steamdoug]

Thanks, Kap the rob roy was an impulse buy as my brother had a 1" scale traction engine he got in an auction and i liked the look of it. little did i know that once i had it i could not resist finishing it

 

[steamdoug]

This is my little workshop in my shed
Doug

 

[Dusty1]

Doug,
That's a nice shop.
two lathes, mill, rotary table,
How long have you been doing machining?
Your engines look really nice.
my shop is 30 by 40 but full of stuff.
too many projects.
Can hardly move.
Kap

 

[steamdoug]

Kap, i have been building models for just over a year, i started when i got the Rob Roy and wanted to get it as close to finished as i could. I needed a lathe and mill to finish it and i got the mini lathe and mill combo to do it. I then had a the start of a new hobby, the first thing i made was a small cannon without plans and it took off from there i got the Hobbymat lathe and mill because i wanted to make larger engines and the mini mill and lathe kept blowing the DC controller. I am currently building a virtical mine engine from the Elmers engine plans.
Doug.

 

[Jtrain]

Here is my Caribou. It is propane fired, the loco weighs in at about 76 lbs and the tender about 27 lbs. Just have to wait for spring to take it to the club track and fire it up. John

 

[Dusty1]

Steam Doug,

Have you run her yet?
I'd like to know how it works out.

Are you going to use coal, Welsh
steam coal is great.

Their are a couple mines in West Va with
some good coal too. Down near Bluefield.

Love that rivit detail!

That Blue may
highlight the coal mess though.
That's why I like Black.

Is that a firecracker cannon?

Jtrain,

That's a beauty too.
I don't have much patience to do
museum work.

I had my own business and you get the habbit
to just get her done!

Good enough to keep the
customer happy, on time, and get paid
so the kids can eat next month.

Just for fun

Kap

 

[steamdoug]

Hi, Kap i havent fired up The Rob Roy as i havent had the boiler certified yet. it is intended to be used with coal, there are also a few handrails to add
the cannon was intended as a test piece and i would say it would work as a firecraker cannon
Doug

 

[Dusty1]

J train
Id be interested in seeing the burner if you have
A picture. I tried making one for my first Robroy
yeats ago. It was a steel box with a half a zillion
holes for the gas and the inards like a propane
torch. Never could keep steam up. I was using the
little torch bottles. They kept freezing up.
think a 20 pound bottle would have worked out
better. Doubletop has a lot of info in his Robroy
Harry thread on propane firing.
I used wood pellots in the traction engine
last time and it worked well.
Doug
nice as the workmanship is on the little lokie
it should pass inspection easy.
I have my stuff inspected at the CALS club in Baltimore.
Yhe state boys come out pnce a year.
later
kap

 

[Jtrain]

The brass piece is the propane atomizer it has a orifice size of a #67 drill bit(0.032") and should work well with a regulator set at about 12 psi. The two screws at the top left hold the burner in place on each side. I'll have to take a couple more pictures to post and continue the description. John

 

[Dusty1]

John,
That's a great shot.
Sure looks like a Caribou frame.
I used larger holes I think.
That was thirty some years ago.
That saves a lot of crud on engine
and driver.
Do you have a pilot for when you're
not moving, how do you cycle from
working to resting the engine?
Kap

 

[doubletop]

You've got some good looking locos there guys, the making of at least three separate threads. If you run them in parrallel it watching the other guy's thread will give you the incentive to get on with it and you'll be done in no time.

I was new to this game three years ago For refernce here are my links all done in the past three years as well as three stationary engines and two boilers, so it can be done

The Rob Roy (Metal Mite referenced)
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f31/rob-roy-8800/

Northumbrian (my first build from scratch)
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f42/small-locomotive-boiler-me-northumbrian-14718/

Simplex (another refurb)
http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,290.0.html

Ceramic burners (in a Rob Roy)
/http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f26/ceramic-gas-burners-locos-10137/

If you need help with anything loco go here
http://modeleng.proboards.com/index.cgi

Amongst many others you'll find the experts such as Don Ashton ("Stephensons and Walscherts valve gear) and Chris Vine ("How not to paint your locomotive") they are active members and will reply to posts very quickly.

So please create a threads post the links here so we can find them and I'll be watching........

Pete

 

[Jtrain]

Here is better shot of the bottom side of the burner. John

 

[doubletop]

Interesting; I assume there is something else above the plate of holes as the tube ends can be seen. I'm also guessing you won't be able to show us as it won't come out that easy being wider than the frames?

Pete

 

[Jtrain]

Hi: I'll try to describe the burner as best I can. What you see is the bottom plate with holes and about 3/8 diameter by I'm guessing 3/8 or 1/2 inch tall tubes in the holes. Theres a plate on top which is similar to the bottom plate but around each hole where a 3/8 tube is, are about 6 or 8 very small holes as a wild guess I'd say maybe a #65 drill. This is where the atomized propane fuel mixture burns. So the burner is an enclosed box. The 1/2 inch copper tube from the atomizer only goes through the bottom plate, so the fuel mix is between the bottom and top plate then goes through the many tiny holes in the top plate to be burned. Get the idea. John

 

[Dusty1]

That's a great idea. It is similar to Pete's Rob Roy setup
except he uses a ceramic burner with metal air ducts.
You can see on his thread how well that has worked out.
I'm going to try wood pellets in the Tich.
Have to make a grate out of stainless sheet with
3/16" air holes on 1/2 inch centers.
Kap