Steam Engines

HMF

Site Founder
Administrator
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
7,223
Steam Engines


NOTE: see also the FAQ entry in rec.models.railroad on live steam railroad modeling. See also http://livesteaming.digiweb.com,
http://chaski.com/wwwboards/live_steam/


The creation of working steam engines, be they stationary engines, road engines, marine or rail locomotives, is quite a common hobby throughout the world. Many people who would like to get involved in such modelling are, however, frequently at a loss as to how to start. What follows is a set of simple pointers to get you on board.


Magazines and Journals


There are four (English language) magazines that specifically deal with this subject. You might find them in a model store, or large news stands and/or book stores.


"Model Engineer" and "Engineering in Miniature" from the UK
"Modeltec" and "Live Steam" from the USA
Reading any of these magazines will quickly give a feel for the hobby.


Clubs and Associations


They are all over the world. Look through the magazines listed above for club addresses; most if not all of them have the names and addresses of clubs all over the world. If you can't find a club remotely near you, here are a couple of suggestions:


Try posting a request on the net! It can be a remarkable resource.
Try writing to the editor of one of the magazines.
Scales and sizes


Stationary engines are most often tabletop sizes; they can be very decorative and interesting exercises in machining but are not often "used" once built.


Marine engines are often built as decorative or "stationary" models, however you may also find some installed in model boats. Some of the suppliers in the magazines listed above may provide more information about marine engines.


Road locomotives are usually referred to purely by scale, most often somewhere in the range of 3/4" scale (3/4 inch to the foot) to 4" scale (4":1'). A farm traction engine in 3/4" scale will probably be around 12" or 14" long - quite handleable by most people. A 4" scale model is 1/3 full size - big, heavy and arguably no longer "Model Engineering", at least with respect to the resources available to the average mortal.


Rail locomotive scales can be a little more confusing because of a tendency to refer to them by the rail gauge that they run on. Unfortunately the gauges are not completely standardized for some scales (although one might expect that they would be). The following table lists the most common "larger scales" and the gauge lines they run on (based on a nominal 4' 8.5" so-called standard (USA) gauge track):


3/4" scale (0.75":1') = 3.5" gauge
1" scale (1.00":1') = 4.75" or 5" gauge
1.5" scale (1.50":1') = 7.25" or 7.5" gauge
There are 10.25" and 15" lines as well as smaller (2.5" gauge, Gauge 1) that are modelled in live steam. Availability of land, track and facilities will often affect a builders choice of scale. Note that the modelling of narrow or broad gauge models introduces another confusion factor - a 1.5":1' scale model of a prototype that ran on 3'6" gauge track in real life would result in a track gauge of 5.25". This would commonly be adjusted to fit on a 5" or 4.75" gauge line.


It must cost a fortune and take forever


Not necessarily. There are many suppliers in this hobby who can provide as much or as little as you need, from a set of original blueprints for a prototype, through those who can provide scaled drawings of proven models, books giving detailed operation-by-operation procedures on how to create a model, sets of castings that need machining or even ready machined kits that can be assembled on a kitchen table... or they will sell you a complete, ready-to-run model.


The amount of money spent will vary typically as a function of how big the model will be, how much work the builder does (as opposed to buying ready-built parts) and what resources the builder has in his/her workshop.


Needless to say, the amount of time spent building such a model will be a function of the same things. As a rule of thumb, the more you do yourself, the cheaper it is and the longer it will take you.


Reading the classified advertisements in the magazines listed you may be able to pick up a part-complete or secondhand model for less than the cost of the parts new (though you are at the mercy of the workmanship of the builder. Let the buyer beware).


What about boilers?


The subject of boilers is complex; each country has its own rules and regulations - which could never be justly covered here. Some pointers, though:


If you build a 'published plan', there is probably a published boiler plan to go with it. This usually means it is a proven design, which is *good*.
Steam clubs will have some sort of regular boiler inspection and test requirement. Talk to the appointed boiler inspector at your club.
If you are in the slightest bit wary or unhappy about building a boiler, *get some help from someone who knows what they are doing*. Some companies will sell you "standard" boilers for published designs ready made; there are others who specialize in building custom boilers. You may be able to lower the cost by doing all the preparation work and getting someone else to (braze/weld/whatever) the bits together.
Remember... this is a pressure vessel full of very hot water and steam. You *really* do not want it to fail. You will probably be closest to the boiler if it does...
What's a good book on the subject?


There are many, many books available on this and associated subjects; some are general texts, some specialize in particular aspects. A good place to start is (unsurprisingly) read through a couple of issues of the magazines mentioned; most of the publishers (Village Press, TEE, Argus/Nexus) publish and/or sell a number of texts; writing to the publishers should elicit a list of currently available books. Also try some of the suppliers catalogs found in the magazines; A.J. Reeves Ltd., Power Model Supply and Coles Power models all carry books on general topics and specialist areas such as boilers, valve gear etc.


Do you have any other advice?


Reading the magazines is all well and good, but try to find someone to talk to who has had some experience - this can not only save lots of frustration but can also lead to lots of very useful shortcuts and even material help. It may mean finding and joining a club, which, if one is considering building a rail vehicle, at least means that there will be somewhere to run it when completed, without then having to build a track too!


The first-time builder is strongly recommended to consider choosing a published *model* design (from one of the magazines or plan suppliers) where all the scaling is done, and the finished article will work if built according to the plans. Converting full size prototype drawings to a working scale model is not recommended for the "normal" first-timer! As you might expect, the published plans cover some models suitable for the beginner and others best attempted by an experienced builder. Again, we cannot recommend strongly enough getting advice from a club of some sort if you can find one.


Ask the supplier if the design was ever serialized in any of the magazines and if the text is available, either as copies, back issues or as a published book - blow-by-blow instructions can be very reassuring, even if you know what you are doing in a machine shop.


Choose wisely, so that interest is maintained. In particular with rail models, you need some rail to run it on. Unless you are fortunate enough to have plenty of land and money, you will probably want to run on a club track - find out what your local club has before you build or you may spend several years creating a beautiful working model with nowhere to run it. If there are several gauges available at your track of choice, consider carefully which track you want to be able to run on.
 
Back
Top