Garden Railway Forum

What about a clock motor Rik? You might actually need to gear it up a bit!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154029066295

Lonsdaler wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:07 pm What about a clock motor Rik? You might actually need to gear it up a bit!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154029066295

Thanks for the suggestion, Phil, but I've now sorted it out with the miniature geared motor. The ex-toy-car wheel I'm using as friction drive on the flywheel isn't the most elegant solution but I can hid that easily with a strategically placed barrel or step-ladder.

I think the speed is much more appropriate and with the PWM controller can tweak it. All I need to do now is finish the boneworks so it can have a home ..... . . .


Rik

Well done Rik, that has worked out OK with the new control system. Printing marks will go unnoticed once in position, perhaps some steam sounds could help to add atmosphere?

Lovely Rik, well done.
FWIW, I think the speed looks about right at the beginning, before the big hand in the sky twiddled the knob.

philipy wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:51 pm FWIW, I think the speed looks about right at the beginning, before the big hand in the sky twiddled the knob.

I did wonder, still it's comforting to know I have a knob to twiddle when I get the urge.....

Peter Butler wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:47 pm ........, perhaps some steam sounds could help to add atmosphere?

I was considering adding a sound module. I have one of those MP3 player cubes to spare. Just need to find the right sounds. If it's open, I might take a trip to the boneworks in Stoke - just need to find out when they're next firing up their engine...

Rik

ge_rik wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:06 pm
I was considering adding a sound module. I have one of those MP3 player cubes to spare. Just need to find the right sounds. If it's open, I might take a trip to the boneworks in Stoke - just need to find out when they're next firing up their engine...

It looks as though he modelled the printed machine on a Stuart beam engine model? I found these videos on YT and it appears that the most noticeable noise is actually just a rythmic knocking. Don't know if you can copy a sound clip and just repeat it?

It also looks as though in practice they seem to run faster than we've been thinking, but that may not necessarily be the case if it was scaled up to real life?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIn1tG2WSeo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSXgm8AlniQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IF7M1B7RN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H-JYSp99eU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTZikEUzwLo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnHICHT2wZE

Knob twiddling aside, that's a very good solution Rik. Have you used one of the "12v LED dimmer switches" off ebay? Not bad value for about £2-3 each. I'm currently using 4 in a non railway related project. The last time I built one from a Velleman kit, and it was not that cheap!

ge_rik wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:28 pm I think the speed is much more appropriate and with the PWM controller can tweak it.

The website for the Etruria Industrial Museum says the engine was built in the 1820s. Marine engines of the period are usually quoted as running at 20 rpm and the much older Whitbread beam engine in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney is also quoted as running at 20 rpm. Easiest way to visualise that speed is the beam should take 3 secs. to move up and back down again.

As Philipy said, these old beam engines don't make much noise when running. They use a condenser, so there's no exhaust noise and the working pressure and speed is so low that there's little mechanical noise.

As I recall the only noise the one in Sydney makes when in steam is a quiet wheezing noise and there's a click from the valve driving mechanism as it reverses the valve at the end of the stroke.

Regards,
Graeme

GTB wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:38 pm As I recall the only noise the one in Sydney makes when in steam is a quiet wheezing noise and there's a click from the valve driving mechanism as it reverses the valve at the end of the stroke.

I'll just record myself after I've been for a bike ride ......

Rik

Thanks guys
I really appreciate the effort you've all put in to research the background to this little beam engine. I must admit, I do like the ponderous nature of beam engines - the have a certain majesty .....

Rik

Just discovered a video of the Etruria Bone Mill (on which my model is based) beam engine in steam - see from 2:20 onwards


Rik

Very good, well spotted Rik.
At least now you know exactly what the speed should be.
I'm thinking that since they do run so quietly, from outside you'd probably not even be aware of the engine, so do you really need to mess about putting sound in?( Other than for " I know it's there." )

Now blogged the build for anyone interested - https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... ngine.html

Rik

philipy wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:27 am Very good, well spotted Rik.
At least now you know exactly what the speed should be.
I'm thinking that since they do run so quietly, from outside you'd probably not even be aware of the engine, so do you really need to mess about putting sound in?( Other than for " I know it's there." )

I happen to have a spare MP3 cube so will probably get some of the clanking from the machinery as well as the hiss and clunk of the beam engine and just have it running quietly in the background. I might use a PIR sensor with an Arduino to trigger the sounds only when it detects someone is near. Might give the cat a bit of a scare.....

Rik

Wonderful video showing the grandeur of these machines in action. They are not noisy in operation, and I am not usually in favour of generated sound in steam, or diesel, locomotives, but thought it might disguise the sound from the motor.

Very surprised to notice a date on the beam of 1917. Would that be a build date, or just the date the component was replaced?

Lonsdaler wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:26 pm Very surprised to notice a date on the beam of 1917. Would that be a build date, or just the date the component was replaced?

According to the blurb on the museum website, the beam engine was built in the 1820s to Watt's patent. No info as to why the beam was replaced in 1917 - presumably it had to be refurbed.

Rik

While sorting out the beam engine, I finished off the tiling for the rooves and have also been steadily printing out ridge tiles. I needed four different styles of ridge tiles dependent on where they were going to be used. .
Those along the upper two ridges have flanges, ... .
..... while those on the hipped ridges have no flanges and overlap each other. .
As there are two different pitches for the main roof and the engine room roof, the angles needed to be different. It took quite a while to print out and affix the tiles but I'm pleased with the outcome. .
As you can see, the building has been primed and so the next stage will be to use acrylics for the brickwork and tiles. . .
Then, of course, I need to find somewhere to store the building during the winter months - it is a bit of a beastie

Rik

WOW...... that is impressive, I love the roof detailing, right down to the slipped slates!
A real work of art Rik, the bar has been raised once more!

Going to look great with the brickwork painted in, big job though. That's one thing about garden railway buildings they can be quite large if they are to represent an imposing structure.
Grant.