5" gauge Tiger

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Scrat
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5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Sun Oct 10, 2021 10:49 am

Yesterday my 5" gauge Tiger (Sister loco of the famous LION) did the first metres under her own steam:


https://youtu.be/csY9WVqkjm4

Goes like a Cheetah.

Some folks were cheering when I passed the steaming bays after the first full lap. (Can be heard on the video).
Still a lot to to but at least she runs.

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Keith S
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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Keith S » Fri Oct 15, 2021 12:53 am

Hat looks like a lot of fun. Nice job! Longer video next time!

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:13 am

Hi Keith,

still a lot to do:

- tender plumbing
- sort out crosshead pump
- fix leaking safety valves
- persuade gab gear (yes, really gab, not stephenson) to reverse properly
- details

Quite astonishing how much power this little critter has.

I opted for TIGER (Sister Loco of LION) as she just vanished. There are no precise records of her except for being identical to LION at the time she was built.
Sorry, rivet counters....

On the first run I lost some parts of the motion and had to tow her back to the steaming bays.
One of the traction engine folks had a bollte of loctite so we put everything back together and made it stay put.
Folks were joking and placing bets if I would make one full lap or come back with a few loose bits.
(this is the cause of the cheering in the video when I finished the fist full lap).
The injector works fine, even when there are just 2 bar on the clock.
Injector on, blower full on and the water rises but the pressure does not drop.
Seems to be a good boiler.

I bought the loco as a wreck some time ago.

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Keith S » Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:49 am

Scrat wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:13 am
I opted for TIGER (Sister Loco of LION) as she just vanished.
She could be perfectly preserved in the belly of a sunken Royal Navy Arctic-exploration converted bomb-ship.

I will have to look up "Gab" gear to learn how it works!

Please post more pictures of your engine as you go along. I love those old engines.

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:38 am

I found a pic of the Gab gear parts:

Image

Think of a Stephenson, saw the expansion link in half, bend the parts open a bit, there you go.

Once the forks engage, valve travel is fixed. Gab gear does not notch up.

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Keith S » Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:45 am

It looks like the kind of thing that would only be sensible if you didn't already know about Stevenson's valve gear (or Joy, or Walschaerts, et.c, et.c

Or obviously if you're interested in historical things :D

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:56 am

Almost finished.

Yesterday I did the footplate handrails and tender footsteps (soldered brass):
Image

Now I only need to make the brass corners for the firebox cladding.

Fun to drive. She has more power than you would expect.

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Andrew » Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:43 pm

Oh wow! That's wonderful!

I've never seen anything like that in the "ride on" scales before, I'm very impressed!

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Mon May 16, 2022 7:24 am

Success!

The original plans by LBSC had an error: the lifting links for the forward gabs were too short.
This means the loco could not be reversed as the forward gabs were still engaged when the bachwards gabs would have to engage.
When the lever was in mid-gear position the whole motion locked up.
There are some articles from ME proposing a solution.
Lengthening the lifting links is one thing. The the reversing lever needs more throw and, as onla the forward links have been changed, the middle position also shifts.
I lengthened the bell crank on the opposite side of the reversing lever and determined the new mid-gear position.
Another problem was that the gab jaws were not wide enough ( 7/8" in the original plan, 1" in the updated plan, about 3/4 in my model).
So I cut slots in the outside of the jaws, bent them outwards and welded the slots shut again.
Yesterday I had the long awaited test run.
The gabs on both sides engage correctly and the loco runs forward and backwards now.

Took some time but was worth it.
Of course the engine is rarely run backwards but when shunting or moving to and from the steaming bays, reverse is needed.

(And, even if you hardly use something, it just has to work.)

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by philipy » Mon May 16, 2022 7:43 am

Scrat wrote: Mon May 16, 2022 7:24 am Success!

Took some time but was worth it.
Of course the engine is rarely run backwards but when shunting or moving to and from the steaming bays, reverse is needed.

(And, even if you hardly use something, it just has to work.)
Absolutely right. It would have been criminal to build a beautiful model like that and then for it to only 1/2 work. Well done, both for persevering and getting right.
Any chance of a video of her in action?
Philip

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Re: 5" gauge Tiger

Post by Scrat » Tue May 17, 2022 7:32 pm

philipy wrote: Mon May 16, 2022 7:43 am Any chance of a video of her in action?
Sent you a PM with a link

Image

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