Garden Railway Forum

Albus, my first loco built about 11 years ago, is going back to manual control, now that I've innovated a simple system to keep the speed down

Two screws remove the auto bunker with servos fitted.




Here's all the redundant control gear...




I've just re-sprayed the original bunker black, it used to be a red colour.



Best wishes,
Dave

Nice little loco that Dave. I particularly like the reverser linkage.

I'd be seriously tempted into live steam by a vertical boilered loco. What sort of running time do you get from a fill of gas and water?

Rik

ge_rik:115967 wrote:I'd be seriously tempted into live steam by a vertical boilered loco. What sort of running time do you get from a fill of gas and water?

Good man!

18 minutes for water and top up the meths every 5 minutes or so. Unlike gas the meths can be topped up on the go. Water too, it's got a top-up valve. It could be kept in steam all day. I once kept its brother loco in steam over lunch popping out to top up the meths every now and again.

The other loco is just about perfect, check out this video of Rubeus, so sedate:

<object width="640" height="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sUFlacqnqwg?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sUFlacqnqwg?ve ... n_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Best wishes,
Dave

That runs so so sweetly, awesomely impressed, well done Dave.

What a sweet running loco

dewintondave:115971 wrote:

ge_rik:115967 wrote:I'd be seriously tempted into live steam by a vertical boilered loco. What sort of running time do you get from a fill of gas and water?

Good man!

18 minutes for water and top up the meths every 5 minutes or so.  Unlike gas the meths can be topped up on the go.  Water too, it's got a top-up valve.  It could be kept in steam all day.  I once kept its brother loco in steam over lunch popping out to top up the meths every now and again.  

The other loco is just about perfect, check out this video of Rubeus, so sedate:

<object width="640" height="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sUFlacqnqwg?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sUFlacqnqwg?ve ... n_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Best wishes,
Dave

Great video Dave. One of the things i like about your De Wintons is the complete lack of the 'duck like waddle' that you see in so many of the model De Winton type locos. A lot of them appear to 'S' their way along the track. Yours is as straight as a die,

Thank you!

Rubeus uses a less fuel and water than Albus and is more powerful; because the cylinders are direct mounted to the boiler. There's no condensation.

Best wishes,
Dave

Alan P:115974 wrote:Great video Dave. One of the things i like about your De Wintons is the complete lack of the 'duck like waddle' that you see in so many of the model De Winton type locos. A lot of them appear to 'S' their way along the track. Yours is as straight as a die,

Very interesting Alan, I don't know why that is. Although, could it be that my locos have coned wheel treads?

Best wishes,
Dave

dewintondave:115971 wrote:

ge_rik:115967 wrote:I'd be seriously tempted into live steam by a vertical boilered loco. What sort of running time do you get from a fill of gas and water?

The other loco is just about perfect, check out this video of Rubeus, so sedate:

Best wishes,
Dave

Get thee behind me ......... That video really is putting temptation before me !!!

Rik

When you say you constructed them - are they your own design or a kit?

Rik

ge_rik:115978 wrote:When you say you constructed them - are they your own design or a kit?

Rik

All my De Wintons are scratch built and based on Dave Watkins' "Idris" design. Kindly made available on his website:

http://www.davewatkins.pwp.blueyonder.c ... .htm#Idris

Best wishes,
Dave

Dave, you say you've removed the controller from Albus because you've devised a simpler method of keeping the speed down. Is it just the loco's natural ability to run slowly or do you have something else up your sleeve?

Your little "crate" containing the servo is interesting, because I can picture it being easily removed and installed in any manually-controlled locomotive with enough cab space in seconds... like a portable "driver". I am wondering what locomotive this is destined for- maybe it's going into your Aster?

There is always something clever going on at your house... what are you up to this time?

Dave's locos are great, however, for those of us who lack the ability to build from scratch I can recommend the RTR Regner Chaloner.

No duck 'waddling' from my loco...

tom_tom_go:115987 wrote:Dave's locos are great, however, for those of us who lack the ability to build from scratch I can recommend the RTR Regner Chaloner.

No duck 'waddling' from my loco...

Do you have any video of your Chaloner running as I have been interested in one of those loco's for quite some time but have never seen one running.

Thanks

There are many examples on YouTube but here is mine from a while back:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h8-XEQSdtYc

Albus looks better now Dave minus all the electronic bits.

Keith S:115983 wrote:Dave, you say you've removed the controller from Albus because you've devised a simpler method of keeping the speed down. Is it just the loco's natural ability to run slowly or do you have something else up your sleeve?

Your little "crate" containing the servo is interesting, because I can picture it being easily removed and installed in any manually-controlled locomotive with enough cab space in seconds... like a portable "driver". I am wondering what locomotive this is destined for- maybe it's going into your Aster?

There is always something clever going on at your house... what are you up to this time?

Hi Keith, I will use the battery diesel at the end of a train to keep the speed down if needed.

The crate is a slightly larger coal bunker for Albus that fits both servos. I'll put it into storage.

I used to do double heading with Albus and Rubeus, I want to get back to doing that, that's another way to keep the speed down.

Best wishes,
Dave

The diesel does seem to work well in your videos. I was thinking the gubbins from your control van would make an interesting model brake-van, with the electronic stuff operating a brake rather than a throttle. That would be an interesting project.

Keith S:115998 wrote:The diesel does seem to work well in your videos. I was thinking the gubbins from your control van would make an interesting model brake-van, with the electronic stuff operating a brake rather than a throttle. That would be an interesting project.

Yes, and it could be used with any loco.

Best wishes,
Dave

dewintondave:115976 wrote:

Alan P:115974 wrote:Great video Dave. One of the things i like about your De Wintons is the complete lack of the 'duck like waddle' that you see in so many of the model De Winton type locos. A lot of them appear to 'S' their way along the track. Yours is as straight as a die,

Very interesting Alan, I don't know why that is.  Although, could it be that my locos have coned wheel treads?

Best wishes,
Dave

Maybe. Although both yours and Tom's Regner have inboard cylinders. The ones with the most pronouced waddle tend to have outboard cylinders connected directly to the wheels.