The Locomotive Project
This project
is a scale locomotive to run on 4-3/4"or 5" gauge track with inside wheel sets,
or 7-1/4" or 7-1/2" gauge track with outside wheel sets which the geared drive
enables one to do easily with drop in wheel sets.
The concept is to
have a "run anywhere" locomotive that can fit in the trunk of even a small car
and will still be powerful enough to pull a couple of adults.
Byers locomotive builder's photograph (ex. libris
Susan Parker).
The Byers 0-4-0 locomotive prototype is an interesting little industrial
engine capable of useful work on both standard or narrow gauge track, and can
negotiate very tight radius curves due to the extremely short wheelbase.
Motive power is provided by a pair of vertical "bottle" style
steam engines, more commonly used in stationary power plants, and a geared drive
to both front and rear axles.
Technical
Specification - Eighth(ish) Scale
Byers Geared Locomotive
Note: This table has NOT yet
been scaled. |
| Driving wheels, diam |
24 ins. |
| Journals, driving axles |
2 5-16 x 4 ins. |
| Axles, diam |
2 15-16 ins. |
| Main shaft, diam |
2 1/8 ins. |
| Countershaft, diam |
2 7-16 ins. |
| Wheelbase |
3 ft. 4 ins. |
| Length over all |
12 ft. 2 ins. |
| Width over all |
6 ft. |
|
| Weight in working order |
11,000 lbs. |
| Full coal capacity |
250 lbs. |
| Full water capacity of tank, |
100 gallons 834 lbs. |
| Allowed for water in boiler, |
180 gallons 1,500 lbs. |
|
| Cylinders |
5 1/2 x 7
ins. |
| Distance c. to c. |
4 ft. 1 in. |
| Piston rod, diam |
1 in. |
|
| Valve Gear |
Link Motion |
| Steam ports |
9-16 x 4 1/2 ins. |
| Exhaust ports |
1 x 4 1/2 ins. |
| Lap of valves |
5-16 in. |
| Lead of valves |
1-16 in. |
| Max. travel of valves |
2 ins. |
|
| Boiler; type |
Tee |
| Vertical leg |
32 x 60 ins. |
| Barrel |
26 x 64 ins. |
| Tube sheet and barrel plates |
1/4 in. |
| Height from rail to centre line |
3 ft. 9 ins. |
| Length of smokebox |
1 ft. 8 ins. |
| Working steam pressure |
120 lbs. |
|
| Firebox |
Circular |
| Diameter inside |
28 ins. |
| Depth inside |
26 ins. |
| Side plates |
5-16 in. |
| Crown sheet |
3/8 in. |
| Grate area |
4 sq. ft. |
| Staybolts, diameter |
3/4 in. |
| Water space, width |
2 ins. |
|
| Tubes; material |
Steel |
| Number |
32 |
| Diameter, outside |
2 ins. |
| Length between tube plates |
6 ft. 0 ins. |
|
| Heating surface - |
| Tubes |
88 sq. ft. |
| Firebox |
14 sq. ft. |
| Total, with exterior tube area |
102 sq. ft. |
|
| Exhaust nozzle, diam |
1 11-16 ins. |
|
| Smokestack, smallest diam |
8 ins. |
| Height |
3 ft. 4 ins. |
| Height from rail to top |
8 ft. 2 ins. |
|
| Tank capacity |
100 gallons |
| Coal capacity |
250 lbs |
| Brake Friction disk, |
operated by hand. |
|
| Gearing: |
| Driving pinion; diam., |
5 13-16 ins.; |
number of teeth 12 |
| Intermediate pinion; diam., |
12 ins.; |
number of teeth 25 |
| Axle gear wheel; diam., |
17 9-32 ins.; |
number of teeth 36 |
|
|
CAD Drawings
I am working on a
set of CAD drawings for this locomotive. This is a background "as and when I am
able to find the time" project and I will add further information as I am able.
All my
drawings are 12" to the Foot scale i.e. full size, and are then scaled as
appropriate. These are based on the images from the Geared Steam site. I am
redoing the drawings with the higher resolution scans I now have.
Locomotive for 3-1/2", 4-3/4" or 5" gauge inside wheel
sets, or 7-1/4" or 7-1/2" gauge with outside wheel sets.
This drawing show a
pair of
PM Research Inc's
5BI vertical bottle engines which in this scale are approximately the same
size as the Byers. The valve gear will need modifying to provide variable cut
off and reversing.
I have a 5BI kit with drawings which I used to make the 5BI
outline so it is accurate in scale to the rest of the locomotive. This drawing
was otherwise done from the low resolution scans and dimensions from the Geared
Steam website information.
Note that the 5BI is similar to the Byer's engines and makes a
good simple substitute where one wishes to build a functional locomotive that is
look and feel but not necessarily a true scale model of the prototype as the
bottle shape is different.
The boiler as drawn is intended to be able to burn coal in a
grate or be run on liquid/gas fuel using a multi-fuel camping stove so as to
give maximum flexibility in use (i.e. could run indoors at exhibitions on gas,
outdoors at meets on coal). The 3KW
Primus OmniFuel Stove as illustrated is accurate scale to the model,
although other stoves of this type could also be suitable.
Additional References & Links
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Follow links to "Steam Engine Models"
5BI vertical bottle steam engine,
bore 5/8", stroke 7/8", double acting.
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Link images in this section are (mostly) linked from
their respective websites - please let me know if they disappear. |
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