Wilesco, Jensen, Mamod

[loserboy]

Just woundering if toy steam engines , like the ones from- Wilesco, Jensen, Mamod , can be used or  does the engine have to be special?

,,,, (please forgive the lack of research on this but i'm just starting out in this area) :

[Eddy Matthews]

The Wilesco and Mamod type engines are perfectly suitable for smaller paddlers. Just use a belt or chain drive to the paddleshaft and away you go - No need to spend a small fortune on a special engine at all...

[PJ]

Hey Eddy:

First welcome back..hope the little break was enjoyable.

I have a Wilesco twin cylinder oscillating stationary steam plant and I've also wondered if it could be modified into a sternwheeler engine.  It doesn't seem to have a lot of torque so I'm not sure if it's even powerful enough to drive a paddle wheel.   Also it only has one speed in one direction which kicks in when there's sufficient steam pressure, so what would have to be done to incorporate a stop start/throttle and reversing mechanism?

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[Eddy Matthews]

Hey Eddy:

First welcome back..hope the little break was enjoyable.

Thanks Paul, unfortunately my wife took seizures for 4 out of the 7 days we were away (she suffers from epilepsy as you know), so it wasn't the break we were hoping for. But none the less, the weather was good all week and it made a nice change to get away from the hassles at home for a while.

I have a Wilesco twin cylinder oscillating stationary steam plant and I've also wondered if it could be modified into a sternwheeler engine.  It doesn't seem to have a lot of torque so I'm not sure if it's even powerful enough to drive a paddle wheel.   Also it only has one speed in one direction which kicks in when there's sufficient steam pressure, so what would have to be done to incorporate a stop start/throttle and reversing mechanism?

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

Walter is probably the best guy to ask about that sort of thing - He has a load of small Mamod and Wilesco engines, and one of the twin cylinder jobbies is in one of his paddlers - It just uses a chain drive with maybe a 3:1 reduction.

Unfortunately Walter is away working on the Balmoral at the moment. I think he's back in about a week.

[loserboy]

Thank You

[mjt60a]

I have a Wilesco twin cylinder oscillating stationary steam plant.....what would have to be done to incorporate a stop start/throttle and reversing mechanism?

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

Is it a single or double acting one?
A wilesco D49 is a double-acting (V) twin but has a stop/reverse lever incorporated into it (no lubricator though... :?   picture - http://www.shopping-emporium-uk.com/wilesco-pics/d49-400.jpg ) I couldn't find a 'single acting oscillating twin' by wilesco (the other types on their site are slide valve engines)
A mamod SE3 is  a single acting oscilator, it has no reverse lever though one could be fitted with a few minor alterations - except it would be prone to stalling at top-or-bottom-dead-centre, as steam does not 'push back' the pistons... (see one here - http://www.jeff-z.com/livesteam/mamod-se3/mamod-se3.html )

[PJ]

Hi Mick:

The Mamod SE3 is exactly what I have and the picture in the URL you posted is identical.  Looks like it would need quite a bit of modifying to make it into a sternwheeler engine ..but one day I'd love to have a crack at it.

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[PJ]

Just been thinking, Mick.

A flywheel would stop the stalling problem, but it would also create a major STOPPING problem as this would give the the paddle wheel additional momentum and reversing would be non-existent.

PJ
Victoria, BC. Canada

[loserboy]

Could a flywheel  RC servo brake be fashoned or is there something like that on the market? Or maybe insteed of changing the direction of the fly wheel forward and reverse could be controld by means of a friction plate or clutch mechanisem :?:

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi PJ, you have problems with a single acting oscilator, as when it stops there is no remote way of starting it. BUT, if you only want to sail in one direction they are perfectly manageable. Fit a large flywheel as oscilators require the weight to return to the "firing" position. For a stern wheeler use a belt or chain drive from a small pully/ cog to a larger pully/cog. This gives a reduction drive and allows the engine to run at the high speed it requires to function efficiently. vary the size of the large pulley/cog to find the optimum speed of your stern wheel. Very important LAG THE BOILER to cut heat loss and LAG THE STEAM PIPE with thick string. IT is amazing how much difference this makes to performance as it stops the steam from cooling in the pipe. Ive just made a twin oscillator out of Mamod bits and its an absolute flyer- it will require a lot of geering down. The boiler is also a bitsa, made up from a redundent mammod boiler, fired with a Wilesco tube gas burner.Fianal drive to the paddle shaft will be Meccanno gears and chain. Cheers, Walter

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Walter,
With the Wilesco Tube burner do you use the Wilesco fuel tank or another one? I could never get my D48 to run more than 5 minutes on the bench with the stock tank.
Regards,
Gerald

[mjt60a]

....I could never get my D48 to run more than 5 minutes on the bench with the stock tank....

Mine runs for about 20 minutes if I keep the tank in the freezer for an hour or two, then fill it with butane (this stops the liquid from vapourizing into gas before you can fill it) then, once lit, only turn it up about half way so the 'blue tips' of the flames just touch the boiler...

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi Gerald. To answer your question, yes, I do use the Wilesco burner as I find it far and away the simplest and most consistent burner I have ever had. I consistently get 15-18 minutes running time on a filling and usualy have a spare tank with me ready charged. I think your low burning time is due to over use of the valve! If sailing, take a thermos of hot water for boiler filling( I use a large turkey basting syringe, only a few pence at cooking shops for filling the boiler). only just crack open the valve, you should only see blueflame above the burner, anything else and your gas is too high. Starting with a boiler full of hot water means you dont have to waste gas on the initial heating . The wilesco is a very efficient burner tube as it heats a large area of the boiler.  Cheers, Walter.