Author Topic: New project: Model of second german steamship "Courier" (Read 41554 times)

kno3 · « **Reply #60 on:** May 06, 2018, 01:18:57 AM »

Your ship looks beautiful on the water. And very nice job converting the Regner engine!

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #61 on:** January 07, 2023, 12:34:08 AM »

As long we are busy in arranging late mothers estate, only smaller steam and model activitis are possible.

Now I decide an engine change of the "Courier" steamboat. The original single cylinder side lever engine wasn`t reliable, special starting often was problematic. The engine is now a functionable part of my big coal fired steamplant. A new small Microcosm oscillating engine will take part in the boat. The aggregat is made principal for screw driving. For driving the paddle shaft it must be altered and turned. The shaft will be close to the paddleshaft and drive with 2 : 1 gear reduction via cogwheels. First job now is to made a stabil frame of the engine.

Thomas

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #62 on:** January 09, 2023, 11:12:58 PM »

Frame of engine is finished and engine was installed. I now will made a steam connection from boiler to gastank with cock to heat the tank. A steam up will be the next.

Thomas

derekwarner_decoy · « **Reply #63 on:** January 10, 2023, 01:27:06 PM »

This is a very inventive way of inverting the Microcosm oscillator engine

........your work Thomas, never ceases to amaze me

On a seperate question,

1. is Winfried Niggle back in business selling directly to consumers?....I was looking at his [old] WEB page, and by accident, I sent received an e-mail to him.........to my suprise I got an e-mail back signed by a Jennifer, saying they were never out of business?
-------------------------

"From: Winfried Niggel <w.niggel@web.de>
Sent: Wednesday, 4 January 2023 7:18 PM
To: dlwarner@bigpond.net.au
Subject: Modellbau-Niggel

Hallo Derek,

I was never away.
I'm already continuing with steam model making.

Best regards
Jennifer

-------------------------------
I had an unpleasant experience with Beng Steam ....supplying a supposed Niggle product [tube to tube o-ring sealed 4 bolt flange sets], however the goods were not of Winfried dimension or quality or manufacture.....

2. is that, an aluminium tube you have installed in your Niggle quartz tubed lubricator? in the earlier plant setup with the single cylinder vertical Regner engine

Watching on as usual [with my new right side full hip replacement]

Derek

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #64 on:** January 11, 2023, 10:12:54 AM »

Hi Derek,

Niggle is still in business. I ordered a water gauge from him about two years ago. I remember, the part was not in stock and it takes a long time for delivery. Until now, I don`t ordered anything from Bengs. Best trader of my experience is Regner. Regner has a wide range of steam products, isn`t too expensive and the delivery is rather fast. But I have only experience with inland delivery.

It`s an aluminium tube at the lubricator, the glass was broken and there was no spare - it`s funktioning.

Today I did a test run with the new installed Microcosm, which was good - nearly no steam and water leaks, for a oscillating engine this is remarkable.
Tomorrow will be a test run in the watertank, the nautic stability wasn`t very good in the past, we will see, whether it`s better now. Deplacement of the boat in running order is 5,6 kg.

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #65 on:** January 13, 2023, 04:23:54 AM »

Test run of "Courier" today.
The presentation wasn`t excellent, but halfway satisfactory. The nautic stability is a little better with the lighter engine. Gear reduction startet with 1,7 : 1, but engine was straining, then with 2,5 : 1 and endet with 2,5 : 1. The torque of the engine is not very strong, it would be better a reduction of 3 - 3 : 1. Steam escape from the mirror plains was rather strong when the engine works with load.
The "Courier" ever was my problematic boat, but I hoped to make some presentation on model shows with steam. It seems, this boat would be better electric driven.

Thomas

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #66 on:** January 13, 2023, 04:46:44 AM »

Some pictures.

derekwarner_decoy · « **Reply #67 on:** January 13, 2023, 10:10:58 AM »

Hullo Thomas......good progress

In your steam test, we see a valve, however there also appears a tube connection attached to the body of the valve

Is it a gas line to the boiler burner?

Is this a globe valve for isolation?, or a needle valve for gas/? regulation etc?

...and secondly will that synthetic tube over the burner body be OK temperature wise

Derek

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #68 on:** January 13, 2023, 11:54:05 PM »

Hi Derek,

this valve is the steam heating for the gastank. But this wasn`t necessery while the test - the steam escape from the mirrors of the cylinders was strong enough and one of the reasons for the not very satisfactory presentation. I ordered now two cogwheels for 4 : 1 reduction. Perhaps it is possible to increase the pressure of the cylinders to the mirrors to avoide this strong steam escape. I`m a little disappointed of this Microcosm oscillating engine, the slide valve one was much better.

Thomas

Hankwilliams · « **Reply #69 on:** August 28, 2025, 02:56:36 AM »

The oscillating engine wasn`t a piece of good engineering. In opposition of the slide valve engines from Microcosm, this engine failed with leakings and low power. There must bei some failures happened with completition of the engine in chinese factory.

But I got an defect Rocket Loco for a low price. The boiler was complete unusable, but this doesn`t matter - I only needed the cylinders with piston, piston rods and slide valves to make an new slide valve engine fot the "COURIER" boat.
I new piston valve geared engine was arised - with an old Wilesco reverse valve and nearly no leaks of steam. Some pictures will illustrate the process. Not before now the "COURIER" steamboat is real functionable.

At the top of the paddleboxes I made 10 mm boreholes to avoide the tendence of list. Now the boat got much more nautical stability - it`s possible to present her driving at the big steam meeting in Friedrichshafen, Lake Constance in the beginning of november.

What`s the quintessence: In some cases it takes much more time than one expect to reach the goal - a really functionable model steamboat!

Thomas