Reliant - getting all steamed up

[Stuart Badger]

Hi All!

just a note to let you know what's happening with Reliant/Old Trafford. Well My wife Ros and I went down to Cheddar models and had a happy morning playing with steam boats on their lake and talking with the resident experts to decide what plant to us in the model. After much debate I've settled on a single boiler and 2 Puffin engines. This is NOT going to be a straightforward job!

Room is very tight - not so much because of the size of the engine/boiler/radio compartment but because of the height of the available space and the need to plan the pipework etc - but I'm getting there. :-))

The final bath tests have shown that she floats on the waterline with no ballast!! This means she will definitely be a calm weather only model - but she seems very stable in terms of sitting up VERY quickly if heeled over - so I think the centre of roll and the centre of gravity are about right. Too bad if they're not! - can't do anything about it now.

I've set the boiler as low as I can and allowed for the extra weight of the water when full. The boiler is five inches in diameter with a one litre capacity and steams up to 100psi.

I've uploaded 3 new photos to the photos section to show the proposed positioning of the components.

more soon.

Stuart Badger

[Dallinson]

Stuart.
Congratulations. What a nice Easter present!!
That set up really looks the business!!
I assume it will be gas fired?
Should not be too long before it is steaming across the pond!! What a day
that will be!!!
Will you be at Beale park over the bank holiday May 4,5,6 weekend?


David

[Derek Warner]

on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 2:01 AM - Stuart Badger wrote > snip

Room is very tight - not so much because of the size of the engine/boiler/radio compartment but because of the height of the available space and the need to plan the pipework etc - but I'm getting there. :-))

I've uploaded 3 new photos to the photos section to show the proposed positioning of the components.

more soon - Stuart Badger
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stuart - in the 2xPuffin jpeg file, are the output shafts showing those baby chain drive sprockets? - what is the chain pitch?

All in all, the pair of twin cylinder engines & the boiler look beaut - I think your good wife deserves a lot of credit

regards Derek

[Stuart Badger]

Hi Derek

Yes you're right - the sprockets are on the shafts of the engines in that
photo. The pitch of the chain is 3.12mm - just over one eigth of an inch.
I've got the drive and most of the steam piping installed now so have
uploaded some more pics.

And you are right my wife DOES deserve a lot of credit - I am one of the few
people on the planet who can't go into a bar and say to the guy behind the
counter "My wife doesn't understand me"!

Stuart

[Derek Warner]

Thanks Stuart - after seeing the engines again I revisited the Cheddar site - & whilst
the content is great, their snap files are no where as clear as your jpeg files etc - you should
offer them to Cheddar for their advertisements but a humble cost - possibly one of those
AB&WC (automatic boiler & water controller)

So OK you have marginally longer steam supply line length to the port engine, and also a
longer chain drive - will this combined with any differing frictional values between the
port & stdb drives create any problems?

It appears from one of your snaps that each engine has an input steam flow control needle
valve prior to the oiler (their shots do not show this)

Or do you just equate both supplys to each engine as X and 1/4 turns of the steam valve open
- same with the oiler and compensate with the rudder trim on the TX?

Whilst you have been most happy to respond to questions as posed, my gut feeling is that
you had previously posed most of the questions to yourself (along time ago)

From this I think there is serious potential that Decoy could be powered by one "Puffer"
and the 45 minute MK2 version boiler that you have which are not singularly dimensioned
in the Web site - so from this I would be most appreciative of dimensions for

boiler = length x diameter x additional chimney diameter & height
engine = puffer = total plan foot print = length by width + height + shaft size etc

regards Derek

[Stuart Badger]

Hi Derek

In answer to your queries;


> So OK you have marginally longer steam supply line length to the port
engine, and also a
> longer chain drive - will this combined with any differing frictional
values between the
> port & stdb drives create any problems?

It shouldnt do - the pipes are well insulated so I shouldn't have any
condensation problems. However long the length of pipe the PRESSURE in the
pipe is the same - only with VERY long runs would one get problems with flow
rate. And of course the length of the chain is of no consequence because the
frictional resistance is in the shaft bearing and where the chain runs on
the sprockets, which should be the same for each wheel. I expect there will
be differences in engine performance. Once the engines are run-in there
should only be small differences which can be compensated for on the
throttle.


It appears from one of your snaps that each engine has an input steam flow
control needle
> valve prior to the oiler (their shots do not show this)

The steam valve on the lubricator is more of an on/off control - all steam
input values being decided by the control arm on top of the engine.

I phoned Cheddar models on your behalf the dimensions of a 'Puffin'
horizontal boiler are as follows:

Length overall (including burner) 7 1/4 inches

From the 'plain' end of the boiler (not the burner end) to centre line of
chimney -1 1/4inches. centre line of saftey valve 2 1/2inches. centre line
of steam dome 4inches.

Allow 3/4 of an inch dia. for these fittings (chimney & dome)

Overall height of the boiler is 3 5/8inches. Height to top of chimney is
8inches. Height to top of steam dome is 4 1/2inches.

Overall width of the boiler is 3 3/4inches.

Engine. Height 2 3/4inches width 3 1/4inches length 3 1/2inches (these
dimensions are slightly 'over' to allow room for pipes etc) Footprint of
engine - 3 x 1 inches the output shaft diameter is 5mm
You also need to allow room for the oil trap/condnser (2 inch dia X 4inch
high) maximum (that's the biggest size of three), a gas canister (typically
4 1/2 dia x 4inch high) and of course the pipework!!

Sorry for all the dimensions being in imperial but Cheddar models are a
traditional sort of outfit and I can't be a***d to work out the metric
equivalent!! :-))

I'd love to hear if you do decide to go for steam power - I think the model
deserves it. :-)

Now - I have to confess to a moment of retail therapy when Ros and I were at
Cheddar. I have been planning to buils a model of a SCREW tug (gasp -
shock - horror!!!) and was persuaded that as I had been a very good boy and
hadn't got an easter egg this year I could purchas a Proteus steam plant
with ABC and electronic engine control - so I did! (I can now, of course,
not afford the materials to build the model - but Hey Ho that's life) grin!

One item I did get for reliant was an electronic gas valve - for safeties
sake. It adjusts the burner flame to compensate for pressure differences in
the boiler and - most important - if the boiler runs dry it cuts off the
gas.

I am about halfway through piping the exhaust - so when the installation is
complete I will upload a photo.

Best5 wishes

Stuart

[Derek Warner]

on Thursday, April 04, 2002 1:07 AM Stuart Badger <106160.2011@compuserve.com wrote

> The exhaust steam from each engine goes into a little manifold I have made
> from tube and thence to an oil trap/condenser. The output from the condenser
> is then piped into the funnel so that the rising heat from the burner
> exhausts it, fresh and clean, to the atmosphere. At the end of each session
> you blow the condenser out with steam pressure and this ejects the oily
> gunk (preferably into a jam jar)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> I phoned Cheddar models on your behalf the dimensions of a 'Puffin'
> horizontal boiler are as follows
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks for the dimensions Stuart - but the Puffin horizontal boiler is too big - so I have faxed off
my order form for the Cheddar catalogue

I was quite interested in reading that Cheddar had acquired Stuart Turner models - so will
wait & see

regards Derek