It's only a little bit of surface rust while I'm building it, no problem. The model will be painted when finished and the rust helps key the paint better.
Just come across this great build of a loco I have fond memories of riding at Portmadog, years ago, I even still have the Russell rider badges that were handed out. Pity drawing are not available, I might be sorely tempted to add to my to do list.
Hi Colin, I certainly think it's one of the nicest looking tank engines looking very purposeful. Hunslet must have had a designer, at that time, who had a good eye for proportions.
How do you like to design the suspension for your locomotives? Another builder I have correspondence with prefers to have it normally bottomed out. The springs push the wheels down to meet the track if there is any dips. One benefit being that the valve gear alignment stays true. What do you think?
How have you gone about building the suspension? Brass stock with a shoulder machined on one side so it can run up and down? Does it not mess with the running gear if it’s out of sync?
Unfortunately I don't have video of the chassis building but I do have stills. I'll put a film together telling now the loco started with shot of the chassis.
Hi Jonathan. I’d love to know a bit more about the valve gears build process, tools and materials used etc. With Limited drawings available, did you end up designing parts yourself from photographs of the real loco? Kind Regards
Hi, I used Roundhouse cylinders so started by using their valve gear geometry. I found with a real combination lever the expansion link could be small and to scale. To machine and measure accurate rods I used the vertical slide on my Myford lathe. They were restoring Russell at the time so I used many photos to help.
Jonathan, Beautifully scaled and clevis'ed valve gears! What process do you use to design your fully operational Walschaerts valve such as you've done on this Russell? My Roundhouse loco cannot notch up since the combination rods are dummy. I had problems with Docstaeder's software's parameter entry and Ashton's description of parameter input is too hard to decipher. Please advice
Hi Schuten, thanks for the comment. Linking up is all in the combination lever, that's the bit that hangs down from the valve rod and connects to the cross head via the anchor link . I've not been able to understand the simulators or calculations either so I do it by eye. I use the basic Roundhouse valve gear configuration making the combination lever close to scale and space available. With a real combination lever the throw of the expansion link is a lot less and you need to make a modified one. I then make an adjustable eccentric rod and return crank, take the valve chest cover off and watch the valve movement till I get the timing right in full gear. Make the parts, run on air and final adjustments on the valve spindle and the angle of the return crank. It's worked on this engine.
Thank you Jonathan. I'll try your method of adjustable Eccentric Rod and adjustable Return Crank (Eccentric Crank), starting with proportionate two point pivoted Combination Lever. E.g., for a Roundhouse loco, if you keep the Trunnion pivot point of the Expansion Link (where Expansion Link is attached to the frame and that point is always at the middle of the Expansion Link's arc) as is, then the Radius Rod length must also be adjustable? But Radius Rod must match the radius of the Expansion Link's arc. It's like which comes 1st, Chicken or the Egg problem.
Hi Schuten, if you've not changed any of the dimensions of the original Roundhouse valve gear keep the radius rod the same length. Remember the attaching point on your new combination lever for the radius rod is below the valve spindle not above it and there isn't much room for this. With the expansion link in the middle, the valve shouldn't move when you lift or lower the radius rod. Also the valve should be in the middle between the ports. You should only need a small adjustment on the valve position using the nut on the valve rod attached to the valve inside the valve chest, to take up any dimensional changes. Remember the swing of the expansion link will need to be reduced.
im in the process of build navada county narrow gauge 8. I was wondering how you built the running chassis. because its the same desing of my locomotive
I riveted the two frame sides together. Then I use the top slide on the lathe to carefully end mill the gaps for the axle boxes to correspond to the centre on the connecting rods. Some of the other holes in the frames are drilled on the top slide or on the pillar drill depending on the accuracy I need.
I'm building an H0 live steam locomotive, I'm going to use this engine : www.hielscher-dampfmodelle.de/en/Hielscher-Steam-Engines/Mini-Steams/Hielscher-Mini-Steam-Engine-Andreas1 and building a coopper boiler, in your opinion what pressure should I have in the boiler and how much should be the coopper thick ? Thanks for your answer
whoa man! this is so cool! I really loved how this mini little mechanism replicates almost all real train items!
Hey, thanks.
I just come across your youtube channel. I do have to say, your locomotive's are really nice. I can not wait to see more in the future.
It's only a little bit of surface rust while I'm building it, no problem. The model will be painted when finished and the rust helps key the paint better.
Hi i also wang to build this, can you tell me how can I get the drawing
Just come across this great build of a loco I have fond memories of riding at Portmadog, years ago, I even still have the Russell rider badges that were handed out. Pity drawing are not available, I might be sorely tempted to add to my to do list.
Hi Colin, I certainly think it's one of the nicest looking tank engines looking very purposeful. Hunslet must have had a designer, at that time, who had a good eye for proportions.
Truly amazing, 👍👍👍🚂👍.
Very interesting, 💖
How do you like to design the suspension for your locomotives? Another builder I have correspondence with prefers to have it normally bottomed out. The springs push the wheels down to meet the track if there is any dips. One benefit being that the valve gear alignment stays true. What do you think?
How have you gone about building the suspension?
Brass stock with a shoulder machined on one side so it can run up and down?
Does it not mess with the running gear if it’s out of sync?
It works because the shoulder on the axle box is on the outside and is held in place between the frame side and the cranks.
I'm sure my uncle went n picked up the wheels for " RUSSELL " years ago
I got a pic of him stood on RUSSELL 1st steam test
Really Awesome work. do you have video of the chassis build ?
Unfortunately I don't have video of the chassis building but I do have stills. I'll put a film together telling now the loco started with shot of the chassis.
Hi Jonathan. I’d love to know a bit more about the valve gears build process, tools and materials used etc.
With Limited drawings available, did you end up designing parts yourself from photographs of the real loco?
Kind Regards
Hi, I used Roundhouse cylinders so started by using their valve gear geometry. I found with a real combination lever the expansion link could be small and to scale. To machine and measure accurate rods I used the vertical slide on my Myford lathe. They were restoring Russell at the time so I used many photos to help.
By any chance could you make a 5 inch loco and explain how to do it and how to paint it
I need to know how to make the piston rods and where do you get the pipe
You can buy stainless steel rod the diameter you need on the web. Try Macc Models.
Jonathan,
Beautifully scaled and clevis'ed valve gears!
What process do you use to design your fully operational Walschaerts
valve such as you've done on this Russell? My Roundhouse loco
cannot notch up since the combination rods are dummy. I had problems with
Docstaeder's software's parameter entry and Ashton's description of parameter input
is too hard to decipher.
Please advice
Hi Schuten, thanks for the comment. Linking up is all in the combination lever, that's the bit that hangs down from the valve rod and connects to the cross head via the anchor link . I've not been able to understand the simulators or calculations either so I do it by eye. I use the basic Roundhouse valve gear configuration making the combination lever close to scale and space available. With a real combination lever the throw of the expansion link is a lot less and you need to make a modified one. I then make an adjustable eccentric rod and return crank, take the valve chest cover off and watch the valve movement till I get the timing right in full gear. Make the parts, run on air and final adjustments on the valve spindle and the angle of the return crank. It's worked on this engine.
Thank you Jonathan. I'll try your method of adjustable Eccentric Rod
and adjustable Return Crank (Eccentric Crank), starting with proportionate two point pivoted Combination Lever. E.g., for a
Roundhouse loco, if you keep the Trunnion pivot point of the Expansion Link (where Expansion Link is attached to the frame and
that point is always at the middle of the Expansion Link's arc) as is,
then the Radius Rod length must also be adjustable? But Radius
Rod must match the radius of the Expansion Link's arc. It's like
which comes 1st, Chicken or the Egg problem.
Hi Schuten, if you've not changed any of the dimensions of the original Roundhouse valve gear keep the radius rod the same length. Remember the attaching point on your new combination lever for the radius rod is below the valve spindle not above it and there isn't much room for this. With the expansion link in the middle, the valve shouldn't move when you lift or lower the radius rod. Also the valve should be in the middle between the ports. You should only need a small adjustment on the valve position using the nut on the valve rod attached to the valve inside the valve chest, to take up any dimensional changes. Remember the swing of the expansion link will need to be reduced.
im in the process of build navada county narrow gauge 8. I was wondering how you built the running chassis. because its the same desing of my locomotive
Hi Wyatt thomas weasel, I've use Roudhouse Engineer cylinders and worked out the valve gear and timing from their information.
Gandy Dancer Productions thank you! i love the amazing work you do! do you have a email so i can send you son pictures of the engine?
Whats is the thickness of the metal used to build the fram
Hi Wyatt, the frames are 1/6" thick steel.
Wyatt thomas weasel , if you go to 'about' my email is there.
how did you cut all the holes in the chassis? milled with an end mill or?
I riveted the two frame sides together. Then I use the top slide on the lathe to carefully end mill the gaps for the axle boxes to correspond to the centre on the connecting rods. Some of the other holes in the frames are drilled on the top slide or on the pillar drill depending on the accuracy I need.
Thanks, check out my boiler building for this loco.
I'm building an H0 live steam locomotive, I'm going to use this engine : www.hielscher-dampfmodelle.de/en/Hielscher-Steam-Engines/Mini-Steams/Hielscher-Mini-Steam-Engine-Andreas1 and building a coopper boiler, in your opinion what pressure should I have in the boiler and how much should be the coopper thick ? Thanks for your answer
What scale is it?
It's 1 in 19 scale, 16mm to the foot and runs on 'O' gauge track.
Gandy Dancer Productions Impressive work.
How make the pistons
That was one of the parts I bought from Roundhouse Engineering. They have a website.
just like Russell only bigger
Takes a long time to build an engine so I doubt I'll get around to building a bigger Russell.
Why is it all rusty? Detracts rather from all the hard work you've obviously put into it.