Any thoughts on Doris?

[brozier]

Hi folks,

Has anyone out there built "Doris", LBSC's take on the Black 5? Is it a good steamer? I know it's not an exact replica. Any problems?

Someone has advertised a set of castings at my local club....

Cheers
Bryan

[Nigel Bennett]

One thing to look at is the arrangement of boiler tubes. According to Keith Wilson, it's not possible to cram that many tubes into the space!
I have seen several examples on the track and they've usually behaved well.

[ianengr]

Hello Bryan,

The 3 1/2" G. Doris I was part owner of for many years was a very good engine. Although not the original builder, I overhauled it twice and built a new boiler for it about ten years back. It originally had four 5/8" dia. Superheater flue tubes ( I assume that is what the original design called for ) which I replaced with two 7/8" dia. The 5/8" flues tended to clog too quickly but it was a good steamer. However instead of putting additional firetubes in where the 2 superheater flues were removed, It may have been better to have simply transferred the lowest row of firetubes to the top and lowering all the tubes and the Firebox crown, as this would have given a slightly larger steam space which would have been an improvement. The Gauge Glass was quite short as a result and the positioning of this is something I would suggest you should look at closely.

A new set of drawings were required for the new boiler for later A.M.B.S.C.compliance ( originally built in mid 1960's) and I would be more than happy to send you a copy if you were interested, if nothing else, you could make a comparison with the original design and work from there.

Kind Regards,

Ian.

[brozier]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses. I decided to buy the part built Doris. From what I could see the finsihed parts have been well made.

The boiler end plates haven't been drilled yet so there is some leeway on the tube layout. The original design call for four flues.

The firetube layout does look quite cramped so I'll give that some thought.

Ian I would like a look at your drawings if possible.

Cheers
Bryan
(Too many projects too little time)

[johnharkness]

Hello there,

I have one which is a very good performer, has run now for nearly 4 years, you can see it at www.wcgme.supanet.com and on youtube at uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4RRa6JDOCKU

The sound is poor on the film due to background noise.

John.

[brozier]

Hiya John,

Great video. Did you make Doris yourself or have you just had her for four years?

Cheers
Bryan