3 inch Burrell

[burrell2023]

Good evening

Could someone please advise steam hole size under the 3 inch Burrell cylinder.

Can’t seem to find any reference to a size on the drawing.

Thank you in advance.

[Jim]

i'll check my drawings for you bearing in mind that my 3" Burrell is a SCC but I doubt that would make any difference to the steam hole under the cylinder.

Jim

[Jim]

At the moment I can't locate the drawings for the steel Briggs boiler on my SCC but from other sources I think it was a half inch hole tapped to take a suitable screw in plug for the boiler pressure test.

Jim

[burrell2023]

Thank you Jim, I vaguely remember seeing 3 holes but that doesn’t mean that is correct.

[Jim]

I suspect it depends on whether the boiler is of copper or, as in my case steel where I had to have pad added for the cylinder block to sit on and be bolted to so I could avoid drilling and tapping a series of holes into the boiler for the studs holding the cyinder block in place.

Jim

[burrell2023]

Hi Jim

Mine will be copper, with the strengthening plate on the inside.

Regards
Del

[ettingtonliam]

I'm guessing 1/2" would be about right. Are these the original Plastow drawings, or as redrawn later, possibly by Stuart Models? You could try asking Bridport Foundry, I think its is them that currently market the Plastow designs.

[burrell2023]

Hi

These are original Plastow drawings. From what I could see on other models it’s looks like 3 x 5mm holes

Regards
Del

[ettingtonliam]

Henry wouldn't have used 5mm holes. 3 x 1/4" maybe?

He was a good machinist and pattern maker, and a nice guy to talk to, but he was a rotten draughtsman!

I built a 3" Simplicity roller to his design, but the drawings were for the 3" and the 4 1/2" model with both sets of dimensions on the same drawing. Nightmare!

[burrell2023]

Thank you for the email, it’s actually really nice to know of the guy who designed the engine.
I hope I do it justice, I will more than likely go with the 3 x 1/4 hole as that seems to make sense.

Regards
Del

[ettingtonliam]

I was going to suggest that you look for a copy of Henry's book 'The building and running of steam traction engine and roller models' (H.R.Plastow) which has a lot of background information on the author and his company 'Lion Engineering', but the only copy I found on line was a mind blowing £147.84. The book is good, but certainly not that good. I don't have my copy anymore, disappeared during a house move, many years ago.

He did write another book 'The unfinished story' which is nothing to do with engines, but deals with his and his family's encounters with the spirit world (thats spooky type spirits, not alcoholic type spirits) Thats available secondhand at £8-60! I've got a copy of that somewhere, and if you want it, you are welcome to it, if I can find it that is.

[burrell2023]

Hi

Yes that sounds interesting, I did look for the Plastow book myself and saw how expensive it was!

I did more measurements tonight and am pretty sure I’ve found the location for the cylinder block, I have limited movement forward and aft as I’m reliant on the doubling plate location in the boiler matching up.

Last thing I want is the same problem I had with the Allchin and missing the doubling plate for single skin fixings.

It’s still all pointing to the eccentric rods needing to be shortened from the drawing length.

I guess more checks once I have the con rod in person.

Regards
Del

[Jim]

I'll check to see what I did when building my 3" Burrell single crank compound engine. I suspect I made up a dummy rods to ensure I had the right length.

Jim

[burrell2023]

Thank you Jim, so far with no choice I’ve shortened the eccentrics, all seems to turn over OK.

Con rod, drawing is 225.435 centre to centre loads of measurements later and a little guess work 220mm seems to put the piston where it should and allow room for the cylinder gland.

[burrell2023]

M

[burrell2023]

Unfortunately once setting everything up with con rod and valve gear the cylinder will half miss the edge of the doubling plate, I didn’t make the plate if I had I think I’d have made it bigger than drawing just incase.

I’m going to have to slightly shorten the eccentrics and have less gland sticking out if the front cylinder cover

[burrell2023]

I have shortened the eccentrics, I seemed to have no other choice and will adjust con rod length, everything so far seems to turn over OK.
And the positive is that the cylinder fixings should now all hit the doubling plate.

🙏🙏🙏

[ettingtonliam]

I don't see what else you could have done. Unfortunately, I never built the 3" Burrell myself, and the only guy I knew who did died a long time ago so I've no one to ask.
This design is now probably 60 years old, and back then we did tend to use the drawings as a guide, and make components to 'fit to place'

[ettingtonliam]

What do you mean by 'in neutral'?

[burrell2023]

I’ve managed to get the valve to run pretty nice both directions in forward and reverse.

However if I set the die block in the I can’t seem to get the link arms to sit vertically straight and if I’m d do when I turn the crank directly opposite it’s worse the other way.

The Allchin seemed to be much easier than the burrell, I don’t feel too bad as o know there are lots of people who have struggled.

But it’s frustrating for sure, until it’s all exactly right I can’t get on and secure anything.