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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 25, 2010 10:41:35 GMT
I had some time yesterday with my good friend Romeo near Naples. A shame it rained the whole time
The latest out of the workshop is a 7 1/4" re-constructed tank loco for the rack railway. It's had a new boiler and grown in size by about 30%.
Also was a 'bitsa' vertical engine made from two simplex cylinders (ideas for using this range from a boat to a steam powered rail cycle). As an aside the rail cycle is the one that went in to the tunnel to discover the fate of the train that was involved in Italy's worst rail diaster when a steam train stalled in a tunnel (at Amri) and suffocated everyone.
The next project is K1 in G scale. The wheels are bronze fabrications, knowing Romeo that will be complete by early next year, I will add a few pictures
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 25, 2010 11:21:01 GMT
I hope some pictures. The cab of the rack tank Attachments:
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 16:37:50 GMT
Sorry for the break, had a quick trip back to the UK. More pictures I hope
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 16:45:29 GMT
Side view of the rack tank Attachments:
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 16:58:57 GMT
The business end of the rack tank Attachments:
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 17:02:10 GMT
The vertical two cylinder in embryonic form, still needing supports and guides but runs well. Attachments:
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 17:05:14 GMT
One of the power bogies of the K1 in about 22mm/ft Attachments:
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 29, 2010 17:06:15 GMT
Fabricated wheels for the K1 Attachments:
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Post by jgb7573 on Nov 30, 2010 4:11:05 GMT
Hi Adrian,
Thanks for those pictures. A dumb question on the rack locomotive. Is the top cylinder used to drive the pinion? The valve gears are linked together, at least for cut-off purposes, but do the cylinders operate at the same speed? I'm guessing that there is gearing between the layshaft on the top engine and the pinion.
Thanks,
John
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 30, 2010 14:54:49 GMT
Hi John, Yes the upper cylinder set is for the pinion wheel which goes via an intermediate gear so rotates in the opposite direction. The two sets of valve gear are connected together so that you can't invert one relative to the other. If you have not seen it before it is fun to watch, this is the version in Austria www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYKpwhkzuAEach set of cylinders has an independent steam feed so there are two regulators. It is possible to move by normal, by rack or by rack and adhesion. The rack engine also acts as a brake when descending by throttling the airflow through the cylinders. Somewhere I have a video of it on the rack in it's original form, here are some pictures. www.ferroviaturistica.it/Fumo%20,%20vapori%20,%20odori/index.html Now that it has had the 'steriods' treatment it's a lot bigger and just waiting for the rain to stop so that it can have it's first run |
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Post by ilvaporista on Nov 30, 2010 17:15:34 GMT
From about 5.00 minutes there are close ups of the gear in action on the Siclian narrow gauge. See the film in this link. It's dark to start off with but gets better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXIRQ-1P4BEJust a note about the Achenseebahn locos. They only have one set of cylinders that drives both the wheels and the pinion. |
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Post by mutley on Nov 30, 2010 22:37:43 GMT
Fantastic railway. Happy memories of a day out from Munich in 2008. To listen to those little engines as they propel their train up to the lake and then the cruise on the lake was pure magic. Dont forget the zillertalbahn either. Three trains one station. Only down side was the Italian train running 2 hours late on my retuen to Munich.
Andy
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Post by ilvaporista on Dec 1, 2010 9:00:21 GMT
I keep saying that I could sell everything and go and live in Jenbach. My wife just turns blank and says I must have had too much red wine. One side of the station the Zillertalbahn, the other side the Achenseebahn.
Only 2 hours late for an Italian train.. you picked one of the good ones..
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Post by jgb7573 on Dec 1, 2010 22:10:50 GMT
Thanks Adrian. Much appreciated, especially those films. I can only describe the motion of the two engines one above the other with the top one going twice the speed of the lower as weird! I think I'm going to have to think the consequences of all that a bit more before I really understand what's going on. The only rack railway I've seen up close is the Mount Washington cog railway in the States. There it is cog drive only with the wheels being carrying only. At least I'm pretty sure it is. It's been a while since I was there.
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Post by ilvaporista on Jan 14, 2011 6:28:51 GMT
Here is a pciture from yesterday which appeals to me. These locos are large enough that you feel part of them and have to watch the road ahead through the windows, just like driving a 'full size' narrow gauge loco. Attachments:
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