scale 1/3 steam loc project + injector question

[timefuze]

Hi,

I am new on this forum, full with very interesting information by driven people. Fantastic forum; should have found / joined it much earlier!
Let me just tell a little about my "steam project"...

Since 2000, I'm building a steam locomotive from industrial obsolete material, let's say scale 1/3. It's not a real scale model; the intent is to have a functioning loc that resembles a loc. It is a 4-6-0 type with a tender behind it. The size is a bit outsized I think compared to what I read so far on this forum. My loc is about 5,5m long (tender included), 1,1m wide and weighs more than 2.500kg. The gauge is 565mm. Some pictures below.
The loc already runs on compressed air on my back yard test track (I didn't get permission from my wife yet to change a larger portion into a marshalling yard :-) ). I have never done a run on steam yet, as I'm not ready for this. I still nee to assure the water feed, lubrication of steam supply to cylinders, piping from boiler to cylinders,...  I constructed the loc in the workshop of my former employer and had in those days all industrial machines that a model engineer could dream of available. At one point in time about 80m² were "my construction shop".
Last summer I added piston drain valves + their control mechanism, stripped the bottom part (800kg), cleaned all parts and painted them. This summer I started to prepare for the first steam making, but somehow the summer is over already and little progress has been made.

Currently I'm struggling to find a steam powered water pump. The injector is the best feed mechanism available, better than a piston type pump.
I read that you can buy injectors. Where can I buy such a nice device please? I contacted several companies to help me out, but got the standard reply: no sir, we stopped selling those in the 1960's, repaired several in the 80's and now all the knowledge about these things are no longer present in our company.

Thanks for any guidance towards a functioning injector for my "application".

Timefuze.

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[pault]

Hi
Welcome to the forum, your loco is bigger than most on here so I would talk to www.heritagesteamsupplies.co.uk/‎
Their range should cover what you need, let us know how you get on.
Regards
Paul

[Paul Rowell]

You could try Preston Steam Services, Penberth injector are still made in America I believe but there not cheap.

www.prestonservices.co.uk/injectors.html

What is the boilers history, have you a design on anything like paperwork from a manufacture.

[timefuze]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the info. I'm currently in contact with heritage steam supplies for a Metcalfe injectore. Indeed very expensive -but what choice do I have? I can't make one myself.

Concerning the boiler...
Last Wednesday I lit the fire for the first time. See picture for test facility. It worked perfectly! It took about 2 hours before the pressure build-up began (150L of water to be heated up). That afternoon I burnt about 3 wheel barrows of wood and evaparated roughly 100L of water in 4 hours in my backyard. Steam whistle attracted some neighbours that climbed the fence to see my creation "living".



The boiler is in fact a modified steel industrial pressure vessel, used to store compressed air. I cut the top and bottom, replaced it by PN40 blinded flanges in which the holes for the flues were drilled. A steam dome was added using standard PN40 piping elements (reducer, flanges). All welding was done by certified welder. Flues are rolled into the back- and front plate by a professional from a Belgian boiler making company (CMI De Nayer, Willebroek). Cold water test was executed at 10 bars. Two 1" safety valves are installed and set at 3,5 bars. Temperatures on front plate didn't exceed 400°C during my test run and I kept de pressure below 3 bars.


My boiler has no firebox that is submerged into the water. It has litteraly a fire "box", thermally insulated by high temperature, passive fire protection plates. The hot gasses pas through the real boiler (more a simple cylindrical heat exchanger) into the smoke box. This design was easier to construct, safer to operate -and was calculated to give sufficient amount of steam for my application. I'm not going to haul a lot of wagons filled with freight...

Next steps are improving the boiler part of the locomotive, mating it with the finished chassis (frame, wheels, rods, pistons) and do another test in a couple of months.

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