Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

EngineDIYShop RETROL SE- 02 Steam Engine Plant Kit
A very nice DIY build kit. Very clever the glass screw on boiler front with the built in water sight. It took me longer than I thought putting it all together + the time on my knees looking for a nut and a bolt!!!
Most definitely needs some modifications, it has a very unique industrial sound to it this engine, quite pleasing to the ear. The only shortfall in the whole design is the silicone tubing coming from the boiler to the steam chest. I've sat now for quite awhile considering how to modify that with a copper pipe run.

G'day Tim, I haven't steamed this yet as it was 40°C here yesterday and we had the A/C's on and I didn't want to stink the house up.
It will be interesting to see how many mils of water the boiler takes and how long a boiler full of water runs for.
I have a logbook and write all this information down for each of my engines.

Thanks Bruce, 15 minutes sound ok to me.
My Grandson is away at camp and should be able to come around tomorrow for the first steam up.

The beam engine only has one in that location. I haven’t fiddled much with it to be honest. The beam engine also has a working governor that seems to make it tick over at a fairly constant rate no matter how much extra steam is applied. It does, however, run at very slow speeds, but the governor keeps it from over-reving. Does that make sense?
It appears the similarities between the two models ends with the boiler as the configurations of the moving parts are quite different.
I love running mine. It ticks along at a very constant rate, almost like a clock.
Here is a link to the review I did of the beam engine.
https://www.officeofsteamforum.com/general-discussion/retrol-beam-steam-engine/

Cheers mate !

I’ll have to look into the comments thing. Thanks

Frank I just searched on Amazon and its under yet another Chinese seller -

https://www.amazon.com.au/Helixsun-Generator-Accessories-Experiment-Education/dp/B0DBQ5SH8N?crid=2ABI4YUGULV5T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BZk9NAcaw-2c_lEvsj42G0-IIY-E1xdJq7X2r066M9TkteAQdSe3fOmGlh9ryrC4SkFOQzI_p4XYILgy_nXCHmdYLuK10Q4e_k9U3LbnESigsKmfI_tZ_1ioMnn91ns-MHc3xGC0-Eq7UJWBCSPO5RQZ-JYzZ_ARZH9NB9PpBkDZSsq0Q016w8FotPOVCFTAGHe6a3nsBeTglmm_hlaAUc6uspRPQmMx0UsSHzqkQRuEbq1ins0Om5w-jtypy5V-SD1fMgJJX3EK-4C6RfNiD5pSd4XODT9Mg3WkRhi5BZI.a9Kn31V2WAl5tYFPR1vwpd4t1mCKtVQc61HmGksS6so&dib_tag=se&keywords=retrol&qid=1733613626&sprefix=retro%2Caps%2C387&sr=8-5

I've just ordered one of the above through Amazon for my Grandon, I was very impressed with the genny that came with the Se-02

OK, Jim.
So, you’re “Blue Heeler.” I’ve been looking at your uTube channel for quite a while. Some very nice videos!
I have a chuff pot that I got from Jeff or Geoff (Oz Steam Demon) a few years ago that is still sitting at my son’s house in the U.S. I’ve asked him to send it over to me here in France. He also is caretaking three electrically heated Jensens for me … an early 20, and early 5 and a 35 that’s mounted on a board with an Arrow windmill model.
I would like to get those machines over here, too, but it is expensive to do so, unless your crafty about it. I actually brought a Jensen 25 over in a piece of checked baggage. I bought a cheap used bag from a Goodwill (second hand) store for $10, wrapped the steam engine in my dirty clothes and checked it through at JFK. Worked like a charm.
Cheers!

Yes.
I’m married to a French woman, so I have an insider’s perspective, so to speak.
The French government is a mess right now, but I won’t delve into politics as there are more suitable forums for that elsewhere.
The French are on strike all the time, seems like. My wife will say, “You can’t do that, so and so is on strike today.” We’ve even had to cancel holiday plans because striking farmers were blocking the highways. But living here is still worth it.
Sorry to get off topic here.
I need to go steam up an engine!
Cheers