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Author Topic: Beam Engine gift.  (Read 1155 times)

Tony Bird

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Beam Engine gift.
« on: October 02, 2019, 02:44:53 am »
Hi,

While away playing with toys at Winterbourne a friend gave me a gift of a beam engine saying I am sure you can do something with it.  I applaud his optimism.  The model is in bits and the story is that it was made by an apprentice and was given to someone who gave it to someone else that gave it to our friend, whether it started off in one piece and whether it ever worked isn't known.

It isn't that well made but superficially it doesn't look as if it shouldn't work.  It has some interesting design features so I think it might be an own design a lot of brass castings being used.

When I get around to doing something with it; probably a filling around other larger jobs I will try and not re-engineer it too much.  Photograph of the parts as received attached.

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Regards Tony.
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jkbixby

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2019, 06:02:18 am »
This could turn out to be a very nice engine from what I see - will be interesting to watch you whip it into shape Tony.
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Regards,
Larry

Swift Fox

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2019, 06:44:16 am »
I'm sure you will have that up and running in no time Tony!!  ;D

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
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Hero

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2019, 07:47:21 am »
Lots of potential there. Well worth what you didn't pay for it.
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Bob

Stoker

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2019, 11:45:03 am »
Looks like a box full of fun from here. Of course it could well be full of hours and frustrations as well, but I have a feeling that you'll manage to sort it without any too much trouble, and end up with a fine one of a kind!
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Tony Bird

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2019, 02:27:45 am »
Hi Stoker,

Looks like a box full of fun from here. Of course it could well be full of hours and frustrations as well.

Absolutely, as sure as the sparks fly upwards!

Having got tired of cutting plywood sleepers for a model railway layout I thought I would have a look at the beam engine and maybe make a start.  The bits were removed from the base and stored in three plastic bags: (1) crankshaft, fly wheel and their fitting, (2) beam, column and their fittings, (3) the cylinder and piston assembly.

This left the wooden base; the place to start, alas it was very rough and more importantly slightly warped, it would be easier and possibly more sensible to replaced it, but ‘Hey Ho’ its original.

Any wood workers in the group please disregard the following I am no wood worker but I do own a milling machine.  This might have been just as well as there was a nail hidden in the wood; which I suspect would have damaged a plane or a wood working machine.  The base board was flattened and squared and the original securing holes drilled out for plugging, the smaller holes were plugged the larger await making suitable size plugs.

That’s it for now further work will have to wait for gaps in on-going projects.

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Regards Tony.
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Scorpion2nz

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2019, 03:04:37 am »
You got to do what you have to.
Use what you have .
As a wood worker I know the pain of finding a nail with the planer blade usually just after I sharpen blades and reset them
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Tony Bird

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2019, 11:11:04 am »
Hi,

I had a couple of hours free this morning so I thought I would do a little more to the Beam Engine’s base.  The larger holes were plugged and I didn’t see what I could do to improve the look of the crank recess so I milled it out.  As there might be some screws underneath the base that it might be difficult to countersink and having found a bit of an old oak draw, I made some feet which were glued on.  Before any further work will be done to the oak base it will be varnished to protect it from oil while working on it.

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Regards Tony.
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Tony Bird

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2019, 02:36:55 am »
Hi,

The beam engines oak base this morning with its first coat of varnish dry.  When I have time, a start will be made on the column and beam and metal work which I am more used too.

Regards Tony.
 
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jkbixby

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2019, 05:20:40 am »
That's coming along nicely Tony - and I think you downplay your woodworking skills too much.
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Regards,
Larry

Tony Bird

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #10 on: October 09, 2019, 11:30:56 am »
Hi,

I have made a start on the column of the beam engine.  I don’t think it is an apprentice piece, if it is, he wasn’t well supervised.  Some nails with threaded ends are used for bolts and a section of the parallel motion filled in not even joined.  The column is made up from several pieces which are held together by a long bolt; unfortunately, there was no register between the parts so they could move relative to one another.  So, three spacers have been made and fitted so that the column can now only rotate not move side to side.  First the wooden column base was cleaned up, plugged and drilled the same size as the hole in the base, a mushroom shaped spacer to locate the column base to the main base was made.  The column itself which consists of a steel tube brazed to a bronze base had a recess tuned in the base for a push fit spacer.  A loose stepped spacer was fitted into the top of the steel tube to centre that end of the column.  As the accurate height of the column isn’t known it will be adjusted later; as is probably now too high either by turning back the top spacer or thinning the column’s wooden base.  I am doing a bit more than expected on the beam engine as some work I have to do is delayed and I still cannot finally decide the sizes of the model railway base boards I intend to construct.

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Regards Tony.
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Nick

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #11 on: October 09, 2019, 08:14:55 pm »
Impressive work Tony  8)
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Nick

Tony Bird

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2019, 02:47:52 am »
Hi,

As only one of the CMES garden railway group visited the shed last evening for the weekly meet; I did a bit more work on the engine while he got on with a modification to one of his engines.  So, the part that supports the parallel motion which was two pieces has been hard soldered together.  The top of the column that supports the bearings of the beam was taken apart and its centre found to be a piece of mahogany.  All the holes in the mahogany were plugged it was then found to be too narrow so some thin plywood spacers were glued to it.  Some might be wondering why bother just cut another piece of wood or metal retrospectively so am I!

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Regards Tony.
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RedRyder

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2019, 06:19:04 am »
Great progress, Tony!


Looking forward to more updates.


Gil
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Hero

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Re: Beam Engine gift.
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2019, 06:51:09 pm »
Clever work. Part of the fun of this is in repairing things that really aren't worth repairing. Gives one a sense of achievement, I say.
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Bob
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