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

When I got back from the USA, I also brought back a few US made engines.
I'm a big fan on Empire and I have to thank Charlie to realize having this dream engine.
They made a lot of awesome engines, and this one is top of the range the B42.

But It needed a full technical restoration.
And I had to start with this


I see most of you go😱 who know me, what's he up to now😁
Well I only needed it for the left/right turning tread and turned it into this semi finished product…


but before I come to that a few other things needed my attention first.
The heating elements where broken, Charlie had had a few old spear ones and we managed to repair both heat elements.
That was a good start but far from running.
We only could do a test at Charlie's place if the replaced heat elements worked, and that they did.
But we could not close the bottom plate since the wires where bear and we had no proper cable heat insulation.
This was ordered and arrived a few days after I got home.
5093_d5f4c2b06ac748dabfd9810901993530_t by


And this is needed because each heat element eats 300W and get pretty hot…
The hole technologie is as the single B30 but jou have to double it, so the hole engine eats 600W.

After the cables where properly insulated, and the bottom plate properly closed, we came up to next problem.
One motor turning left and the other right.
So I took a look at the timing at the flywheel, basically each motor is as a B30.
But one sits in mirror view, so they too one standard flywheel and drilled a second reversing hole, letting both flywheels go in the same direction.
So when both run in the same direction it was time to set both in idle position to each other.

Once this was done, only one problem left, the axle actually exist out of two axles connected together under the center pulley.
both axles where not in line, and where pointed upwards to the middle.
So in this position it gives so much friction that it works as a break.
Looking at other engines , it seems this was a common problem, and you see a lot with a plate holding both boilers perfectly alined.
But a plate must be super correct drilled, and I find it not so beautiful.
So I came up with the idea of an adjustable  spanner, job done…
The nickel cleaned up and beauty is ready…
In the video you see the engine slow down, it is due to the transformer I use, it has only an output of 500W.
I've ordered a 1000W one that will be able the 600W the engine actually requires, but it runs as it should now, super happy with it…



Cheers,
Danny

Smart fix Danny    I've seen a lot of people having that same problem with this engine over the years