Hi folks
I haven't done a build thread in quite awhile & thought I would document this little Wilesco D3 & many of the modifications I intend to do to it. Every now & then I like to take one of the simplest & least expensive steam engine plants & pack it with as many modifications as I reasonably can.
this is what I started with, a used but very good condition D3 that had very low usage...as I imagine is common with these engines because of the very low usable boiler capacity & all the work associated with an Esbit fired steam engine for a 7-8 minute run.
The Donor...
It has earned a bad reputation because out of the box its a poor runner with a near non existent boiler capacity, many components are mis-aligned straight from the factory. I have 12 things written down on my to-do list, we'll see where we end up (hopefully not in the trash)
taken down to key components.
the boiler really doesn't have much capacity
The Center flue is now removed & the boiler bottom removed as well
Boiler bottom end cap now repositioned at the bottom of the boiler.
A bottom boiler plug was turned out of Brass on the lathe with an 8mm x 30mm sleeve for a 250W heater (I know its way to much, but it was best suited size wise for this application) a small brass lug with a #2 screw installed to keep the immersion rod from slipping out of the vertical application.
Now to work on the top of the boiler, a 6mm x .075 bushing was made (for a pressure gauge) , I was planning on installing a whistle on the rear but scrapped that plan.
Made a brass plug for the center top hole of the boiler with dedicated pin holes to receive the cap
Pressure gauge & stand support fabricated
Coming soon , the electronics installed in the base & ball bearings in the axle...
Home
Search
Today's Posts
Login
Register