Another oddball model

[Harry P.]

This is the Minicraft kit of the Trevithick "Pen-y-Darren" steam locomotive from 1804. Englishman/engineer/inventor Richard Trevithick had already built large stationary steam-powered engines for factory and mill use... this was his first "mobile" steam engine, and the world's first successful steam locomotive. The model is very small... it's 1/38 scale ... the whole thing, both locomotive and coal car combined, is only about eight inches long.

All the paint is acrylic craft paint, which I "grimed up" with black washes. I added real wood on the floor of the coal car. This is definitely a "different" model!

[cobraman]

I like different stuff and this sure fits the bill. Great work. Strange gear set up on that thing. 2 wheel drive on the same side ?

[Harry P.]

I guess by gearing both wheels there's less stress on the drive wheels than if only one was geared, and you reduce the chances of breaking a gear tooth? Just a wild guess.

Remember, this was 1804... engineering back then wasn't what it is today.

[Danno]

That's definitely different!

 

 

Nice bui . . . job, Harry.   

[Harry P.]

That's definitely different!

 

 

Nice bui . . . job, Harry.   

Ah, I see what you did there...

[Renegade]

Great job. You do very unusual subjects.

[TomZ]

Solid axles, so it's four wheel drive.

I built one of those. Not nearly as nice as yours, but a lot of fun since it's so weird.

thanks for sharing.

 

[Harry P.]

I like different stuff and this sure fits the bill. Great work. Strange gear set up on that thing. 2 wheel drive on the same side ?

Maybe Bill Engwer will see this and weigh in. He's pretty well versed in engineering... he might have some insight as to why this thing was geared the way it was.

[CometMan]

Yet another very cool and unusual subject from you Harry!

[Harry P.]

Yet another very cool and unusual subject from you Harry!

Thanks, Craig! I specialize in weird subjects...

[CometMan]

Thanks, Craig! I specialize in weird subjects...

I wouldn't say weird Harry, I have been a member at Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village for over 20 years, I get to see 1:1 stuff like that whenever I want, I love it!

[Ramfins59]

Yet another fine example of model building from your bench Harry.

[Jim B]

Very unique subject & well executed.

[Crazy Ed]

    That Thing looks Wonderful Harry. But it sure would be a bear to feed it in operation! Shovel out of the Coal Box then pretty much crawl under the Drive Mechanism with that "Connecting Rod" moving back and forth overhead. No matter WHAT happens, Do Not Stand UP!

[Ridge Rider]

You sure build some beautiful models Harry and this this another fine example.  Thanks for sharing.

[peteski]

Very cool!

[JTalmage]

That is neat. I like it a lot. I see things like this at an antique machinery show that happens near me every late summer/fall in Georgetown, Ohio called the Ohio Valley Antique Machinery show. I'm not in to tractors and farm stuff myself, but I go there because it's amazing all of the old machines that are still working, and the engineering of those days is very intriguing to me.  

Also, could you imagine the size of that flywheel in real life?? wow!

Edited March 23, 2016 by JTalmage

[gtx6970]

Thanks, Craig! I specialize in weird subjects...

Thats an understatement. You do pieces that I never even knew existed in real life ,let alone model form

And Different is good.

Either way , your diversity has made me consider  stepping outside my usual subjects sometime because of it . I have some 20's and early 30s cars that may come to the front of the line sooner than originally planned .

My dad is a retired rail road engineer . And I have considered building some sort of locomotive for him . Might have to seriously consider it sooner than later.

[Harry P.]

    That Thing looks Wonderful Harry. But it sure would be a bear to feed it in operation! Shovel out of the Coal Box then pretty much crawl under the Drive Mechanism with that "Connecting Rod" moving back and forth overhead. No matter WHAT happens, Do Not Stand UP!

Yeah, ergonomics wasn't really factored into the design...

[Harry P.]

Did you guys notice that at the time this thing was built, the wheels weren't flanged like on trains today, but the rails were flanged!

[Sixties Sam]

Wow, very cool model, Harry! It's a real history lesson in miniature. Great job on the build!

Sam

Edited March 23, 2016 by Sixties Sam

[bobthehobbyguy]

Love it. Well done as always.

[TomZ]

There is a youtube video or two of this thing in operation. Either it or a reproduction still exists.

 

[Harry P.]

There is a youtube video or two of this thing in operation. Either it or a reproduction still exists.

Has to be a reproduction, the real thing is long gone.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Maybe Bill Engwer will see this and weigh in. He's pretty well versed in engineering... he might have some insight as to why this thing was geared the way it was.

 COOL model! Love it, gotta get one.

 I'm sure your premise that "by gearing both wheels there's less stress on the drive wheels than if only one was geared, and you reduce the chances of breaking a gear tooth" is correct, and that 4 wheels driving would give superior traction on slippery metal rails than only two.

All these parts would have been cast-iron, and though iron is 'strong', it's somewhat brittle. It wasn't until the mid 1800s that the Bessemer process ushered in the age of industrial steel. Cast-iron's brittleness would surely have been a factor in designing those gears to try to avoid breaking.