Author Topic: Stephenson's Rocket  (Read 28564 times)

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #30 on: May 08, 2020, 01:43:42 PM »
Thank you so much to all who sent me information on Stephenson's Rocket.----Brian

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #31 on: May 08, 2020, 03:51:00 PM »
With a bit more design work, all of the multiple plate welded up brackets and cross-head support stands become individual machined pieces. This isn't finished yet, because I have to add the valve body, and it may fall exactly in the same place as those two big round shouldered cylinder mounts. this is something i will know about a bit later today.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #32 on: May 08, 2020, 07:34:18 PM »
So, this is what we end up with. The cylinder is 5/8" bore x 1 1/2" stroke. The green base everything is mounted to is a direct "scale down" of the original Rocket base. I have mounted the steam chest in the same location as the original Rocket steam chest, but for now I have the control rod coming out the opposite end of the steam chest. Everything is symmetrical, so it can be easily reversed.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #33 on: May 09, 2020, 05:16:13 PM »
This morning I designed the "opposite hand" engine and base, and about half of the simplified body. This afternoon I will probably finish the body design. My main interest of course is the engines.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #34 on: May 09, 2020, 07:28:08 PM »
That's enough fun for today. Even though I have "super simplified" the body, there is still a lot of pieces to it. I have to add some axles and stay rods yet.

Offline crueby

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #35 on: May 09, 2020, 07:43:14 PM »
Brian, are you planning on making the full working machine, with functional boiler too? Do you know about what size yet? Following along!   :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #36 on: May 09, 2020, 07:55:55 PM »
No Chris, I'm not. I'm tired of building i.c. engines right now, and I've hurt my back.  I wanted to set at my computer and design something with a steam engine on it. Of course it's not much fun building just an engine, and I've always admired the Rocket. It will be ran on air pressure. Even just building a simplified model this is going to take a fair bit of time. The engines will be 5/8" bore and 1 1/2" stroke.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2020, 08:02:59 PM by Brian Rupnow »

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #37 on: May 10, 2020, 07:46:12 PM »
So that's it. The model of the Stephenson's Rocket is greatly simplified from the original steam driven unit, but it certainly looks enough like the original that it won't be mistaken for anything else. Even in it's very simplified form it still represents an awesome amount of work. This has provided me with some nice design time, and the engine packages should be a lot of fun to make.

Online gbritnell

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #38 on: May 10, 2020, 08:32:58 PM »
Hi Brian,
Just a question? With the steam chest located where it's at how are you going to connect the valve linkage to the crankshaft?
gbritnell
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Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #39 on: May 10, 2020, 09:11:06 PM »
From what I have been able to find out, the eccentrics which operate the valves set inboard of the drive wheels and operate a set of levers on a cross shaft mounted below the boilers just behind the drive wheels. This cross shaft is extended and has a second set of levers attached to it which operate rods leading up to the steam chest. I haven't modeled that part of things yet, but I post on three different forums and someone sent me the information on how this works. I am not going to add the shaft and levers which would be controlled by the operator to give a "neutral' or "reverse". See posts #2 and #21 of this thread, and you will see the valve gear as sent to me by Firebird and R. Klopp
« Last Edit: May 10, 2020, 09:16:02 PM by Brian Rupnow »

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #40 on: May 10, 2020, 09:21:26 PM »
And on the lighter side of things---it snowed 4" here yesterday. This is most unusual, but two of my grandkids took advantage and sent a picture of the "May Snowman".

Online gbritnell

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #41 on: May 11, 2020, 12:13:03 AM »
A great picture of the Rocket locomotive in cutaway.
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Online gbritnell

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #42 on: May 11, 2020, 12:22:05 AM »
If you watch the video through to the end he turns the engine on it's side and explains the valve gear mechanism.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AXUSzQIEmM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AXUSzQIEmM</a>
Talent unshared is talent wasted.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #43 on: May 11, 2020, 01:05:58 AM »
Great minds think alike George---I was watching Keith Appleton's video when my wife called me away to watch 60 minutes. I'm back down in the bat cave now and see your posting. :cheers:

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Stephenson's Rocket
« Reply #44 on: May 11, 2020, 09:53:23 PM »
George asked me yesterday how I was going to operate the steam valve. I had it in my head but it took most of today to design it and lay it out. The eccentrics mounted on the drive axle operate levers attached to an intermediate cross shaft, which is supported below the boiler. That shaft has a second set of levers on it which connect to the linkage running up to the steam-chest. Again, this model will not have the sophisticated hand controls that the original Rocket had. I have removed the near side drive wheel in his model, so you can see what my plan is for operating the valve operating mechanisms. Note that I have not shown the support for the intermediate shaft in this model.

 

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