New Mills Pumping Station

[steam guy willy]

Hi All Back at work after lots of other stuff to do ..and i have made some drawings of some of the components . The main bearings have been drawn and then adjusted to look right as I have not been able to gain access to measure everything !!. I have drawn it out on a piece of A3  using inches but there was not enough room to draw it full size so it is a 1/4 full size. I have then drawn a line using the mm rule to measure the 24 inches at an angle ( in blue) ..and then used this to measure accurately all the dimensions to make the parts. So using the perspex just one bearing block was made without the brasses. Looking at the photos the brass bearings are quite involved using 5 separate parts .. also there is no top part to enclose the whole dimension ?? However there is a lot of weight with the two flywheels to keep them in place...  There's also an unusual top cap arrangement that has one end attached with  3 Allen screws to keep the cap in one piece ..?? I dont know if this is the original  or if it is a later repair ?? The engine was made in 1898 and I don't know when Allen screws were invented and first used ?? This can be seen in the last photo

Willy

[crueby]

Never seen a bearing arrangement like that!  Looks like they are all like that in your earlier pictures, so it was not a one-off repair on one bearing. Huh.

[steam guy willy]

High Chris, yes it is quite unusual  ?? and I was wondering if the top part of the bearing is missing ??   also this is the video of our recent club exhibition here in Norwich   more drawings and the bearing parts to follow soon....

Willy

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9jNJ7zaAJw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9jNJ7zaAJw</a>

[steam guy willy]

So the bearing parts have been made from different colours of perspex and I like to do this to work out the best way to manufacture them in metal..I have drawn out how the parts fit with an isometric to make it clearer . Rather than have a top and bottom brass as is more common it would appear that the crankshaft with the flywheels attached were hoisted into the bearing blocks and then the side pieces were put in afterwards and then pushed sideways and the spacer inserted and then adjusted with the side bolts ..?!!!

Willy

[crueby]

Those bearing parts go together a lot like a multi-piece steel mould, interesting.
 

[MJM460]

Hi Willy, the nice 3-D modelling continues!

Also, thanks for showing the video of your club exhibition.  Did you also take any still shots of some of the engines?

MJM460

[steam guy willy]

Hi MJM ,  no other pics sorry   am out of action at the moment ...had a nasty fall on my knees yesterday. so out of action for a bit !!
Willy

[Admiral_dk]

I hope you will recover soon Willy - get well 

[steam guy willy]

Hi all , me and my knees are now better and back in circulation ... I have now started on the steel bearing blocks and I managed to break off a drill in one of the bolt holes so I have drilled through from the other side to push out the broken drill and will use a long bolt instead of a stud... thinking about this I could use long bolts in all of the holes rather than risking breaking a tap off ??!! the bolts would then be locktited in place . I milled the curved part on the foot in the vertical mill and them filed the side profile in the vice using hardened steel guides to guide the file to the correct depth. I also use the hardened steel jaws to good effect... At a local carrot I found a large pile of twisted brass  'Olivers' with half inch flats that might be usable to someone for a showman engine ... they are 32" long and quite a lot in the pile ? The person selling them lives in Halvergate  Norfolk  and I have her email if anybody local would like purchase them , they are old stair rods and come with the clips and turned end parts .  good to be back in the WKSP again ,after my enforced 'holiday'  ..

Willy

[Roger B]

Glad you are back in working order     

As ever enjoying the mixture of good model engineering and history lessons. I hope to meet you one day as our daughter is in Norridge but I think we have just been banned from travelling again     

My father once twisted some square brass rod for his model showman's engines.

[crueby]

Glad to see you are back again Willy!

[Kim]

Gald to hear your knees are better now, Willy!
Always enjoy your posts
Kim

[EricB]

I found this advertisement while looking for something else and thought y'all might enjoy it. This is from the official catalog of the 1885 International Inventions Exhibition held in London.

Eric

[steam guy willy]

Hi Eric , thanks for this ,  interesting to have the London address .... my internet/ internment is now not working so have to find a cafe to communicate ... really annoying

Willy

[steam guy willy]

Hi All, still no internet  {{{Talk Talk }}}. and making progress with the bearing blocks. some of these parts are quite small ,,,and making the clamps would involve even smaller parts being made and used just once or twice !! I have found this softish green felty stuff that can hold small parts quite successfully whilst filing to shape and finishing....

Willy