Chris's New Steering Engine

[crueby]

Back in the shop again this morning, and got the ports/passages for the control valve milled/drilled in. These will direct steam/exhaust to the appropriate ports in the cylinder valves, depending on which direction the control valve is moved. Each end port has a passage out to the side of the valve body.

and the middle port has a hole out to the flange on the bottom, which will get the exhaust pipe soldered to it:

Also cut the valve rod to length, and drilled/tapped the end for a length of 4-40 threaded stock cut off a 1" screw, which will serve to hold the valve slider. In this picture the valve body is set next to the valve rod to help judge the length of the valve rod needed.

Then set the valve body onto the rod to measure the height needed for the frames to hold the control valve to the floor plate.

Next up will make the support frames for the valve body, which will leave the valve slider, the two manifolds out to the cylinders, and some gaskets to make. Oh, and some more pipes for the inlet/exhaust. And the lower chain guides. And anything else I'm forgetting. But, getting close to running it for real!

[crueby]

and a simple set of stands made for the control valve...

[cnr6400]

  Looking great Chris! Not long until you are ready for functional tests I think!

The valve box on the stands reminds me of those robot deer / big dogs the jokers at D AR PA are developing. Might be an idea to make a second set of parts for making your own robot deer/dog to keep the shop elves out of the Elfensteiner stubbies until quitting time! 

[crueby]

Looking great Chris! Not long until you are ready for functional tests I think!

The valve box on the stands reminds me of those robot deer / big dogs the jokers at D AR PA are developing. Might be an idea to make a second set of parts for making your own robot deer/dog to keep the shop elves out of the Elfensteiner stubbies until quitting time! 

Oh no, now I know what that smell is in the shop - metal deer beans!   

[crueby]

Took a bit of experimenting to find a way to hold the engine for drilling the floor plate without disassembling it all (and did not want to use the 'unexpected rapid disassembly' method that SpaceX uses on their test rockets), and came up with this spare vise clamped to the mill table:

that would hold the floor plate through the openings for drilling:

That got the holes drilled for holding the control valve frames to the floor

Before bolting it up permanantly, it needs to have the gaskets for the steam chest made, the exhaust pipe soldered to the flange underneath, gaskets made, and the top face lapped for the valve slider. In the meantime, the shop elves were making up teams to use it as an air hockey table... 

[PaulR]

In the meantime, the shop elves were making up teams to use it as an air hockey table...

That won't be a very even match - one of the poor dears is going to have burnt knees from that copper pipe (and a nasty surprise if the hose clip lets go  )!

[crueby]

In the meantime, the shop elves were making up teams to use it as an air hockey table...

That won't be a very even match - one of the poor dears is going to have burnt knees from that copper pipe (and a nasty surprise if the hose clip lets go  )!

And if the other player backs up he gets worm gear chewed!

[crueby]

This morning got the gaskets made. The way I like to do them is to use the cover plate as a drill guide, and drill through the gasket material into a piece of wood with the clearance size drill. First drill a corner, put in a screw to keep it from slipping, another drill/screw in the opposite corner, then go around and drill the rest. Since the gassket material is flexible, it leaves a tight fitting hole around each screw.

Then put onto the steam chest, and trimmed around the outside with scissors and the inside with a fresh exacto blade.

Easy sequence, no punches needed. Then the valve face was lapped smooth on a diamond sharpening plate, first coarse side then fine side. Also made and installed the exhaust pipe into the flange on the bottom.

And the base was screwed down to the floor plate, here it is with the parts all set in place on top of it.

Next I'll make the manifolds that take the steam/exhaust passages from the control valve base out to the ports on top of the cylinder steam chest bases, then go back and make the control valve slider. At that point it should run with input from the steering wheel!

[cnr6400]

  Looking great Chris!

One more item to add to your troubleshooting steps list, tuning up the system:  112A. Check for / Remove elf-size air hockey puck from valve cavity....

[crueby]

Looking great Chris!

One more item to add to your troubleshooting steps list, tuning up the system:  112A. Check for / Remove elf-size air hockey puck from valve cavity....

Check!  I will NOT be removing the puck from the elf cavity...   

[steam guy willy]

Hi "C" , interesting shapes on the ports to control the action requirements ..never seen this before 
Willy

[crueby]

Hi "C" , interesting shapes on the ports to control the action requirements ..never seen this before 
Willy

Hi Willy!  These ports have a triangular shape to give the engine a softer start then higher flow, to act as a throttle. On the other steering engine based on Michaels engine, the port ends were angled for the same effect, and the Mann Steam Wagon had the same pointed openings as this model.


 

[Charles Lamont]

Willy, On model locomotives with a flat sliding regulator valve, the first part of the port to be uncovered is often V shaped. As that is still very sensitive, to help avoid wheel slip on starting, it is often suplemented by a No. 80 hole that opens first, even at 5" gauge. The tiny hole lets through a surprising amount of 100psi steam.

[crueby]

Willy, On model locomotives with a flat sliding regulator valve, the first part of the port to be uncovered is often V shaped. As that is still very sensitive, to help avoid wheel slip on starting, it is often suplemented by a No. 80 hole that opens first, even at 5" gauge. The tiny hole lets through a surprising amount of 100psi steam.

[crueby]

Got the manifolds to connect the passages on the cylinders to the control valve finished up, just need to make the gastkets for them...

That just leaves the slide valve/adjusting nut assembly, and the lower chain guides and chain to add in!