Name that Casting 2025

[Jo]

Every now and then Surus Likes to buy castings (actually any opportunity he buys them  )

I know what most of these are for:



But I thought I would see if you can guess 

The reason I am showing you these is that I would like to know what the ones on the bottom left are for. I am wondering if they are loco brake hanger brackets 

Jo

[Jasonb]

The one far left next to the Minnie hubs is a loco brake hanger., so could be though Locos are not my thing. Apart from the hubs and the Minnie cylinders the rest is bronze stock ready to be made into something

[Jo]

There are the important bits of two very desirable stationary engines in there, what's missing can be made from barstock 

Jo

[Jasonb]

You will have to enlighten me to what they are, the twin cylinder castings top right? There is a little oscilator cylinder there too but maybe bigears has a different view as to what is very desiable than me

[Jo]

A pair of Southworth steam pumps 

And yes a spare Stuart Oscillator cylinder


I have a lot of Minnie castings if anyone has a need. The scrap value of gunmetal is about £3.50 a Kg at the mo so little point in weighing them in. I suspect the four wheels come off a 3 1/2" loco or possibly a Dougal (but there might be some piston rings in them).

Jo

[Jasonb]

Ah I thought the twin may have been a pump, unfortunately they don't really float my boat.

I've got a bit of printed metal on it's way to me, so interested to see how that turned out, won't start on the rest of the A J Weed engine until I get it which should be early next week.

[tghs]

I looked at the 6inch Southworth a few years back but decided it was just a bit big... you wouldn't happen to have the drawings, just asking for a friend...

[Jo]

Hi,

My drawings came from Bob Potter who used to sell the Southworth engines. Bob was at the time more than willing to email out a set of drawings to people. There is a smaller twin duplex in the Southworth series. And somewhere I Surus has a really, really small set of castings for one by LBSC.

A word of warning about the duplexes they are more of a challenge than even the Stuart pump to machine and get to run. So Jason's lack of enthusiasm is understandable. I personally rather enjoy watching their action. I had hoped to acquire their rotative pump but beggars can't be choosers. 

Jo

[tghs]

my full scale steam guru has been rebuilding several over the last month, tells me the ins and outs to get one to run,, giving me a great deal of advice on the little 4inch I'm working on.. I had looked at Bob's 4inch but realized  that I would have to remake much of it to look correct for my needs..

[redhouseluv]

I have a set of Southworth 8" pump castings and drawings, it looks a bit challenging for me atm, let's say I'm building up to it, one for retirement maybe 

[Jo]

8" Nice 

The only one of Peter Southworth's pumps we have not mentioned in the monster 12" vertical.


If anyone wants one of the Southworth Pumps they are now available from Blackgates engineering and are not too expensive: The 6" vertical is just under £100 and the small Duplex £135. The highly desirable 12" vertical is rather more expensive 

Jo

[Jasonb]

I had looked at Bob's 4inch but realized  that I would have to remake much of it to look correct for my needs..

Same here, it is the look of the Southworths that makes them less desirable to me not anything to do with making them or getting them to run. Although they use some castings they are not far off barstock looking and are fine for those wanting a working pump on a large engine etc.

If I were going to make  a duplex pump then I'd want it to look like an old one such as a Worthington like this.

https://prestonservices.co.uk/item/worthington-simpson-duplex-boiler-feed-pump-2/

Or this

https://prestonservices.co.uk/item/mather-platt-duplex-boiler-feed-pump/

Though there is not so much to see when they are running so I would more likely go for another rotative type pump to go with the other couple of rotatives that I have already made. Plus for me the designing from scratch is a big part of the enjoyment these days so I can't see me making many more models from other people's castings unless I have designed the engine and patterns that the castings were made from. Thats the bit that now offers me the challenge rather than just making something where someone else has done the ground work for you.