Quintillius

For reverse try the rod on the other side.

@RocRob I knew an engineer would appreciate it! @Carleroo It's like an antique clock that needs tuning. The rods inside the cylinders were too long for me so I cut them. Similar for this red accentuated thingy: Problem for me was the rod where the green arrow is (and same rod on the other side for reverse motion). I advise you to take some wire (preferably not the brass wire in the kit as you need a lot) and replicate problem solving as written previously.

First of all: Happy New Year everyone!! And thank you for all kind replies. Update Got head-scratching problems making the locomotive actually run. My first thought was that it isn't properly quartered. As I have told before, locomotives need to be quartered in order to run. But the quartering looks fine to the eye. There was still a wheel which didn't do the job properly. If the quartering isn't the problem, maybe the connecting rod? I replaced it by a brass wire of the same length. When running the locomotive it became dent as you can see on the photo below. Then it was running fine. So I measured the straight-line length of the brass wire and filed the connecting rod to match it. Now the locomotive runs fine! Problem solved. :th: . Here you can see it running on a static stand. Putting a block of wood under the locomotive removes contact with the track rails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5P3SpzqK0 Next project is finishing the wooden track circle. Running short on wood now tough. Till next time! Almost finished.

I am using a hand drill. It isn't really hard. You can test it on a random brass sheet (you'll have have lots of sheets left over after finishing all). Just use any 1mm bit suitable for metal. You can watch this on YouTube. This guy is using a machine tool, but I prefer hand tools for better accuracy.

Ok here you go:

Please remember that the whole rail track set is a curve and has a diameter of 2m. There is no way to steam it or... putting it into a microwave.

I am making rail track curves for my model locomotive.The sleepers are 9x9mm and the rails are 4x9mm. All pinewood. The diameter of the curve is 2m. I am able to make the curve, however there is some tension present. Is it possible to spray the wood with water and then dry it using a hair dryer in order to preserve the curve? Or do I need other techniques. Can you guys give me advice.

Hi Carleroo! Welcome to the forum. Amazing that you've started making the BR 18 as well. What you need is a hand drill and drill bits for metal like this: You can straigthen the pipes by securing the pipe to a bench vise and then secure the other end with this tool: Then pull as hard as you can! Please note that there are two different pipes: 1,5mm and 1mm. Only the 1mm will go through these beads: Have you just started or are you already adding the pipes to the boiler? In case you've just started: make sure to mount the metal sheets to the wooden frame from top -> down. This way you'll hide any misalignment downwards where nobody will see it. If you want more photos you can also visit this post. This guy is my guide.

Update I bought a beautiful oak panel. Really nice wood! Got some help with creating a decorative edge with a router. Adding aquarium gravel to simulate rail ballast. The result is a gorgeous locomotive model on a stand. The coolest part is yet to come. This is not a stationary model. Imagine the chuf chuf and smoke! But hey that's for later. Plus I need to solve some annoying problems regarding the running gear .

Indeed! These heavy beasts are incredible sights. Update The tender is done now. Look at these lovely ladders! Gosh these rivets are so cool. It's also time to put in the electronics and to program it. Here's the full circuit diagram. Basically there are batteries powering the motor with 9.6 V. The Arduino microcontroller and other devices run on 5 V though, that's where the buck converter comes in. The bluetooth receives a signal from the phone and sends it to the microcontroller. From there the internal code will turn the LEDs on for example. Here's the spaghetti: More spaghetti: Spaghetti bolognese! Next thing is to make a permanent stand and curved rail tracks from wood for temporary riding.

Thanks all. Yeah I really like how the result is now. These are some beauties from the German railways! Update So far I am continuing work on the tender. This is how it looks before applying primer: Toggle switch: Now I had to add the coal. This is represented as little stones which are glued into place with white carpenter's glue. Really funny job to do. I still need access to the inner part to put all electronics in so the wooden board with stones are removeable. Its weight holds it into place. The coal is less shiny in reality than shown on the photos: Bogies for the tender: I had to be creative to get the steps perpendicular glued on the ladder: But hey I'll keep the result of this for next time.

Update So far I have been working on the tender. The tender not only contains coal to fuel the fire, but also water - a lot. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water. It is pumped into the boiler by steam pressure. We start with wood again: Attach brass sheets to it: A toggle switch is incorporated in the design to turn on / off electronics (both wires should be black or red actually, small error): I've cut some of the wood to make room for the batteries and electronic boards. I still need to access the inner room though, that's why I have removeable wooden boards. Rail tracks are delivered: I've tested the locomotive and it runs fine on straight pieces, but it doesn't make it through the curve. The three major big wheels are fixed and all inline. They don't pivot. So they get easily stuck at the curve. A little bit research on this topic reveals how ingenious the design of train wheels is. When looking at train wheels they look cylindrical at first glance. But in fact they are semi-conical. This is how it looks when trains take a curve: So a minor setback so far. I think I'll make the curves myself using wood and continue experimenting. Any ideas are welcome. See you next time!

Thank you! Steam engines are really cool I know. Update The locomotive is done!! No parts anymore to assemble. Still needs a varnish coat though. Think I'll go for satin and brush gloss for some parts. I've also redone the name plate parts using a proper dry brushing technique this time. Right side: Left side: Time to use my smoke generating stuff: g Live action: Now it's time to build the tender and connect all electronics together. I've ordered rail tracks already so soon we'll see it moving! Till next time! I'll keep updating this topic.

Cool man! Shame there are no photos. Some modellers build real steam locomotives. They sit on the tender and use a small shovel to put real coal into the fire. You should do a project on making this 😝.

Thank you! Yeah I agree with you on making the lights warmer. Did you build a real steam engine from scratch? Mind showing some pics of the result? Update I have a few days off so I can continue working on the loc. I've finally assembled all parts of the locomotive: Cabin... look at those ladders! There are also some doors which I'll put into place later. Small parts to be attached to the loc. It's still bare now. Yay! It's gonna look like a real loc: I've soldered an electric plug which will be connected with the tender later. All electrics and batteries are in the tender. Took me some time to solder all electronics. But the result is statisfying. The loc has lights now: Drilled some holes for pipes to be attached: Painted and glued into place: There're alot of pipes to be attached so that's what I am working on now. Till next time!