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Burrell Traction Engine, Gears Part 4.... And some other bits & Welding

Gears Part 4.... And some other bits & Welding






Since the last update there has been a few things on the go. 

The idea to cut the keyways meant either buying an arbour press to just cut 2 slots or using some steel box section I had, and the newly acquired welder I was given.

My son was given a 140A Mig welder and after sourcing the wire, gloves, mask and the skill, we have a frame made to utilise a bottle jack to cut the keyways in the driving wheel hubs.

More to follow as this is still work in progress, in fact the paint is still wet here!!!.


The gears had to be adjusted a bit and an additional 0.004" taken off to get a good mesh and tooth clearance, but was all worth it in the end. Next job is to enlarge the holes for the actual bronze bearings. It's currently using a dividing peg I made for a check on the mesh on the actual horn plates.







The next job on the miller is to complete the dividing plate,  requiring a series of 79 holes drilled for the next gear and 19 holes for the last gear. This will complete the dividing plate and the rotary table can be put away.



2 New good quality twist drills were ordered just in case, and as soon as this is done I can think about the 79 Tooth gear, the final one I can attempt on my machine. 

A number of the holes drilled, for information I use Excel for working out the angles and produce a spread sheet with all the holes on to aid in the workshop and prevent any mistakes. 
 


Coal

It seems even Severn Valley Railway are struggling for coal, as a heritage railways try to preserve supplies. With this in mind, I have been interested in the trial of Eco Ovoids being used on 1501 for example. In a small way testing smoky house coal in my 1" Minnie to see if cheap coal can be used before I buy a larger quantity.





So far after 2 trials I'm very pleased with the results.
  • It's very easy to steam, and a 1" Minnie is a challenge to fire. 
  • The ash result in the tubes is fair, and the heat output is good.
  • It breaks up easily so to convert a lump the size of a fist into beans, can be done quickly.
  •  Next decision is weather I should invest in another 25kg bag for the future! 




In other news I bought a trickle charge battery top-up solar panel.
 
The intention is to maintain the charge on the battery I use for the electric blower, so that when I get the battery out it should be at full capacity always. 
  
We shall see if the £23 price tag was worth the investment. It's really just a fun project since the soaring energy prices, I don't think it's a solution for the 9% inflation rise. 


 



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