Skip to main content

Burrell Traction engine Horn plates (Part 3) revisited.

 Burrell TE, Horn plates (Part 3) revisited.....


Following on from a successful show/ open day with the engine the horn plates had to be stripped down of the bearings to allow the axle shaft bearings to be machined.


  The setup for drilling the axle hole. Note the use of temporary fixings from the aircraft industry to hold the two horn plates together.





A special Jig was made as a way of checking the distance for the gears to mesh correctly (Photo Below-Right). The Jig can be seen in position (Photo Below-Left). Once the distance of 6" has been set, the hole's can be opened up to the 30mm for the bronze bearings. It is also possible to remove the bar a leave the silver steel pegs in, then placing the gears on these shaft as a final running check. 

Final 2 shots: the holes were completed, and the complete thing was reassembled for a customary photo. The bearings still have the tapped holes to complete but these shots show the size of the engine and the weight is unbelievable. It is no longer something that can be picked up and moved around by 1 person.  




I did at this point start to question why I decided to build this engine, and having this large collection of bits stood in my mothers living room still seems a bit daunting.

However whilst watching the latest Jeremy Clarkson Farm, (season 1).  I was reminded in the program of the state of the country when the Pandemic hit, and all non essential travel was stopped. This was when I was in full steam in the work shop, every night making great progress.

So my point is - I guess, when I was stuck with nothing to do this was my savour, and the fact it is this far advanced is partly down to the lockdown situation and suppliers being quiet. I'd also got a few good bits to start on even between lock down 1 and 2 as then I was in Blackpool collecting castings I bought cheap on eBay.   






Until next month stay safe; make swarf; have fun!

Never enough space in the workshop so best kept in the living room for safety, Stephen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Burrell progress and Welland steam Show 2023 Report

 Welland steam Show 2023 Report..... Welland Steam Show (Upton-upon-Severn July 28th-30th  2023). The show as usual was well attended. I'm happy to report the numbers looked better than perhaps some of the traders were expecting. Maybe the cancelled years, due to Covid, have inspired the next generation of Model Engineers. It certainly looked like there was no shortage of money changing hands for tools.  The show boasted 37 miniatures and 99 full size engines, along with a huge number of commercials, cars, bikes, tanks and military vehicles and displays. This time again, like last year there was the heavy haulage arena, which was fascinating to watch, as long as you could keep the coal ash out of your eyes :-)  I can imagine the rising fuel costs to move large machines, but this has not stopped them from attending this year. Thank you to all the organisers and engine owners, both big and small another fab year!! I actually spent quite some time there wandering about, having arrived
1" Minnie Traction Engine By Stephen Meredith   Background Working Progress (Gears) Front End Parts Following the completion of a small marine steam engine "Trojan Engine", I decided to tackle a larger project. Having visited various shows and the model engineers Exhibition, I decided to buy the Construction book for building the popular 1" scale 'Minnie' traction engine. The initial workshop experience was limited but keen to learn, and research has enabled me to get it this far. A s can be seen, this is basically finished well almost, it steams, and runs well a few tweaks are needed but tweaks don’t make piles of swarf. The intention was to show the engine and run it, at rallies but what I really wanted was a capable engine that could pull an adult or (me) on a field. This engine was, therefore, a stepping stone to be able to tackle the engine I wanted. After research, I bought a set of drawings for the Plastow 3” Bur

Midlands Model Engineers Exhibition 2023.

  Midlands Model Engineers Exhibition 2023. This year’s Model Engineers Show 2023 was a huge success! All four days of the show were fantastic with exhibitors and visitors alike enjoying plenty of opportunities to purchase items, learn and explore the very latest in machinery tools and model engineering. The 2 exhibition halls were abuzz with vibrancy, excitement and anticipation. I went with a usual shopping list, and a few parts that I had organised from suppliers to take to the show for me for collection and postage saving opportunity. Centre piece if the show for me, a huge amount of work in this engine and the builder, sadly no longer with us, only finished it last year.   A fantastic selection of Loco's on display and also a good number of Traction engines both engines in steam on the parade field, but also a number of static models in side. It appears this year whilst there were still a few suppliers missing, there were a good number of static displays to improve the show in