Anyone interested in live steam?

S

scottie2212

Guest
I have just (nearly) completed my first scratch built model boat. I wanted to do something with live steam and chose a plan of an Australian Minesweeper "Bathurst". I'll post a picture of it if I can. Feel free to comment, praise or criticism is always helpful.

Happy sailing,

Bernie.
 
W

Wowbagger

Guest
Scottie, I'd love to know more about live steam. I've built a few scale boats over the years for electric power but always fancied live steam. If you could give us a bit of an intro to it at a basic level ( i.e. do you have to build the engine yourself or can you buy them ready built? What do you use for heat? Gas, meths, or what? That sort of thing.), that'd be great.
 
A

adzam

Guest
ooh now live steam,

has always seemed a bit of a `black art` to me. i`m a mechanic to trade but have nevered ventured into the realms of real steam, any info or pics would be great .
 
S

scottie2212

Guest
Hi Wowbagger,

I've put more pics up, a couple of other views of the ship and pics of the 'works'. 05a shows the gas fired boiler, the red part to the right is the holder for the gas tank, the copper tube on the right is the exhaust from a 'home brew' condenser. The chrome pipe coming out of the top is the steam supply to the engine. 06a shows the engine mounted in a 'home brew' copper tray. Since steam power tends to gerate water and no engine is guaranteed to be leak-proof I decided to make the tray to collect any drips, the condenser also links to this tray. The gubbins to the right is a bilge control circuit (courtesy of my brother-in-law) which pumps the water out of the tray. 07a shows the servos with the receiver hidden under the deck to the right. Sharp eyes might just spot some lead ballast hiding under the servos.

The engine is manufactured by Wilesco, a german company, and was purchased through Forest Classics. It comes complete with boiler, gas tank piping etc. Other companies can supply marine steam plants but, since I was on a tight budget, I had to choose the cheapest option. Check out Cheddar Models for some really nice looking engines and boilers (and prices).

If there's anything else you'd like to know feel free to ask.

Bernie
 
D

duncan

Guest
Nice engineering, what colour scheme, camo ? Hope pics to come on cool day for maximum steam out uptake, Steam whistle?
 
S

scottie2212

Guest
Nice engineering' date=' what colour scheme, camo ? Hope pics to come on cool day for maximum steam out uptake, Steam whistle?[/quote']I'm planning to take it for its maiden voyage this weekend (weather permitting). I've steamed it 'on the bench' and het a nice cloud of steam from the funnel even indoors. There's no steam whistle and no plans to add one (too much like hard work)

Bernie
Click to expand...
 
S

senex

Guest
cost

For those who may be interested here's some details about the building of HMAS Bathurst.
Click to expand...
I started my sea going career on steam trawlers. A bit of forward planing made the building of a model steam trawler attractive, till I looked at the price. Thats a lie I looked at my wife's face,that did it.

Ach well, I opted for modelling another fishing boat, the Scottish drifter the "Reaper". Still adding details to the plans of her but enjoying it.

rgds.

John
 
Last edited:
S

scottie2212

Guest
I started my sea going career on steam trawlers. A bit of forward planing made the building of a model steam trawler attractive, till I looked at the price. Thats a lie I looked at my wife's face,that did it.
Click to expand...
Very true, the cost of steam plants almost put me off but I found the Wilesco unit and thought 'What the hell.'
 
P

Parky

Guest
Hi Scottie,

You have got me thinking with the idea of live steam. I still live in the 60's, with diesel powered service launches etc. lovely fast, noisy, smelly things - thankfully the r/c has got better and cheaper. I could never venture into the electic power world. But a steam powered Corvette or similar? - Now then (or nethen, as they say in certain parts of Daubhill - probably now now!!) this is something to contemplate. I've looked at the cheese related site for running gear, but they don't give any power output figures for the different units. I dont particularly like to build big models, they talk of powering 6 foot boats for the larger engines, what would you suggest for a 40-45" Corvette type hull.

I realise I might have to sell my car to pay for the unit, but what the hell, the wife would only spend it if I didn't!

Regards,

Dave Parky
 
Last edited:
S

Seaspray

Guest
Hi Scottie

I use to be a member Gravesend Model Marine & Engineering Club for 8 years they have a 3.5 & a 5 inch track,they had some lovely engines.But the hobby was too dear for me now I've returned to model boats The club held the I.M.L.E.C. competition around mid ninties and it was agreat week-end locomotives from allover the crountry were there GREAT
 
S

scottie2212

Guest
Hi Parky, take a look at my site (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/b.s.scott/index.html) for details of the 48" minesweeper that I built for steam power.

Obviously, in power/weight ratio, steam will never match ic or electric and since power required is linked to speed as well as weight it would depend on the speed you want your model to run at and its weight (displacement).

I'm no good at working these things out on paper, I just took a chance with the cheapest engine I could find and, luckily, it works well if enough for me.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Scottie.
 
S

scottie2212

Guest
Hi ScottieI use to be a member Gravesend Model Marine & Engineering Club for 8 years they have a 3.5 & a 5 inch track,they had some lovely engines.But the hobby was too dear for me now I've returned to model boats The club held the I.M.L.E.C. competition around mid ninties and it was agreat week-end locomotives from allover the crountry were there GREAT
Click to expand...
I saw some engines listed on ebay and almost fell of my chair when I saw the prices they were bringing... even if I had the space, time and inclination there's no chance that I could ever afford them. BUt the engineering is exceptional in most of them, truly something to be proud of.

Scottie
 
S

Seaspray

Guest
I still keep in touch with the mates at the club.Nice to get the smell of live steam up your nose now and again
 
P

Parky

Guest
Hi Parky' date=' take a look at my site ([url']http://homepage.ntlworld.com/b.s.scott/index.html[/url]) for details of the 48" minesweeper that I built for steam power.Obviously, in power/weight ratio, steam will never match ic or electric and since power required is linked to speed as well as weight it would depend on the speed you want your model to run at and its weight (displacement).

I'm no good at working these things out on paper, I just took a chance with the cheapest engine I could find and, luckily, it works well if enough for me.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Scottie.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that Scottie,

Could you please give me any details you have of the Willesco engine supplier.I have managed to find the Cheddar site, but would like to have a comparison.

Regards,

Parky
 
S

scottie2212

Guest
I don't think you can compare Cheddar with Wilesco, they're like Rolls-Royce and Skoda (after VW took over Skoda). :smiling5:

But info for the engine can be found at www.forest-classics.co.uk

Scottie
 
M

manuerg

Guest
Hi,

I'm just getting into steam with the Midwest Fantail Launch. But I have ordered another engine from the US, which appears to be OK. Although I understand the principles, I need to turn those into practicalities. I know nothing about boilers, injectors, lubricators, etc.
 
T

Tony Pill

Guest
senex said:
cost

I started my sea going career on steam trawlers. A bit of forward planing made the building of a model steam trawler attractive, till I looked at the price. Thats a lie I looked at my wife's face,that did it.

Ach well, I opted for modelling another fishing boat, the Scottish drifter the "Reaper". Still adding details to the plans of her but enjoying it.

rgds.

John
Click to expand...
My family were trawlermen. My great uncle, Tony Pill 18, same name as me, was on the LEUKOS D96 that was shot by a german submarine in 1940. The shot from 200 yards hit the Leukos in the engine room and she disappeared in a cloud of steam and smoke and sank in an hour with the loss of all 11 crew.
He was posthumously awarded a medal for his 'part for the war effort'. The leukos had a tricolour painted on its side as it was a Dublin boat and therefore from a neutral country (Didn't seem to bother the u boat captain) There is a painting of the Leukos in the National Maritime Museum in Dublin.
I intend to sail to Dublin next year from Preston in my small yacht to visit the museum and see this painting for the first time.
For anyone who may be interested. Tony Pill.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JR
Steve O

Steve O

Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
370
Points
43
Location
Staffs.
First Name
Steve
Hi Scottie steam is one of my other hobbies, have a few mamods etc and some stationary engines.

20180906_123706.jpg20180906_123657.jpg20180906_123627.jpg20180906_123318.jpg

At the moment though modelling has taken over.

Steve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top