It's been a couple of years since I did one of my Mamodifications. I've had several potential ideas going round my head for a while and have been looking out for suitable parts.
I now have most of the parts needed for one of the ideas - a steam roller based very loosely on (inspired by?) this unusual Mann roller (Photo from Old Glory magazine).
It's unusual in that it's back-to-front, with the full width rolls at the rear and two separate rolls on the steering fork at the front. Here are the bits I have so far.
I have a TE1A complete, 4 small rolls from SR1As, chassis and canopy from an SW1. I also have an SW1 cab but I think that would look wrong. There will be some parts I'll have to make from scratch, like brackets and the rear deck, and as usual I'll utilise Meccano for the gears, chains etc.
The first decision to make was due to the fact that the chassis is narrower than the combined width of the rear roll. I thought of cutting the SR1 rolls down to fit but rejected that idea because it wouldn't look right. I'll have to dispose of the two existing bearing brackets from the SW1 chassis (they would have half hidden the rolls anyway) and will make new thinner ones to fit.
That's as far as it's got so far, gathering parts and considering options.
16/1/2017
Wheels off, by my usual method using a pair of Mole Grips - no damage, no swearing, two minute job.
The front rolls fit nicely. They do look a bit wide so I might cut them down a bit. The rear roll fits ok using Mamod parts but a Wilesco one would be better. The chassis can be modified as required.
There should be no problems with the steering, which was one of my concerns.
It's all looking good so far.
16/1/2017 (pm)
I've reduced the width of the front rolls by 25% and they look a bit more in proportion now.
I'm sure I'll find a use for a couple of Mazac rings some day :-)
I also removed a few mm from the hubs to allow the hub caps to be refitted. The roller hubs are just a bit bigger than the TE hubs.
I did all this with a hacksaw and file. It would have been much easier with a lathe :-(
15/2/2017
A bit of a delay since my last post. In the mean time, I have acquired a couple of items.
Firstly, I bought a Wilesco front roll via ebay. This is slightly larger diameter than the Mamod one. Not much difference but enough to make it visually more like the original.
Also, I have made a straight swap with Forum member Jon so I now have a short boiler, which is more like the original.
I can now get an idea of what the overall proportions will be, and I think they are about right, given that this is not a scale model. The chassis will be shortened and probably widened slightly.
There's still room enough to give a good turning circle.
The replacement boiler does need a bit of work. It needs a good descaling and the whistle bush needs resoldering, which will probably mean in riveting the firebox.
It all adds to the fun of a build like this
17/2/2017
As is a common problem with these boilers, the whistle bush was loose in the boiler and the whistle couldn't be unscrewed. See
this tutorial for details of how I went about fixing it.
Having removed the whistle and resoldered it's bush, I had a go at descaling the boiler. As can be seen in this photo:
... the sight glass was totally opaque. So, I left the boiler soaking in vinegar for an hour, and then for another hour, and it made no difference! I've seen this happen before and I'm not sure what happens. After removing the sight glass, it became obvious that the problem was not scale. It wouldn't even scrape off. The plastic itself had turned opaque! I suspect it's overheating that causes it but I'm not sure. Anyway, I had a spare kit so I replaced it.
I then reassembled the boiler & firebox (repainting can wait till later). To facilitate later disassembly and reassembly, I fitted M3 rivet nuts. For the 4 fixings holding the two halves of the firebox together, I used self tapping screws because there isn't room for the rivet nuts. (I've got some nicer looking slotted screws on order.)
I cut off the rear end of the chassis:
... and made a new rear end piece using a Juneero strip, cut and bent using a genuine Juneero tool.
This is a wonderful multipurpose tool, originally sold for use by youngsters but it's an insult to call it a toy.
I think I'll have to redo that last bit because I'll probably widen the chassis by around 20mm to fit outside the rolls.
19/2/2017
Not much done today. Just made a couple of spacers to fit between the chassis members and the firebox, and remade the rear member.
The rear rolls now fit within the width of the chassis so that the bearings can be much simpler than they would have been.
20/2/2017
Today, I've made the bearings for the rear axle. I measured up the required dimensions and drew it out on paper. I then made one from the drawing using hacksaw and files, and used that one as a template fir the other.
They stick up a bit above the frame so I'll have to do a bit more filing.
There is now a problem to solve. The two rolls turn freely on the axle. The axle will be powered by a chain so I need to fix one of the rolls to the axle so that it turns with it (but not both).
I thought of using a threaded rod and gripping the roll between two nuts, but threaded rod doesn't make a good bearing surface, and looks naff anyway. I've thought of Araldite but that's a bit permanent and doesn't allow for adjustment. There is a small brass bush in the centre of the roll and I thought of soldering a Meccano one to it, but there is not enough room for a screwdriver to tighten the grub screw. One possibility is a long, three hole, Meccano bush (I think they call it a connector). It's actually a bit too long but it can be shortened. I still need to find some means of locating it accurately while I solder it. I have some PTFE rod of about the right size but will it withstand the heat of soldering? Ceramic rod would be ideal but I don't have any.
21/2/2017
In the end, I went for a forum member's solution for getting the drive from the axle to the roll, fitting a Meccano disk with a couple of bolts to engage the holes in the roll. I fitted it on the outside instead of the inside, for convenience. It will be hidden by the chain sprocket and it can still be moved inboard if I decide later.
I had a long think about the reduction gearing, trying several ideas, most of which wouldn't work because it was difficult to get everything lined up properly. I decided I needed a three stage transmission because the final chain drive doesn't have much reduction in itself using Meccano sprockets. I went as far as plan E, I think, but then went back to plan D.
There will be a belt from the flywheel to the bottom pulley (as on the Mamod SW1), another from there to the top right pulley and a chain from there to the rear axle. This is just a mock-up and I hope I can make it look a bit neater. I might hide some of it behind "guard" panels, like the original.
24/2/2017
A slight miscalculation (OK, I admit it, a total lack of forethought) meant that I had to move the rear axle back a bit to make room for the standard Bix burner setup for the TE1. I suppose I might have done it using separate parts and put the gas tank in a dummy water tank but I couldn't be bothered.
I've finalised the design of the transmission system. Not much change there.
I've cut the various shafts to length and tapped the ends for some nice dome nuts.
My first temptation at this stage was to go for a steam test, but I can't do that till the boiler is steam tight. That won't be till the rear end is riveted and the steam pipe soldered. I can't do that, or I don't want to do that, till the painting is done and I can't do that till I've finished the bodywork. Besides, the weather is still too wintery for painting.
25/2/2017
I've made a start on the body work. The canopy is from an SW1 - not an ideal shape but ready made.
I fabricated a couple of supports from brass rod, tapped and fixed to the canopy at the top and bent at right angles to form a hinge at the bottom.
The front is supported by a small pillar fixed to the top of the chimney. This enables the whole canopy to be hinged back for easy access.
Views from front and rear:
3/3/2017
Next job was the tipping platform. My original intention was to use the remaining chassis members after removing the U shaped section. The problem was, the positions of the spot welds are far from obvious. After drilling with larger and larger drills and finally a round file, I did manage to separate the parts, but the process left them in such a mess, I decided they were unusable.
So, instead, I cut some brass channel and Araldite it round the piece of plywood I prepared earlier.
I then made up a hinge from Meccano (with a couple of bits of brass tube as spacers).
... then, after carefully marking out the position, Araldited the top half to the underside of the platform.
4/3/2017
Some more Meccano, some brass rod and some jewellery chain and we now have a functioning tipper.
7/3/2017
The side panels, as expected, were tricky. They had to be made to fit around the chassis members and to avoid things like the flywheel. The front end had to be curved and also shaped to fit round the smokebox. The overall length had to be calculated to take into account the circumference of the curved sections.
First I sketched it all out on paper and then marked out both sides on a 0.5mm sheet of stainless steel. Before cutting them out, I drilled all the holes, including two large ones which were simply to define the shape of the front ends where they fit round the smokebox. These were cut using a Q-Max punch.
I cut out the straights using the special Eclipse "Goscut" sheers. This useful tool cuts without much distorting the metal.
Edges were filed straight and de-burred. The curved sections were formed by bending around a suitable piece of dowel.
Slots had to be cut away on both sides to allow the chassis members to pass through. The left side also had to have an extra section cut away to avoid the flywheel.
Much fettling had to take place to get everything to fit nicely.
A quick check to confirm that there was no problem on the cylinder side.
And this is how it all looks at this stage with the canopy in place.
8/3/2017
I've made the dummy water tank from the same 0.5mm SS as the side panels; bent to shape and soldered.
It's located on the back of the "scuttle" by means of an arrangement of small and large washers, such that it easily lifts off.
Being attached in this way is not, perhaps, the ideal situation because the "scuttle" is not perfectly square. The "scuttle" is the one that comes with the Bix burner and I'm not sure if it's a standard Mamod made one. I have two of these burners and they are both the same! The result is that the tank is tilted slightly, just enough to be obvious!
Still, it's done now and I can't think of a better way of locating it anyway.
9/3/2017
I've corrected the tilt of the dummy water tank.
It's a bit of a bodge, I admit, but it's out of sight when in position.
This, I think, is about as far as I can go before stripping down for painting.
9/3/2017 (PM)
I say this every time a project gets to this stage - "I hope I can remember how it all goes back together"!
13/3/2017
I've been busy paint stripping, derusting and priming.
A slight mishap, discovered while stripping the paint from the boiler, I noticed a small hole just next to where I had inserted a self tapping screw into the firebox. I thought it was clear but obviously miscalculated. Fortunately, the hole was small enough to patch with solder. I had to use a different Meccano bracket so I can relocate the screw. I hope I don't have to redesign it at this stage.
13/3/2017 (PM)
That's the black parts painted and curing on a hot plate.
I have some brown paint on order. In fact I have two different shades of brown coming 'cos I'm not sure which I prefer.
18/3/2017
Got the brown paint and I chose the "Middle Brown". 1st batch done and curing on the hot plate; 2nd batch sprayed and ready to have the masking removed.
19/3/2017
Spent a nice easy Sunday morning scraping and sanding paint from places that were difficult to mask. I also painted a brass cap in the chimney. I'm not sure if I like it so I might invest in a real brass one.
20/3/2017
First priority in the reassembly was to rivet the boiler into the firebox and check the clearance of the self tappers holding the bracket (see above). It was close so I added a bit of a shim to make sure.
Next job was to resolder the pipes to the port face. I used the old trick of holding them in place with cocktail sticks.
Obviously, the sticks burn during soldering but enough remain long enough to do the job.
Then, all that was needed was to clean out the holes using a drill held in a pin vice.
I've made a start on the rest of the reassembly.
... but, before I go any further, I found a couple of bits I forgot to paint and one that needs redoing because the paint has started to flake already!
25/3/2017
Ta-Daaa!
Not quite perfect yet, but getting there:
26/3/2017
Disaster! Fired it up this morning and there's a massive leak around the sight glass! So that will mean a partial disassembly to replace the seal.
27/3/2017
Well, I've fixed the leak, and tested it in a minimum configuration. It's now appears to be steam tight. I now have to reassemble it - again.
The rubber ring that comes with the spare sight glasses is slightly smaller than the slot it sits in. This might be deliberate so that it expands into the slot when you install the cover. The trouble is, if it's not sitting in the slot perfectly, it distorts when you tighten it down and doesn't seal properly.
The Mamod sight glass design is far from perfect in many respects. The Wilesco and Jensen ones are much better. Are you reading this, Mamod?
It's unusual in that it's back-to-front, with the full width rolls at the rear and two separate rolls on the steering fork at the front. Here are the bits I have so far.
I have a TE1A complete, 4 small rolls from SR1As, chassis and canopy from an SW1. I also have an SW1 cab but I think that would look wrong. There will be some parts I'll have to make from scratch, like brackets and the rear deck, and as usual I'll utilise Meccano for the gears, chains etc.
The first decision to make was due to the fact that the chassis is narrower than the combined width of the rear roll. I thought of cutting the SR1 rolls down to fit but rejected that idea because it wouldn't look right. I'll have to dispose of the two existing bearing brackets from the SW1 chassis (they would have half hidden the rolls anyway) and will make new thinner ones to fit.
That's as far as it's got so far, gathering parts and considering options.
The front rolls fit nicely. They do look a bit wide so I might cut them down a bit. The rear roll fits ok using Mamod parts but a Wilesco one would be better. The chassis can be modified as required.
There should be no problems with the steering, which was one of my concerns.
It's all looking good so far.
I'm sure I'll find a use for a couple of Mazac rings some day :-)
I also removed a few mm from the hubs to allow the hub caps to be refitted. The roller hubs are just a bit bigger than the TE hubs.
I did all this with a hacksaw and file. It would have been much easier with a lathe :-(
Also, I have made a straight swap with Forum member Jon so I now have a short boiler, which is more like the original.
I can now get an idea of what the overall proportions will be, and I think they are about right, given that this is not a scale model. The chassis will be shortened and probably widened slightly.
There's still room enough to give a good turning circle.
The replacement boiler does need a bit of work. It needs a good descaling and the whistle bush needs resoldering, which will probably mean in riveting the firebox.
It all adds to the fun of a build like this
I then reassembled the boiler & firebox (repainting can wait till later). To facilitate later disassembly and reassembly, I fitted M3 rivet nuts. For the 4 fixings holding the two halves of the firebox together, I used self tapping screws because there isn't room for the rivet nuts. (I've got some nicer looking slotted screws on order.)
I cut off the rear end of the chassis:
... and made a new rear end piece using a Juneero strip, cut and bent using a genuine Juneero tool.
This is a wonderful multipurpose tool, originally sold for use by youngsters but it's an insult to call it a toy.
I think I'll have to redo that last bit because I'll probably widen the chassis by around 20mm to fit outside the rolls.
The rear rolls now fit within the width of the chassis so that the bearings can be much simpler than they would have been.
They stick up a bit above the frame so I'll have to do a bit more filing.
There is now a problem to solve. The two rolls turn freely on the axle. The axle will be powered by a chain so I need to fix one of the rolls to the axle so that it turns with it (but not both).
I thought of using a threaded rod and gripping the roll between two nuts, but threaded rod doesn't make a good bearing surface, and looks naff anyway. I've thought of Araldite but that's a bit permanent and doesn't allow for adjustment. There is a small brass bush in the centre of the roll and I thought of soldering a Meccano one to it, but there is not enough room for a screwdriver to tighten the grub screw. One possibility is a long, three hole, Meccano bush (I think they call it a connector). It's actually a bit too long but it can be shortened. I still need to find some means of locating it accurately while I solder it. I have some PTFE rod of about the right size but will it withstand the heat of soldering? Ceramic rod would be ideal but I don't have any.
I had a long think about the reduction gearing, trying several ideas, most of which wouldn't work because it was difficult to get everything lined up properly. I decided I needed a three stage transmission because the final chain drive doesn't have much reduction in itself using Meccano sprockets. I went as far as plan E, I think, but then went back to plan D.
There will be a belt from the flywheel to the bottom pulley (as on the Mamod SW1), another from there to the top right pulley and a chain from there to the rear axle. This is just a mock-up and I hope I can make it look a bit neater. I might hide some of it behind "guard" panels, like the original.
I've finalised the design of the transmission system. Not much change there.
I've cut the various shafts to length and tapped the ends for some nice dome nuts.
My first temptation at this stage was to go for a steam test, but I can't do that till the boiler is steam tight. That won't be till the rear end is riveted and the steam pipe soldered. I can't do that, or I don't want to do that, till the painting is done and I can't do that till I've finished the bodywork. Besides, the weather is still too wintery for painting.
I fabricated a couple of supports from brass rod, tapped and fixed to the canopy at the top and bent at right angles to form a hinge at the bottom.
The front is supported by a small pillar fixed to the top of the chimney. This enables the whole canopy to be hinged back for easy access.
Views from front and rear:
So, instead, I cut some brass channel and Araldite it round the piece of plywood I prepared earlier.
I then made up a hinge from Meccano (with a couple of bits of brass tube as spacers).
... then, after carefully marking out the position, Araldited the top half to the underside of the platform.
I cut out the straights using the special Eclipse "Goscut" sheers. This useful tool cuts without much distorting the metal.
Edges were filed straight and de-burred. The curved sections were formed by bending around a suitable piece of dowel.
Slots had to be cut away on both sides to allow the chassis members to pass through. The left side also had to have an extra section cut away to avoid the flywheel.
Much fettling had to take place to get everything to fit nicely.
A quick check to confirm that there was no problem on the cylinder side.
And this is how it all looks at this stage with the canopy in place.
It's located on the back of the "scuttle" by means of an arrangement of small and large washers, such that it easily lifts off.
Being attached in this way is not, perhaps, the ideal situation because the "scuttle" is not perfectly square. The "scuttle" is the one that comes with the Bix burner and I'm not sure if it's a standard Mamod made one. I have two of these burners and they are both the same! The result is that the tank is tilted slightly, just enough to be obvious!
Still, it's done now and I can't think of a better way of locating it anyway.
It's a bit of a bodge, I admit, but it's out of sight when in position.
This, I think, is about as far as I can go before stripping down for painting.
A slight mishap, discovered while stripping the paint from the boiler, I noticed a small hole just next to where I had inserted a self tapping screw into the firebox. I thought it was clear but obviously miscalculated. Fortunately, the hole was small enough to patch with solder. I had to use a different Meccano bracket so I can relocate the screw. I hope I don't have to redesign it at this stage.
I have some brown paint on order. In fact I have two different shades of brown coming 'cos I'm not sure which I prefer.
Next job was to resolder the pipes to the port face. I used the old trick of holding them in place with cocktail sticks.
Obviously, the sticks burn during soldering but enough remain long enough to do the job.
Then, all that was needed was to clean out the holes using a drill held in a pin vice.
I've made a start on the rest of the reassembly.
... but, before I go any further, I found a couple of bits I forgot to paint and one that needs redoing because the paint has started to flake already!