Thread: Stephenson's Rocket

Hi Derek,

Thanks for your comments - much appreciated.

Here is a photo showing the water tank on the tender in the Museum

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Regards

Keith

You all have probably already seen this but I found it quite interesting, with some great tips for scratch builders.
Have no idea how I got there just looking around for wooden trains ideas.

Originally Posted by htl

You all have probably already seen this but I found it quite interesting, with some great tips for scratch builders.
Have no idea how I got there just looking around for wooden trains ideas.

Thanks Bruce

Very interesting with ingenious scratch building techniques. It looks tops. Thanks again for sharing

Very slow work on my tender. Making the frame out of aluminium (as per the locomotive) May be able to post a photo later tday.

Regards

Keith

Originally Posted by htl

You all have probably already seen this but I found it quite interesting, with some great tips for scratch builders.
Have no idea how I got there just looking around for wooden trains ideas.

Now that's something that Trevor would of had a ball reading and digesting!!

Hi All,

Been a while since I posted my progress on the Rocket.

Slow work !!

I have been making the sub frame for the tender. I have used aluminium flat bar as my construction material. I am using countersunk metal threads for joining the flat together and then filling in the heads with bodyfiller.
The leaf springs have been made out of aluminium strip and cork sheeting.

The next step is making the tender wheels. They are almost 35 mm wide (to scale) so I am laminating 19mm pine together and will then turn to diameter and width on the wood lathe and then make up the centre hub/spoke assembly to suit

Below is a photo of the sub frame.

Regards

Keith

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Were would you be without "Body Filler" Keith...

Trevor teachings come to the fore again and again....

Originally Posted by crowie

Were would you be without "Body Filler" Keith...

Trevor teachings come to the fore again and again....

Yes. I used to hate the stuff, but you learn how much hardener to use for certain tasks (as Trev used to say). It opens up a new realm of what you can experiment with on your modelmaking. I just use cheap "Builders Bog" from Bunnings.

Thanks for your comments Peter

Regards

Keith

Good start on the tender. I always find the main chassis is the foundation of any build.

Hi All,

Working on the tender wheels. Today I have machined up the outer "rims". I have laminated 2 pieces of 19 mm pine and let them dry for 2 days.

I then screw them to my lathe faceplate and then turn the outer diameter and the recessed rim. I have also machined up a witness mark on the face of the outer rim. This will be my mark to cut out to with my jigsaw and then sand to with my spindle sander.

Next - working on the wheel inners and spokes.

Regards

Keith

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I see you got around to the tender wheels. I hope they were hard enough to turn. No doubt they will be spoked soon.

Hi All,

The tender wheels are quite time consuming. Used the same technique as the locomotive section - turning the inner and outer blanks and then cutting out the spokes on the inner using the bandsaw. Gluing the inner to the outer, filling of any gaps with timber mate and then lots of filing and sanding the spokes to get them smooth and the edges rounded. The tender for Rocket had 8 spoke wheels - much easier than 12 or 16 spokes for me

Now onto making the bearing to suit the bearing horns and then onto machining up the axles.

Regards

Keith

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Nicely done and so pretty!!!

Hi All,

I have made up the inner sections of the wheel bearings. Now need to make up an outer cover that encloses the axle ends.

I have machined the axles out of 1 inch aluminium solid bar. The wheel bore is 7/8" whilst the bearing bore is 3/4".

I had to machine the wheel hubs back so the wheels would fit inside the frame. The inside dimensions of the frame are pretty tight. The wheels on the locomotive section are on the ends of the shafts whilst the tender wheels are inside the tender frame. This doesn't give much leeway when ensuring that the wheel gauge on the locomotive aligns with the tender gauge.

I am pretty happy how this is now coming together.

Regards

Keith

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Hello All,

For those who are interested - the reason I have not been posting is that I have been quite crook over the last week and a half. Seeing the doc every couple of days - hopefully getting on top of my issues. Maybe into the shed this afternoon

Regards

Keith