Thread: Stephenson's Rocket

"It also appears as though the steel tyres on Rocket were retained by bolts through the wooden wagon wheels"

I was wondering what the extra holes were for between the spokes.

From the forth picture it looks like the bolt weakens the wheel over time, but could be over tightening through the years..

But looking again I see bolts in every other spoke hole having a split or seem, so probable just the way the wheel is made.
Thanks fletty for the extra info.

and here's a few more that (inadvertently?) show more details of the driving and trailing wheels....

LRG_DSC06443.jpg LRG_DSC06445.jpg LRG_DSC06452.jpg LRG_DSC06456.jpg LRG_DSC06461.jpgLRG_DSC06505.jpg

I note that the (wooden?) spokes seem to fit into (cast?) rectangular sockets on the eccentric hubs?

fletty

I've also noticed, and not surprisingly, that the 'tender' wheels look very similar to the engine's trailing wheels?

LRG_DSC06475.jpg LRG_DSC06489.jpg LRG_DSC06494.jpg LRG_DSC06495.jpg

Ill send the hi-res pictures later this week Keith.

fletty

LRG_DSC06475.jpgLRG_DSC06489.jpgLRG_DSC06494.jpgLRG_DSC06495.jpg

Oh man! How detailed are you going to go on the spokes Keith?

DaveTTC
The Turning Cowboy
Turning Wood Into Art

Originally Posted by DaveTTC

Oh man! How detailed are you going to go on the spokes Keith?

DaveTTC
The Turning Cowboy
Turning Wood Into Art

Keith has already shown his attention to detail in the other trains, our Trevor has taught Keith very well and maybe soon Keith will become the master and both teaching & passing on his knowledge & expertise to a will apprentice as he was soaking up all of what was taught!!!.... Peter

Alan, What a top bunch of photos sir...WOW & THANK YOU!!!

Hi All,


Alan, Great talking to you last night and thanks so much for the photos.

Thanks for the comments Peter - only ever one master in my opinion.

Dave - was a bit concerned about the profile of the coach type spokes - but I think I have got around it. Very time consuming - but using witness marks (3 lots of drawn pencil lines) on top and bottom of both sides of the spoke and then using a half round file, I have got a profile that I am happy with and it is quite consistent around the spokes I have worked on so far. Lots of sanding to do

Regards

Keith

I'm still intrigued by the original wheels. They look as though they are a compromise based on the quantity of iron that could be heated and cast in one go. It looks like the rim is one piece, to which is bolted segments that carry the spokes, with a rim sweated on as a final step.

When visiting the museum, did Alan see a diagram of the cross section of a wheel?

Originally Posted by ian

I'm still intrigued by the original wheels.

When visiting the museum, did Alan see a diagram of the cross section of a wheel?

No and I can't figure it out yet either. Picture 4 on the first post, appears to show that that the side rim AND the nearest felloe have a joint at the same point which is highly unlikely to be original. My best interpretation of the pictures so far is;

• Cast eccentric hub with sockets for spokes
• bronze bearing block
• timber spokes
• separate cast felloes each with a socket for a spoke
• separate outer rim side flanges with 2 bolts through each felloe
• an outer 'tyre' heat shrunk on to hold the assembly together BUT (and here's the tricky bit?) a radial bolt that appears to go through the outer rim and through slots at the end of each felloe?
• a further 'wear' tyre heat shrunk on to the outside

I'll enlarge some of the hi-res pics to see if that helps. For our craftsman/artist Keith's sake, I'm hoping that reducing to 1/6 removes the need for such forensic knowledge?
fletty

That's interesting Alan.

Two outer steel rims onto the wooden spoked section - clever

Regards

Keith

Many thanks to Uncle Google and Flickr...

IMG_0109.jpg

This picture from Flickr is allegedly the wheel off the REAL Rocket and I'm now more confused than ever! The outer flange ring is not continuous and appears to be timber!

This link should be to a youtube video of the original Rocket which is now in the London Science Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEqy4xQycjI
To my eyes, the original driving wheels are wooden, the bolts on the replica appear to be pins (or blind rivets) on the original wheels.

Perhaps, Keith should see if he can access a copy of this

via an inter-library loan.

another picture


source: https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/st...comotive-1829/
Note: Stephenson's 'Rocket' (1829) on display at the Science Museum in 2007. The Rocket ran on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway from 1829 to 1836 and the Midgeholme Colliery Railway in County Durham between 1836 and 1840. It was preserved in 1862, semi-derelict and incomplete. The tender and other items are missing.