Thread: 1/5th Scale Peny-Darren 1804 Locomotive

Keith thanks for the picture of your wife's quilt. I will pass that on to my wife. Does your wife hand sew her quilts? My wife does it on a fancy sewing machine she bought herself for a retirement present. I think her real enjoyment is the social side of it. She goes to a get together every Saturday with several women and they talk quilts and sew. Then she spends the rest of the week cutting material and pining to get ready for the next Saturday session. Keeps her out of trouble and I don't get much gripping for the amount of time I spend in my shop.

The shoe looks great. No end to your talent. Now you are sculpturing!

Hi Keith

have you seen this image?


Reference: Richard Trevithick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Keith

have you seen this image?


Reference: Richard Trevithick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hi Ian,

Yes Thanks.

Appreciate your efforts in looking up the information for me. Thanks

Regards

Keith

Originally Posted by PLD

Keith thanks for the picture of your wife's quilt. I will pass that on to my wife. Does your wife hand sew her quilts? My wife does it on a fancy sewing machine she bought herself for a retirement present. I think her real enjoyment is the social side of it. She goes to a get together every Saturday with several women and they talk quilts and sew. Then she spends the rest of the week cutting material and pining to get ready for the next Saturday session. Keeps her out of trouble and I don't get much gripping for the amount of time I spend in my shop.

The shoe looks great. No end to your talent. Now you are sculpturing!

Hi PLD,

Thanks or your comments on the shoe. Joe should get clothes today.

Cathie uses a sewing machine to applique. I bought her Brother Innovis 1200 for this. She has an old Lemair for the actual quilting. I do a lot of the design work and patterns for her. It is good to work as a team. It also reduces the amount of anxiety about me working so much in the shed. Sounds similar wherever you are in the world. Cathie has a friend. They meet every Wednesday and go to all the material shops looking for bargains and ideas. It is great for her.

All the Best


Keith

Well - Joe has got some pants, shirt and part of his jacket. No photos yet until he is decent.

I have been working on the tender again today. I have added the side coal bunker for adding coal to the firebox from the ground. I have placed the scoria in the main coal truck. I am waiting for the adhesive to dry before I paint the "coal" black. I have added floor boards for Joe to stand on. Also added a safety rail so the loco driver won't get caught in machinery. Wheels are now secured in position. I have also started to make up some accessory items - a coal bucket ( I turned this out of some old 50mm round timber I had lying around. I bored the centre using a 32mm spade bit. I glued the plank on - they are icy pole sticks. These had to be tapered to compensate foe the differences in diameter of the top and bottom of the bucket. The securing bands are black cloth glued on with hot glue gun). Have to make a shovel and a rake for clearing out the ash box.

Regards

Keith

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Jack

if you look closely at the two photos I posted, it appears that the small coal storage on the driving platform is surrounded on 3 sides, suggesting the driver/fireman stopped the engine and stood on the side opposite the smoke stack to stoke the fire.
Keith should check that the door on his firebox opens in the right direction.

From memory, these very early engines were only intended to operate over short distances -- the Blücher, built in 1814 is lauded for its ability to haul 30 tons of coal up a 450 ft (say 150m) long hill at 4 mph (6.4 km/h).
so firing and watering the Penny Darren at each end of journey would be a practical proposition.

Out of interest, in part what drove the development of these early locomotives was the price of the corn and oats needed to "fuel" horses which then provided the primary haulage power.

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Keith

have you seen this image?


Reference: Richard Trevithick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When you look at the image the fire box door opens to the right; the opposite to what you would expect if you were standing on the ground on the right side of the engine.
Like a lot of things, this could just simply be a design error that was modified later, just as the crosshead guides and motion were moved to the other end of the boiler latter to improve operations.

another issue is the reliability of the early images. I suspect that very few of the early illustrators had actually seen the engine.

From what I've read since discovering this thread, the Pen-y-Darren might have been built as a stationary engine around 1802 or 1803 (intended to drive a hammer in the Pen-y-darren iron works) which had wheels added in late 1803 or early 1804 to make it mobile.

This reference Penydarren: Locomotives suggests that the generally accepted drawing of the engine is actually a different engine designed around the same time.

Guys,

Thanks for your comments. I too have the firebox door opening in the direction of the sketch and agree that it would be opening the wrong way for stoking from the ground. I think everyone learns from making mistakes and then remedying that in their next design. It was ground breaking stuff.

Regards

Keith

Ian, your reference makes a fascinating read. It also shows how sophisticated some of these locos became within a short span of years.

Originally Posted by ian

another issue is the reliability of the early images. I suspect that very few of the early illustrators had actually seen the engine.

From what I've read since discovering this thread, the Pen-y-Darren might have been built as a stationary engine around 1802 or 1803 (intended to drive a hammer in the Pen-y-darren iron works) which had wheels added in late 1803 or early 1804 to make it mobile.

This reference Penydarren: Locomotives suggests that the generally accepted drawing of the engine is actually a different engine designed around the same time.

Ian,

Just read your link. Agree with Artme that it is a fascinating read. I really like the look of the Perseverence locomotive as well.

Thanks

Keith

An image of some coal. Smaller lumps also available.
Pen is about 150mm or 6" for scale.

Originally Posted by Handyjack

An image of some coal. Smaller lumps also available.
Pen is about 150mm or 6" for scale.

Handyjack,

Thanks. I picked through and got some of the smaller scoria. I have glued this on a false bottom in the coal tender using PVA glue. I am now using 50% PVA 50% water mixture in a spray bottle. I have done an least 10 pray applications (after each one dries) this s because of the odd shape and porosity of the scoria. It is nearly all solid now. Probably another few coats and then will pain with gloss acrylic black This fills the porous holes of he scoria and does look like coal.
Won't use scoria again though- tough to adhere. Will used washed small crushed bluemetal when I get to my ballast on the track.

Regards

Keith

Well !! Joe is dressed. Cathie and I designed some period costume and Cathie made up the clothes. I like the polo neck jumper - made out of an old sock. I used modelling clay to make his shoes and dried the clay using a hot air gun. Painted shoes with black acrylic.
Painted the scoria (coal) with black acrylic Came up well, but needs another coat. Looks fine in the outdoors but when you photograph with a flash you can see traces of red of the scoria. Made a shovel for Joe to assist with firing the loco.

Keith

Looks like the coal is on fire. A bit like the old Lead coke wipes (remember those Keith)
GI looks great with the collaboration between you and Cathie.