"Nina", a Gauge 1, 0-4-0 live steamer. Progress and updates

Wow,

That's fantastic :bow: :bow: :bow:

I played it yesterday but no sound. Found the drivers for my sound card and Yep played it again and again. ;D ;D I especially like the sound when she's pulling the rolling stock.

Best Regards
Bob

Bob,

I just saw your videos and Nina looks good and runs like a scalded cat. Maybe you can start a locomotive drag racing club.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Nina has in store for us next.

SAM

Thanks a lot guys for all the kind words. It felt really good seeing Nina running around the track. Our club track has two difficult grades, not so much steep as they are long. It plowed along with out missing a beat. The videos make it look like it runs fast, but it's a slow engine.

There is still a lot to learn about running it. It's a different thing to run on track, then to run on test rollers.

Next is some appropriate rolling stock. Probably 4 wheeled gondola like those, but larger for scale appearance.

Thanks again. Bob

Great Job!

I especially liked the head on shots. ;D ;D

Ahh, what a sweet runner, Bob! I think it's great, and goes along at just the right speed.
I could watch Nina run for a long time. How neat!

Dean

Good going Bob; great job Thm:

It's good to see a loco run at a more scale-like speed than hell-for-leather. Like you said, these small locos can be quirky and takes some getting used to; I'm still trying to figure out how to make my Idris replica run more sedately; it comes down to a little "mistake" I made with the regulator by equipping it with a round wheel that makes for less control, and maybe the fact that I haven't finished a proper track layout to run it on with a couple of wagons in tow...

Kind regards, Arnold

I have not forgotten the Nina project. It’s just been getting run hard over the past 2 months. There’s been a bit of a learning curve to running the engine, but I’ve got it down now. A run lasts 25 to 27 minutes and gets 12+ laps on our club’s 300-foot mainline track. After building pressure, I shut down the burner and refill the fuel tank. The air choke on the burner is a very big help. It does a good job adjusting the air so the burner runs silent. Now that the motor is “broke in” and running very smooth, there is a lot more response in the throttle. "Company notch" (half throttle) on long straights and full throttle on curves and grades. No sitting back munching on a cheeseburger, you have to follow this baby and “drive it”.

Yesterday was a steam up and Nina got three long strong runs. On the 3rd run the engine had a catastrophic derail on a bridge and crashed hard to the ground. The crew escaped injury. The fire stayed lit, so I set it back on the track and finished the run. No damage other then a bent smoke stack.



I don’t like the new “aerodynamic” look, so that will get repaired.

Yesterday was quite humid in the morning, so the steam plumes were gorgeous.

I am thinking about placing an order to clock parts supplier for some more watch bearing. Get the next 2 or 3 sizes up and experiment more with the burner.

Nina is going in to the shop next week for repairs, cosmetics and paint. Next steam run is 8 Jan. Baby should be in news shoes by then.

Rotten luck on the derailment Bob... But then that will happen on live steamers!
I'm really looking forward to see Nina all fixed up and painted !

Regards, Arnold

Unbelievable! I was just reading through your build thread on My Large Scale for the 5th or 6th time, dropped by here and there you are...

Just wanted to thank you for posting all of the building techniques. I used the strap building method from your oiler this weekend to make a fuel tank mount (I have been struggling for a design for a while). Not as clean as yours but resulted in a presentable mount.

great thread and a sweet looking engine. can't wait to see it finished.

Randy

Bob

Well done!!! Don't know where I was on your great day, but I missed your post. I was probably head down sorting out my loco. Doesn't it fell good when it all comes together.

Pete

Looking forward to the new shoes! Video too please!

Thanks for the comments men. Randy: I just found your Hit-n-miss project. Very nice. Looks like the bands worked out perfectly.

Took “Nina” off line last week to finally get it finished up. After a few months of successful running, it’s time to get this project wrapped up and move on to the next.

First thing to do is change out the front buffer; it’s not the correct type. Nina is more along the lines of a Walsh mining loco, so it needs a “chain and hook” style front coupler/buffer. Even tho the front coupler will not get used, it still needs to look the part. The “link and pin” coupler on the back will stay.

The front coupler parts are from 1/16” steel plate, 1/2" square tubing and a small eyelet. Saw, grind and file everything to shape. Whatever shapes and styles you like.



The coupler parts are held together with a single #2 x 56 screw and soft soldered together. Sweat off the old coupler. Drill for some #2 x 56 model hex head bolts and bolt to the front pilot frame.



That looks a lot better.

Next is a decorative brass band to go around the horizontal boiler shell. There are no other decorations on this engine, so we need to have something for the crew to polish. I am thinking about painting the boiler gloss black, with a flat black smokebox. The brass band will separate the two colors. Fabricate the band in the same manner as the bands used on the lubricator.



The water gauge lower end needs a drain tube for the blow down. Right now it just blows down on to the footplate and makes a mess. Fabricate a drain tube from 3/32” OD, 1/16” ID tube. Use 1/4" hex brass to make the #10 x 32 union nut. Run the drain either thru the footplate or out the side. After all the plumbing done so far, this job is a snap.



The gas and drain plumbing looks “Rube Goldberg”, but the cab will cover up most of it.

Now for the cab. Nina’s cab very loosely follows Welsh narrow gauge practice. It is a wooden cab, open top, opening out to the rear. The strategy is to laminate decorative wooden strips over a shell of model aircraft plywood. Installation is with #2 x 56 machine screws thru the footplate.

The decorative wood for Nina’s cab is Cocobolo. Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood from Central America, similar to Rosewood. Fresh cut it is darker brown in color, but over time turns even darker. This 1/16” thick piece I have was cut 20 years ago and is nearly black now. Almost looks like ebony.

Tropical hardwoods are absolutely gorgeous and well worth the extra work to finish them. Most tropical hardwoods contain a lot of oil. Before gluing, completely wipe down the surface of the wood with alcohol or lacquer thinner to clean off the oil. Glue immediately with Titebond III. Other glues are chemically different and may not work.

Finnish the decorative wood before cutting up. It’s a lot easier to finish one big piece then a zillion little ones.

Cocobolo is so hard you can use the same techniques as brass polishing to get it shiny as glass. Sand to 1500 grit, polish with pumice and water, rottenstone and oil next and finish up with “Brasso”. Get out the supplies and make with the elbow grease. 400 grit sanding makes a nice finish, or you can go all the way.



Fine sawdust from Cocobolo is toxic. If you breathe it in, it will feel like a red-hot knife going down your throat. Wear a good mask, and open the windows.

Cut strips and glue to the model aircraft plywood to form the sides.



Cut some poplar strips for corner gussets and attachment gussets along the bottom.



Glue some plywood panels on the front and back. Glue stripwood over that.



Miter cut some stripwood for caps on the top and bottom.



Take a very very light skim cut on the table saw or disk sander to true the bottom edge of the cab. Paint the interior flat black. Drill some holes along the bottom gusset for #2 x 56 machine to attach the cab to the footplate.

Finish the cab with a furniture oil rub down. Shellac, varnish and poly-urethane do not work on tropical hardwoods. Too much oil in the wood. They will just peal off in a few weeks.



Set the cab on the footplate for a prelim look.



Looks pretty good. The camera does not do justice to the Cocobolo wood. It is gorgeous.

That’s it for now. Next time the engine gets blown apart for paint and final wrap up.

Nice to see "NINA" back gracing these pages again, Bob. How well does he Titebond III hold up over time? Especially exposed to such harsh conditions as steam, heat, and oil. Great looking cab sides.

BC1
Jim

Thanks Jim: I believe Titebond III is a different chemical make up then the others. It should hold up OK. I know from experience that taking apart Titebond II by soaking in water is a real chore.

Before disassembly the engine for paint, I had to fix the bent smokestack from the fall. A few bashes with a mallet fixed that. It looks better.

Time to disassemble the engine for final cleaning and painting. I clean everything first in lacquer thinner then hot soapy water. Don't’ know if two cleaning steps really matter. It’s just a habit.

I really hate painting. I just want this part over. Get all the machined surfaces masked with tape and attach some means to hold the parts while painting. I just painted everything with “Rust-o-leum” rattle can paint. Red Oxide primer to start off.



The original intent was gloss black with flat black smoke box. It quickly became evident that gloss black would look too toy like. So everything went flat black. The end sills and couplers got dark red with a coat of flat clear.



Next is getting on the brass and copper. By now everything is really tarnished and has discoloration from silver soldering. Run everything over the buffing wheel with some fine rouge compound. That will get it most of the way there. Get out the Brasso and have at it. It’s a lot of work, but certainly worth the effort.



Re-assemble everything and attach the cab. And with that Nina is all done.











The boiler steams fine. The lubricator does the job. The safety valve is very reliable. The water gauge works perfectly and blows down just right for an accurate reading. The throttle is a good design too. The burner works OK. I am going to experiment with some different jets. I ordered some 0.25mm and 0.30mm watch bearings and will them a try.

Looking back at it, the only thing I would do different build a double acting motor. While the single works fine, a double would just be better. The way the engine is set up, changing out the cylinder would not be difficult to do. Redesign the engine standard and cylinder. Use the existing crankshaft and modify the steam pipe. I would also make the rear foot plate and cab about 1/2" or more wider. The back looks too narrow.

Thanks for all the kind comments, words of encouragement and those who stopped by for a look along the way.

Thanks and take care, Bob

Nice one Bob!! the coat of paint has transformed it.

I've just done a quick flick back through the posts and there's a lot of useful information in here for anybody doing a gas fired boiler for any small engine, or another loco like this.

Hopefully its not destined for the display cabinet? It just needs the vid of it running in its pristine condition to top this off.

Pete