New member. Finished Cracker locomotive.

[Tony Bird]

Hi,
I have just joined the group. I build mostly small steam locomotives to 16mm scale running on '0' gauge track. The attached video shows a Cracker running on my model clubs garden railway last year. I like these little locomotives because they run well, reliably and always seem to bring a smile to those who watch them. I am at present finishing a Crackertee (a Cracker with a 'T' boiler)



Regards Tony.

 

[shred]

Welcome! Your notes and comments were instrumental in getting my Cracker project done. Many thanks.

 

[Orrin]

Welcome, Tony! You and Shred have inspired me to put the Cracker on my wanna-build, list. They are cute as bugs' ears.

Where did you get the engineer for your Cracker?

Best regards,

Orrin

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi,
Engineer? It takes a little time British speak 'Driver'. It is one of the inexpensive cast resin figures in 16mm scale supplied by Model Town they also make 7/8th's scale figures. They have a new web site 'Model Town Figures' . Their figures are as far as I know all of European styling, however they can be modified. The drives can be changed from grease top hats to cloth, my wife did it for me for one of the Crackers.

Photograph shows my first Cracker built along with the one I'm working on at the moment.

Not sure there should be photographs of part built models in this section.


Regards Tony.

 

[Orrin]

Thank you for the reply, Tony; most of all, thank you for the pictures! You do great work.

Best regards,

Orrin

 

[steamer]

We love pictures of all stages of construction..... ;D Keep em coming!

Dave

 

[Deanofid]

Nice to see you here, Tony! Thanks for showing the Crackers. I know you have a lot more to share.

 

[Orrin]

Tony, how does your double wobbler Cracker compare to a single? Is it a hog for steam?

Orrin

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi Orrin,
If I was making another I would increase the volume of the boiler. The burner produces enough heat to support both cylinders but obviously the boiler has to be replenished with water more frequently. I would perhaps try using a 35mm copper 'T' connector fitting which was used as the basis of Crackertee's boiler it has more than twice the working volume of the standard boiler.
The construction of the Crackershay as it is known came about in an interesting way. For all my adult life I have been a member of the Cardiff Model Engineering Society www.cardiffmes.com which for the last 15 or so years has had a garden railway among its assets which I am nominally in charge of. There are about seven of us that work and play on the garden railway during the summer months, during the winter months as little can be on the garden our meetings on a Wednesday night are in my shed where over the last four years we have constructed among other things locomotives. The first model steam locomotives to be built were six Crackers, several models of which I had already built. Cracker was chosen because most of our group had limited workshop experience and Cracker was simple easy to build and if the construction of parts went pear shaped it wouldn't take long to make another. When making the parts 'extra' ones were made to cover mistakes, in the event few of them were needed. So Crackershay was made from a boiler, frames along with their spacers and a pair of cylinders that were left over. The building of the Crackers took one winter to complete, the present project a vertical boiler 0-4-0 using a geared double acting single cylinder is into its second winter and is likely to take another winter to complete.
The Crackertee came about because someone gave me the copper 'T' connector which was left over from a plumbing job. A lot of my models started this was, I'm into recycling.
Regards Tony.

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi,
Well the 'T' boiler Cracker 'Crackertee' ran for the first time today.

The weather had brightened up which was a bonus. For a first run it wasn't too bad a little fast. The regulator was a little loose and kept opening up its gland will need tightening.
VIDEO.

Some cosmetic work still needs to be done and a lubricator needs to be fitted. The piston is aluminium with an '0' ring fitted so will need oil not just saturated steam as a lubricant. Certainly the larger boiler is a plus it runs a lot longer than a standard Cracker it will be interesting to get it on the club track to see how much better it is.
Regards Tony.

 

[Deanofid]

It runs great, Tony. A nice looking little loco, too. Perhaps a bit of rolling stock behind it will have it at just the right speed. It certainly looks like it's willing to pull something!
Thank you for the video.

Dean

 

[1hand]

That Rocks!!!!! toot toooot!


Well done, love the wobbler. Thm:

Matt

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi Dean,
You are quite right. A load and an alteration to the angle of the needle in the regulator helps.
Video.

Regards Tony.

 

[arnoldb]

Very very nice Tony Thm:

Kind regards, Arnold