A Narrow Gauge Loco for 32 mm gauge track
(by Ernest Glaser)
This article first appeared in the Dutch magazine
"Onder Stoom" in October 1999 with the title "Een Smalspoorloc Voor 32mm
Spoor" and appears here with the permission of the author and the magazine's general
editor, Rob van Dort.
After having built various 3 1/2" gauge locos and 4-stroke engines I came to a point where I chose for a more convenient format. The obvious choice was "O"-gauge since you can then lay a railway out in your living room and run trains without being bothered by cold, rain or wind.
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For safety
reasons you only do this with a gas fired model. The reason is clear. If the model should
derail or fall over, liquid gas flows to the burner and puts out the flame immediately. I have built various models all according, more or less, to the same concept: copper boiler with one flame tube without water tubes, the burner being in the flame pipe. This too is the same for nearly all models.The unfinished model illustrated here is the well-known B class saddle tank of the DARJEELING & HIMALAYAN RAILWAY The model appealed to me and it appeared not too difficult to build. The (model) gauge chosen was again 32 mm, resulting in a scale of 1:19.3 (the English would say: "16 mm to the foot". (Or 16 mm scale Ed.) The two fine pictures of side and front view were scaled on a photocopier to the correct dimensions. I then used a CAD program to draw the frames with all holes, cut-outs, etc. This was actually the only part drawn. The rest is "trimmings" (Oh?…Ed.) and is made to fit this. The model turned out to be 320 long, 105 mm broad and 140 mm high. The massive machine on the narrow (32 mm) track gives a really good impression of a narrow gauge engine and has a character all its own. Materials used were brass and steel. The cylinders are made of bronze and have a bore and stroke of 12.5 x 15 mm Wheel diameter is 36 mm. For the steam distribution a simplified form of Walschaerts was used. This implies that due to the absence of the combination lever, only the extreme positions can be used. The copper boiler, 215 mm long and 41mm in diameter, (turned down water pipe) is provided with a flame tube of 20/22 mm. (inside/outside) diameter One boilerful of water gives about 20 minutes running time. I think this is long enough and avoids possible complications with the feed water pump etc. The gas tank, which is carried in a separate wagon (and can therefore be used for several locos) is also made of copper and is joined to the burner with a silicone rubber hose The filling nipple is from a Ronson or any other refillable lighter. |
| Although the loco
shown is not completed it runs well and in the meantime a series of three has been built. (Editorial Note: Two of these are going to Felix Heufke and Huub Brech. Huub has already painted his loco and built two suitable carriages.). (See picture below, DS).
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Photo by Ernest of two of his loco's after painting.
...and here is the one which belongs to Huub Brech with the carriages mentioned in the article.
Translation: Dick Summerfield.
