Eastern European Steam

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

A little test of the water. Not sure if this is of interest here. 7 1/4″ Eastern European prototype. A 6 year project started in 1985….. Almost complete…. Almost 20 yrs in design and research and 23 years in construction, oh how time flies by and world affairs change….

 

Based on an engine in Lithuania / Estonia in the 1950’s similar to this one…

https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=11550

 

All the best…..

 

[Graham TitmanParticipant @grahamtitman81812]

Beautiful looking engine

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

That  is certainly of interest,  it looks like a super piece of work. Tell us more, are you the builder or is it a team effort, what sort of tools have you used, manual, CNC, (CAD in later stages of design). Did it Start 23+20 years ago or later.

Bob  ….. Ps, I haven’t clicked the link yet, so that may have answered my questions already !!

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Nice engine as for me steam is steam !

H

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Short article on my website for those interested in European railways. A visit to the Budapest Railway History Museum has a few pictures and a few links.

John

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

A fine locomotive!

I remember reading somewhere the USSR government mandated full hand-rails after a railwayman was fatally injured  from slipping on ice and falling off the plating.

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

OK. Thanks for that….. Some further info….

A quick one…

Yes, there was a decree (Tsarist times) for full handrails. Lubricators etc were filled on the move and the post winter track heave from the frost made it very dangerous.

So. The design work was started in the 1980s as a 5″ gauge project when I was a student. I was working on other projects at the time and producing drawings of the Su. The lack of detailed information was a real problem and the locomotive never progressed beyond a set of main frames before I got to the stage that I was unhappy with the result. I faffed around the edges of the project during the 1990’s and at that point I was able to source a lot more photographic information. So the next attempt was in 7 1/4″. I had a very simple general arrangement drawing giving leading dimensions and the rest was scaled from LOTS of photographs, quite a labour intensive task in its self.

Metal was first cut in 2003….

My workshop is entirely ‘old skool’ no NC or digital processes at all, entirely manual machining, and a lot of bench work. Myford 7, old Warco economy mill in the indoor workroom, where the Su is. Plus a Bridgeport and Colchester Chipmster in the garage workshop.

Whilst I have done a range of stuff over the years this is actually my first locomotive….

It’s obviously 7 1/4″ g and built to 1/8 scale, so it’s actually a bit ‘narrow’ on gauge, to be strictly correct it would be 7 1/2″ g but I’m in the UK….. Height to top of funnel is 26″ – width is 15″ and overall length including tender is 10 ft.

Boiler is copper by John Ellis. Wheel castings and main horns are all Highlander Black 5 as they scale out correctly, and everything else is fabricated. The cylinders were cast locally as two big square bricks. Cylinders are nice big 3″ bore.

Brakes are low pressure (20psi) air with diaphragm cylinders. Exhaust is a Lempor. Radiant superheaters.

When I started cutting metal in 2003 it was supposed to be a ‘reasonably’ quick project to get it on the track, then I fell down the rabbit hole, and each bit ‘had to be right’….. That plus school aged kiddie caused the time to evaporate.

It’s almost done, I’m currently doing the internal wood cladding of the cab and hope to have the cab installed within the next month or so. And planning to complete over the summer.

I had thought about exhibiting it once complete, but that was in different times and the country of origin whilst technically no longer in existence (USSR) the legacy problematic.

A couple of more views, backhead and tender. Given the decorations on these engines when they were operational, the front view is omitted….

Regards….

 

 

 

 

 

[WearyParticipant @weary]

What a fantastic build.  And I can appreciate why you need the engine-lift handy!

Excuse my ignorance, but what are the ‘legacy issues’ that prevent the (model) loco being exhibited in public or even the publishing of a front view?

Phil

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

When I watch old films of locos being serviced in the UK I always wince at the bit where the smoke box door is open and someone is standing on the plating at the front of the loco cleaning out the smoke box. One step back and he’s seriously injured or dead. Of course this was in the days when men were men and didn’t mind getting injured at work. It would have been so easy to have either fixed handrails or a wheeled platform which could be run up to the front of the loco

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I’m guessing the builder is worried about our current poor relationship with Mr. Putin causing any offence if he displays his model in the UK.

I wouldn’t worry about it myself, global politicians care nothing for us, so why should we let them stand in the way of appreciating an impressive and rare building project.

Truly excellent work that you should be proud to display, even with a hammer and sickle on the smoke box door.

There are plenty of German military vehicles out there on display and no one says boo.

 

 

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

Yes it’s the current pariah regime. So OK here is the front of the Su……

And yes I do have an appetite for the more unusual. I have made an academic study of the locomotives of the former USSR for 40 years, initially because they were so ‘elegant’ in my opinion and no one here had any real knowledge of them. For example…. The E class 0-10-0 is actually even more numerous than the German Kriegslok, by a few thousand ! I believe about 12K Kriegs and almost 15K E’s.

This may be the only large scale Live Steam model of this kind of engine in the West.

 

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

Parovoz,

Beautiful work my friend, simply beautiful.

The soviet engineers turned out some fantastic products, nothing wrong with celebrating that.

Mick.

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

Hello All,

Many thanks for the kind words, that is very much appreciated. I was not sure how the Su would go down given the current climate. If anyone would like to see some more photos of the construction, showing the ‘guts’ of the loco let me know….

Also, should that move to the “Locomotives” section and away from “Introductions”?

All the best.

[ChrisLHParticipant @chrislh]

Magnificent work. In case you are seeking another project in the same vein you may find something suitable in this book.

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

I Know that book WELL……. That was the one that started all of this for me….. If you have the paper dust jacket you’ll see Su251-51 on the cover….. That was the photo that caused this….. And as to the inside illustration of the P36 4-8-4 …. That is a strong contender for the next loco when I retire….

And yes, here is the cover…… This one is oil fired, hence the large tank in the tender. They went back to coal firing later….

[james rumbleParticipant @jamesrumble18726]

Very impressive work. I for one would love to seem some photos of the internals.

[parovozParticipant @parovoz]

Conversation taken to ‘Locomotives’ thread under Su251-53.

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