Pen-y-Darren

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

xTaxing my car earlier today I saw a decent selection of airfiox klits in the post office.I squeezed past a chap to grab on I haven’t seen before, Trevethick’s Pen-y-Darren loco. No scale given, but at about 8″ long.

 

A quick look shows the valve gear to be greatly simplified, and it also appears the model was originally meantt to have a motor in teh base – I may try and retro fit this.

 

They also do a beam engine, which again appears to be simplified.

 

The other chap turned out to be an ex-RAF engineer who had worked on Javelins, Hunters , Meteors and his favourite – the Lightning, then gone on to a huge array of other engineering tasks from jigs for BMX bikes to suspension bridges.

Apparently the Javelin was cartidge start, and some poor soul had to stick their head into a smoky gap between the engines to check there wasn’t a fire before replacing a body panel. Must have been quite a drag when they needed to scramble! He told me that on one ocassion the panel got picked up by jet blast and embedded itself in the leading edge of another plane.

 

Neil

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

I built one of the Pen-y-daren ones back in the seventies, and it did have an electric motor in it. I’m not sure what became of it, I think I gave it to my Dad. So the kit has been around for a while.

 

regards

John

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

A very long while, I have a motor that fits – its one of those that has a square magnet in a housing on the side and steel pole pieces.

 

I can’t see it working though, as the axles have far too much friction (I also had to take 1/16″ off the axles to stop things fouling) and I fear to take it apart to bore them out in case I snap or bend something.

 

I must be fair,. the valve gear is accurate but obviously the stops are set too far apart as the valve doesn’t move. There is a take off from the crosshead that appear to be associated with the cylinder above the boiler. This seems too small to be a condenser pump, there is no water tank either so what is it?

 

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I think the Airfix Pen-y-Darren is 1:32 scale, I think I saw one in one of the hobby shops in Christchurch not too long ago, not much use to you. Ian S C

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