The 6″ Little Samson Traction Engine Has Been Built And Steamed – Now What?
Following completion of the build of the traction engine in it’s basic form and taken it out on the road many times running under it’s own steam, there are many more post-build activities and projects ongoing.
The biggest project is undoubtedly the conversion to a Showman’s Engine, complete with dymano and canopy. Go to the Showmans Conversion page to learn about that little (!?) adventure.
List Of Post-Build Follow-On Projects For The Little Samson Traction Engine
This list of projects to undertake following the completion of the basic 6″ Little Samson Traction Engine are either complete in progess now, or planned. Click the link in the Comments column for more information.
Snag Items Before Next Steam Run |
Comments |
| Safety Valve – Decrease settings -< 120psi | Need to be in steam. |
| New Regulator Rod Locking Mechanism. | Done but screws came loose. Add ratchet washers. Re-test |
| Re-instate cylinder valve drain cock levers | Done. To add drain pipes. |
| Tighten all fasteners using Loctite (especially spectacle plates/feed pump) | LHS done. 6 1/4″ BSF threaded rivets on RHS to do. Need to remove gears, hence back wheel also. NOTE: At the same time investigate RHS crank bearing. |
| Replace missing wick in RHS crank oiler | To oder from LSM |
| Re-fit feed pump | Done but not proven to work yet. To test. |
| Clean hand pump valve – add quick release lever | |
| Re-fit valve chest cover | Done. |
Maintenance Items |
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| Clean brightwork De-rust | Ongoing. |
| Repaint | Ongoing. Boiler cladding needs repainting. |
| Water treatment | Ongoing. |
| Brush out Boiler Tubes | |
Investigation Items |
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| Boiler – internal inspection | |
| Check original slide valve design. | Model using Linkage program. |
| Buy Dynamometer/Indicator instrument | Need trailer for load testing. (Small loads maybe via dynamo?) |
| Driving/Crank Speeds | Investigate permanent tachometer – see typical lathe spindle speed indicators. |
| Water/Coal Consumption | |
| Check Injector working | Important to reduce feed pump vibrations. See Showmans |
Showmans Conversion |
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Dynamo |
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| Test charging car batteries | |
| Add electrical box | |
| Make realistic commutator end cover | |
| Paint crimson | |
Dynamics/Vibration |
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| Add rubber tyres to wheels | Latest – Making Rubber Block Tyres |
| For steaming make sure injector is used instead of feed pump | Clean injector |
| Make movie with/without balance weigt. | |
| Re-fit flywheel disk. | |
| Add raised section to flywheel disk | |
Canopy |
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| Finalise design & make CAD drag | Done. |
| Get local professional carpentry shop to make canopy | Done – see report. |
| Finalise & fabricate all stanchions & bracketry. | Height depends on rubber block strakes being finalised.
Source square brass tube. |
| Paint all stanchions & bracketry including existing. | |
Electrics |
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| New Cabling/Metering Board Add meters, fuses Change to brass fasteners |
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| Change alternator cable to 6mm2 | |
| Add ammeter & voltmeter points | |
| Buy ammeters – voltmeters Ammeter email query to 2 Mikes |
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Others |
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| Make & fit Pickering Governor. | Start with CAD drawings. (Have outline from Gilbert book) |
Enhancements |
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| Trailer (behind engine) | |
| Trailer (Behind car) | |
| New crank bearings | LHS has vertical lift of x? thou. (See report)
RHS to be inestigated. (When doing fasteners change)
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| Lubricator roller clutch | |
| Nameplates | |
| New Regulator Valve Block | |
| Painting & Lining | See Idea-for-Colour-Scheme-Painting.png |
| Steam Organ | Unlikely |