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Steam Shuttle

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I’ve been working on the concept of this little machine for a while now, and I think I’ve finally come up with a decent design.
I call it a steam-shuttle. The idea is a steam-powered people-mover that would have been used around mines or other industries of the early 19th century. It is bi-directional, having basically identical controls on either end, located on the right side of the boiler. It caries water but no fuel, so the fire must be stoked with coal at stations set up around its work area. It can be run a mile or so without stopping, and this is usually enough of a range for the kind of work it does (bringing workers to and from mine shafts, hauling light loads of supplies, etc.). If the owner plans to use one on a slightly longer route, it can always be coupled to a coal car at the rear end, but this hampers its bi-directionality. They are best used in numbers, so that one can be pulled off a “ready track” whenever the need arises. They don’t take a great amount of skill to operate, and it wouldn't be unreasonale for a worker to earn an operator’s pass by traveling on one for a trip or two.
The shuttle is simplistic and easy to maintain. It’s equipped with a two-cylinder, slide valve engine under the frame, which is timed with simple eccentric cams. The engine does away with a complicated reversing valve-gear in favor of slightly more complex plumbing; the reverse lever simply changes the flow of steam between the exhaust and admission lines through two rotary valves (the red gears in the illustration). This arrangement does not allow for steam “cutoff.” Instead, applying steam while the reverse-lever is in “neutral” or approaching neutral acts as a steam brake by applying pressure to both sides of the pistons at once. This provides sufficient power to stop (or slow) the shuttle from its top speed of about 12 mph, but it should be used carefully to avoid damaging the engine.
The steam dome is equipped with a safety valve (25 lbs lifting pressure), a double-sided steam-gauge that can be seen from each side of the shuttle, and a single-chime whistle as a warning device. The boiler is also equipped with a water glass at each end, with the front glass protruding through the smoke box via two pipes. To keep water in the boiler there is water pump on the outside of each water tank, driven by a rod from the driving axle. (In theory, the mechanical advantage gained through the long rocking-levers would allow the steam pressure in the cylinders to push against equal pressure in the boiler.) Admittedly, this is an operational weakpoint, since the water flow can not be controlled and is only activated when the machine is in motion. This and that fact that the pumps are just plain clumsy-looking may lead to their being replaced by a hand pump at some point.
All told, though, I think this would be a real joy to run.

(Additional drawings can be found here: [link])
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© 2007 - 2024 Atticus-W
Comments18
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Rockyrailroad578's avatar
When will this be available from Tractor Supply co.?