Creating own boiler without the knowledge and approval of the boiler inspector is a bomb without knowing when it will explode.

Add a couple of dozen old golf club shafts as boiler tubes and you'll be good to go

Edited By Ady1 on 12/05/2015 00:44:09

Unless you are building the boiler to engineering certified drawings and have it checked by a boiler inspector, I can only say one word:- BOOM !!!!

Great post Simon! Reminds me of when I was a lad many years ago intending to build a steam engine from a knackered Atco lawnmower engine using a five gallon oil drum for a boiler fired by my dads paraffin "flame thrower" weed burner. Fortunately it never got beyond the design stage as I lacked the resources to actually join the "boiler" to the engine!

Seriously though, 40 odd years later I have finally started building my dream steam engine in the form of a 4" traction engine. With 45 years of hindsight and a health & safety act in place to protect the rest of the population from my bodgery, I decided to get a professional to build my boiler. It cost me the thick end of 2 grand but when finally up and running will be safe and insurable to run in public (subject to regular testing) for years to come.

By all means have a go at making your own boiler but acquire the appropriate skills first and obtain the appropriate, traceable materials. Building a loco will entail a great deal of time and expense which will largely be wasted if your boiler doesn't comply with regulations since without a pressure test certificate and public liability insurance you won't be able to run it on any public track.

Good luck & stay safe! Martin.

Simon – my advice is to say nay to the armchair pundits and go ahead and build it!! Trust me, it wil never go bang, not in a million years!

Bang

nigel/fizzy,

you cant be serious in your comment to simon to 'go ahead' with 4" dia cast iron drain pipe surely?

my advice to anyone going down the boiler route as a beginner is to build a loco from a well known and excellent design (there are quite a few that are well known but not excellent that have boiler problems in the design department). later on if you want to explore designing your own boiler you will at least have the construction experience under your belt so to speak. designing your own boiler is not something i would ever advise a beginner to do as a first attempt, as simon has clearly shown by his wish to use 'odds and ends' of material.

cheers,

julian

Julian….I know you well enough to know that you understand that it is impossible to effect a home made weld good enough between cast iron and steel to endure even low pressure, let alone boiler pressure. I can only presume the original question is a wind up, if not then by all means go ahead and attempt the impossible, trust me, it wont blow up! Sorry if the irony in my reply was lost, but if I struggle to get pressure tight welds using top materials and years of coded experience this one is a complete non starter. Indeed, you are correct, I am not serious. No offence intended.

Simon, have a read of the test code for starters it will give you some idea of what is required though does not give indications of suitable materials.

Fizzy has shown elsewhere that a steel boiler can be made at home for a very reasonable cost but you must use the correct materials and be able to weld to a high standard. On the larger engines the performance difference between steel and copper will be less of an issue.

I might advocate starting with something smaller. Maybe a gauge O or gauge 1 engine, or a small static engine. Something with a shorter build time and materials of less outlay but also easier to ‘handle’.

My rationale is that against an engine with a build time of years something which could take just weeks/months will give a taste of many of the skills and procedures. And when parts go wrong (as they will if it’s your first go) the time and fiscal losses in that part will not be so soul-crushing.

Ultimately I have to admit I want to build something in passenger hauling scales, though maybe ‘only’ 2.5 or 3.5 inch. BUT I wouldn’t have had the confidence to start there.
There is the counter-argument that success is more hard-fought for, and thus more likely, when it’s something you really want though…

Can I suggest a couple of things to build that I found great to start this hobby with.

One of the engines from the Dads n Lads series by Stewart Hart in Model Engineer. These are simple mill engines all made from Bar Stock and low cost materials. They will teach you a lot about how you can use your tools and machines.

The Puddleduck Engine by 'Bog Standard'. A More advanced engine. This requires a fair bit of precision to get working well. (Note: mine never did. Rebuild no.3 is on hold)
**LINK**

If you are hell bent on a Loco, there is the 16mm IDRIS loco currently being featured in Model Engineer.
The Boiler I certainly found a challenge to get soldered together and it's only 2" dia and 6" long !