Jaxon Steam Car ride to the next 5 inch rail club

This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 6 July 2026 at 17:11 by Werner Schleidt.

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6 July 2026 at 10:50 #854941
Werner Schleidt
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@wernerschleidt45161
Once again, I took the Jaxon steam car on a longer journey to the nearest railway club in Bischofsheim, which has 5-inch gauge tracks.
Most of the route was along country lanes and cycle paths, but there were also some normal roads. The total distance there and back was 14 km. It takes a certain amount of confidence in the technology you’ve built yourself to undertake a journey like this. After all, if something goes wrong, you’re a long way from any easy means of getting back. During the journey, I had to top up the oiler and lubricate the engine every 2.5 km. In total, I had three 1-kg propane gas cylinders with me, as one cylinder only takes me about 6–7 km. The range varies slightly and depends on the speed and gradients. The initial feed water temperature also affects the range. About 500 metres before the finish, after 6.5 kilometres, the first gas cylinder was empty. Once on site, the driver was first treated to coffee and a freshly baked waffle, and then the water supply was topped up at the steam railway. Unfortunately, a brief but heavy rain shower then set in. Just as I was about to set off again, my high-voltage igniter for the gas burners briefly malfunctioned. But after a short wait, everything was working perfectly again and so I was able to begin the return journey.

Even though you’re only allowed to ride at 6 km/h, it feels much faster because you experience the ride much more intensely. It’s always interesting to see the looks on the motorists’ faces and the many thumbs-up.
I hope my video helps you to understand what I’ve described above.

Here the link to the video https://youtu.be/kDvelerezzU

I hope you can enjoy it

Werner
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6 July 2026 at 11:14 #854946
alecs
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@alecs
What a way to see the world! Thanks for posting.
6 July 2026 at 11:16 #854948
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
Excellent, keep up the good work
6 July 2026 at 12:18 #854961
Weary
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@weary
Hallo Werner,

Thanks for posting the video – a good and impressive test of man and machine! Always nice to see and hear-of your travels and devlopments.

It looked to me that that the car is somewhat better on uphill gradients nowadays. Have you made some relevant changes or is it just my imagination? Perhaps following usage during your adventures it is simply run-in a little more and so runs more freely.

Whilst, of course, I would never encourage anyone to break the law I must say that you are showing great restraint in gearing the car to limit top-speed to 6km/h; or would gearing for a higher top-speed load the big-ends of the engine too-much perhaps? I find it difficult to believe that the Landespolizei are lying in wait with speed-traps for steam-car building model-engineers, and in any case once at a club venue you are on private land anyway(?)

Phil
6 July 2026 at 17:11 #855010
Werner Schleidt
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@wernerschleidt45161
Hi Phil,

thanks for your post. I made some adjustments to give a better performance on steep hill driving. In the video it was not the highest inclination to see. It was more that I have had before. The adjustment of the engine in 2 cylinder normal mode was optimized, better walve setting. In addition after the driving in march I found out that two of my burners burned yellow. This was caused by dirt in the nozzle and easy to clean. Then they burned blue again. It seems to be that with the gas came dirt or parafin to the nozzle. The 1 kg propane bottles, I fill them by myself from an upside down hanging 5 Kg larger gas bottle. It could be that there the parafin can come to the gas and is mixed with it. I decided to add a gas filter and I hope that fits it. In thes video about 800m after this strong inclination the gas bottle was empty. So I think my burner had not the full power, but I think with one gear ratio the Jaxon had a good climb rate and I have only a boiler pressure in the range of 4 bar. I tried to save gas as much as possible to get a good range. The original steam cars run on 30 bar pressure with much more powerful burner system and much more kerosene consume.

The car and the engine run more free that is true. With the rear axle based on a peerless garden mower diff I had many trouble. The first was my fault, because I have to make the right axle longer as it was and I added a shaft elongation. This was connected with a shaft in hole with loctide 638 and safed with a shear pin. After 320 Km the shaft was broken. I believed welding is the right connection. My welding was bad it holds twenty kilometers. Then I go to a good welder, it looks perfect it holds 40 kilometers. Then I build on my saupe mill a setup to make a 48 tooth spline at the shaft to have it in one piece fro9m solid. By the second trial I had the right fit to met the teeth in the gear. This is now 150 km in service and looks like it was installed. With the left original peerles shaft I had the same trouble after 500 km driving. I made it now new in one piece and it worked fine now. I always thought a mower had a similar weight and is running on not smooth surface and so it is stronger the I need. This thinking was a big mistake. On the other hand I knew now that I can make now spline with a fit I am not imagining that I am able to do it!

In Germany here, there is the 6 Km/h rule so you need no MOT no insurance( but you should have one) no numberplate no official papers. If you want to go faster the trouble starts. So is advisable to stay in the range of six. And you are completly right no one look to the exact number six. But if you are optical in the range of a fast pedestrian or slow runner ( 6 to 8 ) there is no problem.This is all for driving in public roads, on own land you can drive as fast as you can.

I have in my setup a border , in horizontal I can reach 6 to 8 Km/h and hill down much faster, but then came the problem you must have a good brake. At 2-3 % inclination around 4 to 5 Km/h and at an inclination of 8% the speed is around 3 Km/h. To drive faster I need more burner power and gas. And so it is a good compromise overall. The Jaxon is a nice project which challenges me a lot.

Werner
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