Plastow Fowler steam ways

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

hello i am a 70yr old new member. i have to admit i joined just to ask a question and here it is. i have made several different types of engines in the past and decided to have a go at a traction engine. i found a set of drawings on ebay of the fowler big lion showmans engine ( 18 sheets ). i have completed the gears, crank, flywheel and gearshifts etc. and started work on the boiler which i have now made all the components. i started to drill all the holes for the ports manifold, mud hole etc. and realised that i could not find any details of how the steam from the boiler got to the steam chest. it has details of the exhausted stem ways and all the drillings but none that i can see for the incoming steam. i know it must go through the regulator and thence to the chest but how does it get to the regulator ?. this may seem a bit of a dumb question to all you hardened traction engine builders but it has put a sudden brake on my build. if anybody can give me the answer i would be most gratefull.

thanking you in advance, tony

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

There is usually a vertical drilling or two from the cavity in the bottom of the cylinder casting upto the regulator chest on most designs. Who are your drawings by and what scale, I suspect they are quite old drawings.

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

it is the fowler big lion to 2" scale by H. R. Plastow. i am reducing them to 1 1/2" because of weight considerations as i make them.

[MichaelRParticipant @michaelr]

It may be your cylinder casting has a steam annulus cast in, when the cylinder liner is pressed in this forms the steam jacket around the cylinder on one side, a drilling into the annulus from the steam cavity at the bottom of the cylinder and a drilling from the regulator cavity into the annulus gives you the steam flow from the boiler.

Mike.

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

that will depend on me as i am casting all the parts myself.one problem is i don't know where on the boiler to drill ? or do i take out a big opening under the cylinder block as a sort of steam collector?. the drawings show a gasket about the wall thickness of the cylinder block. by the way it does not show cylinder linings so i presume they are bored into the casting.

Edited By tony king 2 on 12/05/2018 09:16:04

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The Plastow is not a big lion whch was a B6 it is based on a smaller R3.

Yes usual practice is to mill out or cast in a cavity in the bottom of the cylinder which acts like a steam dome, drill a pattern of 5 holes in the boiler under that as one large hole is more prone to priming.

From The Plastow book – "There is a simple steam feed, drilled from a milled cavity under the base of the Fowler cylinder, this passes between the cylinder walls and up through the centre, picking up with the angled hole in the cylinder head. This feed is shown X on the drawings"

Edited By JasonB on 12/05/2018 09:45:53

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

no your right it says princess and wanderer ( based on the iron maiden ). the big lion is from an another general arrangement drawing i have.great that sounds right although i have studied the drawings and can find nothing like you mentioned. i think there might be one missing or i am not looking in the right place !. thank you so much for your time.

tony

ps. may i ask what is the plastow book ?

Edited By tony king 2 on 12/05/2018 10:32:26

Edited By tony king 2 on 12/05/2018 10:37:08

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It's the book by H.R Plastow, I think Bridport's do it though there is not a lot in it about construction and what is is a bit dated. It i smore about his interest in Traction engines. There was also a small booklet of 70 odd photos called "The Fowler Builders Book of Pictures" again not sure if Plastow's sell that.

For a good construction book then "Scale model traction engine design and construction" by Edward George is a lot better but you will have to find one as it is out of print though not that old.

[tony king 2Participant @tonyking2]

ok thanks i will look out for it.

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