Tich vs. Juliet

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

The Tich design and constructional articles have been collated into a single book. I don't know if it's still in print: TEE Publishing would be a good place to start looking.

Tich's advantage is that its Walschaert's Valve-gear and valve-chests are external, so easier of access for construction & maintenance.

Also, LBSC's layout of inside Stephenson's Link Motion as on Juliet is fundamentally weak, relying on a single-sided suspension point so when wear takes place it loses a lot of valve-travel for little pin wear. I have seen this happen on a 7-1/4"g version, to the point it failed one day in heavy club revenue-earning service. It had been built by simply doubling dimensions from the original drawings, and after it was rebuilt with a much better link suspension and substantial valve-rod guides, it was a far better engine.

Otherwise, I would not say there is much difference in building difficulty although Juliet is markedly larger, with a bigger boiler.

[Stephan GaalParticipant @stephangaal82773]

My own opinion is that Tich is not an ideal loco for a beginner. It is small for a 3 1/2 and as such all the parts are small which means you have less margin for error. As mentioned above the boiler is also very small so in service there is not much spare capacity. To have a successful running locomotive everything has to be spot on. I do not believe it was ever intended as a beginners loco but was rather an attempt to see how small they could go on 3 1/2. This is not to say it is a bad design. Many have been built. But unless you have a reason not to go any bigger I would go for a larger engine. Conway for example is a very good engine. I also like P.V.Baker and there are many others. The number of actual parts you will have to make are about the same and if you can cope with something a bit bigger you will have more options at the end and you won't have to re build it as often. For me the boiler is the key. The rest is not that much different.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

While totally agreeing with the comments regarding the boiler capacity, LBSC being LBSC the parts are all pretty much the same size as on any other of his locos and are built to the same tolerances (ie none on the drawings) as any other of his locos. The original general arrangement was by Leslie Clarke and LBSC added 'the works' – saying in print that it was intended for people who had stocks of 2 1/2" parts and the equipment to build locos for that gauge.

The materials costs are far smaller and one could be built on a lathe even smaller than the 'standard' 7×10 chinese lathe and the boiler made using far less heat – in fact apart from truing the end of the boiler barrel even the 7 1/4" version from Kennions could be built on a small lathe!

The best loco for a beginner is always going to be the one that they want to build, they can afford, they have access to the tooling for and that can be transported with the means available – one american Tich owner claims to carry his on as cabin baggage when flying to different tracks!

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