Hi all
A mate kindly invited me along to a Newcastle "Steamup" where gengune steam powered model trains are operated. The detail and workmanship is amazing. Some are worth many thousands of dollars.
Of course like real railways, accidents happen. Derailments make themselves known by the loud noise of the wheels crashing over the sleepers. However its just a matter of the owner lifting the errant train back onto the line, though the derailment where the locomotive came off the line party tore up some rail at a set of points.
The locomotives are either powered by butane, metho burning wicks, but some are actually coal fired, with a tiny firedoor through which the owner feeds in tiny lumps of coal with tweezers. To start the fire they attach a small centrifugal battery powered fan to the funnel to draw air through before lighting it. Once started it is self sustaining. At full speed the exiting steam draws air through like a full size locomotive, and the fire is very hot, a bright yellow light can be seen coming from under the locomotive.
The air is soon filled with the nice smell of burning coal and steam.
Some trains are simply controlled by a lever on a regulator, but others have a remote controled servo, allowing the owner to control the speed and even foward and reverse, and whistle from a remote controller.
This has set off a spate of memories. One of the advantages of steam power is that you can have it in a range of sizes from the very tiny.
Now, anyone remember visiting the old Museum of Technology in Harris St Ultimo, in Sydney, and admiring the beautiful steam powered models?
Then, anyone who remembers riding the scale steam train at Bronte Park behind the beach? I don't know if it is still there, or some other type of power now.
Thanks for the post, photo 1 is especially attractive.
Those old steam -powered models are hidden away in the Powerhouse museum, if you know where to look. or join, get to know the curators and you can get involved with real ones
