For Algon, as the above post is somewhat confusing, I thought I would simplify it for you, as there is only two items and three pipe runs involved in this scheme. so if you would magnify the photo you will spot red dots on the items involved in this scheme. 1 dot on the gas cut off valve. 2 dots on the attenuator, (care of Martin Baylis,) 3 dots on the pipe run from the gas cut off to the attenuator. 4 dots on the pipe run steam pressure from boiler to attenuator. 5 dots on the pipe run from attenuator to boiler gas burner. Hope fully this is less confusing than the first effort. Regards, Gary.

It’s a work of art!

Hi Algon, it is always good to hear from a fellow steam enthusiast, as we are some what thin on the ground. please post some photos of your progress as I am very interested in your project. As I don't have any drawings as such, I have opted for this method as an explanation. Here goes :- From the gas canister, to the gas cut off valve, from the gas cut off to the attenuator, from the attenuator to the gas boiler burner, the third tapping on the attenuator is to the boiler tapping. I had to make a manifold for the boiler to get two boiler tapping's one for the steam engine and the other for the attenuator. I will mention what I have added to my boiler plumbing and why. I have fitted a purge valve so as to purge off any condensate in the steam pipes before introducing steam to the engine. (This stops you locking up the engine.) Also I have globe valves at the top and bottom of the separator, closing the outlet top valve allows you to empty the condenser using boiler pressure. I am hoping this helps you it is not the easiest thing to describe. Regards, Gary.

Hello Gary, I am interested to learn how the gas cut off valve and gas attenuator valves are plumbed. Would you happen to have a diagram of this? I am getting closer to maiden on my steam launch. I look forward to your progress reports!

Gary. I'll see what I can do.

Chris

Chris, is there any chance you ask your neighbour to let you take a few photos, and post them on here to make an old man very happy and somewhat envious. That would really make my day, and of course do not photo his rear number plate, to be on the safe side in these somewhat troubled times we are living in. Regards, Gary.

My neighbour has recently taken delivery of his Vincent which he has had rebuilt to Black Lightning spec. No front lights and straight through exhausts!

Hi Bob, and good morning, yes I have to agree that the Enfield Continental was definitely the bike to have in the sixties. The best looking and the fastest and most expensive, the boy racers dream, plus a very reliable machine into the bargain. Check out Hitchcock's Royal Enfield web site, they have every part nut bolts and washers, to build a complete machine, mind it would be a very expensive exercise. As crazy as this sounds you can actually buy a brand new one as built by them, mind I dare say the price would be astronomical, probably need to take out a second mortgage. Regards, Gary. (A photo of my dream bike of all time, a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Norvin.)

Royal Enfield Continental GT.

This was the last time a saw a mint example of the original 250cc Continental GT at a show in Southport.

It was a really nice example that was fitted with the optional factory fairing that was available from Royal Enfield in the 1960’s.

Bob.

Hi Gary,

Thanks for sharing your pictures of the Royal Enfields and the Ariel’s too.

The original Royal Enfield Continental GT was a 250cc single cylinder motorcycle that at the time it was introduced was legal to ride with an “L” plate.

As far as I was concerned it was the ultimate first motorcycle that was also the best looker too!

Several of my classmates that left school when I did bought them new, but as a poorly paid apprentice, I never earned enough to take on the HP payments!

I ended up with an old Matchless 250 that I bought for £20 that ran OK but had a repaired rear swinging arm that needed changing ….but was better (IMHO) to than a BSA C11G or possibly a rough C15 that my twenty quad may have been able to buy instead.

A trip to a scrap merchant in Bristol resulted in a replacement swinging arm being found and fitted to make the bike “straight ”….but it could never be a match for the Continental GT.

The Kawasaki 250cc two stroke triple was the only other motorcycle that I would have liked to learn to ride on (if funds permitted) at the time, although the Ducati 250 Desmo had some appeal too, but by the time I was earning enough to have a choice I was able to buy a car instead so I missed out on owning the Continental GT that I had dreamed about since the day it was first launched.

I seldom get to see any Continental GT motorcycles these days, but when I do I always stop to look at them as they have the same appeal to me now as they did back then in the 1960’s.

Bob.

My last bike, gave up riding when I was diagnosed with heart issues

It's your thread Gary so you can go off at a tangent whenever you want and it was my fault for mentioning motorcycles in the first place!

Some of my bikes are big and heavy and at 72 I'm noticeably losing strength so before long I'm going to have to make some painful decisions.

One of them is a Triumph 1200 Scrambler which I cleaned and fettled yesterday for a ride this morning. Photo of it on a previous run, my Tiger 750 and Lambretta.

One of my neighbours who is a bit older than me has one of the newer Enfield GTs.

I think we may have have posted our motorbikes on another thread! We shall have someone after us! 😁

Chris

Having joined the easily confused syndrome, I thought I had better explain that photos 1. 2. and 3. are Royal Enfield. Photos 4. and 5. are of course Ariel. Sorry about that it has something to do with being the wrong side of EIGHTY. Age and time seem to be some how connected in the fact that the time does very much seem to slip by that much quicker these days, now that I am getting on a bit in years. Mind, I must not complain, time has been good to me so far. (touch wood.)
Regards, Gary.

Hi Bob, as per your request for Continental GTs, yes I have found a few both the 250 and 535, all the bolt on goodies and tuning stuff is care of Hitchcock's, the main Royal Enfield dealer. The 535 was and is a great bike but it was never made to be comfortable. Sort of good to get on it and even better to get off, definitely not a touring bike. Enjoy, regards Gary. ( I do appreciate the fact this has nothing to do with model boats, so please forgive me for that. No 4. is a Square four, and No 5 is a Cyclone, made for the US market.)

Gary, don't say that, that's blowing my excuse to not get involved in steam!

My brother and I worked on many old motorbikes and cars when we were young, mainly to get them going and I carried out my one and only complete rebuild which was my 1959 BSA Super Rocket.

Then like many of us had a break until I was 40. Bikes since then have been more modern and mainly require servicing and maintenance though I've got a 1974 Triumph Tiger 750 which requires jobs now and then. I also have a 1962 Lambretta TV175 as I had a 1963 as my first road legal machine.

There were a couple of nice steam powered models down the club last week. There's a few members who are interested which is good.

Chris

Hi Gary,
Your boat and motorbike look fantastic.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Hi Gary,

Your workmanship is superb.👍

I like Ariel motorcycles- have you ever attempted a Squareiel?

Do you have a picture of your superb Royal Enfield Continental GT to share with us by any chance?

Bob.

For ChrisF, I have found that to date motor cycles and steam powered boats go together rather well, in the fact that a good understanding of the mechanical side of things works rather well for both. If you are a bike builder and understand the complexities of ignition / valve timing, a double acting slide valve engine is not difficult to get your head around. I have enclosed a photo of my last major complete nut and bolt rebuild, of a 1958 Ariel FH Huntmaster 650 twin. Regards, Gary.

Gary - The hatch isn't central! 😮 As you say can be sorted if you wish, but you have to look for it because if you ignore the planking it doesn't look far off. The workmanship is just fantastic. It is going to look outstanding when finished.

Fortunately I've got my motorbikes to satisfy my mechanical fettling etc. otherwise I could see me being drawn into steam models!

Chris

GLC I bow to the steam master.Wonderfull work👍👍👍👍👍
Rick

It has been quite a while since my last progress update, in fact it was last year this could be down to age, and being on the wrong side of EIGHTY. I think I have finally decided exactly where I am going with this project, and how it will look when finally completed, mind there is still an awful lot to do and sort out, especially on the plumbing and pipe strangling side. We now have finally a rear bulkhead and rear deck. the old adage measure twice and cut once does make a lot of sense, can you spot the accidental mistake? Mind, nothing that can't be sorted out later, or I could just leave it as it is? Please feel free to comment and ask questions. Enjoy the photos. Regards, Gary.

A little more progress on the building front, and a few more decisions made with regards to exactly what I am trying to accomplish. So we now have planked decks front and rear of the engine, and maybe timber box grating around the engine. I have decided to cover up the servo at the side of the engine, so the full metal jacket now has a wooden over coat. I have also made a start on the pipe work and some serious silver soldering. Fluxed rods or easy-flow, that is the question? I have made a Windemere steam kettle, which will be fed from the bottom of the sight glass fitting, and it will be moved from its temporary location on the servo cover. Regards, Gary.

I decided to plank the rear section of aluminium plate, in the hope it would look better, and I think it is an improvement. The next step will be to plank the section under the boiler to match. My tip of the day is do not use super glue to stick plywood onto aluminium plate, it does not work, use Evo-stik contact. Regards, Gary.

Hi Mike, I have tried to take a couple of photos of the widening of the transmission tunnel come keel, to suit the drive chain and prop shaft sprocket. Please be warned that the hull is very thin, and it is a fibre glass repair job, good luck with that, it is worth the effort in the end, and I couldn't see any other way of sorting this problem. Regards, Gary.

Hi Mike, and good to see you back on here, and wow you certainly have been busy. The wooden hull you have built is exceptional and to an incredibly high standard. Definitely worth all the effort it looks bloody fantastic. With regards to the lady Jane hull, what a struggle to try and sort that out, I am talking about the transmission keel tunnel. A lot of thought went into exactly how to get around this problem and in the end it had to be a chain and sprockets. I used a 6" prop tube so as to try and keep the engine reasonably central. I also used a very small sanding wheel to widen the tunnel, and ended up with two holes through the keel. This was then redesigned to be a bit more user friendly and to take a 9 tooth sprocket about 19 mm wide. Yes, my engine is hinged at the front and jacked up at the back, this matches the prop shaft angle, and helps with chain tension. (I have spare chain and split links going spare, yours for the asking.) This has been an ongoing struggle but the end is now in sight. A couple more photos of your wooden hull engine bay would not go amiss, you are going to need some sort of a sump around your steam engine to catch the oil spray when running. Going to send you a PM. Regards, Gary.

Congratulations on your patience and meticulousness in building the Mturpin hull; the result is exceptional.
I agree with the decision to resin it.

Thanks for the reply, Gary.
You've given me some new information.
I never imagined anyone could power small steam engines for scale ship models with coal.
Amazing! I don't know how efficient this solution is, but it's definitely the closest to realism.
A niche solution for true enthusiasts.

Hi Gary Its a long time since I posted anything however I have a couple of question for you.
1) I see your latest launch is under construction, is it the Lady Jane hull ?
2) I see you current TVR1A unit is mounted horizontally above the prop shaft, presumably also horizontal, the question is -
Is it OK to mount the engine at an angle?, my Lady Jane prop shaft comes through at an angle of 15 degrees, I know I could use a couple of UJs but I'm not keen on this idea, Your thoughts would be appreciated.
I have been working on my Plank on Frame Lady Jane, however its a very time consuming job. A year into construction and both halves of the hull have been planked, followed by the most time consuming job of all, drilling and inserting copper nails, 5000 in all. this is now complete and ready for its coat of 1oz fibreglass.
This may seem odd covering it in fibreglass but its the best way of maintaining the wood colour and its water integrity plus added strength.
The inner hull will then get a few coats of finishing resin to complete the hulls water proofing.
If you look at the sample piece picture (1) that has a 1oz matting applied followed by two further coats of epoxy finishing resin the wood colour is good and the copper nails are visible.

Hi Alessandro, I have been off the air for a while as I managed to empty a full cup of coffee on to my keyboard, and everything went to hell, (my new one is spill proof?) To answer your question, I would say that yes the majority of steam boat users, are using gas and some have converted to gas, mind the majority of Saito engine users seem quite happy with their spirit fired blow lamp burners, this could easily be because the spirit used is cheaper than gas. Mind there is a few die-hards that use coal despite the fact this is very expensive, as it needs to be smokeless, and comes from Wales. I was also pleasantly surprised by the 3 1/2" diameter boiler, first by how much water it can hold, and secondly by the fact it ran for more than thirty minutes. Have a look at Martin Baylis Engineering and you will be pleasantly surprised and even more so when you mind out the prices. Regards, Gary. (Nature Photo.)

Hi Gary, that's exactly what I wanted to know. You were very thorough.
Lots of useful and interesting information.
I was surprised by the duration. Half an hour seems like a good amount of time.
I was thinking much less, 10 or 15 minutes at most.

Do they all run on gas, or are there other fuels (and I'm not just saying theoretically), like alcohol?
From what I understand, in any case, gas is the most efficient (in fact, water is the first to go), right?

Hi Alessandro, just a couple of photos to hopefully explain what an attenuator, the pressure operated gas valve, and a home made condenser come separator with prices. Regards, Gary.

Hi Alessandro, that is quite a complex question to answer, but I will give it a go baring in mind that this is in reference to my latest build the open launch. This is a Pendle boiler and it measures 3 1/2" x 6" and it will hold 1 pint of water, the engine is a TVR 1A twin cylinder, double acting side valve which is extremely efficient slide valve. The boiler is canister gas fired using a mix of 70% butane and 30% propane, this produces more heat than butane alone. The object of the exercise is to maintain a reasonable speed and also maintain a decent head of steam in the boiler. As you are going to run out of water before you run out of gas, it is a good idea to fit a gas cut off valve. To help you save water you fit an attenuator valve, this will switch to a pilot flame when the valve reaches its setting, this is an adjustable valve, to save you gas and water and prolong your time on the water. A 3 1/2" diameter boiler will give you a thirty minutes guaranteed sailing session. I will also mention that a 3" diameter boiler will give you twenty minutes sailing. The main factor here is boiler size, although of course you could carry a water tank and top up using either a mechanical or electric pump. I am quite happy to accept thirty minutes as being enough for one session, and with extra gas canisters and water, that is distilled water not tap water, not forgetting steam oil and normal engine oil, you can have as many sessions as you like. The condenser come separator will need to be emptied after a thirty minute session. (and you will not need a battery charger in any one of these operations.) Regards, Gary.

Just a question, Gary, you've probably been asked this a thousand times.
How much range do you have on your models (maybe tell me which is the best performing and which is the least durable if you don't want to make a full list)?
How much fuel (I think it uses alcohol) and how much water can you carry on this model?

Hi Alessandro, working model steam is quite addictive, and once smitten there is no going back, although I will admit to the fact it is very expensive, although I did manage to buy both the engine and boiler from eBay at reasonable prices. I have both open launches and working boats, (Puffer, Tug, Drifter. etc.) Working boats take much longer to get onto the water, as you have a superstructure and rigging to remove and then replace, prior to oiling and firing up the boiler. With an open launch there is nothing to remove, plus you can have lots of shiny brass and copper on display. Plus I don't have any plans for this boat, so I will incorporate numerous features from several Edwardian Victorian type open launches which I like, as per the steam kettle feature. Regards, Gary.

Hi Gary, the world of steam-powered model ships (with real steam engines) is always fascinating and little-known to me.
I'd love to see more images of this model of yours.

A question, if I may: Will you leave the engine exposed without a deck covering? If so, why did you choose this option?