Steam Mods, Restorations and Repairs

This is a collection of things I have done and discoveries that I have made while working on my toy steam engines. Parts and for that matter complete engines are not that readily available so one has to improvise quite often. I have included a glossary of common terms associated with toy steam engines.

I have included links to several Project Gutenburg books, though many were published over 100 years ago they still contain a lot of great information for anyone interested in steam engines.

Modifications, Restorations and Repairs

Mamod Locomotive

- Putting an altered SL-1 back together.

Mamod TE1 Modification

- Mamod tractor modification, drive geared down, steering and governor added.

Case TE

Mamod to Case TE Modification

- Details of how a Mamod TE was modified to Case TE style.

phoenix thmb

Wilesco TE Modification

- Wilesco burned out roller modded to TE.

Whistle Handle

- Turning a replacement handle for a Weeden whistle.

Running On Air

- How to run a steam engine on air.

wheel thumb

Mamod Wheel in Wilesco Rim

- Modifing a Wilesco tractor wheel using a Mamod wheel as hub.

diffthmb

Mamod TE Spur Gear Differential

- Building a spur gear differential for a modified Mamod TE1

Shop and Tool Info

Selecting a Lathe
Parts of a Lathe
Lathe Tooling
Tuning a Lathe

- What you need to know about purchasing and maintaining a lathe.

Threads 101

- Discussses the types of threads you will encounter working on toy steam engines.

Sheet Metal 101

- Covers the types of sheet metals you will find working on toy steam engines.

Quick Projects & Tips

curved spoke flywheel

Curved spoke flywheel

- Instructions to draw a 3 1/2" diameter wheel with curved spokes.

 

Chuff Pot

- Container to collect exhaust waste from model steam engine made from Weeden boiler.

Grounded Power Cord

- Two methods of making grounded power cords.

Making Gaskets

- How to make a die to punch gaskets and washers.

Mamod Tractor Hubcap Removal

- How to remove hubcaps on TE1 and TE1a's.

Rolling Road

- Rolling road made from skateboard axle assemblies.

Thread Gauge

- Handy gauge to identify threads.

Weeden 14 Burner

- Burner made from rectangular tubing.

Jensen 75 Burner

- Burner made from sink tail piece.

screwthmb

Shortening Machine Screws

- How to shorten machine screws so they are not damaged and are easy to start in the thread.

Meccano Projects & Info

gear thumb

Meccano Gears 101

- Working with Meccano gears, what fits what, etc.

Pile Driver

- Pile driver powerd by Meccano MEC1 steam engine.


dune buggy thumb
 Meccano MEC1 Dune Buggy

- Dune Buggy built around Meccano MEC1 steam engine.

ferris wheel thumb
 Ferris Wheel with MEC1

- Ferris wheel driven by Meccano MEC1 steam engine.