Rocket (hornby one) visits the Dunnyrail

dunnyrail

dunnyrail

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The other day my friendly next door neighbor, the one that donated all the wood for my Garen Line looked over the fence and said `What do you know about the Rocket`? A bit I said, you mean the live Steam one by Hornby. Yes he says, wifes Dad had one. He has just sadly passed away so has been inherited. Would you like me to give it a look over says I. Would you? So Rocket with Track came over the fence. Some of the Track was well mangled, but there is enough for an oval and I have gven it all a clean up as well as Rocket.

Main part of this story is that till I get round to trying to Steam her up I dumped her on my track. Was totally surprised to find that I had some exact 3.5 inch rail in the Sidings at Harezegerode. So Rocket is there on Display at the moment.

image.jpg

Once I have proved whether she works or not, the owner will be selling on. Presumably via Ebay as she knows that well.
JonD
 
And I'm thinking the real one... How naive can you get... I want to get up close to the real one, I get all "squidgy" around technology of that era.
 
I visit the NRM at York once a Month (today was the day) en route to meet up with old boys that I used to work with back in the 70's. About 3 or 4 years ago (or maybee more) I think it was around 3 Rockets were present. Not sure why, but I called it a Rocket day - and so it was.

Anyone remember that?
JonD
 
oberinntalbahn said:
There is medication available Trev ::)
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Yes.. Iknow, Iknow.... But it is simply an awe inspiring, well an over awe inspiring sensation to be in the presence of such things. Try and remember the chaps who designed and built these locos were actually in front of the razors edge of technology at the time. Men like Watt, Boulton, Trevithick, Hedly, Stephenson, Brunell et al were truly men of incredible intelligence, tenacity and perspicacity when you stop and consider that even though the earth was proven to be sort of spherical at this time most believed it still to be flat. Consider the tools/technology at hand when Hedly built the first Puffing Billy, technology we take for granted was a century down the track (so to speak) eg wheels were held onto axles with a mixture of iron filings and urine, they were not welded or pressed on. Watt had tried unsuccessfully for several years to obtain an accurately bored cylinder for his steam engines, and was forced to used hammered iron, which was out of round and caused leakage past the piston. The following quotation is from Roe (1916):
"When John] Smeaton saw the first engine he reported to the Society of Engineers that 'neither the tools nor the workmen existed who could manufacture such a complex machine with sufficient precision' "
In 1774 John Wilkinson invented a boring machine in which the shaft that held the cutting tool was supported on both ends and extended through the cylinder, unlike the cantilevered borers then in use. Boulton wrote in 1776 that "Mr. Wilkinson has bored us several cylinders almost without error; that of 50 inches diameter, which we have put up at Tipton, does not err on the thickness of an old shilling in any part".
For my final year thesis in Mech Eng I made a model of Watts experimental engine that was made from timber, he used Oak; I used Tallowood and Jarrah. Mine was about as successful as Watt's :'(
 
I've always wondered why no one has marketed a decent replacement boiler for the Hornby Rocket as they have done with gas tanks. The locos are easy to take apart just being screwed together and the actual copper boiler provided is tiny. A good fat Cheddar type boiler with a regulator would make them run much better.
 
Yeah mine's been a shelf queen pretty much since I had it (bought it 2nd hand some years ago). I could get it to run on blocks, but it never seemed to have enough oomph to move itself along the track. I gave up in the end.

Does look nice on the shelf with its coach though. :D
 
Volume and money Steve!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQhOUbB7378
And check out this version, the expression on the drivers face says it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pvjeuQrCaQ
 
I had a static one and a couple of coaches and briefly considered building a layout as something a bit different. It would be fairly easy to build a Planet type to have a different loco too but it would only have been run at shows due to size so I abandoned the idea. I was going for electric power and if space ever permits I might revisit the idea as they are great models.
 
stockers said:
Volume and money Steve!
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There must of been as many made as Mamods so there must be the volumne but I guess there is no organised group asking for them as there was with the 16mm Association.
 
There was an after market gas tank which didn't freeze up as easily, but I stuck with the little plastic one, as it was the right size for the boiler. All the spares were advertised for sale in the Railway Modeller and at least one character use the wheels as drivers for some serious large scale models. Me? I hammered mine. I used to run a big oval of track around the outside of the LGB and then keep the Rocket running most of the day. Its still around somewhere although in need of a bit of TLC.

I'm with Trev on this one - theres something about seeing the real thing
 
Dtsteam said:
There was an after market gas tank which didn't freeze up as easily, but I stuck with the little plastic one, as it was the right size for the boiler. All the spares were advertised for sale in the Railway Modeller and at least one character use the wheels as drivers for some serious large scale models. Me? I hammered mine. I used to run a big oval of track around the outside of the LGB and then keep the Rocket running most of the day. Its still around somewhere although in need of a bit of TLC.

I'm with Trev on this one - theres something about seeing the real thing
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yeah, I imagine it would give me goosebumps and a funny sensation in my throat, even thought its in a state I'm told...
but getting back to the boiler for the model, show me a pic of it and if its not too complex I could build them on request...
 
In a way its not a model you would upgrade - its well designed for what it is. Yes the boiler is tiny, and the gas tank can freeze, but also part of the crosshead is plastic, and there are a load of other compromises to mass production. Its a nice looking model, and probably the only 3.5" gauge steamer most of us will ever own.
 
Dtsteam said:
Its a nice looking model, and probably the only 3.5" gauge steamer most of us will ever own.
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Checking out the prices of other Hornby live steamers you may well be on the money there.... But there is this one, not live steam but it will run on 45mm track....
http://www.alwayshobbies.com/crafts/occre-trains-and-trams-display-kits/occre-stephensons-rocket-liverpool-$4-manchester-railway-1$524-scale-wood-$4-metal-model-kit
I wonder could I have one on my tramway to run on "heritage days"?
 
tramcar trev said:
Checking out the prices of other Hornby live steamers you may well be on the money there.... But there is this one, not live steam but it will run on 45mm track....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Occre-Stephensons-Rocket-1-24-Scale-detailed-wood-metal-Model-Kit-54000-/171258496381
I wonder could I have one on my tramway to run on "heritage days"?
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tramcar trev said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQhOUbB7378
And check out this version, the expression on the drivers face says it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pvjeuQrCaQ
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Nice links Trev, thanks. The one of the Hornby is I think very impressive as it shows what a Hornby one can do. The Steam Plume I liked very much. The one with the guy driving. Well yes he was having fun. Is the 7.25 do you think? Shows just what you need to pull a full grown adult. Though I do recall a thing with a Hornby Dulbo Deltic pulling a Kid once at a Publicity Stunt.
JonD
 
Seriously tempted by that Trev - £100 or so for a 45mm gauge running version of the rocket

rocketimage.jpg%7Bw=352,h=352%7D.th
 
there's upgrades about for these if you dig hard enough, I know someone got some bits via Maidstone Model engineering the parts side of Maxitrax
 
dunnyrail said:
Nice links Trev, thanks. The one of the Hornby is I think very impressive as it shows what a Hornby one can do. The Steam Plume I liked very much. The one with the guy driving. Well yes he was having fun. Is the 7.25 do you think? Shows just what you need to pull a full grown adult. Though I do recall a thing with a Hornby Dulbo Deltic pulling a Kid once at a Publicity Stunt.
JonD
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Well the original only weighed in at 4.5 imperial tons. From that it you can deduce that would have had the tractive ability of probably 4 Clydesdales or 2 straining Malamutes. Yes the coal fired version looks to be 7 1/4... Lots of wheelspin to get going and the load was to say the least way overscale and had there been a hill on the track only momentum would have got the train over it. Damned nice job though...
 
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