tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
The Burrell crankshaft and layshaft gears join the crankshaft to the differential and the differential to the wheels. The crankshaft gear was made from phosphor bronze and as you see in the video this slides so that you can select between drive and neutral. At first these gears look complicated, but they are actually quite … Read more
The Burrell eccentric pushrods are rather small, the inside diameter of the strap is just 10mm. This is a 1/20th scale traction engine and so they will be quite small. Two off to give forward and reverse. I made the 2 eccentric straps up from 1.8mm thick brass. I had to mill to this thickness from … Read more
The Burrell conrod has taken some time to get to as I’ve been waiting to fix the boiler location. First part to make up was the big end. As this part is so small I decided to make this from a piece of phosphor bronze and not have an insert. I use an ER25 square … Read more
OK, this isn’t a solid rear axle like a 1960’s muscle car. This is an actual solid round phosphor bronze bar that supports both rear wheels on the Burrell traction engine. The rear axle is fixed and the wheels then rotate independently on each side. Inboard of each wheel there is a gear that is … Read more
In order to get the differential running smoothly I had to shim and make a simple jig. My original differential for the Burrell used bevels with a 20° angle. These kept locking / binding. Luckily JG pointed out my errors and made a number of calculations to come to 9.5° as the correct angle. As … Read more
It may only be 1/20th scale but I still need a differential for the Burrell traction engine. I’ve been working on the overall gearing for the Burrell and the layout of the gearing. For the overall gearing something around 10:1 feels reasonable. The layout for the 2 stage gearing and location of the layshaft took … Read more
I’ve been thinking about the Burrell gearing for some time. Calculating the overall ratio, estimating the maximum torque and speed of the traction engine. Looking online a Mamod TE1a traction engine flywheel speed is between 2000rpm and 2500rpm. 1st stage engine to layshaft is 4:1 reduction 2nd stage layshaft to rear wheels is 4:1 reduction … Read more
The Burrell door lock is a T-head bolt with flat sides on the threaded section. This bolt goes through the door from the back, a handle with a slot then goes on allowing the bolt to be rotated. A second handle with a threaded not then allows the bolt to be pulled up tight. In … Read more
I need to get back to the Burrell. Hence I thought I would share with you my list of things to do next. Along with my concerns / worries / roadblocks. 1. Throttle / Steam Valve This has been the fundamental roadblock. At least a roadblock in my head. Often these can be the most … Read more
I thought it was time to give an overview of the miniature Burrell traction engine. OK, the engine is not complete. But it’s on it’s wheels and I can give you an overview of what I have done to date. The dimensions of this model mentioned in the video: Length: 263mm Width: 122mm Height: 176mm … Read more