Kindly Submitted by Dave from Sussex
Just thought I'd pass on a quick article about my Stuart Turner 5A engine powered by my coal fired boiler. The Stuart 5A was purchased from Keith of "Mainsteam Models" who had refurbished this engine and tuned it to run perfectly in both directions - "just like a Swiss watch". The 5A Steam Engine has a 2 1/4" bore & 2" stroke and is fitted with "Stephenson's Link" reversing valve gear, a crankshaft driven feed pump, mechanical lubricator pumping steam oil direct into the steam inlet on the engine & a brass cylinder reservoir giving gravity lubricating to the "A" frame & main bearings.
The Boiler is 6" diameter; it holds 5 litres when full, and when running about 4 litres approx, i.e. water level in sight glass. The copper for this boiler is substatntial at "8" gauge (160 thou thick). There is one centre tube and three cross water tubes, all about 1 1/8" diameter. This boiler has two clack valves for feeding water into the boiler and it is very thirsty. Initially I have a very small steam Weir pump fitted but although this Weir pump will keep my small gas fired boiler topped up it could not really keep up to this large boiler's thirst! The crankshaft feed pump on the 5A keeps this boiler topped up with no problem. This boiler runs the 5A surprisingly well.
I have placed a short video on "Youtube" of this 5A running:
The boiler is running at 60 PSI in the video but the steam valve is only very slightly open. When I tried opening it further the 5a nearly jumped off of the table with the speed it was doing.
At the end of the steam up for the day with the fire virtually out there was only 5 PSI showing on the pressure gauge and the 5a was still running very smoothly albeit very slow as would be expected. As I said earlier this engine has been set up like a "Swiss watch". "I have no connection with Mainsteam Models - only as a very satisfied customer".
Hope you enjoyed this little read and the video clip?
Thanks, Dave
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