Roly Williams' Table

Roly Williams · Roly Williams' Table

Hi Folks.

I made a guided tour vid of my collection, similar to the one I did last year, but the quality from my ageing stills camera is so poor I won't bother posting it. On second thoughts, just in case somebody want's to see it, it's here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9YEgY7l5Lg

Now for the real display. For my "table" this year, I thought I'd highlight the customised items from my collection.

My first "Mamodification" was the SW1, to which I added radio control. It was a simple modification in that it started as a fully fuctioning (indeed, almost new) SW1 and all I did was to add the necessary parts for RC. In fact, it would be a simple job to remove the additions, leaving only a few small holes in descrete locations.

The RC controls the steering, via a servo hidden under the body between the rear wheels. The servo is connected to the front axle through a pair of chains, passing either side of the firebox and crossing under the boiler to improve the range of travel. There is also a servo connected to the reversing lever. This was not a success because the engine is not self starting. However, it does provide a small degree of speed control and a means to stop the engine in a hurry if required. This servo is mounted in a wooden box on the back of the body, intended to look like a load. The wooden box also contains the receiver and battery. The aerial is a wire fed up through another item of dummy load, leaning up against the cab roof.

There were some technical problems with the rod to the reversing lever, which I eventually cured by electrically earthing it to the chassis. I never really worked out what was happening there.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

Details of the work done in this conversion can be seen on my web site at http://rolywilliams.com/rc_convertions.html

Sandman

Jeez, Roly, that is a discreet conversion.

What on earth gave you the idea of hiding the aerial in the load??

That is just so brilliant.

Roly Williams

My second conversion was the "SE3c", which was much more involved than the SW1. This was (to the best of my knowledge) the first ever three cylinder Mamod conversion and this project was what first attracted the attention of members of the Mamod Forum. It is, of course, no longer the only three cylinder Mamod. There is at least one other version, made by Stilldrillin, who improved on my design somewhat.

The idea for this project came to me at random while I was looking at an SE3 and thinking it could be improved by adding a cylinder or two. I first considered making it four cylinders but soon decided a three cylinder version would be much easier. My general principal in designing this engine was that it should use, as far as possible, only Mamod components and to maintain the Mamod styling.

The conversion was achieved, basically, by extending the base of the SE3 and adding a second set of frames. The two outer cylinders are mounted on the outer frames in exactly the same way as on the SE3 original. Their pistons are also connected to the crankshaft exactly as the original. The central cylinder is mounted in a similar way on one of the inner frames and coupled to a modified crank pin at the centre of the crankshaft. The crankshaft is, in fact, just two SE3 crankshafts with a common pin going between the two adjacent cranks in the middle. The three cranks are arranged at 120 degrees to each other to even out the power impulses.

The boiler is a standard SE3 boiler but without the regulator and with a pressure gauge in place of the whistle. The extra cylinder, of course, adds to the steam consumption so the engine runs slower than the original. However, this is fine because it runs more smoothely. At least it does when running at it's best. It can be a bit temperamental at times for some unknown reason. Part of the problem is the extra long pipe length to the third cylinder which encourages condensation. This has been improved slightly by lagging the pipes, but the power impulses are still uneven.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

A full description of this project appeared in Model Engineer magazine some time after completion. Before it appeared in the magazine, I published the article verbatim on my web site at http://rolywilliams.com/three_cylinder_mamod.html

Roly Williams

Roly Williams

My next coversion was not exactly a Mamodification because it came from a Wilesco. I had in my collection an engine and subframe, taken from a D16. I also had a complete D16 so I was wondering what to do with the extra engine. I had often seen engines and other mechanical devices sectioned so as to see the internal workings, so I decided to do the same with this engine.

The sections were cut out using a junior hacksaw and the edges finished with needle files and emery paper. After repainting, I mounted the subframe onto a wooden base with a slot cut to accomodate the bottom of the flywheel. I also added a Meccano sprocket onto the crankshaft so that it could be motorised via a chain. I've never utilised this facility after trying it because it's much more interesting to turn the shaft by hand to study the motion.

Click to see full size image

Roly Williams

After I completed the sectioned Wilesco, I though I would like to do the same with an oscillating cylinder engine. I also wanted to include the boiler in the project. I took yet another SE3 (I had several SE3's in various states of disrepair, two of which I canibalised for the SE3c). I used a similar technique as with the Wilesco, except that the thin metalwork had to be cut with a Goscut (a specialised tin-snips). I sectioned the two cylinders in different directions to show different aspects of the insides. Not only did I section the cylinders and boiler but also the whistle, safety valve, regulator, firebox and meths burner. I got a few heart felt complaints from forum members when they saw what I'd done (especially MamodMan

)

Click to see full size image

Roly Williams

My next conversion project was based on a naked chassis from a SW1, found on ebay. The chassis was fully functioning, mechanically, but was in extremely poor condition cosmetically. I had a choice of either attempting to restore it to it's original condition or to make something else out of it. I didn't fancy the idea of trying to make a new body from scratch and it was something I'd never seen offered as a spare part. (Strangely, I've seen several bare chassis but the bodies all seem to have disappeared without trace.) As it wasn't a particularly rare model, I decided to convert it into something completely different.

I considered several options but finally plumped for the simplest - an early style steam dray. I based it roughly on an old photo of a similar Bretherton engine. The chassis, as bought, still had the front mud guards attached, which looked out of place for the intended design. I needed a pair of panels to surround the cylinder so I just bent the mudguards a bit further, into a right angle, and used those. It didn't look quite right so I later extended them downwards a bit with aluminium sheet. I also added bit of ally underneath to form dummy coal bunkers.

The flat bed was formed from a sheet of steel with some brass U section around the edges. My first attempt at soldering the brass to the steel failed miserably because of the difficulty of heating the whole thing evenly in one go, so I ended up gluing it together. I added a couple of brass brackets on the under side to fit in betweens the chassis members. I finally fabricated a sign board to fix on the front of the bed.

I finished it off with a set of new axles fitted with brass screw-on hub caps, and a set of rubber tires. I later bought a job lot of dummy barrels, which I stained and glued to a plastic sheet, rather than gluing directly to the steel bed. This means that I can easily change the load in the future if desired.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

Details of the progress of this project are also available on my web site at http://rolywilliams.com/mamod_sw1_conversion.html

barry1946

I was very interested to see the Wilesco cutaway of its valvegear. Always wondered how the internals worked. Great table Roly

barry1946

I wonder where the idea of a dray came from - hmmmm!
Perhaps something close to your heart?

Les

You have done some great conversions Roly.

Ross

I love your dray.

Thanks for the in depth writing on how you did it. It was very interesting.

Roly Williams

I have often admired the small tram / shunting locos made by Aveling and Porter (and others) based on traction engine components. I thought that this design style was poorly represented in the toy world (or even the model world), so I decided to rectify this shortage. Like the originals, I based my version on a traction engine; in this case, the TE1.

Conveniently, the firebox is (almost) the right width to accomodate 3 1/2" gauge wheels. Just as conveniently, the wheels from the 3 1/3" gauge Rocket, from Hornby, are similar size to the TE wheels, so that they can be replaced more or less directly. I needed to design and scratch build a pair of frames, in which could be mounted the fixed front axle (this also came from the Rocket). I modified the burner / scuttle assembly somewhat by cutting the standard Mamod scuttle in half and mounting the meths burner directly to the bottom half, in a similar manner to the early SR1s. The top half of the scuttle I turned through 90 degrees and mounted to look more like the A&P bunker.

I wanted to gear down the drive from the crankshaft to the rear wheels to give a more realistic speed (and, hopefully, some pulling power). I considered the options of gears, chain or band drive and decided on the latter, mainly on grounds of limited clearance between the wheel and firebox. I didn't want an ugly gear or sprocket on the outside. To get extra speed reduction, I utilised an intermediate double pulley, bought as a spare from a SW1. A pair of scratch built buffer beams finished off the design.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

The progress of this project was blogged on this forum and I collected the text onto my web site at http://rolywilliams.com/AandP_Lookalike_project.html

The A&P lookalike is the latest of my conversion projects but, I'm sure, it won't be the last. I have at least one more possible design lurking in the back of my mind somewhere, and I've even started collecting some of the bits together, but it will be a long time in the future before I get round to making a start on it (if ever). No, I'm not going to say just what it is just yet

Roly Williams

steamman

Great collection

I love the three cylinder Mamod.

IndianaRog

Awesome efforts Roly...my favorite was the A&P...really a unique conversion.

You have also inspired me to have another look at converting my SW1 to RC.

thanks for sharing,
Rog

Roly Williams

verithingeoff

The cutaway model is really great Roly---

Wallace

Some great conversions Roly. That SW1 RC setup is well done

KMV

Great models. The video tour of your collection looks also good.
Nice engines!

scalex

my o my Roly thats some great engines you have there very nice indeed

simon hudson

Brilliant R/C I had wonderd if it was feasable (thanks gets ideas) and some stunning conversions really wonderful.Thanks Roly for some inspiration and I thought I was going back to some serious 00 gauge over the winter OH-OH big no there-Si

Roly Williams

Alf

What a great collection you have there

madeinenglang

What a great collection you have there Roly its nice to see them how you have changed them in to some thing total different

jakesm

your a&p loco is awesome roly

Titan

I love messing with mamods, particularly the locos, but it is great to see just what can be done with all the other offerings from Mamod too. I have been inspired to do something with a pair of TE1A's... But I still have plenty of other projects to finish before starting that one!!!

redryder

You've made some great creations Roly !!!!!

The wagon full of barrels is my favorite.

Thanks for sharing them.

Gil

Roly Williams

Ross