Recent content by joanlluch

Sorry for that. However I do not see how embedding a youtube video is any different than embedding a photo. To my understanding the video will not play unless you click on it, so you have the option of not watching them anyway and no video streaming will waste your bandwidth. Maybe you should...

Hi Jobrag, The miniature locomotive is big enough to hold a small sized PLC controller including batteries to power it. Also you have the option to fit it all in the "tender". To have an idea of how big such locomotives are you must consider that the track gauge is 127 millimetres (or 5 inches)...

Yes, control loop tuning is a lot of fun, until you have done it for decades. It happens that I have been in the industrial automation field and the development of automatic control software for 20+ years in the chemical industry, and to me this is like bread and butter. Previously, in the early...

I have not looked at that in detail yet, as I am still at earlier stages of my build. I am open to suggestions. It must be a kind of valve that opens/closes reliably and fast and is able to stand superheated steam conditions. My take is that this may have to be designed specifically. One...

Hi Jim, Thanks for the links and statements. The first link is an interesting read, btw. On a full sized locomotive it has little sense to use gas, but I am referring at all time to a miniature loco. If steam locos were to return to the tracks I think that one combustible to be considered...

Hi Nidum, Indeed, a fast reacting boiler is key to optimise looses due to idle/standby times and non steady operation with varying demand conditions. I will attempt to use gas (such as butane) for heating the boiler. My idea is that I should be able to completely and immediately shut down gas...

There's quite a number of people building and running these miniature locomotives. Most of these locos are pretty detailed. Unfortunately, there seems to be in the hobby a strong bias towards model perfection rather than physics or Engineering. I am sure that most in the hobby don't even care...

Hi Nidum and rootone. Well, I doubt any new design of a steam engine could ever reach the overall efficiency of a diesel engine, much less that of an internal combustion gas turbine. To my knowledge, steam turbine based power plants which run 24 hour a day 365 days a year are not either able to...

Hi Bystander. I get the impression that you overestimate the difficulty of it. You can believe that miniature steam locos are actually made and they work !. Search for "miniature steam locomotive" in google images and you will see. As in full size practice, steam superheaters are used to keep...

Hi bystander, what you suggest is obviously true, but that's not the point. I build working miniature steam locomotives as a hobby, not because they are efficient or up to date, but because I like them. There is a number of people that does it for the same reason. Said that, I am not referring...

Hi, I wonder if someone has experience on steam engines or locomotives, even miniature ones. Some time ago I had the thought of applying a computerised system to miniature steam locomotive. The idea is to remove the traditional mechanism that drives the steam distribution valves (that's known...

Hi all, I just joined this forums. I am interested in everything related with steam, steam technology and steam locomotives. I hope this is shared by some members so we can share information and stuff on the subject. Joan