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    I wasn't around during the steam era days so I mostly like diesels but the action of a steam locomotive running is hard to beat.

   I've got a Milwaukee Road S-3 Northern and a Milwaukee Road Baltic but to get good side rod action they have to run pretty fast which turns  my layout into more of a racetrack.

    I really like to watch the narrow gauge K-26, K-27's with all their counterweight, small diameter drivers and side rod action running.

    So which steam engines give a good side rod action without eating up real estate to quickly?

                                                                         Thanks Dan 

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Generally:

passenger locomotives have larger drivers to achieve high speed

freight locomotives have smaller drivers to start a long train going

yard switchers have the smallest drivers.

 

Railroads operating in large elevation changes would typically have smaller drivers.

Railroads operating at about sea level could go with larger drivers.

The PRR A5 0-4-0 probably had some of the smallest drivers for a switcher locomotive.  Either that or the Reading 0-4-0 camelbacks.  Generally speaking, but not always completely true the diameter of the wheel of steam locomotive was a pretty good indicator of it's approximate maximum speed.  There are of course exceptions. 

Last edited by GG1 4877
fast freight posted:

    So which steam engines give a good side rod action without eating up real estate to quickly?

anything designed to haul logs around tight turns.... Heislers, Climaxes , Shays, Willamettes.  technically more like good "valve gear" action since only the Climax had side rods, but they are definitely slow.

Firewood posted:

This is the 15" gauge "Ella" of the Duffield Bank Railway in England, an experiment in "minimum gauge" railroading.

She had an axle rotation system for tight curves, and her driver diameter was 13 1/2". There are O9 models out there, running O scale on N scale track gauge.

Excellent!  I was wondering if anyone would mention the estate railways that were so common in the UK.  I get a quarterly magazine from Wales that is called Narrow Gauge and Industrial Rail Model Journal.  It is packed with models of this type.  

Lou N

Lou N posted:
Firewood posted:

This is the 15" gauge "Ella" of the Duffield Bank Railway in England, an experiment in "minimum gauge" railroading.

She had an axle rotation system for tight curves, and her driver diameter was 13 1/2". There are O9 models out there, running O scale on N scale track gauge.

Excellent!  I was wondering if anyone would mention the estate railways that were so common in the UK.  I get a quarterly magazine from Wales that is called Narrow Gauge and Industrial Rail Model Journal.  It is packed with models of this type.  

Lou N

If we try to stick with engines built as working girls and not miniatures, the old estate railways are certainly the place to look. I think the longest-lived one is the 0-8-2 'River Irt' on the 15" ga. Ravenglass & Eskdale Ry in Northern England. She started life as an 0-8-0T in the 1890s and still has much of the running gear. Driver dia. is about 18". She also has the radial axle system.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mw1Q...A/s1600/S1080025.JPG

http://rerps.co.uk/locomotive/river-irt/

 

     Thanks all for your replies.

      The baby turbine needs some oiler linkage with the drive rods but if the real turbine didn't have them I understand why a model wouldn't either.

      So it looks like it's either a small switcher or a large articulated.

       looks like kitbashing  a one of a kind steamer may be in my future.

                                                                                         thanks again, Dan

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