Acquiring a steam engine

They can’t be very important Scottish icons if they’re still in a scrapyard after all these years.

 

Didn't what's his name have a Barclay with no boiler?

 

He did, I think he may have sold it?

 

Just going on an article (SR or HR, I think) I came across a while back. Perhaps the sales you mention lie behind the tone of what I read.

Someone evidently isn't planning to visit Scotland this year!

 

I thought it had been "claimed" by the place he stored it at, in lieu of unpaid storage/work fees?

 

Despite all the sensible advice being posted here, the OP still hasn't come back to explain what sort and size of "steam engine" he's looking for. Table-top toy? Triple-expansion engine from a redundant ocean liner? Steam turbine from a power station that's closing down?

 

Might be worth pointing out that there are some engines built for 'Laboratory' purposes that could be used?

Also that the existence of Model Locomotive Efficency Trials suggests that it may be possible to get worthwhile esults from a model

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=64687

 

Schools went back yesterday

 

Repton or Stowe?

 

A Mr John Honeychurch-Kyle of the right sort of age and location is listed on the companies register as director of various small companies, at least one of which is registered as active, but its not immediately evident to me what their actual company business is.

It seems to me that the best advice we could offer is that anything to do with full size steam engines comes into the heavy engineering category with consequent expense, and also that complete refurbishment of non functioning and dilapidated steam locomotives may require a budget in the same order of magnitude as new construction. From that it follows that typically engineering projects of this nature are best started at model scale, and the engineering resource that delivers a functional prototype at model scale would be best placed to advise on next steps.

 

Just to add my own two penn'orth, has the OP even considered the H&S aspect of using a steam engine in a situation which may lead to "irrepairable beyond repair", in what area is he meaning? You can't just run a steam boiler and associated pressure-system components to destruction willy-nilly.
I also would hate to think that we'd lose a Locomotive (if that's what he wants to use) which has thus managed to survive so far, for the sake of experimentation.
Working as I do in a University Chemistry department, I can say from first-hand experience that there is a very fine line between those who conduct safe experiments in a responsible environment, and those who, to be quite frank, are crackpots who think they can get away with doing anything, using equipment that's either out-of-date, or totally unsuitable for the job. We've had one or two very near misses with the latter over the years.

Richard.

 

it's a shame the counter pressure S1 is not around . he would have struggled to break that !