Gorby's wondrously weird whatsit – The Fowler Steeplechaser
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Oh yes, I remember ....
Very interesting how many details can be read from some low resolution pictures! And you converted the info into nice parts 👍
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Welcome to the magical mystery build* mates. 🙂
* Because it's going to be a mystery to me how it's going to turn out. 😳
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Looks like a great candidate for 3D printing but I can see where 3D printing may take away some of the enjoyment of the craft. After all, as the saying goes, the journey is more fun than the destination. Or something like that! Either way, great work so far, Gorby!
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Another stupendous effort from the master of the metaphysical?!? I am certainly in. Commendable effort so far 👍
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wow gorby, amazing job on thise wheels, thise teeth are fantastic, certainly joining in
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Wow! I'm a bit taken aback at the interest in this. No pressure then. 😮
I first started hacking plastic in November so the build is now quite advanced and there have been many moments I have dreamily thought of a 3D printer. I certainly wouldn't rule one out for the future although there is a part of me which enjoys the challenge of working out how the hell to build things from bits of plastic.
Thanks for all your comments matiepoos.
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Thanks for taking an interest mates. 🙂
I always think how crude my plastic bashing looks in comparison to many one Scalemates including one member in particular, now what's his name....eeerrrrmm, Oh yes, he's called Alec K. 😉
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I am glad you finally stated the obvious Gorby. My ploy to use expensive tools and supplies coupled with snobbish complex commentary to outshine any work done with basic tools, copious elbow grease and uncommon creativity finally bears fruit! 😄 😄 😄
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😄 😄 😄
If I had expensive tools I'd spend most of my modelling time trying to work out how they worked. 😉
Oh oh, I've bought an expensive modelling tool!!!! It cost me nearly £13 ($16.50)!!! 😮
greenstuffworld.com/..re-cutter-tool.html#
Need to wait for it to be delivered and for my wallet to recover now. 🙂
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Oh, you'll love that one! I sprung for something similar few years back and never looked back.
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New photos start at number 25.
It's odd what you think about when you're wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. I'd assumed the rear wheels were attached behind the firebox in some way and at 2:30am I realised that couldn't possibly be the case and sure enough, when I studied the photos more closely, the axle is further forward than I thought. Also as I haven't got a proper side view, I'm having to estimate sizes. When I temporarily fitted the back wheels to see how other things would fit...they didn't…. That's the problem with not having a proper side view. I did consider the bin as an option but decided that I'd devoted too much time on it to chuck it.
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Do not give up, Gorby! We're all waiting for the photos of a completed Steeplechaser!
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Thanks Robert. This build has been a bit a struggle, but there is no way I'm giving up on four months work. Incidentally, the build has progressed quite a bit further than I've shown here, I'm just not getting much time to update the build report. I estimate there's about another months work.....every month I've been estimating another months work. 😄
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thus is getting better and better at every picture, soon to be finished, do not give up gorby, end is in sight, just one more month! 😉
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Holy GEARS batman! This is looking good! As far as lack of references goes, look at the bright side: at least nobody's going to whine about it being few millimeters too long or short 😉 😄
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Thanks for your comments Alec & Ben. Yes, it will help that there isn't anyone still alive who actually saw this beastie, although I suspect that anyone who understands traction engines will be laughing their socks off. 😄
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Amazing! So drag racing pre-dates the internal combustion engine.
Very nice bit if scratch building.
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Thanks SM. The gears are easy work, they just take a lot of time. Great way of getting through some podcasts (currently No Such Thing as a Fish). 🙂
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Thanks Frank. I tend to use less filler on a scratchbuild than I would normally use for a kit, although it can be a bit frustrating spending hours making a part which would take minutes with a kit.
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I feel compelled to point that that, as with most hobbies, it's about the journey 🙂
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Thanks very much mates. 🙂
You are correct Alec, but there times on a loooooong journey you just want to get there NOW!!!! 😄 😄 😄
Normally my annual winter build gets a lot more time devoted to it. This winter there has been quite a few things happening which has cut into my modelling time, including two occasions when I didn't have time to do any modelling for about three weeks. On both occasions I had to get myself interested in the project again. I've never given up on a kit or a scratch-build (I don't have a shelf of doom) and I don't intend to start now. I've started so I'll finish. 🙂
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No shelf of doom? Well, that means, that the two of us both have an average one. Man, this makes me feel so much better now. 👍
You made my day!
But now I gotta go - to start a new project. 😜
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As a now 60yr old I did my very first totally scratch built model starting last June and finishing it just into the new year.I have to say totally rewarding and satisfying.Watching this one with great interest.
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I also really enjoy thinking up and making my own parts (I only hate the last ones of many identical parts). And in the end, you have a unique piece in your display case 👍
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That really made me laugh Michael. 😄
Frank & David, it is rewarding to make something from scratch, it also helps keep your mind active and occupied. Which is even more important when you start to get a mentally befuddled, ageing human wreck like me. 😄 😄 😄
Thanks very much for your comments mates. 🙂
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Thanks very much Mick. I'd advise you to have a go at scratch-building - you'll be surprised at what you are capable of making. I think I was the one who was most amazed at the result of my first full scratch build.
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New photos start from number 42.
I have absolutely no idea what the mechanical engine gubbins looked like. Yes, I could study other examples of early traction engines, it turns out that the one I've chosen to build is very different to other traction engines in many more ways than the wheels, so a lot of this is going to be based on 'best guess'. A photo from above would have been very useful. It's a shame Victorians didn't invent the steam powered photographic drone.
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since we can not proof inaccurate (and I would not care if somebody can) it its simply stunning
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If you get a look at the gubbins on a traction engine your pretty much spot on.
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Put some paint on it to hide the plastic and with some steam I'm sure that it will run!
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Thanks for your comments matiepoos, there's plenty more detail to come. 🙂
I've spent hours looking for reference photos and and videos of how traction engines worked, so there is some reason in the apparent chaos even if it is a little simplified. I'm a bit irritated because I had to leave out the clutch gearing as I couldn't see anywhere to put it and there was no evidence of a clutch on the photos.
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New photos start from number 50.
This was about the time in the build we found out my best furry friend had an inoperable brain tumour. I know some people won't give a monkeys and are wondering why I mention it. She has become very clingy – constantly needing someone to be with her and that someone is generally me, she's a member of our family and I'm happy to spend more time with her. This obviously means – more time with Ella = less time mangling plastic.
This happened just over a month ago, so I do have a lot more progress to report. I may be giving the impression of working quickly, eeerrm, not the case. I'm just playing catch-up with the build progress…..
Back to the build.
Many traction engines only had suspension on the rear wheels and some didn't have suspension at all. The only information I've found for the suspension on the Steaplechaser is that it had leaf springs. Nothing can be seen in the photos which is a bit odd as normally leaf springs are visible either side of the wheels. Which means the springs were either incredibly narrow conventional springs, very narrow elliptic leaf springs, or they were transverse leaf springs – which I decided to go for. I did find an image showing a transverse suspension on a traction engine which helped me decide, of course now I can't find it.
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So sorry to hear about Ella, Gorby. That's very heartbreaking. I'm glad you were able to spend that extra time with her, and I'm sure she's glad too.
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Hi Gorby, I'm with NLAWScametovisit. I hope she will keep on fighting. Best wishes Mate.
As to the build, just Excellent scratch work 👍
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Sorry to hear about Ella.Where did you find the water gauge or as usual did you build it.
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Sad news about Ella, so sorry to hear. Modeling can wait. …but that water gauge looks amazing 👍
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Poor Ella. Best wishes for Ella and be close to her. Modeling can wait because plastic never disappears.
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fully agree with the above. family goes first (human or not).
the water gauge is incredible.
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Thanks everyone for your comments or likes.
Ella is still happy and absolutely loving the extra treats and fuss. We've had several friends visit and say "we're here to see Ella". She is a remarkable dog who everyone seems to fall in love with the first time they meet her. Thanks for your comments.
Shame you all like the water gauge as I'm currently in the process of trying to re-make a smaller one. 😄
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After returning from the trip to the Mosonshow, I read your post. Honestly, the plastic doesn't matter in such moments of life. All the best for you both!
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Don't worry about other people's opinions on you mentioning Ella. Yes, it's a model site but we're all humans, too. I've had an animal of some sort in my life since birth. Dogs, cats, hamsters, frogs, lizards...whatever. Our dog, Nipper, was there before me and 62 years later, me and Minnie (my rescue cat from the shelter) are living life pretty good. To be honest, I think I prefer animals over most humans anyway. Give Ella a boop for me and please keep us updated.
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Thanks Mike, I do get very attached to my dogs and Ella is even more special than most, a true furry angel. She nearly died twice in her first year of life so she has had 9 extra amazing years she almost didn't get. By most dogs standards, she's had a very privileged life.
Trying to keep busy to keep my mind off the inevitable.
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It was was the effort to do a smaller gauge 👍 The first one was the training version 😉
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Thanks mates. 🙂
Frank: you are absolutely correct. Making the first one make it a lot easier to tackle the second one.
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Wow, this is modeling at its finest. Looking forward to following along!
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Gorby, the quality of this build has me expecting to log on one day to photos of you using a micro shovel to load coal into the fire box!
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😄 😄 😄
Thanks very much for the compliment and thanks also for reminding me I need to make a shovel. 👍
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New photos from number 71.
The build is complete! There are things which I'm not 100% happy with but isn't that always the case with us modellers?
Just the colouring-in to do now.
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It looks truly fantastic gorby. that tool seem quite interesting. now it is in my wishlist Rivet modls (Green Stuff World 1420, )
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If you paint that beast in different grey shades it will look like pic 1 and 2 👍 Impressive! With that capabilities you don't nee a kit.
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Thanks for sending me down this rabbit hole: douglas-self.com/MUS..raction/traction.htm
As usual I learned a lot and the result is beautiful. Wishing you the best and sorry for your loss.
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Thanks very much for your comments mates. Sorry I haven't replied sooner, Ella died unexpectedly a couple of hours after I posted the last update, which is why I haven't been in the mood for modelling this week.
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Thanks Spanjaard. It has hit me even harder than I thought it would, but at least she was playing, running at the park and eating well two days before, so she didn't suffer for long, which we are very grateful for.
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My deepest sympathy in this dark hour, Gorby. I can just imagine your pain mate. I hope you will recover as soon as possible. If not, they say that to overcome such pain, you have to get another hairy beauty, like Ella...
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Thanks mates. Ella will be hard act to follow, so we intend to wait for a while. When you've been used to living with a dog for so long, it's difficult to not have a dog in your life.
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Gorby, I'm so sorry. It sounds like you gave her a life that was wonderful, and she knew she was loved. I'll happily raise a glass for Ella.
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Losing a beloved friend is always painful. I wish you to overcome the pain soon and to keep the good memories of the time spent together.
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Sorry for your loss Gorby, know what it's like to lose a furry chum, so understand what you are going through
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New photos start at number 82.
Still playing catch-up with the build. This installment will bring this report to where I currently am in the build.
On to the colouring-in – otherwise entitled 'Where did it all start to go so wrong?'.
I much prefer building to painting and that is very evident in my skills. This is going to require a hell of a lot of detail brush painting and my lack of a steady hands means there will be lots of touch-ups and quite a lot of swearing.
What colour to do?…… It looks like most early Fowler traction engines were black with a few later ones in either dark blue or dark green. Looking at the photos it looks too light to be black and I think black would be a bit dull….and I find all black paint jobs difficult to get anywhere near realistic. I went with blue (Tamiya X-4) because I think it would be the next most likely…..well that's a bit of a fib. I went with blue because I like blue and that's a good enough reason for me. 🙂
The advantage is that no one knows what colour it actually was, so I could paint it pink and no one will be able to provide photographic evidence it isn't accurate. Fortunately (for me) as it was a prototype it doesn't look like it has any fancy coach-painted decoration.
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Oh. I don't really know what I actually expected, but blue it wasn't. But it definitely looks cool. I particularly like the black front with the brass stripe - and everything else for that matter.
Nice to see this one proceeding. Hope the build will help ameliorate you're feeling of loss too. I am anxious for more.
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I just caught up with your build....and your news. I'm so sorry for your loss, Gorby. May she rest in peace.😢
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I do like a good shovel, and this scratch-built example raises the bar.... 🙂 OMG, what if someone mentioned eggs and bacon being cooked on it ... 😉
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Glad my shovel comment helped! I think this blue looks really good. It's very industrial and I can definitely picture an Edwardian child slapping a big brush full of blue paint on the side of the engine. I feel you about the building vs the painting, I'm always nervous to start the painting since I feel I'm going to ruin all my progress. And that is a damn good shovel!
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Thanks mates for your comments about the build and also about Ella. Some of your comments made me laugh and that's exactly what I need this week. 👍
The detail painting is taking even longer than I thought it would because it's a bloody awkward thing to paint. Thanks for continuing to follow the build.
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I'm glad you shared your news of Ella, your special companion, Gorby. I am so sorry for your loss, and my thoughts are with you.
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Gorby, you've made great progress on your model. It's fascinating to watch the progress of building this amazing model, which is made from almost nothing.
It's a great inspiration for me to get started on my scratchbuilding projects that I've been putting off for later.
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Thanks Torsten. 👍
Thank you for that Bruce.
Thanks Ludvik. I certainly recommend having a go at scratch building, it's very rewarding (occasionally frustrating) working out how to build each part. One piece of advice, don't start with a traction engine. 😄
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Gorby, thank you for your valuable advice. I will definitely not be building a traction engine at this time. Although... yours looks very good... and as they say, never say never.
My scratchbuilding plans are for aircraft. I'm very tempted to build a model plane of the Czech pilot, designer and a big fan and promoter of aviation ing. Jan Kaspar, with whom he made a flight from Pardubice to Prague on May 13, 1911.
eu.zonerama.com/LudvikKruzik/Album/7765761
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I had to Google trucknutz as I've never hear of it before. Certainly made me smile. 🙂
That would be fantastic Ludvik, although scratch-building that aircraft, particularly the engine, would make a traction engine build look easy. 😉
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Following your inspiring example, Gorby, I am trying to scratch some addition into each new kit. My Everest is soo much smaller than yours 🙂
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Gorby, I'm glad I amused you and aroused your interest in the history of Czech aviation.
But this is your thread dedicated to your traction engine build. Sorry for introducing a little digression to another topic.
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Bruce: That's how the scratching bug starts. 😉
Ludvik: No problem at all, always good to learn something new, I found it very interesting learning about Jan Kaspar.
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New photos start at number 90.
Very limited modelling time this week, although it didn't need much more work to get the Steeplechaser across the line. You won't be seeing the completed model yet as I want to have a go at a simple base for the final unveiling. Thanks for having a look. 👍
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Well, if you raised the boiler pressure high enough, you might just get 200mph and 8,000ft out of it!
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This is not orange peel skin! This is the underlying cast structure 👍
Love it!
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😄 😄 😄
Of course.....that's what I meant. That's the story I'm sticking to now. 😉
Thanks Frank.
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I was just going ti say the same thing as Bughunter, i think the texture makes it look even better
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Perfect scratchbuilding. Your model looks great! I really like it a lot. 👍
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Thanks very much Ludvik. I must admit that I am quite pleased with it. I'm working on the base at the moment - and it's giving me a hard time. 🙂
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New photos start from number 94.
On to the base. I finally managed to get a bit of time to getting the base started. Get yourself a drink as this is a surprisingly long update, or miss it altogether as this is a plastic free episode….
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Regardless of your figure painting skills, I recognized Ella immediately! And I know only this single pic you showed.
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Your technique for creating cobblestones is quite elaborate (although the result is convincing). You might consider those textured cylinders for one of your future builds.
greenstuffworld.com/..15mm-fow-flames.html
I used the cobblestone one for one of my projects.
Velorex | Album by panorama (1:72)
At the beginning I was disappointed by the effect but when I gently squeezed the surface after texturing it, I had the appearance I was looking for.
Might be worth a try. Cheers Michael
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The tiles on the base look really believable. You can see on the Ella figure that it was made with love. What a great idea to honour her memory.
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Thanks matiepoos for your comments and likes. Nice to know you like the figure representing Ella. 🙂
Michael: I made a GSW order a few months ago an did conciser one of those cobblestone rollers – they are a great idea. I decided that I wouldn't get enough use out of it to warrant the expense. There are too many tempting things on that site clamoring for my money.
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Thanks everyone for following my build. The completed monstrosity can be seen here: John Fowler & Co. Steeplechaser 1877 – a glorious failure. | Album by gorby (1:48)
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Building a model from scratch is a challenge. Building such a model from scratch based on just two photos is an art! Magnificent!
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Thanks Bernhard & Spanjaard. In some ways having so little information gives you a lot of room for imagination and the research to fill in the gaps made me learn a lot more about traction engines than if I had full plans. I can guarantee that my model isn't 100% accurate, the important thing is that I don't really care if it is or isn't. To me, as long as it looks nice I'm happy. Thanks very much for your comments. 🙂
Album info
I've been itching to do some scratching for a while and as the pup has had her monthly flea medication it must be time to break out the plasticard….
The Steeplechaser was built by John Fowler & Co. in 1877. The 12 foot (3.66m) wheels were intended to reduce the ground pressure and give better propulsion in soft soil. Surprise surprise it proved to be too clumsy to be useful, but that didn't stop Fowlers from producing a similar machine two years later with 9 foot (2.7m) driving wheels - the usual maximum diameter was 7 foot.
One of the biggest problems I'm going to face with this build is that there are only two photos of this machine, although one of the advantages is that there are only two photos of this machine. Who's going to prove me wrong? 🙂
Added to that, only one dimension is recorded, the size of the back wheels. I could search out similar Fowler engines to cross check dimensions but where's the fun in that? That would be like taking it seriously and that just sounds wrong. Like the Robey Steamer I built a few years ago, I'm just going to make an educated estimate* of the other dimensions from the photos.
So far its turned out to be a lot more challenging to build than I thought it would. Not having a clue how traction engines work might possibly be a reason for that. 😳
Oh, I nearly forgot to say, it’ll be in 1/48 as attempting it in 1/72 is likely to make my brain melt. 😮
* I'm going to make it up as I go along.