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Testing the SSP Slomo

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Chris B

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi folks
I have been doing some testing on a new inertia device developed by Terry Robinson in Australia. Initially aimed a just some Roundhouse 0-4-0 locos, this chain driven flywheel device totally transforms the driving experience and Terry is now looking at some Accucraft locos too.

I have fitted the SSP Slomo to three locos (two for friends) and have also mounted it in a tender and in a coal wagon. I am not connected with the Slomo project, other than as a very enthusiastic customer!

Here are three videos that show what I have been doing:

First fitted to a radio controlled Roundhouse Katie

Now in a tender behind a radio controlled Accucraft Edrig

And finally a film made yesterday using a 7/8ths scale coal wagon behind an Accucraft Quarry Hunslet

Cheers
Chris
 
#2 ·
Chris,
Interesting product...How does it effect run times?

I think there might be more a market for these in Aster locos or perhaps attached to the fingers of some of the owners than in our reasonably well-behaved and controllable RH steamers....

Thanks for sharing,
Sam...
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
boilingwater said:
Chris,
Interesting product...How does it effect run times?

I think there might be more a market for these in Aster locos or perhaps attached to the fingers of some of the owners than in our reasonably well-behaved and controllable RH steamers....

Thanks for sharing,
Sam...
Click to expand...
Ah Sam - if only that were true! Yes Argyll, the old L&B and other big wheeled locos are relatively docile, but the 0-4-0's are not (though I love them!). Just try doing what I did in the first video(and part 2 on my channel) with a standard Katie with r/c - I have tried many times and know it is not remotely possible. This device is a game changer which, I admit, is difficult to believe until you have tried it!

Aster is way out of my price range, so I will let others comment on that ;-)
Cheers
Chris
 
#4 ·
Chris,

Were the videos filmed at full speed, or half speed?

What do you think of the device for steady-state running (not switching)?

Did you see any sign of gyroscopic precession?

Thanks,
Matthew
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
BigRedOne said:
Chris,

Were the videos filmed at full speed, or half speed?

What do you think of the device for steady-state running (not switching)?

Did you see any sign of gyroscopic precession?

Thanks,
Matthew
Click to expand...
Hi Matthew
The films are all at full speed - the only slomo is the device itself!

They are fine for steady slow running, but only really necessary when there are grades to deal with, or you want a great chuff. The slpmo would not be good for fast running.

The flywheel rotated in the direction of forward travel and is not bug enough to cause any progression (I had to look it up). The seious inertia is there on start up asn regulator movement is like the real thing - open wide to unstick and then back off to give smooth accelleration. Stopping is interesting as the loco drifts to a alt when you close the regulator. Stopping in the right place is an art I am still learning ;-)
Cheers
Chris
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Jerry Barnes said:
What does the unit itself look like?
Click to expand...
Hi Jerry
As I have never managed to post a photo on here, you will need to go to www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk and click on My Projects. There is a link to take you to a page with a photo and links to a fitting page and videos.
Or go to www.smallsteamperformance.com.au and have a look at the fitting video for the Darjeeling B.
It is a cunningly designed frame to fit between the Roundhouse frames with a sprocket driving a gear train to a small, but heavy flywheel.
Cheers
Chris
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
I have been doing some work on the coal wagon since my last post, experimenting with wheel size, weights and bearings. I have written it up here:
https://sites.google.com/a/gardenrailwayclub.com/club/workshop/ssp-slomo-wagon

and here is a video I made this week. The wagon now has ball race axleboxes and 32.5mm wheels and works fine with the heavy Quarry Hunslet. It still needs different gearing to work well with lighter, sub 3kg (about 6lb) locos. The Hunslet here is manual control and once it was set right, just ambled round as you see. And all the video is at full speed!

Cheers
Chris
 
#9 · (Edited)
Image


Image

In a Jack.

Because the pic is online, I right clicked (Win8.1) and used 'copy picture' then pasted into reply.
 
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#10 ·
That is brilliant! I've recently become interested in owning a gauge 1 live steamer but was a little discouraged by the videos I've seen where they always look like they are speeding out of control and would be impossible to do any switching. This is very encouraging for me. Hopefully someday when I have the money, I'll be able to find a secondhand Accucraft k-28 #473. My avatar is a picture of me running 473 when I worked on the D&SNG. My favorite engine by far that I operated there, as well as many of the other enginemen I worked with.

Patrick
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Cooke said:
That is brilliant! I've recently become interested in owning a gauge 1 live steamer but was a little discouraged by the videos I've seen where they always look like they are speeding out of control and would be impossible to do any switching. This is very encouraging for me. Hopefully someday when I have the money, I'll be able to find a secondhand Accucraft k-28 #473. My avatar is a picture of me running 473 when I worked on the D&SNG. My favorite engine by far that I operated there, as well as many of the other enginemen I worked with.

Patrick
Click to expand...
That is fascinating Patrick - I reckon you might have a few stories to tell about your experiences with the K-28!.....?

The Slomo is indeed game changer - especially when mounted on the loco. I do know that Terry Robinson is working on a fitting for the K-27, so the K-28 should not be too difficult.
Cheers
Chris
 
#14 · (Edited)
Neat! Those are definitely tamed locos. I've seen larger "inertia cars" built over the years, but this is the first one I've seen small enough to fit onboard the loco and have any noticeable effect. Very cool. I'd love to see one for a Ruby. If it can tame that, I'm SOLD!

Chris, I'd be interested in seeing any experiments you might do with this thing in the tender of a loco with 2-axle trucks.

Patrick, you'll find the larger locos like the K-28 to be much more controllable than their smaller cousins just due to the sheer mass of the locomotive. I've got an Accucraft EBT mikado, and its driving experience is night and day different from my Rubies and Roundhouses. I do a lot of prototypical switching with my steamers, and my mike is by far the smoothest and most controllable in that regard.

Later,

K
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
East Broad Top said:
Neat! Those are definitely tamed locos. I've seen larger "inertia cars" built over the years, but this is the first one I've seen small enough to fit onboard the loco and have any noticeable effect. Very cool. I'd love to see one for a Ruby. If it can tame that, I'm SOLD!

Chris, I'd be interested in seeing any experiments you might do with this thing in the tender of a loco with 2-axle trucks.

Patrick, you'll find the larger locos like the K-28 to be much more controllable than their smaller cousins just due to the sheer mass of the locomotive. I've got an Accucraft EBT mikado, and its driving experience is night and day different from my Rubies and Roundhouses. I do a lot of prototypical switching with my steamers, and my mike is by far the smoothest and most controllable in that regard.

Later,

K
Click to expand...
Well the Ruby os probably ruled out for on-board fitting as there just isn't room, but it is possible in a tender. As I have reported, though, the gearing would need to be much easier to avoid polishing just one patch of rail!

Sadly I am not likely to try a two truck tender as I am just a Slomo customer playing with the locos and stuff I have. It is possible though if you designed a truck round the Slomo. It is all new territoty though and it will be down to someone to try it. Terry, the designer, is flat out just doing the loco mount trials and making the units.

I totally agree that the big locos will be easier (though I have never been closer than a few thousand miles to an EBT). The Slomo would still improve the light engine movements I am sure - but it would not be good at all for any fast running. Jay Kovak is thinking about this I know.......
Cheers
Chris
 
#18 ·
Patrick, you'll find the larger locos like the K-28 to be much more controllable than their smaller cousins just due to the sheer mass of the locomotive. I've got an Accucraft EBT mikado, and its driving experience is night and day different from my Rubies and Roundhouses. I do a lot of prototypical switching with my steamers, and my mike is by far the smoothest and most controllable in that regard.
Click to expand...
Kevin,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you think the Slomo could still improve an Accucraft Mike some? These videos of little engines with a Slomo and Chffer are very impressive. I love how the engines look like they are really heavy and resistant to move, the first exhaust beat is awesome. I think this has sold me on getting a live steamer someday.

Patrick
 
#19 ·
I can't really say whether it'd offer an improvement or not. Here's a video of my EBT mike. It's pretty slow and steady in its own right.


I guess the old saying "couldn't hurt" comes into play. The question becomes "where do you mount it?" On an outside-frame K-28 or similar, there's likely to be more room than on an inside-frame loco like the EBT mike. With tenders carrying water and fuel, fitting the Slomo on a truck probably isn't all that feasible. Likely, I'd probably fit it to a truck of the car immediately behind the locomotive.

Later,

K
 
#20 ·
I am thinking the same thing for Emma and Fairymead. Both are a chore to run even with RC due to my hill and dale railway. This would help settle them down to the point that one might be able to switch off the RC once a nice sedate speed is achieved. A trailing car would be necessary since both have inside the frame valve motion. I this giving the engine the feel of "mass" that the real ones have but our small scale lack. Just like the momentum control circuits in throttles in the smaller scales. Now that we have the realistic "drift" once the throttle is closed, we need proper steam brakes to stop the engine. Since air isnt a realistic possiblity, a small steam cylinder triggered with a seperate channel on the RC transmitter to push the brake shoes against the drivers would work. I would love to see that on the larger engines like Fairymead, the "burn ones fingers" cylinder cocks do nothing for me, they should have been linkaged to the cab with a lever of some sort. Or just left off the model. But steam brakes, or even a lever in the cab to apply them, and thus tied to a servo would have worked. Great invention on the slomo! Cheers Mike
 
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Chris B
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