maximod

The Maximod concept was started when my friend Henner came up with the idea of using a Stuart D10 engine to power a locomotive through a chain drive system. This happened in the late 1960s. A friend of his built a first engine using a vertical boiler. In 1977 another friend began selling plans for a tram engine based on the first locomotive but using an horizontal boiler. In the early 1980s Henner started work on his own tram engine: he got as far as a complete running chassis and an unfinished boiler. All these parts sat in his house in Germany until early 2005 when his son shipped the whole thing to him in California. He then gave me the locomotive in exchange for a brand new D10 kit. The original boiler was declared unusable, so I ordered a vertical boiler from Stuart. This album chronicles the re-birth of this locomotive. It is named Maximod because it is a large version of my gauge 1 Vermod...

These first few pictures show the first run under steam. We were at Henner's place and the lack of track did not stop us from running it!

This short movie shows the engine running back and forth on Henner's garage floor.

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This nearly 30 years old D10 engine ran perfectly...

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Here is the Suart vertical boiler. It came complete with a throttle, a water gauge, a safety valve and a pressure gauge.

Here you can see the water pump (not yet connected). It is driven via an excentric from the jack shaft. The same excentric also drives the lubricator.

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This is the first test run on my home line. It was not very succesful as we found out that the cylinders had no packing! As a result, the engine was barely able to pull me on the flat and refused to go up hill. This sad experience lead to three things: - The grade on my layout wa eased. - The engine was geared lower - The cylinders were packed

Packing disaster! I packed the cylinders with teflon tape, ran the engine once and then after it sat for a couple of weeks, I noticed the engine was very hard to turn by hand. This picture shows what I found when I pulled the cylinders out... It turns out these cylinders are oil tight and do not need any packing.

Here is something you don't see everyday: a steam locomotive doing donuts... Please note that I'm not pushing the engine: it is pulling me!

Up to this time, the Maximod had been a poor performer: it was incapable of pulling me around my track (2% grade). I found that the gas jet was clogged and I was putting too much water in the biler. As this movie shows, it is now fine.

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Top view with the boiler removed

Chain drive to the rear axle.

Bottom view.

Close up from the bottom of the front: - The axle at the bottom is the jack shaft. - Above it is the front axle.

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All wheels are sprung.

Wheel bearing. There is a ball baering inside it.

Primary sprocket on the engine's shaft.

Top view of the fron t axle. The left sprocket carries the chain from the jack shaft

Rear view: once the engine is re-gauged to 4.75", the eight bolts holding the side frames will be moved outward. A wood end beeam will cover the steel plate.

	The Maximod concept was started when my friend Henner came up with the idea of using a Stuart D10 engine to power a locomotive through a chain drive system. This happened in the late 1960s. A friend of his built a first engine using a vertical boiler. In 1977 another friend began selling plans for a tram engine based on the first locomotive but using an horizontal boiler. In the early 1980s Henner started work on his own tram engine: he got as far as a complete running chassis and an unfinished boiler. All these parts sat in his house in Germany until early 2005 when his son shipped the whole thing to him in California. He then gave me the locomotive in exchange for a brand new D10 kit. The original boiler was declared unusable, so I ordered a vertical boiler from Stuart. This album chronicles the re-birth of this locomotive. It is named Maximod because it is a large version of my gauge 1 Vermod...
	These first few pictures show the first run under steam. We were at Henner's place and the lack of track did not stop us from running it!
	This short movie shows the engine running back and forth on Henner's garage floor.
	IMGP0535
	IMGP0536
	This nearly 30 years old D10 engine ran perfectly...
	IMGP0538
	IMGP0539
	Here is the Suart vertical boiler. It came complete with a throttle, a water gauge, a safety valve and a pressure gauge.
	Here you can see the water pump (not yet connected). It is driven via an excentric from the jack shaft. The same excentric also drives the lubricator.
	IMGP0546
	This is the first test run on my home line. It was not very succesful as we found out that the cylinders had no packing! As a result, the engine was barely able to pull me on the flat and refused to go up hill. This sad experience lead to three things: - The grade on my layout wa eased. - The engine was geared lower - The cylinders were packed
	Packing disaster! I packed the cylinders with teflon tape, ran the engine once and then after it sat for a couple of weeks, I noticed the engine was very hard to turn by hand. This picture shows what I found when I pulled the cylinders out... It turns out these cylinders are oil tight and do not need any packing.
	Here is something you don't see everyday: a steam locomotive doing donuts... Please note that I'm not pushing the engine: it is pulling me!
	Up to this time, the Maximod had been a poor performer: it was incapable of pulling me around my track (2% grade). I found that the gas jet was clogged and I was putting too much water in the biler. As this movie shows, it is now fine.
	End_0001.jpg
	Top view with the boiler removed
	Chain drive to the rear axle.
	Bottom view.
	Close up from the bottom of the front: - The axle at the bottom is the jack shaft. - Above it is the front axle.
	IMGP1444.JPG
	IMGP1445.JPG
	All wheels are sprung.
	Wheel bearing. There is a ball baering inside it.
	Primary sprocket on the engine's shaft.
	Top view of the fron t axle. The left sprocket carries the chain from the jack shaft
	Rear view: once the engine is re-gauged to 4.75", the eight bolts holding the side frames will be moved outward. A wood end beeam will cover the steel plate.