Hornby live steam

Dick Relph, a British modeller devoted most of his long life to perfecting electrically controlled live steam locomotives that he could run on his scenic indoor layout.

Around twenty years ago I was priveleged to see him shunt on the 16mm scale narrow gauge layout that he had built in the roof of his bungalow in Cornwall. The two locos that he had built were models of Lynton & Barnstaple engines and had gas fired boilers. Speed and direction were controlled by a reversing valve with his own form of porting and they were controlled by a DC motor with current picked up from the two-rail track. The motors were only driven when it was intended to change the setting of the reversing valve.

Dick could perform very precise shunting movements with his system.

Daniel A. Mitchell wrote:

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Don't really know. Didn't get a chance to talk to the Hornby rep at the show. But, on the brochure, you do see the electric motor. But not really if/how it connects to the drivers.

Kennedy

I remember reading somewhere that the live steamers either ran at full speed or at stop. So, I was hoping the rep would change speeds or something. BUt, some guy got him talking about something else, and never really did anything to change speeds. Though I can say that it wasn't running like a toy train would if a little kid was at the controls. Then again, I couldn't tell if that WAS it's top speed.

I went by later to see if anything had changed, but it was still chugging along at whatever speed they wanted it to run at....

Kennedy