Unit Steam Engine
[Models]

This is a small oscillating steam engine built from a kit bought at the Harrogate model engineering exhibition at the beginning of May 2006, a few changes were made to the original design, most notably a phosphor bronze liner in the main bearing instead of letting the steel shaft run in the plain casting and a flywheel made from one of my own castings..

Building the engine was quite straight forward, a few small tools had to be made for the lathe to cut the labyrinth packing rings for the piston.

The engine has been run on compressed air for about an hour to bed in the bearing surfaces, the engine will now run quite happily on 15psi.

A small boiler is underway, it is planned to be of a fire tube design and be fueled by methalated spirit.