5 inch gauge petrol - electric locomotive with Suffolk Engine

[@ashraaqwahab2817]

Your own backyard railway...truly living the dream. Beautiful!

[@Titan604]

Although I do have a short railway at home, this is the Riverside Railway in Burton on Trent.

[@lunhil12]

That's so neat I'd give it a beauty makeover. A metal body and all the bells and whistles to make it a fine scale model. This ride looks like a fine way to spend an afternoon.

[@Titan604]

Thanks! I would like to give it a major upgrade - I have plans to make a twin cylinder Suffolk engine from two singles and fit that, which would include a new body. However it is a little way down the priority list as fixing things that don't run comes first!

[@MervynPartin]

It runs very well. Lawnmowers used to be a very good source of motive power, like the Suffolk engine used here. Good solidly built reliable engines that would last for years. Back in the 60s, I put one together with a (Suffolk) centrifugal clutch driving the wheels via an industrial gearbox and bicycle chain. Another used a GEC-Atco lawnmower motor running on a battery. They used to run on the 5" gauge line at Newport, Wales.

[@GarrattHamster]

Interesting little loco.

[@gibbosj08]

id be interested to know a little more on the traction motors. absolutely fantastic i love it 👌

[@gibbosj08]

its getting me wondering if i could make such a thing using a 6 12 24 v generator

[@Titan604]

@@gibbosj08 The motors are 12V DC Smiths. They were used to drive car radiator fans. Might be a bit hard to find as they were old tech 30 years ago!

[@biancadarosa9053]

If this runs on benzene (etc. Petrol) and the loco gets a motor ready (with rpm, gas meter)

[@Titan604]

It runs on petrol. It still uses the original governor so the rpms take care of themselves.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Nice, very much like the electric transmission of a real diesel locomotive. Did you use a simple bridge rectifier to get the DC for the motors? The difference with the real thing is only the absence of an engine speed governor, that would make it a constant speed drive too. Direct throttling is indeed constant power.

[@Titan604]

The alternator has a built in rectifier so it's output is DC. It does have an engine speed governor, it is the original that the engine was fitted with and is of the air vane type.

[@andrewsmart2949]

BUTEC or leese neville alternator?

[@Titan604]

I am afraid I don't know the make of alternator. I just went to a truck scrapyard and asked if they had a cheap 24V alternator and this is what they brought me.