# Testing the SSP Slomo



## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

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


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## boilingwater (Jan 27, 2010)

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...


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

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....
> ...


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


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

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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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

BigRedOne said:


> Chris,
> 
> Were the videos filmed at full speed, or half speed?
> 
> ...


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


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

What does the unit itself look like?


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

Jerry Barnes said:


> What does the unit itself look like?


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


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

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


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

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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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

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


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

I had a little trouble finding the manufactures website so I'll share it here http://smallsteamperformance.com.au

Could of on these be fitted on an Accucraft k-28? Would it improve the performance? Hoping it might be offered for it in the future. 

Patrick


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

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


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


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

A little more Slomo action - this time loco mounted on a very nicely weathered 'Worril' type Hunslet:






Cheers
Chris


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

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


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Chris I do not run live steam but maybe someday. You sir have a awesome looking layout. The live steam you have and your rolling stock is to be proud of. All the best. Pete


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

pete said:


> Chris I do not run live steam but maybe someday. You sir have a awesome looking layout. The live steam you have and your rolling stock is to be proud of. All the best. Pete


Thanks Pete - it is kind of you to say so 
Cheers
Chris


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

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.
> 
> ...


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


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

> 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.


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


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

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


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

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 (Oct 18, 2009)

Great film Kevin with superb slow running. The Slomo is about 55mm wide so I can see that it is really not an option for inside framed locos. The car mounted ones work well and simulate the inertia of a heavy train. If tender mounting were possible, you could do slow switching with just the loco. We are breaking new ground here!

For smoothing out the running of smaller locos, Mike, the Slomo car will work just fine. I like the idea of the radio controlled brakes too!
Cheers
Chris


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

Here is another little video of the Waril type Hunslet - this time on the awesome Cathedral Mountain Railway. 






Cheers
Chris


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Chris B said:


> 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! . . . .


I think one feature of the big 'inertia' cars, like David Bailey's, was that several axles were tied to the flywheel via a belt - maybe two connecting all 8 wheels of the car.

With lots of new servo/automation options, it shouldn't be difficult to tie together all 4 axles on a normal tender? The 1/8" chain we use for thrttles is an obvious choice.


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi Pete
The photos that David sent me showed a two truck car. On the one truck there was a single belt that joined the two axles to a large (as in huge!) flywheel - and I gather that initially had trouble with belts breaking. The second truck used the same system but with a large fan to provide resistance at speed. 

I think joining the two axles of a truck (or car) would give better drive adhesion, but I have not done it as the chain would be very visible on my small car. I am not sure how one could join all four axles on articulated trucks without some shay type gearing, and I am not sure it would be necessary.

The great thing about the revival of this technology is that it will get folk experimenting. From my perspective (small, slow narrow gauge) it has increased the driving pleasure by a few hundred percent!
Cheers
Chris


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