# HOW DOES THIS BEAUTY WORK?



## Bob Baxter (Jan 3, 2008)

I saw this Accucraft live steamer on ebay this morning. The complex beauty caught my eye and I grabbed the picture. As I studied the mechanism I'm afraid I don't have any idea how it works. Are there cylinders, rods, and cranks under this thing? What does that cylindrical thing up front do? I'm totally stumped by 21st century technology and now it seems that I'm totally confused by this late 19th and/or early 20th.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Pretty wild to see operate!




[Sorry, I can't get the hang of posting video links I guess, here's the hard link:] 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzc4r9avWCY


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, very cool! 
I found a page about the prototype:

Klose semi-articulated 

but it doesn't really explain how it works!
Scot


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Pretty wild to see operate! 
Yeah - at least on the video you can see it does work!


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Like Bob says though, even with the video, I can't figure out what's pushing what, ha ha! 

Here's another set of clues...
http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/...etothe.htm

That pulley system is hard to figure out too. All that for the bell? And why the pulleys on the rear end? 

At least the "semi" (as in semi-articulated) makes sense. From the article Scott found, it seems like a compressed-wheelbase 0-6-0 with a trailing (articulated) fuel (or water) bogey that may (or may not) give extra support to the cab end of the loco. (?)
[edit: I'm wrong about that, the front and rear axles swivel on the prototype].


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By Bob Baxter on 21 Oct 2013 01:08 PM 
I saw this Accucraft live steamer on ebay this morning. The complex beauty caught my eye and I grabbed the picture. As I studied the mechanism I'm afraid I don't have any idea how it works. Are there cylinders, rods, and cranks under this thing? What does that cylindrical thing up front do? I'm totally stumped by 21st century technology and now it seems that I'm totally confused by this late 19th and/or early 20th. 



Bob,
From what I understand, on the real thing, is that it inside cylinder driving the centre axle. 
This loco has a style of articulation that allowed the front and rear drivers to swivel.
This of course means that you can't have regular connecting rods, hence all the 'stuff' on the side going up and down.
It actually allowed the connecting rods to in effect lengthen or shorten as required.
The outside cylindrical things at the front, i would assume are the steam chests for the inside cylinders.
Very interesting looking loco.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliff, I have seen the pulley system before on some German NG engines. There is a similar system on the rear of the cab. I think that it has something to do with brakes, but that is about the limit of my knowledge. Chuck


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

A post on this forum confirms your brakes, Chuck. 

http://www.cgtrains.com/t547-accucraft-saxonian 

Here's an article on the linkage & etc. by "our own" Ralph: 

http://www.cabbagepatchrailway.co.uk/klose.html


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Cliff, thanks for the links. Chuck


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Basically, you light a fire, water boils to make steam, and steam under pressure propels the locomotive.  

From that point on, I thought the exterior rods are for valves, and the cylinders are inside the frame. 

I believe the pulleys are to facilitate uncoupling from inside the locomotive. Or where they hung the telegraph wire, not sure about that, though.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

It is easier to understand the Klose system of varying the coupling rod's effective lengths for the swiveling front and rear axles if you ignore the stuff above the center axle's crank pin. All the above motion is for the valves in the steam chests. The cylinders are between the frames and drive the center axle. 
The Klose design was complex and designs incorporating axles with much side play to accommodate curves was more favorable. 
This Saxon IIIK design choice was soon replaced by the more powerful Mayer IVK that is modeled by LGB. 
The pulleys are for overhead rope brakes common on Saxony's narrow gauge railways. I think rope tension kept them off to avoid run aways. 

Andrew


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