I have seen ads for some pretty small live steamers, anyone know if there are any in HO?
Just curious, would be a great conversation piece to bring out and run once in a while.
Todd C.
Try www.mts-schmeisser.at or type Schmeisser into Yahoo browser.They make handmade European steam.A few years ago I saw HO live steam at a GATS trainshow.
Some twenty years ago I knew someone who was importing HO scale models of Stephenson’s Rocket. I think they came from Switzerland. I haven’t seen any since then.
(While I say “scale”, they probably were a bit oversize.)
David
I haven’t seen anything commercially available for years, but I know of at least one guy who scracthbuilds live steam in small scales here in th UK. The smallest I’ve seen was an HOe European tram loco - awesome - model engineering of a very, very high level.
James (Hampshire, England)
The smallest commercially available live steamers that I know of are in o scale. For HO you’ll probably have to build it your self. Personally, I find live steam in the table top sizes rather boring. You just fill them with water and whatever you choice of fuel is and watch it go until the fuel runs out (ideally before the water). If you’re interested in live steam check out http://www.livesteaming.com/ .
Last year on the pre-Christmas exhibition in Munnich/Germany, there were two manufacturers with live steam locomotives for HO.
On the exhibition they used air from compressor to run, but there was a gasburner in the locomotive.
I can find out the names of those companies.
One was from Germany the another one from UK. (I think)
Do not expect the same quality of control on those steamers (I have in scale I) this cannot be compared to electric control (analog or DCC).
To run real steam locomotives is fun, but is quite far from model railroading what we usually expect. The steam “motor” is very weak, the speed changes in curves and on grades very rapidly.
I read somewhere that there was an experiment with DCC control to control the steamers (in bigger scale), I do not know about such experiments in smaller scales - you have to control by servo motors the throttle etc.
Look at our WEB pages:
http://groups.msn.com/FERKELLINES/willkommen.msnw
and
for scale I
http://groups.msn.com/Spur1TeamBaden/ablagebox.msnw
(Sorry it is German)
I am relying on my memory now (an increasingly dangerous practice) but I seem to recall a story years and years ago in RMC about someone in England who had live steam in OOO (close to N).
I have seen a demo layout for several consecutive years at the Great American Train Show in Fort Wayne (IN) that I think travels at least in the midwest show circuit. It’s American prototype (old PFM) brasss engines that the guy modified himself, and it’s HO live steam. Drop me a line if you’re interested further…next time the show comes 'round, I can get some contact info for you.