MOC: 1/22.5 scale Kitson-Meyer - Ferrocarril de Taltal. UPDATE: Now with video!

[Sven J]

Hi all,

When I presented my Kitson-Meyer model, I promised a video of the engine.
Good news first: After a minor modification to the slide valve covers on top of the cylinders (they hit the frame in curves and fell off), the locomotive runs like hell. Great pulling power, smooth controllability – exactly as I had hoped for, and much better than its somewhat capricious predecessors.

Now some bad news: While almost all scenes have been shot, editing the video proves to be VERY time-consuming, at least with my computer and software.
As a consequence, I decided to make a short "appetizer“ before the much longer main video will be ready in a few days (I hope).

So come on board of one of the flat cars loaded with bags of nitrate, hold on tight and enjoy the wild ride through the Atacama desert!

For once, I didn’t replace the original sound. The combination of rattling rods, buzzing motors and clattering wheels sounds almost prototypical…

Thanks for your interest!

Kind regards,
Sven

Edited September 30, 2019 by Tenderlok

[zephyr1934]

Very nice! The lantern is an extra nice touch. Can't wait to see views from the wayside.

[monai]

Really nice sounds, like zephyr I'm waiting for side view too, I'm sure the prototypical kytson meyer arrangement will be awsome. Just a question, is it the speed in scale too? This kind of lokos were not conceived to run very fast I presume.

[Sven J]

@monai You're absolutely right.

From an old passenger service timetable of the Taltal Railway, one can calculate that the trains travelled at an average speed of 20-25 km/h in the inland direction (uphill) and 25-35 km/h down to the sea. Of course these figures include accelerating and braking periods, so the absolute top speed on the FCT may have been 40 or 45 km/h.

In the video, the engine runs at a speed equivalent to approx. 50 km/h in reality, pulling a five-wagon train (4 open 4-axle freight wagons from Train Line 45 and a 4-axle passenger coach from Bachmann USA), and yet the speed control slider was not at 100%. Actually, the locomotive can pull this given train another 20% faster!
So this speed run was more for show, or to demonstrate the model's potential. But of course it can go slowy as well...

Edited October 1, 2019 by Tenderlok

[Sven J]

Hi all again!

Phew... that's been some hard (and enervating) work. But now the complete video is ready.
Enjoy and don't forget to turn up the volume!

Best regards,
Sven

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Tenderlok

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

This is pure poetry! 

[monai]

Wow Sven this recall me the "Pacific 231" by Arthur Honegger, this movie outperforms even your LEGO craftmanship. I like also the colour of your parquet with the white of some carpets that are very similar to the chilean pampas peppered with salt lakes (sometime I will send you some pictures).

many fraternal compliments

Sergio

 

[zephyr1934]

Three thoughts, first, always amazing to see your large scale builds in action. Second, I can't think of anyone in greater need of a garden so that you can railroad it (grin). And third, your work really highlights one of the best aspects of this hobby- you do not need to wait for a manufacturer to come out with a model of a given prototype- just build it yourself. When I talk with model railroaders about my builds I have to explain that they are scratch built, but that's a lot easier to do with Lego.

[Sven J]

Thank you, @LEGO Train 12 Volts, @monai and @zephyr1934 !

20 hours ago, monai said:

Wow Sven this recall me the "Pacific 231" by Arthur Honegger, this movie outperforms even your LEGO craftmanship. I like also the colour of your parquet with the white of some carpets that are very similar to the chilean pampas peppered with salt lakes (sometime I will send you some pictures).

I think I read somewhere that "Trenzinho" was sort of a reply to "Pacific 231", as Villa-Lobos thought it should be possible to set a steam train to music in a somewhat more light-hearted way than Honegger did.
The thing with my floor is pure chance… But I’m happy that you like the effect!

1 hour ago, zephyr1934 said:

I can't think of anyone in greater need of a garden so that you can railroad it (grin).

Definitely not! A garden means lots of work, and lots of work means less time for hobbies like Lego and music…
But you’re absolutely right stating

1 hour ago, zephyr1934 said:

one of the best aspects of this hobby- you do not need to wait for a manufacturer to come out with a model of a given prototype- just build it yourself.

In fact I deliberately choose locomotives that haven’t yet been released by model train manufacturers. This requires extensive research about the prototype, as there’s no chance to simply copy details from already existing models, and doing this research is actually my favourite part of the whole business. Finding out new and unexpected facts and details and incorporating them into a model’s design is even more fun to me than eventually building the model.

P.S. Note for European readers: The original video has a frame rate of 50 fps. Therefore, it appears much smoother on a European standard 50/100 Hz TV screen than on a 60 Hz computer monitor.
So if you'd like to watch the movie on your TV via a USB device, you can download the original .mp4 file here.

Edited October 8, 2019 by Tenderlok

[Jerzy123]

On 7/24/2019 at 8:24 AM, Tenderlok said:

Dear trainheads,

Finally, my new locomotive is ready!

This time, I chose a prototype from quite a distant edge of the world - an articulated narrow-gauge (1067 mm) 0-6-6-0T "Kitson-Meyer" engine belonging to the Chilean "Ferrocarril de Taltal" (FCT; written as "Ferro Carril Taltal“ on locomotive number plates), or "Taltal Railway".

Ten of these locomotives were delivered to the FCT by Kitson & Co. (Leeds, UK) between 1904 and 1907, and further eight engines later acquired second-hand.
Over the years, several modifications were carried out: For example, all engines were converted to burn oil soon. Water and fuel capacity of some locomotives (including No. 50, the prototype for my model) were increased by adding welded enlargements on top of the side and rear tanks.

"The Railway Magazine" gives a short description of the FCT (Vol. 90. No. 551, May-June, 1944, pp.158—159):

  Reveal hidden contents

"The Taltal Railway of Chile is [...] located within the so-called “rainless belt” and serves the department from which it takes its name in the southern part of the province of Antofagasta, which is situated in the north of the country. Its principal source of revenue is the traffic provided by the nitrate industry, for which Chile is well known, and [...] it is the only railway connecting the territory through which it runs with the port of Taltal, on the Pacific Ocean.

It connects with the Northern Longitudinal Railway at Catalina. The line was opened for traffic on October 20, 1882, and the company now owns 160 miles of single track (including 68 miles of branch lines); the gauge throughout is 3 ft. 6 in. [...]

Apart from nitrate, the Taltal Railway is concerned with the carriage of coal, mineral ore, and fuel oil, [...] and of foodstuffs and gold, the latter from a mine about 80 miles from Taltal. Trains loaded with coal, fuel oil, and foodstuffs constitute the main traffic in the inland direction, and the chief commodities conveyed down to the port are nitrate, gold, and mineral ore. The company owns two moles at Taltal, from which the shipping capacity is 3,000 tons a day outwards, and 700 tons a day inwards. [...] The Taltal Railway has two tanks for the storage of fuel oil, which hold together 4,000 tons; it owns also a water pipe-line, 112 miles in length, leading from the foothills of the Andes down to the port."

More detailed information can be found in the books "The Taltal Railway" and "Kitson Meyer Articulated Locomotives", both by Donald Binns, which were my two principal sources. In general, very few technical information about the FCT locomotives can be traced. Despite searching for months, I wasn't able to find a detailed drawing. So I had to largely rely on taking measures from photos and on one single, distorted sketch on a data sheet describing the near-identical engines from the "Ferrocarril Tocopilla al Toco" - see below.
(While there are numerous photos of the sole surviving FCT Kitson-Meyer, no. 59, nearly all of them were taken during the engine's last years in service, when it was already in a very poor state of maintenance, or since it has been on display as a monument. Because of that, it's difficult to conclude how it looked in better days. Nevertheless, I hope - and believe - that the model's overall impression comes close enough to the real locomotive's appearance.)

The model is held in accurate 1/22.5 scale. It consists of quite exactly 3,000 parts and weighs in at 2.4 kg. The engine is powered by two L-motors (one mounted vertically in each bogie); each motor has its own BuWizz as a power supply and R/C unit (technically, one BuWizz would suffice, but this configuration allows for longer running times).
The wheels come from BBB and the lighting equipment was purchased from Brickstuff, as usual, while the rods are 3D-printed parts of my own design.

Enough said – enjoy the photos!

Data sheet for the similar engines (though with different brake equipment and cab) of the "Ferrocarril Tocopilla al Toco":

Detailed cab...

... and also smokebox interior, showing the exhaust nozzle, the base of the chimney and the boiler tubes:

The cab roof is detachable. The ventilation flap really opens, you can see the lever for the steam whistle through the hole:

The top of the Belpaire firebox is also detachable, giving access to the charging sockets and the power buttons:

The lower part of the cab ladder is attached to the bogie and turns with it. Note also the chain which prevents the bogie from jackknifing in case of a derailment.

Advanced lighting functions, controlled via two BuWizz channels:

 

Before starting their daily trip into the Andes, engineer and fireman still have enough time to pose for a photo with their trusty old lady...

... while one of the brakemen uses the unexpected spare time in a different way.

Well, but not for long. Soon "El Jefe" arrives in his flashy Chevrolet and critically watches his employees' activities...

A few shots from the building phase, showing further details.
First, the bogies with the motors. You can see the leaf springs underneath, as well as the brakes and (as on the real thing) only one single sanding pipe in front of the first wheel:

The firebox once again:

The main frame. The ashpan contains two weight bricks, which help to keep the centre of gravity low and thus to prevent the model from tipping over.

And a view of the complete technical layout with batteries and motors. The multi-coloured bricks underneath are just the building stand.

Full-resolution images can be found in my Bricksafe folder.
At the moment, it’s too hot in my attic for filming, and I’ll go on holiday next week; but when I’m back, of course I'll shoot a video of the locomotive and its train, so stay tuned!

Last but not least, I'd like to give my heartfelt thanks to all those AFOLs who attended the development of this model with their feedback and encouragement; and especially (though we've never met in person) to my dear "pen-friend" Sergio Monai @monai, whose multilingualism and commitment were an invaluable help during the research phase.

Comments and criticism are of course most welcome!

Thanks for stopping by!

Best regards,
Sven

Edit: Video now available here!

This is a work of art.  I think I may have an LGB picture of this train somewhere that I will find

[SteamSewnEmpire]

It runs like a dream.

[Sven J]

Thanks for your kind words, @Jerzy123 and @SteamSewnEmpire !

On 9/21/2020 at 4:18 AM, Jerzy123 said:

I think I may have an LGB picture of this train somewhere that I will find

As far as I know, LGB once marketed a model (made by Höhne) of the Colombian 2-6-6-2 Kitson Meyer, but not the (relatively unknown) Chilean Locomotive.

[Jerzy123]

On 9/22/2020 at 11:20 AM, Tenderlok said:

Thanks for your kind words, @Jerzy123 and @SteamSewnEmpire !

As far as I know, LGB once marketed a model (made by Höhne) of the Colombian 2-6-6-2 Kitson Meyer, but not the (relatively unknown) Chilean Locomotive.

You are correct.  I found a pic from 1980 Colombian model you are referencing but I can’t load it because I’m limited to 102kb.  There are similarities and it was called the kitson Meyer mallet 

[Phil B]

25 minutes ago, Jerzy123 said:

You are correct.  I found a pic from 1980 Colombian model you are referencing but I can’t load it because I’m limited to 102kb.  There are similarities and it was called the kitson Meyer mallet 

Don't upload pictures here. Put them on Flickr and then embed them here. The storage Eurobricks provides is only for your avatar picture, hence the limited size.

[Jerzy123]

7 hours ago, Phil B said:

Don't upload pictures here. Put them on Flickr and then embed them here. The storage Eurobricks provides is only for your avatar picture, hence the limited size.

Got it, I’m new to the site and still navigating the rules.  Now I have to set up a Flickr account 

[Phil B]

50 minutes ago, Jerzy123 said:

Got it, I’m new to the site and still navigating the rules.  Now I have to set up a Flickr account 

ANY other image sharing site will work too (Imgur, Bricksafe etc)

[Jerzy123]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UH8sZDgURMBBRv9W8

here is the pic of the Colombian LGB Mallet

[Sven J]

@Jerzy123 This is a very handsome model (and also a rare and expensive one, I may add). However, though this is a bit of nitpicking, it is not a Mallet in a technical sense. A Mallet has its rear set of drivers mounted in the main frame, only the front engine is designed as a bogie (and a "true" Mallet has also a compound engine with high-pressure cylinders at the rear and low-pressure in front, but nowadays the term "Mallet" is usually applied to simple-expansion locomotives as well).

An engine with bogies for both sets of drivers is called "Meyer" (when the distance between front and rear bogie is so short that the firebox has to be mounted above the wheels) or "Kitson-Meyer" (with sufficient space between the bogies for a large, deep firebox). And of course there are Garratt articulateds, and Golwés, and Du Bousquets, and Modified Fairlies... but that's another story.

I presume LGB chose the "Mallet" designation for marketing reasons, as this term is more widely known than "Kitson-Meyer"...

If you want to go further into the fascinating world of (Kitson)-Meyer articulateds and their relatives, I highly recommend these little books, unfortunately long out of print:

[Jerzy123]

8 hours ago, Tenderlok said:

@Jerzy123 This is a very handsome model (and also a rare and expensive one, I may add). However, though this is a bit of nitpicking, it is not a Mallet in a technical sense. A Mallet has its rear set of drivers mounted in the main frame, only the front engine is designed as a bogie (and a "true" Mallet has also a compound engine with high-pressure cylinders at the rear and low-pressure in front, but nowadays the term "Mallet" is usually applied to simple-expansion locomotives as well).

An engine with bogies for both sets of drivers is called "Meyer" (when the distance between front and rear bogie is so short that the firebox has to be mounted above the wheels) or "Kitson-Meyer" (with sufficient space between the bogies for a large, deep firebox). And of course there are Garratt articulateds, and Golwés, and Du Bousquets, and Modified Fairlies... but that's another story.

I presume LGB chose the "Mallet" designation for marketing reasons, as this term is more widely known than "Kitson-Meyer"...

If you want to go further into the fascinating world of (Kitson)-Meyer articulateds and their relatives, I highly recommend these little books, unfortunately long out of print:

Thank you for the history and narrative.  I just got into g-scale modeling about 3 years ago and joined a local club that has many passionate members that are knowledgeable in all sorts of trains.  Every time we get together I always learn something new.  The information you presented is very informative.  I really appreciate your attention to detail especially with your lego models. 

[Osbourne]

On 10/1/2019 at 10:05 AM, Tenderlok said:

For once, I didn’t replace the original sound. The combination of rattling rods, buzzing motors and clattering wheels sounds almost prototypical…

Thanks for your interest!

Kind regards,
Sven

So I stumbled across this post (& subsequently the rest of the forum) and just had to comment. I really love the design! My family are from Chile although much further north (Iquique) and my grandmother grew up in a small railway town in the Atacama Desert ~93 miles from Iquique. However that hasn't stopped her or myself appreciating the other Ferrocarriles Salitereros. Out of curiosity would you ever consider doing either the Nitrate Railways Co. Beyer-Garratt or the Anglo-Chilian Nitrate & Railway Co Baldwin 2-6-6-0 Mallet? Regardless though I cannot overstate how much I love your 1/22.5 version of the Taltal Meyer!

[Sven J]

@Osbourne Thank you for your appreciation!

I don’t think that I will build one of the mentioned locomotives. I don’t like the visual appearance of Garratt engines, and Mallets are not very well suited to my track layout (I once started building one and gave up, for the test chassis got stuck in curves frequently).

Do you have further information regarding that Baldwin engine? I only found 0-6-6-0s here (pp. 163 ff.).

[Osbourne]

9 hours ago, Tenderlok said:

Do you have further information regarding that Baldwin engine? I only found 0-6-6-0s here (pp. 163 ff.).

Whoops, that's what I get for not double checking my sources! That's right they were 0-6-6-0s, perhaps I was thinking simultaneously of the 2-4-4-2 Mallet that is my pfp and the ACN&R Co Mallets. Pity to hear that Mallets don't handle your track very well and I understand your feelings on the Garratt. Still though, there are plenty of other conventional engines on both those railways! I'd do it myself but I have my own (non-lego) model project to finish first.   

[Sven J]

18 hours ago, Osbourne said:

Still though, there are plenty of other conventional engines on both those railways!

Well, they are not "conventional" locos, but actually I did consider building a model of either Nitrate Railway’s standard gauge 0-6-6-0T Meyer engines or FCTT/ACN&R’s narrow gauge 2-6-6-2T Kitson-Meyers (and haven’t completely abandoned these plans yet).

But similar to your situation, there are other models to be finished first… for the next 2-3 years, I think there won’t be a chance of another South American locomotive.

[Osbourne]

13 hours ago, Tenderlok said:

Well, they are not "conventional" locos, but actually I did consider building a model of either Nitrate Railway’s standard gauge 0-6-6-0T Meyer engines or FCTT/ACN&R’s narrow gauge 2-6-6-2T Kitson-Meyers (and haven’t completely abandoned these plans yet).

But similar to your situation, there are other models to be finished first… for the next 2-3 years, I think there won’t be a chance of another South American locomotive.

Ooh I would really love to see a model of the "meyer" ("proposed nicholls articulated") engines used by the NR, mostly because I've been contemplating using one for my own project. But I've yet to find the drawings for it so I've shelved that idea and replaced it with the three truck Shay instead. As for the ACN&R cape gauge Meyers, I would also be extremely interested in seeing what you can do. Between myself and one other member of my local heritage railway we have joked about bringing a 3ft 6in Meyer to our railway haha. 

[Sven J]

12 hours ago, Osbourne said:

Between myself and one other member of my local heritage railway we have joked about bringing a 3ft 6in Meyer to our railway

Don’t you want to acquire the preserved (but rather derelict) No. 59 Taltal locomotive and restore it to operating condition?
I’d support such a project with a substantial donation…