The 6 Inch Scale Little Samson Traction Engine Building Project Starts Here
This website chronicles the construction of a half size (6″ scale) model of the Savage’s brothers Little Samson Traction Engine. It is reported that between 1904 and 1910 nine Little Samson 4NHP, 5 ton, steam tractors were built.
There are probably more than nine live steam models of this traction engine in operation today.
Latest Build Progress Photos and Videos
Latest Update: 17 December 2020
The half size (6 inch scale) Little Samson traction engine is now complete except for those components required specifically to generate steam (boiler itself of course is finished).
As such it has been running on compressed air supplied from an air compressor in the workshop via a wandering hose.
Below is a video taken on 04 December 2020 showing the engine being driven (by myself) around the patio and up and down the drive using compressed air.
Please note when watching the above video:-
- That floppy regulator reach rod has now been replaced with a much sturdier 7/16″ rod.
- Sound is a bit funny resulting from the need to filter out the (very loud) air compressor noise.
- Did you see the bags of coal?
Latest Photos
Pictures showing general status of the engine.
Previous Updated: 05 June 2016
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Video – Turning the Shafts
The crank shaft and 2nd shaft must turn freely. This is difficult to achieve if the hornplates are bent as in my case.
After straightening the hornplates in a home made plate bender the shafts can easily be turned by hand.
I have taken off the front wheels (which you can see in the previous progress photos below) so that I can get the front spring heat treated.
The two photos below show the Hornplates complete with Spectacle Plate and Front Plate (which is at the back!) offered up to the boiler but not fixed in position.
Clearly visible (that big black tube at the bottom) is the Axle Tube in which the back axle will run.
Also visible are two temporary spacer tubes. These will be removed later.
Tandem Build Progress Photo by Fergal in Ireland
Fergal Roche started building his Little Samson Traction Engine in 6″ scale (half full size) a good few months after me and he’s making spectacular progress.
The photo below shows the progress of his build as of 5 June 2016.
Previous Build Progress Photos
Here are the previous build progress photos showing the last stage of building the traction engine.
What You Can Expect From This Little Samson Traction Engine Website
- Photos of the engine and the construction processes
- Videos showing machining the castings and making the components
- CAD drawings that I have made to supplement the scaled down Works drawings obtained from Little Samson Models
- Details of the workshop machine tools, set-ups, jig, fixtures and tools use for the construction
- How and where I sourced the additional materials needed over and above the casting set purchased from Little Samson Models
- A running commentary of what I am doing at each stage
How This Website Is Organised
In order to get the most from the website and to learn how this Little Samson Traction Engine model is being constructed you should be aware of how this website is structured.
Pages
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A Page contains fixed information. Photographs, videos drawings and textual description.
Posts
Posts are more like a diary. The Posts will contain short spontaneous updates and will often point to individual Pages.
To see the latest information go to the latest Post.
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Bloody hell!
Great work Alan, impressive stuff.
Very nice Alan, and all that made in LOS, you must be a vfery happy man.
Thanks for posting.
looks good alan
by the time those bags of coal are burnt you have a good few miles up on it
Congradulations!!! Very impressive build Alan! Amazing you’re getting so much power from just an air compressor,…your little engine should really go when you get the boiler finished.
Well done Alan. When you said a vid of me turning the shafts I thought you meant machining them.
Alan,
Looks very impressive! I hadn’t realized the size of it. I now understand why you bought the Kinwa 430.
Hope to be starting the shop build in the next month, finally.
Harold
Looks like you’re making good progress Alan.
The rear axle tube alone looks like it must weigh over 50 lbs, then add on all the plates and connecting rods/tubes and I’m guessing the weight adds up pretty quickly. My back hurts just thinking about moving all those heavy steel parts around during the alignment and assembly phases 🙂
Keep having fun,
Mike
BTW: I moved from Nong Khae to Bang Saen. (Chon Buri area)