Update to colour scheme

I have updated my intended colour scheme - see the bells and whistles page for more about this.

News from STW

Glad to hear the news from STW:

Lykamobile Steamer Series 2

The ‘Early Bird’ response has been fantastic with 20 confirmed orders from as far afield as the US and Australia. The Lykamobile Steamer Series 2 will feature a number of improvements to the braking systems, the springs and the controls.

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LATEST NEWS: For those of you who have placed an order for a Lykamobile the good news is that the recent testing for the new boiler was a success! We are currently waiting on boiler approval from the governing body and launch dates will be announced shortly.

Queries for STW answered.

In July 2016, I asked Steam Traction World a set of clarifications.  They were most helpful, and gave me extra confidence that they are committed to the success of our projects.  Here is Dean Rogers’ helpful set of answers and updates.

Q: What will need to be done to enable and register the Lykamobile for UK use on the Public Highway?
A: We will supply full details of how to do this with the final set of instructions. Basically they are registered as ‘steam vehicles’ on the V5 document with the motive power being ‘steam’ and not diesel for example. In eight years we have only ever heard of one issue with registration and that was because the owner did not follow the instructions provided. We are not guaranteeing road registration on any of the vehicles as that is the ‘owners’ responsible but we will assist in every way possible to ensure registration is a smooth process.

Q: Rick Stoeber, some 10 years ago, blogged a series of his assembly notes for the ModelWorks predecessor. http://memoriesdreams.com/locomobile.htm
Which of his adaptations were needed, and which have been accounted for in the Series 2? For example:

·         Brake pad modification.
We were looking at a more commercially available brake pad (for a go cart or a motor bike for example) however currently it looks like we will be leaving the brakes the same. The scollop that was missing previously will obviously be in place on this batch.

·         Cylinder drain cocks.
Some sort of drain will be provided on this batch.

·         Modification to allow for some reduction in consumption of steam oil.
This is just an adjustment in the lubricator.

·         Addition of lubrication points (I think I saw that you were looking at this?)
These were added on the last on we did.

I am assuming that the issues corrected by ModelWorks themselves have been incorporated into the Lykamobile.

Your intended improvements to boiler and valve gear are noted and awaited!
The valve gear was massively improved on the batch we did 7 years ago and we will be using the same parts, adding more oil points, oil impregnated bushing and bearings throughout. This is what we achieved the John o Groats to Lands End run with, and had NO engine problems. The boiler design is just being tested as I type and as soon as this has been proven we will provide further information and a start date for production.

Q: What variation in fuels will be practical (paraffin/ domestic heating oil/ diesel).
A: The burner is capable of running on diesel or kerosene but this is depending how the builder sets it up based on what he wants to use.

Q: Is any advice provided on ‘consumables’, their specification and potential suppliers;
A: No but happy to point you in the direction of suppliers to use as and when you need them.

·         lubricants, tyres, brakes,

·         your recommended paint supplier is noted, thank you.
We recommend Craftmaster Paints for all our engines. The Lykamobile though is slightly different as you could use almost any paint supplier or powder coater.

Q: What lighting is provided or recommended (e.g. brake lights, side lights, etc.)
A: No lights or accessories like build horn for example are provided.

Q: Are any security options recommended (e.g. padlock on reversing lever) beyond a key for the boiler electrics?
A: The boiler may not have electrics this time around. This is still to be decided as Steve is considering making it more original. A padlock on the reverser is very sensible indeed and is probably worth us adding to our final set of instructions as a recommendation.

Q: Are there any operating instructions, hints and tips?
A: All comes in the final set of instructions.

·         How to avoid hydraulic locks/ priming?

·         Out of season storage

Are there any suggested improvements for the owner/ builder? Not really sure what this is reference to but if you mean going away from what is supplied, I personally think they look better with louvered sides which is reletaively easy for the customers to do and not ‘standard’.

Q: Is any water conditioning recommended? Or is a routine boiler blowdown sufficient?
A: Both really. Water Treatment is recommended and we also recommend regular blowdown of the boiler.

Things currently being worked on and considered as follows:

Firetube Boiler

Differential Assembly improvement.

Wider Body

More sloping sides to seat

Check Valves on Water Pumps

Larger Drive Sprocket to up gearing and slow it down

Improving engine clearance by lowering the engine mount

Removing low level water warning

Water Tank Level tube on outside

Boiler water level change from electronic to reflex gauge

Hard chromed pistons for brake callipers

Optional extra of stainless tanks

Change to throttle design

Commercial safety valve not factory made

Springs redesigned and strengthened to do away with supports.

Hopefully this answers your questions and gives you an insight into the improvements we are making.

Best Regards

Dean Rogers

Starting

I am planning to keep a blog of my thoughts, plans and progress with building my Lykamobile steam car.
The first thing to do was to reserve a kit - so I paid up on 5th May; then there is the wait while the design is finalised and tested. First delivery hoped for at the end of July ( and counting!).