SSP Slomo

[Chris Bird]

Hi folks
It is rare that something revolutionary is launched for our hobby, but I genuinely think that the Small Steam Performance Slomo falls into that category. Some of you will remember Terry Robinson's incredible film of his super slow Roundhouse Billy at the end of last year and he has been busy since then. The Slomo is a gear driven inertia device that is chain driven from the driving axle of the Roundhouse 0-4-0 Classic chassis or in a close coupled tender. It gives ultra slow starts and stops and irons out much of the gradients in a track.

I am not commercially involved with the slomo, but I was lucky enough to be the first UK customer and have been involved in the testing.

I was so impressed that I have made six videos (Katie, Edrig and tender and 7/8ths Dennis) which you can access from this page on my website:
http://www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk/#/ ... 4585810685

or you can go straight to Terry's Australian website:
www.smallsteamperformance.com.au

Cheers
Chris

[laalratty]

An interesting idea, must say that it seems to work particularly well on that Billy because of the drain cocks and whistle but the effect is pretty good on the standard locos you show. Presumably if it works in a tender then there is no reason why it couldn't work on a piece of rolling stock, albeit you only get the effect with the train rather then light engine.
I expect the commercial future will depend on if/when one gets fitted to a Lady Anne.

[Chris Bird]

Firstly - apologies that the link to my page didn't work correctly - I forgot that links to second tier pages don't work. If you would like to see my videos, go to the Summerlands Chuffer site and click on the link on the Chuffer News page.

Laalraty - it would work in a wagon, if it was close coupled and heavy. Edrig's tender is 2kg. A couple of my friends became aware of the Slomo while I was testing and bought immediately - and Terry has found that when folk down under see it, they want one. It is difficult to convey just how good they are over the net, so it will take time.
For my part I am just sharing the good news as I am not involved in the commercial success or otherwise. You are right that one for Lady Anne would make the market a lot bigger - but I will not hold my breath. Have a look at my pages and you will see there is quite a bit of stuff to get between the axles.
Cheers
Chris

[TonyW]

Chris ... any chance of some bigger photos, particularly the underside view?

[Chris Bird]

Chris ... any chance of some bigger photos, particularly the underside view?

Hi Tony
I made the pics deliberately small as the Slomo represents many months of work and investment by Terry and I did not want to be the one to reveal its inner workings.

Have a look at Terry's install video on his website and I am happy to discuss it off group if you have a specific query.
Cheers
Chris

[Keith S]

Brilliant device. I was thinking of building something with the centrifugal clutch from an old telephone, but this is even better.

Is there any use installing one on a manual locomotive, d'you think? Might make it cope with little bumps in the track a little better eh?

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Just got back in from a day's pottering in the garden putting together a "momentum van" with a friction drive flywheel mechanism in it to find this! I am really looking forward to seeing lots more slow, realistic running. I presume this device will seriously cap the top speed but how much does it sap the power?

[Keith S]

Most of our little steam engines go much faster and pull a much longer train than the full-size versions anyway. Maybe wouldn't be so bad to limit top speed and power might not be an issue... unless you were thinking of putting one of these on a Mamod or something.

[Chris Bird]

Most of our little steam engines go much faster and pull a much longer train than the full-size versions anyway. Maybe wouldn't be so bad to limit top speed and power might not be an issue... unless you were thinking of putting one of these on a Mamod or something.

I must confess that the idea of "top speed" and narrow gauge does not compute for me My Katie will still go faster than I would ever want, but what is affected is her acceleration and deceleration. Much slower to speed up and slow down. The largest loco I have driven weighs in at just over half a ton and this is much more like driving that - though without a brake. It is easily controllable down hill and the art is to shut the regulator and let it drift to a halt in the right spot. Try that with a Katie unless you have a massive train on!
Where you would see the difference is in starting a huge load as the loco has t overcome the Slomo inertia and the train inertia - but I am talking of many kilos here.
A Mamod would be way too light to pull a tender mounted one - though with a weighted loco and much lower gearing, it might be possible.
Cheers
Chris

[Chris Bird]

Brilliant device. I was thinking of building something with the centrifugal clutch from an old telephone, but this is even better.

Is there any use installing one on a manual locomotive, d'you think? Might make it cope with little bumps in the track a little better eh?

Keith - the answer is yes - I can turn the Tx off on my Katie and she just potters round, dealing with the bumps and gradients much better. The thing is that it is not cheap and the pure joy of driving it with r/c will make it worthwhile fitting that as well
Cheers
Chris

[Keith S]

Ah, I see the attraction of R/C, indeed I have been known to fly the odd radio-controlled aeroplane or helicopter in my time... but I simply cannot bring myself to attach plastic, batteries and microprocessors to a steam locomotive!

No judgement intended of course. My locomotive (I only have one) serves to placate a little of the false nostalgia I feel for the early 20th century with its cheerful colours and oily smell and chuffing sounds... a transmitter and electronic stuff would ruin it for me.

Perhaps if I had more than one loco and a proper railway I would feel differently.

[Chris Bird]

Ah, I see the attraction of R/C, indeed I have been known to fly the odd radio-controlled aeroplane or helicopter in my time... but I simply cannot bring myself to attach plastic, batteries and microprocessors to a steam locomotive!

No judgement intended of course. My locomotive (I only have one) serves to placate a little of the false nostalgia I feel for the early 20th century with its cheerful colours and oily smell and chuffing sounds... a transmitter and electronic stuff would ruin it for me.

Perhaps if I had more than one loco and a proper railway I would feel differently.

Keith - I completely understand - for the first two years I was back into live steam in this scale, I would not touch radio control. I removed it from locos I bought and was happy.

Then I discovered 2.4ghz which you can just turn off and run as manual. But now I rarely do!

So please remind me - what is your one cherished loco?
Cheers
Chris

[Keith S]

So please remind me - what is your one cherished loco?
Cheers
Chris

It's this rather overdone "Billy". I built it from a kit a few years ago. It has a Summerlands Chuffer and a DJB whistle for sound effects. It waits patiently on a shelf in my music room with some of its wagons waiting for a railway to be built for it to run on.

[Peter Butler]

Well, I think' Billy' looks just fine!
I have one which I will 'improve' with additional accessories but couldn't decide which to fit. Having seen yours I am now going to follow your example. Mine will be fitted with RC too!
Who made the tender on yours?

[Chris Bird]

A handsome looking Billy, Keith - I like it!
Cheers
Chris

[Soar Valley Light]

Billies are not normally my cup of tea; not quite British enough and just a tad too Eastern European (only my opinion of course) but yours looks very nice indeed. Is the livery red or brown, whichever it is it suits that loco. The addition of such a well proportioned tender certainly helps too.

[Keith S]

The livery is red, it's a shade called (embarrassingly) "Wild Raspberry", which is the closest I could find in Canada to a "Victorian Maroon" using generic enamel spray paint.

Thanks gentlemen for the nice comments about my engine. I have been trying to make it look more British, you see when I bought the kit I didn't know very much about narrow-gauge engines and therefore didn't realize there was anything "unBritish" about her until later! I just liked the general proportions in the photographs I saw on the internet! I never intended to be involved in railway models until I saw a Roundhouse engine on YouTube, and I thought "I must have one". The "Billy" set of kits plus the tender were still less expensive than a set of "Lady Anne" kits, and at the time I found the "Billy" had a chunkier look than the "Katie"... of course if I was wealthy I would build one of each!

It comforts me that the general "Koppel" aesthetic was adopted by Barclay&Sons, and if my engine were to have a fictional "back story" I guess I would consider it to be a "Barclay" engine from Scotland. I briefly considered modifying the cab front sheet with circular spectacles, but you know, I think I like her the way she is. There is certainly enough variety in real British narrow-gauge practice to allow for this engine to fit in, in a generic way. Without having a prototype in mind, I find the general outline of the engine looks very compelling matched with the Brandbright "premier" coaches... I've just finished one and can't stop looking at it with the engine.

It's ironic to me that some people who like Eastern European trains consider the "Billy" to look TOO British! I guess you really can't please everyone!

The tender is just a standard four-wheel Roundhouse tender. I modified the engine with a fall-plate and proper drawbar, and I find the addition of some number-plates and lanterns make it look British enough to fool anybody who doesn't know better. After all, she WAS built in Doncaster.

[Chris Bird]

I have been doing some more work on the Slomo - this time mounting it in a heavy wagon (1.9kg).

You can see a little video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn8eEu_OkDs

Cheers
Chris

[tom_tom_go]

Just caught up with all the info on this device Chris so thanks for all the usual info you post on everything narrow gauge you do!

This device coming to market has come at just the right time as I really don't want to fit R/C to my new Ragleth power unit so the "Slomo" could he the answer to nice slow running round my line just like a Regner does, brilliant.

Will there be a production model we can fit to a wagon for those of us that are not as practical to work out how to build one ourselves?

[Chris Bird]

Just caught up with all the info on this device Chris so thanks for all the usual info you post on everything narrow gauge you do!

This device coming to market has come at just the right time as I really don't want to fit R/C to my new Ragleth power unit so the "Slomo" could he the answer to nice slow running round my line just like a Regner does, brilliant.

Will there be a production model we can fit to a wagon for those of us that are not as practical to work out how to build one ourselves?

Hi Tom
Well Terry does a Slomo with mounting brackets, chain and axle sprocket for you to create your own wagon, but as yet there is no kit or even plans. His priority is the loco mounted version and so far I am the only one who has mounted one in a wagon. When I get time I will write it up - but basically it needs to be heavy and insulated for sound.
We are pioneers here, but experimenting is a lot of fun!
Cheers
Chris