Rod Powered Antique Oil Field

[Fred_M]

For some time I have been keeping my eyes out for a project that has lots of motion. I feel that too many of our layouts have become static models in which only the trains move. I had been thinking of a sawmill with a moving blade and table that would be constantly sawing a log, a highway with moving cars, or ??? While looking through sites for pictures of old steam and early gas engines to power such a sawmill I came across a site with pictures of an old, but still working, oil field in which the pumps (pump jacks) were all powered with long rods by an engine in a central location. I found what I was looking for, a scene with lots of monkey motion. So I’m going to try and build it. Here’s a link to the site where the pictures for my project were found. http://www.herculesengines.com/FlatRock/ DASH

 

[Matthyro]

Good idea Dash. I have seen some Ntrak modules with construction machines working. A hihoe digging and a dozer moving back and forth. Also a kids swing in motion and a kite flying. We should all loo for ideas to show motion. Remember those neat old Lionel trains with gadgetry in motion.

 

[Fred_M]

I sure do remember them Lionels, and even some of the HO toy stuff was so cool, like dumping logs and throwing mail stacks. I already have a couple of the HO powered German import horsehead pumps working my layout so this will fit right in. Someday when I get rich I would like to get some of the German midway kits and do a farriswheel, bumpercars, all of them. But $100 a whack is a lot of cash for them, so... I got this all planned and worked out in my head, which is where I keep my blueprints. First I'll build a tin shed from ribbon cable and start soldering up some pumpjacks from brass tubes. The motor to run the rods is one of the powerheads from a fiber optic X-mas tree that turns the color wheel. They run on 12 vac and turn about 4 rpm... perfect. DASH

 

[jim currie]

Dash i rember those well my uncle ran a lease when i was young lot of motion and sounds.will be a great project

 

[Vic]

Something To See and Hear

Dash, Last year at an engine meet I saw and HEARD a portable oil field engine running. It was quite a treat. These engines are unmuffled and make quite a racket much like a shot gun blast. They are a hit and miss type engine and fire about every 2nd or third revolution. The flywheels were 6ft in diameter and it took 2 men to start it.

 

[TrainClown]

I remember a Giraffe car on my friends HO train set, when I was kid. It had a signal thing that went accross the track and every time the train came to it, the giraffe would duck. Lots of fun. His mom worked late and we would go over to his house after school and set the trains up all over the livingroom floor. We were in trouble when mom got home but it was worth it.


Vic, I saw some huge gas engines like you describe at a farm show on Vancouver Island in Duncan. The carberator was a tube that dripped gas into a port. The engines I saw had a water jacket that surounded the cylinder to keep it cool. The guys running them had to start them by rotating the fly wheel in the opposit direction for running, and it would pop and fire the flywheel back and away it would go. And they seemed to run in ither direction.:thumb:

TrainClown

 

[Fred_M]

Pumpjack and Head

Spent about 2 hours soldering up a pump jack and well head today from brass and copper. The hell head was harder of the parts to build. Now that I figured up how to do it it may go faster on the next one. This is the pull style of head, the next will be the lift style. I temp. attached it to a sheet of foam core to check out the stroke and to see how it works. 1/2 inch seems right for the stroke. DASH

 

[Fred_M]

Here it is in the down position. DASH

 

[Matthyro]

Nice work Dash.

 

[shaygetz]

Great work, Dash:thumb: I just got finished putting some Kadee couplers on an old Lionel HO side dump car. The rivet counters may roll their eyes but it sure is a hit at public shows.

 

[Fred_M]

Originally posted by shaygetz
Great work, Dash:thumb: I just got finished putting some Kadee couplers on an old Lionel HO side dump car. The rivet counters may roll their eyes but it sure is a hit at public shows.

I came to the conclusion long ago that there are many facets and groups in this hobby and not to be closed mined and disrespectful to any other groups with different opinions of what a layout should be. I wish some of the groups would learn and do the same. Rivet counters seem to be the worse at slamming other people followed closely by operators. If any one group could honestly slam other peoples work it would be fine scale modelers, not rivet counters. I do the stage, show, good enough thing, that's what I do and it's what I want at this stage. When I get my layout roughed in I then can circle it again and again making it better and better. I hope someday it will all be fine scale and a great show. That's my goal. DASH

 

[shaygetz]

Finescale is what I'm shooting for myself, to a point. I'll keep my Atlas C100 flextrack 'til the end because I love to run old and new models of all types. I hope I don't put on the impression that I'm putting down rivet counters. I try not to, but the looks on their faces when I wheel out my N scale U-50 Turbine in Amtrak red, white and blue is a sight to behold

 

[Fred_M]

My Definition of "Rivet Counters"

I'm not knocking anyone either, per say. It's just that to be what I call a "Rivet Counter", one has to be closed minded to any detail not prototypical they can find in others work AND also be boisterious and/or obnoxious and insulting to the offending parties (including body lanauge). So by that definition all "rivet counters" would be on my list as A#$ HOLES. I have also found the biggest rivet counters by my definition ususally have the most incomplete layouts. They are afraid to do any building (they might leave out a rivet?) and spend all their time doing research and counting riviets . To me the layout is like canvas to be painted on. Not film in a camera. You can do a Rockwell or do a Picasso. I try and do Monet's, you know, just a little fuzzy. DASH

 

[Fred_M]

4 more wells

Worked two more hours Sunday and got 4 more well heads and pumpjacks. Took me two hours to do the first one and two hours to do four more . These I'll prime with primer when it warms up in my paintbooth (outside). It was over 60 Saturday but them Canadians lost some more of their air down here and it'll be 6 tonite. The first one the acrylic paint is flaking off. Note to all, acrylic paint doesn't stick well to copper and brass. This is a good project for a hack like me, the prototypes are home built junky looking machines just like the ones I built. DASH

 

[Fred_M]

35 HP pump motor

This is a model of the 35 HP motor that powered the prototype. Sure, it don't have the same number of rivets, but this puppy runs. It's a 4 rpm AC gearmotor from my fiberoptic xmas tree. "I don't where it is honey, I swore I put the tree back in this box." DASH

 

[Fred_M]

Mount the Motor

Next I attached a piece of wood to a piece of ceiling tile cut to fit the area. This wood will be the motor mount. I then drilled a hole to the surface and mounted the motor with shims to the correct height. I attached a gear from the junk box to the shaft with a nut. I then drilled a small hole ¼ of an inch off center to attach the second pulley, which will be the eccentric. This worked nice as I can add a model motor when (if) I superdetail the interior of the motor shed. The eccentric is drilled with holes to attach the rods to the pumpjacks. DASH

 

[jon-monon]

Re: 35 HP pump motor

Originally posted by dash10
This is a model of the 35 HP motor that powered the prototype. Sure, it don't have the same number of rivets, but this puppy runs. It's a 4 rpm AC gearmotor from my fiberoptic xmas tree. "I don't where it is honey, I swore I put the tree back in this box." DASH

I'm sure you kept the fibers for making micro lights on your layout/locos

I went the the LHS and saw a small bag with a few fiber strands for $5, then went to walmart and found about ten strands around their display lamp.

 

[Fred_M]

5 pumps at 20 barrels a day each mean $$$

I got five pumps a pumping up and down, down and up… They are out of sequence and quite hypnotic. Now every time I start to work on it I go into a trance and… what day is it? Wednesday? What happened to Tuesday? Got some grass on it and reposted picture. DASH

 

[Arlaghan]

Wow!!! That is cool! You should try to set up an animated GIF (small one) that shows the movement!

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Fred_M]

When I get it done I was thinking on doing a short mpg. DASH