Missing Climax valve gear

[dampfloko]

Picked up the Bmann climax to run on my desk and noticed there is no valve gear. This is a pre dcc/sound unit,so is this how they came from the factory?

[Bucksco]

I seriously doubt Mr. Riley would have made such an obvious omission when designing the locomotive. Not being that familiar with geared locos I can't make the call without referring to prototype info. Maybe we both need to look at the drawings.

[ebtnut]

I believe the model was for an early Class B Climax, which used Stephenson valve gear.  See here for a sample of same:  http://www.gearedsteam.com/climax/images/class-b.jpg

[Bucksco]

Thanks ebt.

[dampfloko]

I did find the valve linkage on the Bmann model, which is located inside the frame mostly out of site. My research indicates it is based on construction #952. Foothillmodelworks.com has a multipage guide for redetailing this loco. Climax locomotives.com is also a great resource.

[dampfloko]

The more I research Climax locos the more confused I get. And it is understandable. Records have been lost, designs were changed midstream, and building steam locos is now an ancient profession. I think we would be hard pressed to find someone who could guide us in building a climax today.seems we have lost our ability to build purely mechanical based machines. Everything today is sensors,relays,computers.  So my question is, how did we move and process ancient,colossal redwoods before all of today's technology. I would guess there are very few machines today that could move virgin redwood/Douglas fir size logs. Then we have to account for the mills that can no longer handle large diameter sawlogs..seems steam power was the only way to handle these giants

[2foot6]

So my question is, how did we move and process ancient,colossal redwoods before all of today's technology...........easy answered...............   HARD WORK....................Peter

[ebtnut]

Moving collosal timber, not just redwoods but huge first growth firs as well, took a lot of hard work along with the machines available at the time.  Steam was mostly king becuase it was a familiar technology in the great western lumber era (roughly 1880 to 1920).  Reliable, heavy duty internal combustion motors didn't arrive until around WWI and it took about another 15 years for diesel locomotives to be practical. 

As for logging locos, Shays began with two-cylinder class A locos, moved on to 3-cylinder two-truck Class B's, C's and four-truck D's.  Climax locos began with the Class A vertical boiler two-cylinder jobs, then to the class B's with the inclined cylinders per Bachmann.  Later class C three truckers came laong, as did the change from Stephenson to Walschearts valve gear.  Heislers came a bit later than the first two, with a two-cylinder V engine.  Two and three truck versions were built.  IIRC, Climax closed down in the late 1920's, Heisler in the 1930's, and Lima built its last Shay, WM No. 6, in 1945.