Model Paddle Wheel Components

Following the construction of my own Edgar T. Westbury ‘ Diagonal Paddle Engine’ to his 1956 design I no longer have kits of parts to offer to fellow model engineers for the  paddle wheel components, which had enabled you to build the correct ‘feathering’ paddle wheel and eliminating some of the drudgery. Feathering action articulates the paddles to achieve maximum tractive effect and minimises drag as the paddle enters and exits the water. In actual reality for a model of this size the real reason is that it produces an interesting mechanism. Being a toolmaker I have produced blanking tools to take the hard work out of making some of these multiple parts. The first kit comprises sixteen paddles (with attached drilled and reamed brackets), fourteen articulated rods, and some 16g brass sheet for you to make the master rod for the correct feathering action. The photograph here illustrates these parts before I’ve riveted the paddle units together. The second kit is four very nicely machined circular paddle frames produced on my Bridgeport milling machine using a 12inch rotary table and this second kit includes the 1inch diameter central hub. As per the instructions the circular frames are made to accommodate eight feathering paddles per unit. The third kit includes all custom made brass screws to complete the project, ie 32off 6BA x 3/16 and 30off 6BA x 3/32 off (plus some spares). In addition the third kit also includes the frame stretcher rods machined from the correct riveting grade brass (not free machining grade as this will not cold form correctly).

e&oe copyright 2012© Richard Kell