Richard
Trevithick's Puffing Devil
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Richard Trevithick's
'Puffing Devil' was the world's first
passenger carrying steam road
locomotive. It was designed and first
tested by Richard Trevithick and friends
on Christmas Eve 1801 when they drove
the vehicle up Camborne Hill in
Cornwall. |
The success of this first
Camborne Hill run led to the testing of
the world's first steam railway
locomotive at Penydarren in 1804.
Trevithick subsequently went on to
build the 'Catch-Me-Who-Can' passenger
train - the world's first fare-paying
passenger railway near Gower St. in
London in 1808.
It was the first engine to use high
pressure steam. James Watt thought that
such pressures were dangerous and is
said to have remarked that Trevithick
deserved hanging for bringing such a
thing into the world!
There are no known surviving original
drawings of the 'Puffing Devil' .
This model is loosely based partly on
sketches and partly on the Dredging
Engine in the Science Museum in
Kensington which was manufactured only
two years later. Also, in the interests
of ease of model
construction, changes have been made -
so the completed model does not pretend to be an
accurate scale model, but it does
reflect the essence of the original
engine.
Puffing Devil Live Steam Video
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The kit requires no machining but the boiler does
require some soft soldering. The two brass end caps
need to be soldered into the brass boiler tube and
two M6 nuts need to be soldered onto the boiler
body. It should not be
too difficult to build by anyone with average tool
skills.
To build the model, the constructor will also need to
screw, glue, saw, drill, file and cut various small
mainly brass parts.
The tools required are: Torch for soldering the
boiler, Small Vice, Small Hacksaw,
Screwdriver, Pliers, Wire Cutters, Centre Punch,
Hammer, Files, Drill and Drill Bits.
Model Specifications |
Operating Pressure: |
5 psi. approx. |
Bore: |
18mm |
Stroke: |
38mm |
Type: |
Double
Acting |
Overall Dimensions: |
215mm
long x 150mm wide x 265mm tall |
Weight: |
1.6
Kg |
Boiler Capacity: |
165cc |
Boiler Heating: |
Solid
Fuel Tablets / Gas Burner - see notes |
Scale: |
Roughly
1:12 |
Kit Contents
The kit comprises pre-drilled and painted boiler
casing, pre-finished wooden chassis and wheels,
white metal castings, finished brass
components, brass strip, rod and tube,
screws, nuts and bolts and fuel tray for
stationary operation only (see Notes on
Operation).

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Notes on
Operation The basic kit
comes with a fuel tray to burn solid fuel (Esbit
/ Mamod Type) tablets. Because of the weight
of the engine, the these tablets will
provide enough heat and steam pressure to
operate the engine in a stationary mode and
is sufficient to drive the model along a
flat level surface. A Gas Burner
kit is available as an optional
extra. This burner will produce enough heat
and steam pressure to significantly improve
the model's performance. The
model can also be operated by compressed
air. |
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Optional Gas
Burner Kit.
This will be shipped to you separately
directly from the Manufacturer. Shipping will be
approximately two to four weeks after order.
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Puffing
Devil Kit Price: £296.00
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Gas Burner Kit :
£87.00
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