SUMMERLANDS CHUFFERS
Small Steam Performance - Slomo
Towards the end of 2013, I received an Email from Terry Robinson, a Chuffer customer, who thought I might like to see a little video his Roundhouse Billy in action. To say that the video was mesmerising is an understatement - the loco was, without a doubt, the most docile and controllable I have ever seen(scroll down to the bottom of the page to see it).
The secret was an inertia device which allows a chain driven flywheel to give a radio controlled loco slow, steady starts, coasting stops and the ability to ignore many gradients. I wanted one!!
Terry, who lives just south of Sydney in Australia, has been busy since then. He has developed his prototype into a properly sorted commercial product and launched his Small Steam Performance (SSP) business which you can find here:
www.smallsteamperformance.com.au
I have been lucky enough to be the first UK customer (for a pre-production model) and the videos of Katie on this site show just what the Slomo can do. I have also had a very early prototype to play with and have successfully mounted this in the tender of my Accucraft Edrig conversion. And I have now fitted two of the first production versions, now with rubber mounts, to two more locos: a Roundhouse Jack and a Simply 7/8ths Dennis (based on a Roundhouse Katie chassis).
Please note that I have no commercial connection with SSP other than as a customer. I am just enjoying helping out with this revolutionary new product!
What is the Slomo?
The Slomo is a precision engineered inertia device which features a heavy flywheel driven through a gear train from a chain drive sprocket on the loco's axle.
It fits between the axles on Roundhouse 0-4-0 chassis (though it can be arranged to operate in a tender or a close coupled wagon)
Have a look at the Roundhouse Katie video below to see what I mean - and there are links to more videos below
What locos will it fit?
Currently it will fit the Roundhouse Classic series 0-4-0's (but these must have the non-insulated wheels fitted if 32mm gauge)
Katie
Billy
Jack
George
Mildred
Darjeeling B
Lady Anne
Silver Lady
And for Accucraft
Earl and Countess
Is it only suitable for radio controlled locos?
Although radio control allows you to get the best out of this amazing device, it will also transform a manual loco by giving slow steady running with clearly defined exhaust beats (if fitted with a Summerlands Chuffer).
Is it easy to fit?
Fitting involves a small amount of dismantling as the rear axle must be removed to fit the chain sprocket. The Slomo itself, slides in between the frames and is held with an ingenious clamp system.
Click here to see some fitting notes for the Roundhouse Jack
Watch the Videos!
Click here for my Roundhouse Katie videos (Katie is fitted with a pre-production prototype)
Click here for my Simply 7/8ths Dennis videos (Dennis is fitted with the production Slomo)
Click here to for my article on a Slomo coal wagon on the Garden Railway Club site.
But what about other locos?
Terry will be expanding the range of locos, but there has to be room to fit the device, so that rules out any loco with inside valve gear. The good news though is that I have carried out successful trials with an Accucraft Edrig by mounting the Slomo in a tender. See the link to the videos below. SSP will be marketing a kit to do something similar in a tender or heavy wagon.
And here is the video that Terry sent me in 2013!
How do I buy it?
Go to Terry's website to find prices and details of shipping and then email him.
The SSP Slomo
Slomo fitted to a Jack