Detail Design

Detail Design


The Fundamental Design Calculations for the 5AT locomotive, completed in 2005, provide the basis upon which the Detailed Design work will be undertaken.

The Detail Design will be the most difficult and demanding component of any new locomotive project.  The work will involve the engineering calculations and preparation of the detailed drawings of each and every large and small component of the locomotive. In the case of the 5AT, it was expected that this would have involved the production of approximately 800 drawings, being the number of drawings needed for the manufacture of the Standard 5MT locomotive of similar size. However whereas the 5MT was designed by a group of perhaps 100 or 200 engineers and draftsmen who were skilled and experienced in the design and detailing of steam locomotives, there are today very few people remaining who have such skills and knowledge.

To our advantage, we have computers and CAD/CAM software systems to aid the engineers in their task. In any new design, a single 3D CAD system will be used by all engineers and draftsmen engaged in the work (SolidWorks being the favoured tool for the job).  Besides speeding up the drawing process, it will also reduce the tedious tasks associated with checking for interferences and fit-up etc., and will allow the automatic production of highly accurate shop drawings directly from arrangement drawings.

For the 5AT, it was estimated in the Project Feasibility Study that the detail design task, encompassing the production of calculations and engineering drawings, would have involved around 600 man-months of work.

Anyone with appropriate skills and experience who would be interested in joining the group, please refer to the Engineering Help and/or the Membership pages of this website.

The Drawings page of this website provides access to some of the engineering drawings that were created for the 5AT locomotive.