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Renown Steam Roller # 105
This is the third steam engine produced by Renown; these steam rollers appeared some time around 1948. and this one of my favourite Mobiles in my collection.
This model is one of only two mobile models ever made in Australia, its so rare there are maybe only be a dozen known to still exist. The other Australian mobile was a Scorpion’s sentinel mobile which is so exceptionally rare no one has seen one for real, its only known to exist from pictures in books.
It’s a real hardy Live Steam Toy just made to be steamed. Although I purchased mine in the UK, it has now been sent back to Australia for a complete refurbishment in its country of birth, curtsey of Tony Muir and the group of forum members from the world of Australian Toy Steam.
It looks like Leonard John Pugh of Renown utilised a lot of components from his vertical models such as the Vertical Engine (model # 101). On this roller the boiler was turned on its side and two top end caps were fitted from the vertical # 101 to make the roller boiler.
It also utilised the same engine mount, flywheel, cylinder and piston, safety valve,
whistle and overflow plug as the Renown Vertical 101 steam engine.Even the wick holders
are made from the engine cylinders to cut down on the need for new parts. On this
Roller this “direct drive mechanism” works with a pulley on the flywheel via a steel
band drove a large pulley, which then via rubber wheels on the shaft drove the rear
wheels by friction. The large pulley on the Roller was a part created for the windmill
so another case of Renown utilising part from previous models to keep costs down.
The front and rear wheels are made from a heavy and rough cast aluminium while the rest of the roller is made from flat brass sheets riveted together with brass rivets, with the exception of the roof which was made from sheet metal pressings. The large pulley on early models was made from cast brass but on later models it is made from pressed steel.
For the complete history of Renown, follow this link to the excellent Site run by Tony Muir; it’s the best site on the web dedicated to Australian and New Zealand Toy Steam. http://www.freewebs.com/ozsteam/renown.htm