First steaming this year

[rogsteam1959]

Yesterday I had the first steaming for this year with my MoK. 
I made some extensions for the blower and injector steam valves, also for the regulator.
My friend gave me a driving truck for that day and we went to duesseldorf for steaming.
www.mbc-duesseldorf.de
Here you can have a look at their website.
It was cold but dry and sunny. 

[rogsteam1959]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_sX-0gwSWQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kkJ30g0HRQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4Zxpg0-hQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrbrnTNIHhs

[rogsteam1959]

[Roger]

Thanks for sharing, to my untrained ear that runs really well. What a fantastic track, is that 5" and 7-1/4"?

[joanlluch]

Hi RogSteam,

Thanks for sharing this, lovely loco and track.

I had not realised before that you were from Germany. I'm happy to learn this because I am not aware of any other regular member from continental Europe. I am from Catalonia though. I wish I could speak German, but unfortunately I can't. Learning German was my next goal after English, but the latter took me so much that I guess that by when I began grasping the language I was already too old to jump to yet another one. So I am now stuck into English speaking forums...

I want to make you a question. I am aware this is off topic, but I do not think that I should start a new thread for this. It's interesting you are German because I have been looking for metric sized boiler fittings in Germany but I haven't found any supplier that would help me. I wonder if you can help me. In particular, I have contacted  www.dampfmodellbau-keifler.de  for glass water gauges. They replied to me immediately by stating that the items needed to be produced so they were not available at the time. After several weeks I attempted to contact them again but I did not receive any reply. It's a pity because they seem to have a lot of useful stuff in metric sizes according to their site. So I wonder if you would recommend me some German suppliers of model engineering parts.

Thank you very much.

Joan

[Jim Scott]

Hi rogsteam 1959

I enjoyed looking at the website, photos and videos, it looks a very interesting track.

Maid of Kent lends itself very well to extended controls. If you can set the water pump bypass to match the steam consumption then you can get away with just a regulator extension and a long shovel. It is particularly useful for the junior members who have difficulty reaching over the tender and the older members (ie me) when running on the ground level track! I found it best to make a fitting to locate the regulator extension on the back of the tender rather than have it flopping about.

Someone is bound to ask if that is a digital speedometer (doing 306 mph?). It is in fact the superheat temperature as measured in the steam pipe just before the steam chest. The elements are radiant, stainless steel type and readout typically indicates 300-330 degrees C under light loads, but of course it plummets if he boiler primes...

Cheers

Jim S

[rogsteam1959]

Apr 7, 2015 7:28:03 GMT joanlluch said:

Hi RogSteam,

Thanks for sharing this, lovely loco and track.

I had not realised before that you were from Germany. I'm happy to learn this because I am not aware of any other regular member from continental Europe. I am from Catalonia though. I wish I could speak German, but unfortunately I can't. Learning German was my next goal after English, but the latter took me so much that I guess that by when I began grasping the language I was already too old to jump to yet another one. So I am now stuck into English speaking forums...

I want to make you a question. I am aware this is off topic, but I do not think that I should start a new thread for this. It's interesting you are German because I have been looking for metric sized boiler fittings in Germany but I haven't found any supplier that would help me. I wonder if you can help me. In particular, I have contacted  www.dampfmodellbau-keifler.de  for glass water gauges. They replied to me immediately by stating that the items needed to be produced so they were not available at the time. After several weeks I attempted to contact them again but I did not receive any reply. It's a pity because they seem to have a lot of useful stuff in metric sizes according to their site. So I wonder if you would recommend me some German suppliers of model engineering parts.

Thank you very much.

Joan



Hello Joan,
Try thisps

Hi Joan,
Try this.
www.livesteamservice.com/onlineshop/index.htm
Armaturen
Glasrohr


For more information
www.dampf-modell-bahn.de/lief.htm

Hope it is helpful

[Roger]

Thanks for posting those links, that's really useful.

[rogsteam1959]

Apr 7, 2015 6:02:52 GMT Roger said:

Thanks for sharing, to my untrained ear that runs really well. What a fantastic track, is that 5" and 7-1/4"?

Hi Roger,
Yes it is 5" and 7.25".
But it is about 100km away from.
I was thinking about to start building a sterling single in 7.25".
But did not find any supplier for parts and over one hour to drive is not always a amusement.

[rogsteam1959]

Hi Jim,
A track like that one on the picture must be fun for a MoK.
The track in duesseldorf has no long straight sections.
And it goes up and down.
There you must know the track real good.
The one thing I'm not happy about is the slipping. You have to be very careful with the regulator.
One question about your engine. Is your engine shaking sideeards when she starts or must pull heavy?
My engine seems to be a duck?
I don't know if this cause the slipping because the wheels loosing traction going sidwards and the weight is not full on the rail.
Please have a look at my last video. The you see how it goes shaking when I start.
At this moment I started too slow. The hill was too much for slow speed and light weight loco.

[andyhigham]

It is normal for an engine to rock side to side while pulling away. It is caused by the angularity of the connecting rod when piston force is applied to it

[Jim Scott]

Apr 7, 2015 16:48:37 GMT rogsteam1959 said:

Hi Jim,
A track like that one on the picture must be fun for a MoK.
The track in duesseldorf has no long straight sections.
And it goes up and down.
There you must know the track real good.
The one thing I'm not happy about is the slipping. You have to be very careful with the regulator.
One question about your engine. Is your engine shaking sideeards when she starts or must pull heavy?
My engine seems to be a duck?
I don't know if this cause the slipping because the wheels loosing traction going sidwards and the weight is not full on the rail.
Please have a look at my last video. The you see how it goes shaking when I start.
At this moment I started too slow. The hill was too much for slow speed and light weight loco.

Hi Rogsteam

From your videos it looks like your MoK is the outside cylindered Stephenson gear version. It is generally acknowledged that the original valvegear design was less than perfect and at least two published redesigns have appeared in print. Its always possible that yours has been improved at some point.

Outside cylinders always cause some degree of 'sideways shaking' but if it is excessive it may be worth looking for other causes such as axlebox wear. I'm sure there will be useful comments on 'shaking causing slipping' from other forum members, but my own 40 year old, well-used, inside cylindered Joy Gear MoK has to be handled really badly to make her slip.

Yes the TSMEE track is very well laid with the ruling gradient 1 in 100, which will help with slipping, but quite short at just 207 m

I can't help feeling that if our club members were let loose on the Dusseldorf track there would be a fair number of 'incidents' in double-quick time - but it would be great fun..!

Cheers

Jim S

[joanlluch]

Hi Rogsteam,

Thank you very much for the links. I will have them a try.

Regards,

Joan

[joanlluch]

Hi Jim,

I wonder what kind of pistons/pistons rings your loco has. I suspect anything other that the classic all metal combinations would not stand the high steam temperatures coming off a radiant superheater. I mean, PTFE is not able to support that.

I know this has been discussed before and the conclusion was that the mean temperature at the rings was much lower and thus PTFE was still safe enough, but I just wondered what you used.

Thanks !

Joan

[rogsteam1959]

Joan,
I did not build this engine.
I got it last year and did the third steaming.
My friend completed a German BR 56 5 years ago and used PTFE Rings as piston rings.
Until now there is no problem with them.

[Jim Scott]

Apr 8, 2015 8:37:48 GMT joanlluch said:

Hi Jim,

I wonder what kind of pistons/pistons rings your loco has. I suspect anything other that the classic all metal combinations would not stand the high steam temperatures coming off a radiant superheater. I mean, PTFE is not able to support that.

I know this has been discussed before and the conclusion was that the mean temperature at the rings was much lower and thus PTFE was still safe enough, but I just wondered what you used.

Thanks !

Joan

Hi Joan

Very briefly, as I really don't want to encourage another discussion here regarding piston rings.

I'm not the builder of the loco so these are just my observations.

The cylinders appear to be cast gunmetal or bronze and typically the pistons will be drawn bronze. I'm fairly sure that the piston sealing is standard soft packing, ie not 'o'-rings or metal or PTFE piston rings. Lubrication is by the standard mechanical oil pump as designed by LBSC, which tends to provide slightly too much volume.

Since fitting the new radiant superheaters 18 months ago there have been no new issues regarding lubrication, even when using standard grade steam oil.

Cheers

Jim S

[Jim Scott]

Double posting - deleted

[Midland]

Apr 6, 2015 17:32:50 GMT rogsteam1959 said:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_sX-0gwSWQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kkJ30g0HRQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4Zxpg0-hQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrbrnTNIHhs

Hi Thanks for those, great track.

Here is one in exchange

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHwfgImu7PU I can tell you that is a long hill. The so called singing is my wife getting impatient!!

Cheers David

[Roger]

I love these ground level tracks, it's so much more authentic, as are the carriages. What a cracking setup!

[rogsteam1959]

Hello David ,
This are the best shots?.
I had a look at their website. Very impressive.
When I watch your engine it is not shaking like mine.
Maybe I will have a look at my springs.
Regards
Michael