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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on May 21, 2019 11:15:22 GMT
Managed to snatch a couple of hours in the garage last night. finished off fitting the smokebox and loosely assembled all the plumbing at check for fit. This is pretty much all of the heavy work completed now. 20190520_204054 by 47845, on Flickr 20190520_204107 by 47845, on Flickr 20190520_204122 by 47845, on Flickr Another hour later and I had the cab and tank fitted (again loosely with only a few bolts in case it has to come off again) so that the plumbing can be fitted properly. 201 20190521_071243 by 47845, on Flickr The next task will be to 'nip up' all of the joints and fittings which I will probably do tonight, once done its the most exciting bit yet... I get to nervously set fire to it! That will likely be on Wednesday, I will update when I know how its gone!
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2019 12:58:31 GMT
good luck on the 'light up' Steve... I'm sure all will be well, she's looking great sir... Pete
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on May 21, 2019 13:24:11 GMT
Thanks for the kind words chap! Fingers crossed. I hope to get it steamed up with enough of a buffer to rectify any matters arising before the 1st of June! Steve
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on May 24, 2019 8:52:10 GMT
After sitting dormant in a shed for 17 years, a 2 month fast-track overhaul and a bucket full of midnight oil, Late afternoon on Wednesday this happened... 20190522_172901 by 47845, on Flickr Shortly followed by this.... It held steam and was dry at all the joints, so I slowly raised the pressure up to full working pressure (90psi) to set the safety valves. The are fine if a little slow at reducing the pressure, I shall put some new ones on the 'snag list' for now... 20190522_183241 by 47845, on Flickr With a good head of steam and about 15 foot of track extending out of the garage I couldn't resist seeing what it sounded like! It was priming quite badly but this will settle after a few washouts, this is due to residue in the boiler following the overhaul and finally cooling down after a successful trial... 20190522_185209 by 47845, on Flickr
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by smallbrother on May 24, 2019 11:07:18 GMT
Well done that man!
Sounds just as you would expect.
Pete.
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on May 24, 2019 15:17:48 GMT
Thanks very much Pete. I'm over the moon with it!
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don9f
Statesman
Les Warnett 9F, Martin Evans “Jinty”, a part built “Austin 7” and now a part built Springbok B1.
Posts: 960
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Post by don9f on May 24, 2019 18:48:20 GMT
Yes well done for such a rapid job on your boiler and thanks for taking us along!
Cheers Don
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on Jun 3, 2019 12:18:46 GMT
What a rollercoaster of a week! I had planned to take the loco to the track last weekend to try it out before the event and still give me a week to fettle anything arising from the test but sadly it wasn’t to be. I had to wait until last Friday to get it to the track and hope everything went well! Another item of note I had 'Midland Loco Works' make me a new pair of nameplates which I had fitted on the Wednesday in readiness for the first outing... 20190529_203614 by Steve Purves, on Flickr Friday: Arrived at the track around 2pm, unloaded and got the loco in to place on the steaming bay for our boiler inspectors to conduct a 2x working pressure (180psi) hydraulic test to ensure the boiler was safe to operate at its normal 90psi. This test was passed with flying colours. Now it was time to light a fire… This was the bit I was most nervous about, as from the test steaming on my drive I noted that the safety valves fitted were a bit naff but ran out of time to get them replaced. Part of the steam test is called the accumulation test. This involves having a good hot fire with the blower hard on to make as much steam as possible, the safety valves must lift and not allow pressure to rise over 10% more than the working pressure (99psi in my case). We stood back and watched the needle climb and climb up past 100, on to 110 and still going. This was no good! We allowed the boiler to cool and reduced the pressure back below the red mark. Test Failed. There was no way that the safety valves as fitted were fit for the job, they just couldn’t clear steam fast enough – certainly not as fast as the Bagnall boiler could make it. Time for a rethink. The valves operating pressure was backed off to 75psi, this meant that when they opened at 75psi and kept climbing they would stop climbing under the magic 99psi (WP + 10%) Again test failed, this time though it climbed to about 105psi. There was just time for a third retest, this time the valves would lift at 65psi. Success! 20190531_161600 by Steve Purves, on Flickr Time allowed for half an hour of track time before retiring for the night. This quick ‘road test’ went extremely well and highlighted no concerns for the following morning. The loco was to live in the carriage shed for the weekend so the fire was raked through, injector put on to fill the boiler and left to cool overnight… 20190601_164209 by Steve Purves, on Flickr Saturday: The show opened at 10am which meant I should be ready to light the fire for about 9am to give me time to raise steam nice and slowly, oil round, polish, get the coaches out and be sat in the platform at ‘go’ time. The full boiler the night before had settled to around a quarter of a glass by the time it cooled so no top up required before lighting up. Everything went well, I pulled the empty stock in to the platform for 10:01 which was more luck than judgement! Saturday was a hot day, it was a busy show and no sooner had my passengers disembarked than the next load had jumped on. Each ride was 2 laps of our circuit so about 3 to 4 minutes in total, I shared the passenger hauling with a nice Royal Scot and we had one passenger car each (about 4 adults). Because the loading was light I didn’t need to run the engine above around 50psi all weekend. I did notice that the right cylinder was running warm and was a little dry of oil so I made a note to keep an eye on this, it did settle down over the course of the day. IMG-20190601-WA0003 by Steve Purves, on Flickr I finally retired at 17:00 after running the engine continuously for 7 hours… I even forgot to stop for lunch! Not bad for its first run in about 16 years! The engine was given a quick polish, and the process repeated for the second night before it was bedded down in the carriage shed again. Sunday: The weather forecast was not so great for Sunday and also less than 5 miles away we had the ‘Rutland Show’ to compete with. Again I was on the track at 10am ready to start the day. Today I ran the first hour alone before I was joined by a nice Quarry Hunslet. It got quieter after lunchtime and we suffered a couple of showers. The hunslet came off about 14:00 whilst I carried on until 15:30 when a Class 25 took my place for the last hour. 20190602_144001 by Steve Purves, on Flickr This time the fire was dropped on the steaming bays as the loco had to be loaded back in to my trailer to come home with me. The same procedure was followed with the fire coming out and the injector filling the boiler right up. The loco was loaded and put back in the garage until next time. 20190602_152540 by Steve Purves, on Flickr In summary, What a weekend! I couldn’t have asked for more of the engine. It ran all weekend on just a whisp of steam and performed faultlessly. There is a gallery of images from the show here : flic.kr/s/aHsmDZhcTx
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by smallbrother on Jun 3, 2019 20:06:36 GMT
Terrific Steve!
The safeties on my Holmside were going about 15% over the WP during the accumulation test so I just drilled the holes in the top slightly bigger. Job done.
Pete.
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on Jul 10, 2019 15:30:26 GMT
Bringing this thread a little more up to date...I haven't had much chance to take the loco out since the open day. I have improved the flow rate through the safety valves by opening out all of the holes slightly. this has allowed me to set them at the correct 90psi. The weather last Sunday was good so the opportunity to drag the loco over to Whissendine was taken with both hands! In the last 4 weeks I have changed my car and had to fit a tow bar to the new car which meant this was its first go at being towed. Have loco - Will Travel! 20190617_182633 by Steve Purves, on Flickr The loco performed faultlessly but did struggle to make steam after 3 or 4 hours due to the running being less intense which allowed the fire to cool between runs which led to the grate blocking up slightly. The quiet day did allow number 2 son to have his first drive on it. He is normally used to smaller locos and was initially wary of the power at hand (espeicially now its running at full working pressure). he soon got a handle on it anyway and had a number of good runs before retiring to be a passenger and eating cake (that's my boy!) 20190707_113615 by Steve Purves, on Flickr Loco is now back in the garage and will be prepped for its next outing. This one is a biggie! The Rugby Model Engineers Narrow Gauge Gala this coming weekend (13th and 14th). The tracks are fully booked with visiting locos and there is a mile of track to play on... probably the longest run this loco has ever done in its life! I will be going Sunday if anyone else happens to be there, come and say hello! Steve
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chrisb
Part of the e-furniture
Posts: 340
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Post by chrisb on Jul 10, 2019 22:22:14 GMT
Enjoy your trip to Rugby, I took my Wren there before I emigrated. It's an interesting track, but you will need to be on top of your game with the boiler as there is a long downhill run with an equally long sustained climb back to the new station.
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
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Post by smallbrother on Jul 11, 2019 9:00:39 GMT
Enjoy your trip to Rugby, I took my Wren there before I emigrated. It's an interesting track, but you will need to be on top of your game with the boiler as there is a long downhill run with an equally long sustained climb back to the new station. I can vouch for the challenges of that track! Even when you get back up the gradient there is a significant run to get back to the station. Pete.
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on Jul 16, 2019 12:54:55 GMT
Well that was fun! Thanks to the Rugby Society of Model engineers for welcoming us to their 'Rainsbrook Valley Railway' over the weekend for their Narrow Gauge Gala. A superb track with first class facilities and a very warm welcome. I shall be returning!The track had recently been extended to a mile in length with a daunting climb of 1 in 100 to make the engine work, I won't go in to too much detail but let the pictures speak for themselves. The first two images show the new 'top' station which I believe will be formally opened this coming weekend along with some of the locos on show 20190714_134334 by Steve Purves, on Flickr I was given a 3 coach 'Pullman' rake complete with carpeted floors and leather seats! 20190714_134351 by Steve Purves, on Flickr This loco deserved a photo. Sorry I didn't get any details but what a stunner! 20190714_141455(0) by Steve Purves, on Flickr A picture of my loco in the cutting at the 'bottom' of the line. I really need a more prototypical driving truck! 20190714_152627 by Steve Purves, on Flickr And finally a couple of videos for your enjoyment... A full lap on board and another video showing the length of the 1 in 100 climb Until next time....
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smallbrother
Elder Statesman
Errors aplenty, progress slow, but progress nonetheless!
Posts: 2,269
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Post by smallbrother on Jul 17, 2019 7:53:00 GMT
Last time I went there it was a hot day. Also my first time on the extended track. Of course the injectors decided to play silly buggers.
So I did a couple of very sweaty laps just making it back to the station in a panic with some water in the boiler, and a chance to sort things out.
Luckily I eventually engaged the brainbox and left the injector water feeds running - panic over - enjoyed the rest of the day immensely.
Pete.
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on Jul 17, 2019 15:50:38 GMT
Last time I went there it was a hot day. Also my first time on the extended track. Of course the injectors decided to play silly buggers. So I did a couple of very sweaty laps just making it back to the station in a panic with some water in the boiler, and a chance to sort things out. Luckily I eventually engaged the brainbox and left the injector water feeds running - panic over - enjoyed the rest of the day immensely. Pete. Funny you say that, I had a similar experience. I was just testing everything in the steaming bays when the injector clack failed to re-seat. no amount of tapping or tinkering could get the back flow to stop so I took the heavy decision the fire had to come out. (which I had just got built up ready for the first run) Fire out, blower off and starting to let it cool down (still at 80psi) the clack magically seats itself... typical! New fire in, blower on and try to recover what we can! Depending on the length of the track, I do a similar thing to you and leave the water feed running and fill up every lap. it has the combined effect of keeping the injector cool and allowing the tank water to stay cool by being constantly changed. Steve
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Post by Roger on Jul 21, 2019 19:08:51 GMT
Last time I went there it was a hot day. Also my first time on the extended track. Of course the injectors decided to play silly buggers. So I did a couple of very sweaty laps just making it back to the station in a panic with some water in the boiler, and a chance to sort things out. Luckily I eventually engaged the brainbox and left the injector water feeds running - panic over - enjoyed the rest of the day immensely. Pete. Funny you say that, I had a similar experience. I was just testing everything in the steaming bays when the injector clack failed to re-seat. no amount of tapping or tinkering could get the back flow to stop so I took the heavy decision the fire had to come out. (which I had just got built up ready for the first run) Fire out, blower off and starting to let it cool down (still at 80psi) the clack magically seats itself... typical! New fire in, blower on and try to recover what we can! Depending on the length of the track, I do a similar thing to you and leave the water feed running and fill up every lap. it has the combined effect of keeping the injector cool and allowing the tank water to stay cool by being constantly changed. Steve Two situations where an axle pump would have removed any stress and given more options... I know some people hate them, but they have their uses.
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Post by Steve Purves TBLR on Jul 23, 2019 14:22:58 GMT
Funny you say that, I had a similar experience. I was just testing everything in the steaming bays when the injector clack failed to re-seat. no amount of tapping or tinkering could get the back flow to stop so I took the heavy decision the fire had to come out. (which I had just got built up ready for the first run) Fire out, blower off and starting to let it cool down (still at 80psi) the clack magically seats itself... typical! New fire in, blower on and try to recover what we can! Depending on the length of the track, I do a similar thing to you and leave the water feed running and fill up every lap. it has the combined effect of keeping the injector cool and allowing the tank water to stay cool by being constantly changed. Steve Two situations where an axle pump would have removed any stress and given more options... I know some people hate them, but they have their uses. Agreed there. Although I would personally prefer a handpump over an axle pump. one of my winter jobs is to swap out the axle pump for one..
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Post by Roger on Jul 23, 2019 15:46:07 GMT
You might consider using this simple idea to make sure the inlet ball never sticks closed. It's just a short length of 'O' ring cord that just lifts the ball off the seat. The slightest pressure in the reverse direction seats the ball, but it's lifted off when the pump is idle so that when the water evaporates, it doesn't bond it to the seat with dissolved solids. Pump inlet valve spring by Roger Froud, on Flickr
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Post by silverfox on Jul 23, 2019 18:28:48 GMT
Well done Steve
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
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Post by steam4ian on Jul 27, 2019 5:37:47 GMT
G'day Steve.
Firstly, well done, thank you for a very informative thread.
I have a question regarding your water treatment. What do you use? I note that you pack the boiler after each run, do you do anything to reduce the oxygen levels in the boiler while it is stored.
My own loco, currently out of service, has a copper boiler but two of the locos in our club have steel boilers with copper tubes. I regularly drive one of them. Water treatment is about 10ml of a tannin/alkali solution for each boiler fill and same dose every few tender fills. The water in the glass shows a weak tea colouration. At the end of the runs we blow the boilers down whilst hot and take the filler plug off so it breathes. There is no evidence of corrosion in the boilers.
There is a conflict in the water treatment requirements for mild vs Stainless steel. MS requires an anoxic environment with a high pH whilst SS needs an oxidising environment with low TDS. The corrosion on your old SS tubes would indicate that things were not ideal.
Looking forward to your comments. Rgds Ian
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