Speedy Issues - Oil pump and Regulator

[millman]

As nobody else has replied may I suggest that as you are club members you may be better off taking the loco down to the clubhouse where I am sure you will get plenty of help and advice and people can actually see what is happening rather than trying to describe your problem on a forum.

[JonL]

It's probably not got a clutch AND pawl and ratchet, could you show us a close up of the mechanism?

As mentioned, its easier to sort some things with real eyes on them, I'm sure any of us would be happy to help if we can.

[stevep]

Tom,

The advice to seek help from other club members is definitely the best route. However, here are some thoughts.

Re. the lubricator - as Nobby says, if you have a pawl and ratchet, you probably haven't got clutches. However, is the ratchet wheel tight on its shaft? The ratchet wheel could be going round, but not actually driving the pump. Also, check if the pawls have been worn away (they can wear very quickly if you have a really hard ratchet wheel). The wear is often underneath, and not easily seen.

Re. the regulator - I presume you mean it leaks when in steam?? I'm not familiar with the Speedy regulator as drawn, but nearly always, you can check things out through the dome.

The plunger of the whistle valve is often just a short length of rod between the operating lever and the ball. Moving the lever pushes the rod to lift the ball off its seat and allow steam out to the whistle.

[andyhigham]

If it is a pawl and ratchet type, make sure both pawls are engaging
Some builders connect the oil pump to the valve rod, this can sometimes stop the pump when notched up

[WetHeader]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your help. I will get some members to look at it and see what they think.


Thanks again

[delaplume]

Hi-----regarding the two pawls, if the lower one is tight on it's pivot shaft then the pawl will be held slightly off engagement and the ratchet will just oscillate rather than advance..also that both return springs are taught and not sloppy..

Check the ratchet teeth have not worn down...

[WetHeader]

Hi everyone,

Thought I would report that the loco has now been sorted, but I have one issue i can't seem to resolve regarding the lubricator (a rachet and pawl type).

It has been stripped and cleaned and works as it should. However, before a run the tank is filled with oil and after about 2 hours running, the level has not dropped. The one way valves have been cleaned several times and the drive link is set to give the most travel. There is also no steam blowing back through.

I'm thinking about converting it to have a one way clutch to drive the pump, but I'd just check with everyone what the underlying problem could be.

Thanks

[racinjason]

If it's working by hand, then maybe it's got to much travel on the arm making it work to fast and not having time to let the oil run into the pump bore.
Cheers Jason

[chris vine]

Or, is it turning when you push the loco or drive it? Maybe someone can ride shotgun on a truck in front of the loco and watch the lubricator.
If it isn't turning then that is your answer!!

Chris.

[Neale]

Have you bled the oil lines to the cylinders? Our club Simplex suffered from exactly the same symptoms - all seemed to be working except that the oil level never went down - and it was as simple as bleeding the oil feed lines. Otherwise you are just compressing the air in the pipework and the pressure never gets high enough to open the clack at the cylinder end.

[WetHeader]

Hi all,

Thanks for your suggestions. I've had the engine running on blocks and the mechanism is all working as it should. I also prime the oil lines for a good minute or 2 to make sure they are full of oil.

Does the location of the second one way valve affect performance? I was thinking of putting one on each steam line to the cylinders, or is the second one on its own good enough?

Thanks

[Neale]

I'm not sure how the oil lines feed into the steam supply on Speedy - our club loco is a Simplex and even then I'm not entirely sure that it was built quite to the drawings! Our loco has the oil delivered into each steam chest (from memory) with a clack at the steam chest, and to bleed the lines means cracking open the union on the clack and operating the pump manually until oil flows. Speedy might be different - don't know the details well enough, and not sure where the valves are that you mention. Good luck!