Stuck regulator on butch.

[terryc]

Hi, I purchased a Butch locomotive that as not been used for a time and find that the regulator is stuck. I don’t really wish to take things apart, having far too many things in bits already. So any butch owners out there know of a good method to unstick a regulator. I have been thinking of warming the loco up with a bit of fire in the grate. Any other suggestions. On another note are there any build notes available for this locomotive at all. I am interested in finding out more about the piping from the side tanks to the hand pump then to the boiler. Thanks

[jo479]

I think getting a bit of steam up and gently move the regulator back and forwards might work, depends on the type of regulator, if it's a screwdown always leave it open, I always leave all my valves open before the boiler cools down.

[terryc]

Thanks, I think I will give it a try.

[miken]

Butch was my first loco build. It has a vertical slide type regulator (sorry I don't know the correct name for it) . Anyway, you can very easily access and remove , or free up, the vertical slide part just by taking the inner dome cover off. I know this because when my regulator started to let by, I remember removing the slide to fit a ptfe insert.

[terryc]

Thanks Miken. I have been able to free off the regulator slide, it was coated in lime scale. However here is the position now. The regulator remains stuck unless I unscrew the centre nut of the regulator control rod. With the nut undone I can move the regulator freely. However the nut screwed into the firebox also moves, which is not so good. Do you know what happens if I unscrew the second nut from the firebox. And any ideas what maybe the problem. Thanks

[chris vine]

Hi Terry, it sounds as though the nut on the back of the fire box is the brass or bronze gland nut which can be tightened up very gently to nip up some packing to stop steam leaking around the regulator Rod
I think maybe this nut needs tightening in a bit and then it will not be binding on the back of the regulator lever itself. It sounds to me from your description as though the nut tightening on the regulator lever to the Rod is then nipping onto this gland nut and that perhaps is what is making it stiff to turn.
If you take the regulator lever off you should be able to take that gland nut out and put some new graphite yarn behind it to make it steam tight without it being stiff, but you need to make certain that the gland goes in far enough so that the regulator lever isn’t tightened onto it.
Hope that makes sense and maybe I’ve got it completely wrong!!
Chris.