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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2007 17:29:31 GMT
Forgive the terminology I am complete novice at this.
I bought on a whim an old 0-4-0 7.25" engine, I gather from a very helpful man in the trade it is a scratch built one design engine made in the north east in the 70's by a chap who made three of them to run on a public railway which he ran until the 90's
The chassis and boiler had been "under the bench" somewhere for years when I acquired it and it gathered lots of dust and rust.
After many hours or very enjoyable work I have managed to get it into fair nick and leaving the motion gear set up well alone, I freed everything off and it now runs sweetly on compressed air at 35-40lb.
It is gas fired and has a steel boiler which I don't have either the skills or facility to test, it looks sound and it hold pressure well but there appears to be bits missing from the controls, quite what I am not sure but I have not attempted to steam it.
Any way the point is that I bought it to get some experience for steam models, I never intended to run it only to learn from it then sell it, it looks quite smart lots of shiny steel copper and brass but do I paint it or leave it in clean metal?
It's very tempting to paint it but I suspect a buyer would prefer to make their own decision on colour etc.
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John Lee
Part of the e-furniture
Posts: 375
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Post by John Lee on Feb 26, 2007 17:57:17 GMT
Unless you want to get experience of painting as well (or maybe you already are skilled at painting models) I would leave well alone. You will need to strip it down to a bare chassis to paint it, so if you are not 100% sure about whats what you risk a non runner when you reassemble.
Personally, I'd learn some more about what the controls needed are (get a book on locos) , and I'd finish it if its a good one. You will still need to get that boiler tested properly, but then you will have something of potentially very decent value, whether you decide to keep or sell. Gas fired it would be very easy to run.
Regards,
John
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Post by the_viffer on Feb 26, 2007 23:04:31 GMT
So far as I am concerned a steel boiler without history is scrap and scrap of no scrap value, I'd pay the same or slightly less for a a loco with a steel boiler without documentation as I would for the same loco without a boiler at all. The reason for this is the difficulty in getting an old boiler certified without paperwork. I'd therefore not spending ages on the finer controls,
Nevertheless as John Lee says spending hours painting the loco is probably time wasted as the eventual purchaser may have their own idea on how the loco should loco. Also a unmesssed with model is often more desirable than a restored one. So fiddling around to get running on air is good but painting will add little (and possibly a negative amount) to the selling price.
Still what do I know? Ebay never fails to amaze me.
Good luck.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2007 13:45:07 GMT
As far as making the engine workable I do not yet have either the knowledge or skills to get that far and I am as you say concerend that mucking about will make it useless to others who may well be able to get it right if I leave well alone.
I have confined myself to getting all the crud off and stripping all the over spray and duff paint job off and cleaning the bearings etc to get it working, I have not even taken the Cylinders off for fear of damaging something.
I rather suspected that the boiler would be a risk factor.
Have had a great deal of satisfaction in getting it running on air.
As far as painting is concerned you have confirmed my thoughts, leave well alone, there is no way of doing a decent paint job without spraying it and that as you say cannot be done in one piece without making a pigs ear of it.
Have done a heap of reading but there is only so much you can get from a book, I have learned more from this site in a few weeks than I have learned from books in six months.
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Post by alanstepney on Feb 28, 2007 13:52:24 GMT
If you want to add to what you have learned, join your local model engineering society.
There are societies throughout the UK, and it is likely that you will have a choice, within reasonable travelling distance.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2007 10:50:42 GMT
There by hangs the tale, I live in Aberystwyth and as far as I can find there are no clubs catering for live steam or model engineering for 60-70 miles, there is a small gauge group at Lampeter and another O gauge group in Tywyn but nothing locally.
I guess there is a case for getting a club going here.
Is there anyone out there?
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Post by alanstepney on Mar 1, 2007 18:05:50 GMT
I know there are clubs at Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil , and Llanelli, none of which are on your doorstep.
There may be others I am not aware of.
There used to be one in West Wales, perhaps still is, but I dont recall the precise location.
Of course, you could always move house!!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2007 13:40:57 GMT
Er in doors would throw a wobbly, beside I have a business here and you just cant beat West Wales as a plce to grow old.
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Post by alanstepney on Mar 2, 2007 18:29:32 GMT
Where I am there are 7 or 8 ME clubs within an hours drive.
Add another 20 or 30 minutes and the total increases to close to a dozen.
Guess you are deprived in Wales.
(That was "deprived". !!)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2007 13:29:31 GMT
Have managed to find a local contact who is involved with the Corris railway who apparently has an interest in smaller locos have not yet been able to speak to him but I am hopeful he will point me in the right direction.
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