Miniature Steam Locomotive Management

Good afternoon,

I wonder if Chris or Steve Addy could contact me concerning the article titled "Miniature Steam Locomotive Management" ?

Thank you

Best regards

Peter W

Good Morning Peter. I have read your post and it was well done but I have a couple of comments. The reversing lever does not alter the piston travel only the valve travel but of course you knew this and it's a pity it passed the edit. The other, more pertinent issue is about charcoal briquets . I and another member of my club used them and while they got the fire started they clogged up the grate and ashpan, due to the excessive amount of ash, so that the fire went out once coal was added and it could not be recovered. Lump wood is a much better option. Best regards David Murray Staines SME

Easier than charcoal is a lump of plain wood from a skip cut to 1/4 inch shorter than the firebox, then split into thin strips before soaking in paraffin. This is easier to put into the firebox and you know it is going all the way to the back. The last piece is left sticking out to light before pushing home.
At the end of the day once pressure is down don't forget to open the blower to prevent a vacuum forming in the boiler and sucking water in from the tanks if you haven't emptied them

Hi Bazyle. Thanks for the reply but I have been driving engines since 1968 so while I felt obliged to warn people about charcoal briquets I do not need advise on how to run them myself. As for water in the tanks , always drain them is my advise.

Apologies, but I am getting a little confused here!

Is 'Nipper' Steve Addy of the aforementioned ME article? Or is 'Nipper' someone else?

Cheers,

Julian

Hi Julian. Thanks for the note, I am David Murray of Staines SME. I am sorry if I seems a bit sharp in my reply but the purpose of my comment was to warn other people of the pitfalls of using charcoal briquets not start a forum on advising me on how to start a locomotive. Thanks anyway.

.

Fill it with diesel, turn the key and press the button. .......... 'innit' ???

Nick

Hi Nick. This my last post on this subject. My best friends father was an engine driver, many years after he retired I asked which was his best day as a driver. ' The day the diesels arrived' Nuff said.

Good article, as a newcomer, appreciated.

After running and then blowing down, what is good practice to prevent rusting up of cast iron cylinder blocks

i run the engine up and down a few feet relying on the lubricator to pump some oil into the cylinders but I sometimes feel this is not enough

Previously I have run locos that have gunmetal cylinders and this has never been a worry

Thanks