3 1/2 gauge A3

Hi,

I have just been bequeathed a 3 1/2g model A3 in rather a poor state.. It belonged to a close friend's brother who recently died unexpectedly.

I have zero experience of live steam, although I am a keen heritage railway fan, and have a small 00 collection.

I would love to be able to get her back in steam, but I have no idea how to start. I am currently cleaning all the gunk of her and lubricating but need advice on sourcing parts, learning the engineering side of how it all works.

I know the basics of real locos but this is all new to me.

Any advice at all would be welcome (possibly with the exception of don't!)

Thanks

I don't know where you are in the country but joing a club or society would be a good first step.

Why?

• Where do you intend to run this loco - you either have to build a track of your own or use a club track
• With an unknown quantity the boiler needs checking over and testing - this can be done at a club
• You will meet people with the knowledge and experience to help you
• When things go right you will meet people who will celebrate with you - and when they don't you will get support to rectify things

I don't know where you are in the country but joing a club or society would be a good first step.

Why?

• Where do you intend to run this loco - you either have to build a track of your own or use a club track
• With an unknown quantity the boiler needs checking over and testing - this can be done at a club
• You will meet people with the knowledge and experience to help you
• When things go right you will meet people who will celebrate with you - and when they don't you will get support to rectify things

From my very limited experience in model engineering but experience in repairing power tools up to diggers, I would start with examining the loco to see the obvious faults and go from there.

Many parts will need to be made rather than sourced. those on here with a lot more experience than I hopefully will come along and give better advice.

Pictures of the loco not just a general one but some detailed ones of the running gear may also help.

There is a how to for adding pictures somewhere on the site

Are there any documents with it such as boiler certificates? Having such provenance will make things a lot easier if you want to run it in public. If you run it in public you will need insurance; the only really practical way of getting that is to be a member of a recognised Model Engineering Society. The advantage of that is that you will also be able to tap into expertise and assistance in getting it running.

However, if you're only going to run it in your back garden by yourself, then it's a bit simpler. For your own peace of mind before lighting the fire in it I would advise you to do a hydraulic test on the boiler. This can be done by means of the tender hand pump, assuming there is one. Do not rely on the pressure gauge on the boiler - how do you know it isn't wrecked because it froze up in storage? You should check it against a gauge of known accuracy before you trust it. Cue membership of an ME Society - they have such things.

The reason we test boilers hydraulically is because if it does go bang, you might get a little wet. If you use air or steam and it goes bang, you may need some wings and a harp.

Having satisfied yourself that the boiler will hold pressure, the simplest way of seeing if it's likely to run is to couple it up to an air compressor and see if the wheels go round. No air compressor? What about a type pump - but you'll need some means of connecting either device to the engine. Cue need for a lathe or membership of an ME Society.

Getting it in steam will require an electric "blower" (i.e. sucker!) which draws the air through the fire until the loco's own steam blower can operate. Start the fire with paraffin-soaked charcoal, adding this until you start to see steam and then switch to coal. Charcoal is good enough to try it out if you don't have any coal, but the loco is designed to burn coal, so you won't realise its full potential on charcoal. ME Societies usually have coal available.

Running it jacked up (stationary) with the wheels lifted off terra firma is OK for a moment or two, but it's far from ideal as the motion is not in its normal position and there may be unexpected bangings and such.

You mention "sourcing parts"; well there you may have a problem, because unless you want something like an injector or a simple boiler fitting, you're likely to be out of luck. Macc Models do a range of fittings, as do Blackgates, Reeves 2000 and others who advertise in the ME press. You certainly won't find a ready-to-fit left hand bogie wheel or a cab footstep in a shop, like you might obtain Hornby spares!

Then where are you going to run it? have you got a track in your garden? Cue membership of an ME Society with one.

So no - Don't don't - if you're serious about running it, go and find a local club, join it and seek advice there.

Tell us roughly where you are in the country and you will have a list of clubs local to you posted on here very quickly.

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Thank you all!

I live in Widnes, Cheshire. The Warrington club (WDMES) is in nearby Appleton/Daresbury. I intend to go to their next open meeting. Happy to take recommendations for other societies.

Seems to be just what I need.

Well, as advised I visited Warrington Model Engineering Society today. What good advice! I spent about 3 hours being shown around, taken on a walk along the 1/2 mile track, and invited to return on Wednesday morning to get a boiler test.

First steps into a new world! I still do not know exactly how much is missing from this loco, but this is definitely the way to start.

No doubt I will be back here before too long. Who knows, after a while I may be able to answer a question or two.

Thank you all.

PS After a bit of research I think the loco is not an A3 but a V2.