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Is it time to give up?

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fizzy25/01/2012 20:38:34
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1860 forum posts
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Im very new to steam locos so I bought one which required a major refurb, or so I was told (Minx). Ive replaced and remade just about every moving part, but theres something woefully out of place. I cant get any drawings to find out which bit is wrong and ive no one to help me. I feel thoroughly miseable. Is now the time to give up?
Another JohnS25/01/2012 20:42:31
842 forum posts
56 photos
Nigel;
 
Would be a shame to give up; what's the issue? How do you know that it does not work??
 
(and, where in the world are you that there's nobody to help? North shore of Hudson Bay?
David Clark 125/01/2012 20:43:12
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3357 forum posts
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10 articles
Hi There
MyHobbyStore sell drawings for Maid of Kent.
Most of this is the same as the Minx.
regards david
 
 
Tel25/01/2012 21:13:51
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fizzy25/01/2012 21:16:40
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1860 forum posts
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http://www.stationroadsteam.com/archive.htm item 2531 shows the motion on a maid of kent - inside. Its not joy gear and is completely different. Any ideas as the mok drawings are very expensive if theyre not for my engine?
 
fizzy25/01/2012 21:26:38
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1860 forum posts
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ive looked at pictures of maid of kent and the valve gear(inside gear) looks completely different to minx. Minx definately has joy gear, no eccentrics but the mok ones have eccentrics
Springbok26/01/2012 06:15:24
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879 forum posts
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Hi Nigel
Never give up could you describe the symptoms is it that you are getting binding
I am sure with the wealth of experience on this forum we will be able to help you.
Could you post a pic of your loco
Bob
John Baguley26/01/2012 09:37:39
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517 forum posts
57 photos
Hi Nigel,
 
Minx was described in conjunction with Maid of Kent in ME vols 98 to 101 (1948-49). I've got all the relevant issues if there is anything that you need to know.
 
John
Wolfie26/01/2012 10:39:11
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502 forum posts
Dunno about trains, I haven't got that far yet. But so far this gang has helped me every time I've got stuck and thought about throwing things .

Edited By Wolfie on 26/01/2012 10:39:38

fizzy26/01/2012 11:13:24
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1860 forum posts
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hi john...thats exactly what ive been searching for but have been unable to find. I need to check the position of every moving part, length of links and so on. Something is either too short, too long or in the wrong place! I would love to see this running!! Where in the world are you based?
 
Cyril Bonnett28/01/2012 23:16:11
250 forum posts
1 photos
 
Couple more that might help
John Olsen28/01/2012 23:47:04
1294 forum posts
108 photos
1 articles
Nigel, you still haven't told us the exact nature of the problem. If it is binding that is one thing, if the valve gear is wrong in some way then it may not run even though everything moves freely. Plenty of us can find the original articles, they should be downstairs in my cupboard for instance. I could email copies but you might prefer to find a more local source than NZ. They may only be of limited help if it turns out that there was some error in the original design, which may require either looking through the indices to find later references to the design, or, probably better, learning how to use the Dockstader program and checking the design against that.
 
My strategy for one like this would be:
If it is binding find out where, eg disconnecting big ends/ eccentric rods etc and reconnecting until I have identified the place where the problem is occurring. Then of course you have to figure out what remedial action is needed depending on the problem. (For example crosshead not aligned with the cylinder bore) If everything has been built with too much precision you can get binding, there has to be enough freedom for the axles to move up and down without causing binding.
 
If it is a valve gear problem, check the design against the Dockstader program to make sure it is correct. Then check the loco to make sure it is implemented properly. For instance you can blow low pressure air through with drain cocks open and turn the loco over and listen to see when admission and exhaust are occurring. (Low pressure because you don't want it to actually run, you can take a finger off like that....you just want to hear what is happening) With some engines, you can do this by taking off the valve chest covers and watching the ports open, but not so easy with inside valves or piston valves. You want the barest whisker of lead, LBSC used to talk about the thickness of a tram ticket, which is only a few thou.
 
There have been engines that would not run because the cylinder covers or gaskets were actually obscuring the connection between the port and cylinder.
 
Generally steam engines are very forgiving, and will run with valve settings surprisingly far out, but of course they will not perform as well as they should. There are of course lots of things that can go wrong, but as with any trouble shooting, a logical and methodical approach should soon tell you what is wrong.
 
regards
John
fizzy29/01/2012 01:02:33
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1860 forum posts
121 photos
many thanks all...it looks like someone has confused mok with minx...minx frames with mok gear...and they aint the same! working on it, should be fixable but not hopeful!
Jim Greethead29/01/2012 03:31:22
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131 forum posts
8 photos
I love it Tel, that cartoon says it all. I need a BIG copy in my workshop. Thanks.
 
Jim
 
Steve Withnell29/01/2012 11:16:35
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858 forum posts
215 photos
A Winner never quits - and a Quitter never wins - John Wayne
 
but then again.
 
He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day,
Whilst he fights and stands his ground, gets his blummin clock knocked round!
 
 
So I guess it's about you striking a balance!
 
 
Steve
 
PS: And for those of you with long "to do" lists -
 
Nothing takes quite so long as the job that's never started... -Bilbo Baggins.
 
Pretty smart them Hobbits.
 
Steve
 
 
Andrew Johnston29/01/2012 11:22:46
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7061 forum posts
719 photos
Personally I leave the balance alone, it never did anything to me!

Andrew

PS: I find that if I leave jobs on the 'to do' list for long enough sometimes I decide I don't need to do them, which saves even more time.
 
PPS: Never did finish the 'Hobbit', just not my cup of tea.

Edited By Andrew Johnston on 29/01/2012 11:25:06

Stub Mandrel30/01/2012 19:48:01
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4318 forum posts
291 photos
1 articles
"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing badly."
 
George Bernard Shaw.
Jim Greethead30/01/2012 20:11:23
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131 forum posts
8 photos
I prefer:
 
If something is worth doing, it is worth overdoing
 
Jim
 
John Olsen30/01/2012 21:14:33
1294 forum posts
108 photos
1 articles
Nigel, It should be possible to get it going, even with the "wrong" gear. It may require a redesign, especially if the distances or the ports are different. By a redesign, I don't mean a complete change to the loco, I just mean that you might have to adjust the dimensions of some valve gear components to get things right. If you are not comfortable with this, you could convert it to the original design, or you could get assistance in tweaking the design of what you have to work properly. Valve gear doesn't have to be very far out to have an impact on performance. It is one of the reason why different locos of the same class often had very different performance. But it can usually be adjusted to give the best results for any given circumstance.
 
regards
John
 
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrer."
Ady130/01/2012 21:16:49
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6137 forum posts
893 photos
Eagles may soar but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
 
william shakespeare
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