Dnevil: Created page with "Category:Construction Some Random Observations The Live Steamer, September-October 1951 by "An Old Hand" Having built quite a few live steam locos in my time..."

2014-10-11T03:59:18Z

Created page with "Category:Construction Some Random Observations The Live Steamer, September-October 1951 by "An Old Hand" Having built quite a few live steam locos in my time..."

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[[Category:Construction]]
Some Random Observations

[[The Live Steamer]], September-October 1951

by "An Old Hand"

Having built quite a few live steam locos in my time, a number of them for
resale some 15 to 20 years ago, and believing that I may have been the "first"
with the "first to pull a live passenger" stunt back in 1910 (although I would
not be sure I was the first) when an Atlantic that I built, hauled me
laborously on the old 3-1/4 inch gauge in Brantford, Ont., perhaps a few
personal observations of what I have found after building some fifteen locos
from 3-1/4 inch gauge up to 1-1/2 inch scale size, will be of interest. These
observations are entirely my own personal viewpoints.

u just can't beat good Cast Iron for cylinders, rings and pistons if you are
careful to see they are well oiled, especially when not working. My one inch
scale Atlantic's cylinders and pistons and rings are just like silver and
perfectly steamtight after eleven years of running and these are all in cast
iron with stainless steel rods.

I beleive builders would do well to build engines to suit local fuel
conditions as near as possible. Here in B.C. we need large fireboxes and
grate area and flues must not be less than 1/2 inch diameter. Because of our
bad fuel situation we must depart a bit from "[[LBSC|Curly's]]" words and
music in the tube size used. Two of the "Hielan Lassie's" here with the
smaller flues that ordinarily are very successful get plugged flues in about
two hours running, but a GWR "King" and my old NYC Hudson with 1/2 inch flues,
team for six to eight hours without a flue brush. Last year I got a bit of
the Cardiff smokeless coal off a freighter and it was a treat to use. When
[[Charles A. Purinton|Carl Purinton]] visited here last summer he left me some
of what I believe to be "anthracite", what wonderfuls tuff. A friend tried it
in his "Lassie" and remarked that it was fired with Atomic Energy. Yes! fuel
quality is a big factor in performance.

Piston valves are definitely easier on Valve Gears, but I think they should be
of the double ported type to get more wearing surface. Of course, Piston
Valves must have a relief valve on back and front cylinder covers, as they
cannot lift off ports like a slide valve, when cylinders are full of
condensate. A slide valve engine is hard to reverse with throttle open.
Slide valves if well fitted outlive piston valves and give less trouble.

I have noticed that engines with short smoke boxes give a sharper blast from
exhaust than long smoke boxes, assuming valve gear and pressure to be
approximately the saem. I think this is due to the difference in volume of
the smoke boxes. The small one gets a sharper vacuum at the moment of exhaust
and the larger, having more reserve volume, a more retarded vacuum (at least
that is My theory).

Have also found that boilers with a preforated drypipe and front end throttle
are less liable to prime than boilers with a throttle in the dome, since the
vertical dome pipe has a tendency to lift the water as steam is admitted to
the drypipe. The perforated drypipe disperses the lifting tendency over more
surface of the water, thus making it less liable to priming.

The old reliable axlepump gives the least trouble and is the best bet for
reliability. I have the best results using bronze balls in pumps and check
valves. Rustless steel balls seem to have tendency to collect a kind of white
deposit and if left standing for some time unused they stick to the seat so
firmly a pressure of 100 pounds or more won't budge them. No! it's not the
water. I have seen a lot of trouble among the boys here and elsewhere due to
the stainless balls and was cured by replacing with bronze. Stainless are OK
for oil lubricators, etc.

Tender handpumps in my opinion are a nuisance, you generally blow up the hose
when you have to use them. I put my pump on the engine under the cab deck
thus no pressure on the hose, suction only.

By using an exhaust nozzle tip of multiple jet type on my locos I can nearly
double the nozzle area thus reducing back pressure and the boilers steam just
as well. Two of my engines used to have 5/16 inch orifices, now they are
nearly 7/16 inch in area.

If one has a track with a lot of curves it pays to fit "free-wheels" to the
carrying wheels on engine, tender and trolly cars. This does away with the
hard flange grinding and makes a wonderful difference, eliminating the wheel
drag due to different radii of the rails. (You might have some fun if you
tried this on the loco dirvers too (chuckle).

Some Random Observations by an Old Hand - Revision history

Dnevil: Created page with "Category:Construction Some Random Observations The Live Steamer, September-October 1951 by "An Old Hand" Having built quite a few live steam locos in my time..."