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       #Post#: 83522--------------------------------------------------
       My steamy toy
       By: Matthew Date: January 7, 2014, 9:57 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [quote author=Wooden link=topic=7479.msg82709#msg82709
       date=1387669152]
       [quote author=Matthew link=topic=7479.msg82704#msg82704
       date=1387662744]
       Main priority for me will be fixing the traction engine that has
       languished broken in the back of the workshop since
       October.[/quote]
       Further details are an imperative!
       Je suis très excité
       :smilewide:
       [/quote]
       As requested, here's a thread on my traction engine! Posts are
       very long, so are copied from another thread I have running on
       an inferior forum. Apologies for some of the very simplistic
       writing, it was originally  aimed at an audience who dont know
       much, if anything, about steam machinery!
       Part 1 (14th April 2012)
       Due to popular demand I've finally got around to making this,
       the first of my vehicle writeups and a glimpse into the smoky
       world of steam power:
       This is my 3" to the foot (1/4 Scale) miniature of the 1910
       Marshall 10-Ton traction engine No.54587 "Pride of the Road",
       which I bought during the Christmas holidays. It is 56" long and
       weighs approximately 300kg dry.
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/557709_10150670836828878_1845855167_n.jpg
       This is the full-size engine:
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/294349_10150342568533878_549199809_n.jpg
       As with many miniatures, the engine was built over a number of
       years from a commercially available kit of castings and a scale
       boiler.
       The heart of any steam engine is the boiler/firebox assembly,
       especially on a traction engine where in lieu of a separate
       frame the boiler forms a chassis to which everything else
       mounts. According to the logbook that came with the engine, the
       steel boiler vessel was built in 1994, but due to other delays
       in completing the engine it was not steamed until 2008/9.
       This is a relief, as a boiler normally has a lifespan or 10-15
       years of weekly steaming until it needs major work or even total
       replacement to rectify internal corrosion and metal thinning
       rendering it unsafe for further use. At the same time, it means
       the boiler is early enough to sidestep more stringent paperwork
       on post-2002 builds. With use of modern tannin-based corrosion
       inhibiting water treatment, and the fact that being at uni cuts
       off a fair chunk of the show season, with luck this boiler will
       last a decent while longer than average.
       The rest of the engine started life as a kit of raw foundry
       castings from Brunel Models of Lancashire. It was expertly
       machined and assembled by a very talented engineer called John
       in his home workshop. Machining one of these kits of no mean
       feat, calling for precision drilling, boring, honing, milling
       and turning with only very vague instructions and scaled-down
       blueprints of the real thing to work from! Other panelwork such
       as the tender (the coal and water storage compartment that
       extends backward from between the rear wheels) was hand-formed
       and riveted from sheet brass.
       After 2 or 3 seasons of rallying the engine, John decided to
       sell it on to finance the building of another miniature in a
       larger scale. Noting my wanted advert on a traction engine
       forum, he got in touch. Although the engine was nearly a foot
       longer than the miniature Burrell I was after (more on why this
       is a problem later), at the price he offered it to me the
       opportunity was far too good to pass up - it was mechanically
       perfect but in need of some cosmetic TLC. Some dosh changed
       hands and I was now an engine owner!
       So, in my Christmas holidays work commenced. An insulated
       storage area was constructed (letting lots of delicate pipework
       freeze on winter nights is a very bad and expensive idea). The
       next week we pinched a van from Dad's office and set off to
       Lancashire for a crash course in engine driving before loading
       up and bringing it home.
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/400818_10150457667253878_1255641998_n.jpg
       Driving a traction engine is not quite as simple as driving a
       car!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tediagram.png[/img]
       1 - Handbrake winding lever.
       2 - Boiler pressure gauge. Sort of like the BHP dial on a
       Veyron. Anything from 10psi gives enough to lug the driver
       about, the redline (120psi) will suffice to tow a car - powerful
       stuff, steam!
       3 - Firebox door. Put coal in here and set fire to it. At
       anything other than ticking over stationary, it needs a good
       feeding every few minutes
       4 - Water level gauges (the glass tubes). The trick is to keep
       the level right by balancing use with replenishment. Let it run
       too low and you melt an emergency stopper in the boiler that
       lets all the steam out to prevent an explosion. Let it run too
       high, and water is drawn into the cylinder with similar effects
       to hydraulic-ing a car engine.
       5 - Water pump valve - screw this in to replenish the boiler
       water level (see 4.)
       6 - Steering wheel. If you can't identify one of these then you
       shouldnt be allowed out in public unsupervised.
       7 - Regulator - pulling this open allows steam into the cylinder
       in the same fashion as a throttle
       8 - Reversing lever - this is an additional method of throttle
       control by determining how far the valves open. In the middle
       they dont open at all - like a neutral gear. the further from
       the centre it is, the more the vales open, increasing the power
       of each stroke but also the amount of steam used so reducing
       coal and water economy (So you could say that traction engines
       pioneered variable valve timing!!). Which side of the centre it
       is determines the direction of piston motion.
       9 - Gear selector - moving this engages the gearshaft with the
       crankshaft. To the left = low gear (~1mph), right = high gear
       (~5mph). Some engines have a third extra-long road gear that
       gives 15mph. It doesnt sound much but on a traction engine its a
       positively scary speed!
       After getting the engine home I invited round a local
       owner/builder of the same model for a day's steaming. We had a
       great afternoon trundling up and down my drive and I learnt the
       finer points of raising a fire and driving the engine, as well
       as the post-driving maintenance such as polishing away the oil
       dribbles and sweeping the soot out of the firebox heat
       exchanging tubes (this ensures heat transfers easily from the
       fire to the water in the boiler).
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564118_10150670835883878_289622778_n.jpg<br
       />
       Alas, bad news was to follow. 2 years ago, the safety rules
       changed for miniature engines to require not 1 but 2 methods of
       getting water into the boiler whilst in steam. In an emergency
       situation the last thing you want to find is that the part
       responsible for replenishing boiler the water level has broken
       or you will therefore be sitting on a mobile bomb. This is why
       full-size engines have both a mechanical pump driven from the
       crankshaft, and a steam-powered water injector that uses dark
       science to do with pressure and temperature differentials. As it
       stood, my engine had just the mechanical pump and would
       therefore no longer be capable of passing the relevant checks to
       gain certification for display at public shows.
       With much to-ing and fro-ing of emails, the engine went back to
       John to have an injector retrofitted and tested and was now
       show-ready.... almost
       The only thing preventing me now was the imminent expiry of the
       boiler test certificates. these are like a 2-tier MOT system for
       steam engines, without which they cannot legally be steamed
       anywhere where the general public is in attendance. There is an
       annual steam test, during which the boiler is steamed up to its
       red line to check the the safety valves operate correctly and
       prevent pressure rising any higher:
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/548596_10150670837428878_821823011_n.jpg
       There is also a 2-yearly hydraulic test. this is the main
       structural integrity test of the boiler, during which it is
       filled with water and pressurised to 1.5x the maximum working
       pressure - 180PSI in my case!!!
       Pressure is held whilst the inspector checks for any leaks or
       weeping - and no sign of either was found on mine :)
       I was lucky enough to have both of these tests done last week
       for free, due to joining the extremely helpful and friendly
       Handforth Model Engineering Society, a group based near Cheadle
       that caters for both Traction engines and miniature railway
       locomotives. I would have some photos to show you but due to
       fact it pissed with horizontal rain for the duration of the test
       I refrained from doing anything except seeking shelter!
       So, I now have the engine back home, and ready to take to shows
       - once I have finished recommissioning and modifying the
       motorbike trailer I had to buy to accomodate it! (I told you its
       extra length was a problem - a Burrell would just about have
       fitted neatly in the back of the Land Rover!)
       The next step I want to take is to get the engine
       road-resigtered. Being steam powered, it is tax and mot exempt,
       and all it needs to be road legal is a set of registration
       plates (whether you get given yearly or q plates seems to depend
       on your local DVLA office). Many people do register and use
       their miniatures on the road, though it is a tad exposed so they
       often tuck into convoys of full-size engines for protection!
       Anyway, here's a few more pictures for you, and if you see me at
       a show in the Cheshire area over the summer then do come and say
       hi!
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526643_10150670835603878_1737367920_n.jpg
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/545205_10150670831548878_579011362_n.jpg
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/295010_10150670834788878_433597880_n.jpg
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/546705_10150670836528878_897265876_n.jpg
       #Post#: 83523--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: Matthew Date: January 7, 2014, 10:06 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Part 2 - 16th April 2012
       You certainly cannot beat the smell of burning coal mingled with
       hot steam oil
  HTML http://www.pistonheads.com/inc/images/cloud9.gif
       We need more young people  involved in the hobby as too many of
       them see it as an old man's pastime. If they are really serious,
       then a good start is to enrol in the NTET's Steam Apprentice
       Club:
  HTML http://www.ntet.co.uk/sac/
       A sort of update:
       Today has seen me doing some jobs and prep work on the engine
       and accessories. First job was to drop the grate from the
       firebox and rake out the half-burnt coals from the last
       steaming. The hard bit is getting it back on as it is secured on
       pegs by 4 small circlips
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/ae51d417.jpg[/img]
       After that, a quick sweep of the boiler tubes and a good
       all-over polish was all it needed. if you've ever wondered why
       owners are continually polishing at shows, its because the
       total-loss lubrication of every pivot and joint in the "motion
       work" (all the bits between the cylinder and the flywheel) drips
       all over the boiler cladding leaving it streaked in thick, dirty
       oil.
       Attention then turned to the trailer I'd bought, an old
       motorbike carrier:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/trailer.jpg[/img]
       The plan is to square off the a-frame and board it with some
       spare 12mm ply I have left over from another job, along with
       some other jobs to make it ready to carry the engine. Exam
       revision was procrastinated to doodle the plans for a handyman
       friend to chop'n'weld it:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/ac07bd21.jpg[/img]
       In the meantime, it needs some new tyres!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/d3d81166.jpg[/img]
       (yes, I puled it 15 miles home like that, full of tyre sealant
       :eek: )
       After a half hour fight with a tyre lever and some rather nice
       lavender scented fairy liquid, I had a set of bare rims ready to
       send for shotblasting and priming as a favour from yet another
       mate - you soon end up well-connected in the steam world,
       everyone is incredibly helpful and friendly!
       The trailer is then going to be painted to match the new colour
       scheme the engine will be getting in a year or 2 when I'm
       familiar enough with it to strip off all the wheels, boiler
       classing and other tinwork. Eventually it should end up painted
       something like the Fowler Showman's road loco "Renown", in deep
       blue with gold (or possibly off white) piping:
  HTML http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4136/4820654568_8b6ca2e555_z.jpg
       Another little project is to make a chimney blower. On an
       engine, the flow of air goes into the bottom of the firebox, up
       through the grate, through the boiler tubes and out the chimney.
       On a full-size engine there is plenty of flow even when cold
       with a just-lit fire. However, as the size of the engine
       decreases, the airflow ratio does not decrease proportionally,
       and thus on smaller scale engines such as mine it can be a
       challenge to get the fie going. The normal solution is therefore
       to place an electric blower on top of the chimney to pull air
       through until the fire is going and able to create its own
       draft.
       The problem is, it's very hard to find an impellor fan these
       days that is all-metal - plastic ones dont like the exhaust of a
       roaring coal fire!
       Step forward a military surplus website, and the cooling fan
       from a 1970s Army valve radio set (amazing what one can buy on
       the internet these days!)
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/6ab61fff.jpg[/img]
       Having established it wont run off a piddly house battery, I
       found that once connected to the man-sized Land Rover battery it
       shifts a surprising amount of air for its size. thus, more
       doodling ensued (but this time using my technical drawing
       skills), and I have some plans for an adaptor to get fabbed up:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/a3048eec.jpg[/img]
       For now though, its back in the garage with everything until
       mid-june, when uni exams finish and I can go out and play again!
       #Post#: 83524--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: Matthew Date: January 7, 2014, 10:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Part 3 - 16th September 2012
       MEGA UPDATE! Warning - extremely technical explanations ahead to
       satisfy the fellow engineering geeks!
       Well, its been a fun and eventful season!
       After much grinding, chopping, bashing and welding by PHer Buzzy
       Bee (Edit: aka. Edwin Foden of this here OLLR parish), the
       motorbike trailer in my previous post was now sporting the
       addition of some nice "wings" to carry the decking for the
       engine (and I ordered some new tyres too!):
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/9bc0be54.jpg[/img]
       After a few arguments on colour, we decided to paint it to match
       the Series Landy rather than any current or future colour scheme
       of the engine. This was mainly due to the available colours of
       rust-proof paint!
       Some loading ramps were fashioned from 1" marine ply, with some
       seriously beefy metal hooks bolted to one end to keep them in
       place on the back of the trailer when taking the strain
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/4ebf1a86.jpg[/img]
       The trailer was finished off with a piece of scrap curtainsider
       lorry canvas nailed to the bottom to cover the bloody big
       [s]bike rung[/s] hole down the centre. On the shiny (and
       visible) top side, some spare offcuts of 3/4" ply liberally
       coated in yacht varnish, gave a lovely period look :)
       And voila, one beautiful Land Rover, traction engine and trailer
       combo:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb1.jpg[/img]
       So, I was all set for my first outing of the season (in fact my
       very first outing full stop) - the Lancashire and Morecambe
       Model Engineering Society's annual open day. One problem - it
       was 11pm the night before, and the weather had been awful all
       day. The roads were soaking wet, and the £5 tarp from ebay didnt
       fit in any way shape or form (its not easy to wrap something
       traction engine shaped in a square tarp!). This called for some
       lateral thinking, which led to an SAS-style raid on the kitchen
       cupboard for some clingfilm when mum wasn't looking  rofl
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb2.jpg[/img]
       In the end, we got to Lancs without incident, and had a
       brilliant day despite discovering a few teething troubles!
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/531596_10150954787078878_97134703_n.jpg
       The first problem I soon discovered was with the cheap Chinese
       garden trolley I bought and built to act as a supply trailer to
       keep my coal, water and oil in when roaming the rally field
       arenas away from base pitch. It was rated at 300kg, and worked
       brilliantly for, ooh, 20 yards loaded with a 20kg sack of coal
       and a bloke sat on it. Then this happened:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb3.jpg[/img]
       Undeterred, I unhitched it and carried on roaming at a reduced
       radius. A cracking couple of hours ensued as I learnt the finer
       points of managing fire and water - with the added complication
       of slopes. As explained in the opening post, the amount of water
       in the boiler has to be just right. The boiler itself is
       essentially a big cylinder with a square box on one end. Because
       of this, the structurally weakest part of it is the "crown", ie
       the flat (or sometimes "m" shaped) sheet covering the top of the
       firebox and blending into the main tube. This diagram skanked
       off t'interweb explains it better than I can with words:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb5.jpg[/img]
       Let the water level run too low and the crown is the first part
       of the boiler to be uncovered - and this will soon overheat,
       soften and rupture causing a catastrophic explosion. Luckily,
       there is an emergency stopper called a fusible plug to prevent
       this - a hollow brass bolt with a tin solder core that melts at
       a far lower temperature than it takes to soften steel. If the
       crown is uncovered, this melts and lets all the steam and water
       out of the boiler, dousing the fire in the process. Oh, and its
       an utter sod to get at to replace!!! Let the water level run too
       high on the other hand, and water is drawn into the cylinder
       with similar effects to hydraulic-ing a car engine.
       So what does this have to go with gradients, you might ask?
       Well, keeping the water level correct is child's play on the
       flat, but on a gradient all the water sloshes to one end of the
       boiler! So, when going downhill, the water all goes to the front
       of the boiler and leaves the fusible plug uncovered. Going
       uphill, it all sloshes to the crown, which would be great if not
       for the fact that this is where the steam inlet for the cylinder
       usually is - hydraulic time!
       As such, driving an engine calls for great vigilance of what the
       road or terrain ahead is like - if its going downhill, get that
       water pumping in as fast as possible to "overfill" the boiler as
       it begins to nose down. For going uphill, run the level as low
       as possible as you approach the hill.
       On a full-size engine, it takes a fairly large slope to cause
       this kind of frantic level-fiddling, but in a miniature scale
       every slight incline is a potential hazard!
       Anyway - back to teething troubles  :banghead
       After a few hours of playing, I got off to tend to something
       else and noticed a suspiciously redundant looking actuator on
       the motion-work (all the moving linkages you can see on the top
       between the cylinder and the driver's footplate). To my horror,
       a little bit of linkage for the cylinder lubricator had worked
       loose, come undone and fallen off. This was slightly alarming as
       it meant that, for an undetermined amount of time, no
       lubrication had been reaching the cylinder  :eek:
       So how does the cylinder lubricator work? Well:
       The cylindrical bar at the bottom of the below picture is linked
       to the crankshaft by an eccentric bearing shell, and moves back
       and forth as the crank rotates (kind of like a pushrod). The
       vertical post is clamped to this, so moves back and forth,
       moving the linkage at the top of it. This causes the brass
       connecting rod to move back and forth, rotating the shaft in the
       middle of it about a quarter or a turn either way.
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/b9b11d94.jpg[/img]
       As the shaft turns, it causes the cam inside the box here to
       force down the spring-loaded plunger on its way up and again on
       its way down. Now, this little box is usually full of 650 grade
       (yes, 650 weight - none of your poncy 10w30 here!) oil, so as
       the plunger is depressed by the cam a small amount of the oil is
       forced out, down a tube, through a pair of non-return valves and
       into the cylinder during each stroke. Here, it atomises into the
       steam charge and condenses on the cylinder bore, providing
       essential lubrication in possibly the worst environment for a
       precision-machined metal surface - constantly being steam
       cleaned!
       This is a total loss lubrication system as each fresh charge of
       steam washes the oil out of the bore again and up the chimney
       with the steam exhaust - hence the constant supply of oil. And
       hence why it was rather a worry to realise it wasnt working!!!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/0836719b.jpg[/img]
       Lacking the supply of incredibly tiny spanners and allen keys to
       fix it at the event, that rather put the kibosh on activities
       for the day..
       Oh well, it meant I got to have a go on a 4" (1/3 scale) Burrell
       - I think I know what I'll be looking to upgrade to in a few
       years time!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb6.jpg[/img]
       
       All went quiet then for a few weeks, until I was able to get the
       engine over to the house of the friendly local enthusiast
       mentioned in the original post. Knowing much more than me on how
       to re-setup the linkage so the cam was in the right position
       relative to the push rod and linkage, he soon had it sorted.
       The next rally was to be Cheshire Steam Fair (in Warrington).
       Well, it was supposed to be until the weather turned the
       showground into this:
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/383bb000.jpg[/img]
       Doesnt look bad on the truck, but that equates to about half way
       up the wheels on an engine my size!! having been pre-warned by a
       friend already there, I left the engine at home and thumbed my
       nose at all the other exhibitors by driving the Landy straight
       through the deepest bit of the mud right to my pitch, as they
       all waited for a tractor tow  :giddy:
       In the meantime, the engine had broken again.  :banghead
       Steaming it up at a local village show, I soon discovered the
       water pump wasnt quite working to its full extent - ie. it
       couldnt put water in the boiler as fast as it was being used for
       the hardly demanding task of sitting ticking over. Something
       obviously wasn't quite right here!
       After putting out the fire and packing up then fuming a bit, I
       got out the plans that came with the engine to see exactly what
       was supposed to be happening in there, and thus try and work out
       what had gone wrong. I was suddenly very very glad I had paid
       attention in engineering drawing classes!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/tepb4.jpg[/img]
       The pump uses another eccentric bearing shell from the crank
       (eccentric crank-driven bearings are a steam engineer's
       favourite way of generating linear motion from the crank) to
       drive a plunger-type pumping cylinder that is in constant
       operation. This lifts water from the tender into the bypass
       valve, where normally it is directed back into the tender. When
       the valve is wound down, this exit is blocked and the water is
       forced down a pipe into the clack on the side of the boiler. The
       clack valve is basically a ball bearing wedged in the flared end
       of a pipe, screwed into the pressurised part of the boiler. The
       steam pressure holds the ball bearing tight into the pipe
       normally, but, when pumping, the incompressible nature of water
       forces the ball out just enough to get past and into the boiler.
       Having taken all the aforementioned to pieces and confirmed it
       was all working properly, the problem of course turned out to be
       something annoyingly simple that I could have fixed at the show!
       The hand wheel on the bypass valve had loosened, moved down on
       its shaft and tightened again, meaning that when it felt like
       the valve was full wound down (ie maximum pumping), it wasnt -
       meaning most of the water was still bypassing back into the
       tender. Grrrrrr
       All too soon, however, it was time for my last show of the
       season as an exhibitor - Astle Park. This was my first "proper"
       grass field large-scale show. It was also my first time keeping
       the engine in steam all day from 9.30 to 4.30 - and let me tell
       you it is bloody knackering!! On a full-size engine you can top
       up the boiler to max, stick a few lumps of coal on the fire then
       leave it ticking over for an hour or 2. No such luck with a
       miniature though - the smaller an engine is, the quicker things
       happen. 5 minutes for a sandwich or toilet break is all you're
       likely to get before either fire, water or one of the various
       lubrication points needs attention, typically requiring you to
       get on your hands and knees just for extra aches and pains by
       the end of the day...
       However, no pain no gain! Astle park is a mobile show, ie. the
       engines are allowed to move around as they please within reason,
       rather than some shows where they are roped off and forced to
       sit stationary all day. So I took the opportunity to tour the
       entire showground on the engine!
       The highlight of the day was the miniatures contingent mixing it
       with the full size boys in the parade arena  ;D ;D ;D
  HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/553868_10151041700773878_1774299129_n.jpg
       And yep, that's Fred Dibnah's roller in the background, rallied
       these days by his sons Roger and Jack.
       Astle Park over, it was time to ready the engine for its winter
       bedtime. Steaming up once last time, the fire was built up
       nicely dropped out the grate whilst burning fiercely (rather
       than letting it die off naturally and go out by itself), so that
       I could open the boiler drain tap whilst still hot and
       pressurised to 10-15psi (dont try this at home kids!). This is
       the equivalent of draining a car's engine oil whilst hot - most
       of the crap such as silt comes out in suspension with the water,
       negating the need for it to be pressure-washed through an
       inspection hatch later on. If you leave it over winter it dries
       and hardnes to a cement-like substance with similar effects to
       scaling up a kettle. The latent heat of the boiler also means
       that, once the steam and water has emptied and other inspection
       plugs are opened up, it dries itself off inside. This stops
       moisture and condensation remaining in the boiler so the risk of
       internal corrosion is at a minimum.
       A few other menial jobs include sweeping the soot out of the
       boiler tubes - as the smoke and hot air is drawn through the
       tubes and out the chimney, a helluvalot of soot goes with it
       too! Once again, this builds up and reduces the efficiency of
       heat transfer from the hot gas to the water its supposed to be
       boiling.
       Pro Tip - everything within a 10 foot radius will get covered in
       a very fine layer of soot dust. I turned the shower basin black
       after that little job!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/E4BF4C22-BA31-4045-B824-9DA9F71460DA-589-000000703AA493E3.jpg[/img]
       And so the engine is now hibernating for the winter somewhere
       insulated and heated, to prevent any chance of frost damage (a
       very major risk to full-size engines kept outside under sheeting
       during their working lives) and I eagerly away the start of next
       year's show season!
       Phew, my fingers are knackered now!
       #Post#: 83528--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: rowehillmaster Date: January 7, 2014, 11:44 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       BRAVO  :smilewide:
       #Post#: 83535--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: mr.scruff Date: January 8, 2014, 4:14 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Whoever built that knew their onions, nice detail on it.
       54587's for sale at the moment so I hear.
       #Post#: 83536--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: StuartN Date: January 8, 2014, 4:32 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Great post and very interesting for those of us without much
       knowledge of steam but a mechanically interested mind.
       Keep em coming, very entertaining.
       S  :thumbs:
       #Post#: 83542--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: Yorkie V8 Date: January 8, 2014, 5:08 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nice little engine and a good thread, well explained.
       Would be good to keep updating your adventures on here!
       (Pandora's Firebox)
       #Post#: 83578--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: Peter de Dawg Date: January 8, 2014, 12:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Really top stuff, love it ! :thumbs:
       #Post#: 83580--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: strang Date: January 8, 2014, 1:06 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nice one Matt - steaming to Panama Hatty's next?  :smile1
       #Post#: 84327--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My steamy toy
       By: chally2 Date: January 21, 2014, 1:09 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Great stuff.
       *****************************************************
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