Driving Locomotives
Contents
1. rod or nail inserted into one of the holes Most importantly and for obvious reasons make sure the reversing lever by the right hand cab door is in mid gear position Making a Hot Charcoal Bed You should also have a tub of dry charcoal which can now be added to the fledgling furnace a couple of shovelfuls at a time in order not to smother it If the fire seems to be waning add some more paraffin charcoal otherwise try to use the dry charcoal as the dense and rather odourful paraffin smoke deposits much more soot than the clean burning dry charcoal Incidentally the charcoal should be of the lumpwood variety and broken up into pieces between half an inch and an inch in size with the dust sifted out Add some more paraffin charcoal then dry charcoal until almost level with the firehole and close the firedoor The fire should be burning quite well now In fact the crackling and roaring noises from the firebox and the occasional flurry of embers from the noisy blower are a little startling after the relative peace of the initial preparation stages 30f5 NLSME ARTICLES Page 4 of 5 With the charcoal forming a nice hot bed for the coal to lie on put a couple of shovelfuls on now evenly distributed Genuine steam coal is provided for use in Club locos a charge is made if it is for your own loco at Colney Heath and it is well worth sieving 1t beforehand to remove as much dust and small particles which would otherwise accumulate in the bottom of t2. this engine are not cut away down to footplate level Fanning the Flames Put an electric fan blower in the chimney and plug it into the 12 volt DC socket under the end of the steaming bay track Balance a lump of paraffin charcoal on the bottom edge of the firehole Apply a lighted match to it and poke it into the firebox Ensure the smokebox door is closed firm and switch on the blower whereupon the charcoal will leap into flame or perhaps go out Only a few attempts should be necessary Judicious use of a poker made from 3 16 diameter steel rod with a slightly angled pointed end to distribute the flame round all the charcoal should help as will a slight delay in switching on the electric blower Add a few more shovelfuls of paraffin charcoal and close the fire door Now may be the last chance to double check the steam valves are shut while the boiler still has zero pressure in it The regulator in the centre of the backhead is closed when fully closed ANTI clockwise The steam blower handwheel next to the pressure gauge and the injector steam valve above the water gauge are closed when turned fully clockwise as 1s the water gauge blowdown valve the little white handle beneath the gauge glass You might like to check the boiler blowdown valve is closed also clockwise Lift out the removable segment of footplate under the firedoor and the blowdown knob is on the bottom left of the backhead and is gently turned with the aid of a thin
3. tins and have some spare charcoal Before loading the firebox it is as well to see that the ashpan and grate have been cleaned and replaced and that the boiler tubes are clean Open the smokebox door a few turns anti clockwise of the outer handle followed by turning the inner handle through 90 degrees Then open the firehole door and at least some of the tubes should be sufficiently illuminated by daylight to give an idea of whether they need sweeping Alternatively use a small torch or just go ahead and gently poke a flue brush through Clean unblocked tubes are CRUCIAL to good steaming On many locos the ashpan is meant to be removed together with the grate but not on this one as the firebox lies above the obstructing trailing axle so the ashpan has to be screwed to the chassis frames Cleaning is effected by carefully raking out the ashes through the open back of the ashpan a long narrow strip of metal with the last inch bent at right angles or even a flue brush can be pressed into use for this Assuming the grate was cleaned at the end of the previous run as it always should be instructions will come later one can now cover it with a layer of paraffin charcoal The grate is about four inches long by about two and a half wide With a shovel about an inch wide and two inches long six doses should do and it is more convenient if the shovel s handle is bent at an angle to the blade to enable it to negotiate the cab rear and coal bunker which on
4. NLSME ARTICLES Page 1 of 5 Submitted by Adam Gorski Submitted Date Originally for August 2000 Newsletter Driving Locomotives The Butch Way I have written this article because it is the sort of information I wish I could have read before my initiation into the pleasures and problems of operating a small locomotive some years ago It attempts to be a fuller description of what it is like to prepare and drive a steam engine than is usually published and so be of greater use to those who have not yet had a go Naturally one cannot learn to drive a steam locomotive from a set of written instructions since it is a job which needs to be learnt from practical experience However this detailed treatise can provide a source of reference which can be used to compliment the practical work My thanks to Jim Macdonald and Tom Luxford for their reassuring and practical advice and John Squire who encouraged accompanied and instructed me on my first trip on the Tyttenhanger main line with a locomotive The various aspects of the hobby which come under the general title of railways are so varied it s no wonder we become such ardent enthusiasts and no wonder it is often difficult to pin point exactly why Stations the track and areas through which it passes rolling stock goods yards shunting railway owned road vehicles the list is as long and tenuous as you like and can hopefully persuade those who are not interested yet that there is more sense i
5. er from today s products Maxitrak Ltd however recommend SAE 30 4 stroke lawnmower oil for their loco bearings and this is also mentioned by Myfords for certain parts of their lathes It is slightly thinner than the stuff car engines consume as is the most interesting recommendation by another NLSME member chain oil sold by garden machinery dealers Intended for chain saws and sprocket chains 1ts anti fling properties prevent it from migrating from where it is needed and spraying off to coat for example the underside of running boards as in the case of coupling rods wheel crankpins A visible test of this can be contrived if a drop of chain oil is placed between the thumb and forefinger which are then successively closed together and opened the oil will string like glue unlike other oils which spatter tiny droplets Paraffinised Charcoal and Cleaned Flues At last the most exiting part of operating a locomotive building up a good fire whence the loco will raise steam and come alive A supply of charcoal should have been soaked in paraffin for a few days beforehand in say a tightly lidded jar tin or plastic container Kerosene central heating fuel or barbecue lighting fluid are to all intents and purposes the same as paraffin Strain off and store the soaked charcoal in a closed tin I use a round travel sweet tin which holds enough for a loco the size 20f5 NLSME ARTICLES Page 3 of 5 of Butch In fact better carry two or three such
6. he smokebox and add to the burden of cleaning or worse find their way up the chimney covering the top of the engine and at best just the driver This will inevitably occur to a certain extent when the coal breaks down as it burns but why add to it A few years ago BUTCH sported a rudimentary smokebox fitted spark arrestor but this fouled free access to sweeping some of the tubes unless removed Currently its chimney cap has a removable spark arrestor More about these devices later Coal and the Walking Needle Gradually add more coal aiming for even distribution not just a heap and look at the pressure gauge the needle of which should be walking round the clock as LBSC would say As soon as it reaches 20 or 30 pounds per square inch the blower can be removed and switched off mind it s hot and the loco s blower switched on the handwheel next to the pressure gauge The noise emanating from the chimney can be varied from a whisper to a fierce roar and towards which extreme depends on the state of the fire If the top of the freshly applied coal is still black adjust the blower towards the roaring end of the scale If the top of the fire is burning bright only a whisper is necessary Remember a roaring steam blower wastes steam and coal so always aim for the lowest quietest setting while maintaining an even reasonably deep fire A Full Head of Steam It s all very well watching someone else operating a steam loco and making it see
7. m easy by way of their relaxed manner but this belies the extreme concentration required By the time the pressure gauge shows 30 pounds you will have begun to feel that the process of steaming up has taken on an air of urgency to say the least the level in the water gauge which you must always keep an eye on LBSC called it the engineman s nightmare will not only have started RISING due to expansion of water as 1t heats up but will bob up and down like the waves on the sea or worse develop a bubble and make reading the true water level difficult Operate the water gauge blowdown valve just a brief open and close but don t be alarmed when the water level momentarily disappears below the bottom of the glass or the bottom nut It should immediately return when the blowdown valve is closed minus the bubble At this stage with the coal burning in the firebox and the engine s own steam blower at work one can really appreciate the descriptive truth of the term live steam which whenever it appears in print always grabs the attention and immediately conjures the image of a sizzling steam enshrouded locomotive invitingly waiting for one to get behind the controls and drive away down a country railway line The driver s eye view of rails and sleepers wending forth to some unseen idyll of a rural station is arguably unrivalled by any path or roadway If you wait any longer the pressure gauge needle will be at the working pressure of 80 p
8. n it than the commonly held view of grown men playing trains Some preserved railways have education officers with good reason as history and geography to name but two subjects are inextricably linked with railways and their offshoots But if this is a long preamble of a tale to quote a dimly remembered line from school the main focus for most is the steam locomotive and operating it a more acceptable description than the commonly held view referred to previously The Club loco Butch acquired from the late Arthur Marsh whose name it bears is a good type to learn on A Kennion design now marketed by GLR it is of manageable size yet quite a powerful 5 gauge 0 6 0T often used at fetes A number are owned or are under construction by members and details such as cab layout may vary according to builder s preferences Water To run on the main line at Colney Heath one of the longer steaming bays if vacant is useful for moving the loco up and down Check the boiler has water in it the water gaugeglass situated on the boiler backhead right hand side and set at an angle should be two thirds full The water level will bob up and down if you move the loco to and fro by hand indicating a true reading as the water surges in the boiler Ensure the side tanks are full of water and use the hand pump situated in the bunker at the rear of the loco to obtain the correct boiler level if necessary Exercise care as the handle works from side
9. ounds and the safety valves will lift and hiss satisfyingly a white plume rising forth a full head of steam Not only will excess boiler pressure be relieved but so will one s anxiety about whether or not the safety valves are working at the correct boiler pressure Turn down the blower to the merest whisper pop a couple of shovelfuls on the fire and get ready to take to the rails To be continued 4 of 5 NLSME ARTICLES Page 5 of 5 Top Adam Gorski 5 of 5
10. the lubricator About a dozen times should suffice Note the oil should be proper steam oil Most people prefer heavy grade available from amongst other sources NLSME member Terry Baxter It also appears dull green in the bottle while a small drop is amber and of syrupy consistency Chassis Lubrication It only remains to go round the loco with a traditional oil can of conventional lubricating oil attending to the various bearings of the Walschaert s valve gear on each side of the chassis Oiling of the axles is taken care of by a pair of drip feed lubricators mounted on the front of each side tank so flip open their lids and fill them with oil This should be quite thin and light in colour as it is drawn into the six axlebox feed pipes by wicks clearly visible inside each drip feed lubricator A suitable oil 1s also available from Terry Though most people are conscientious about steam oil which conventional lubricating oil to use is more vague Car engine oil is often referred to in books but one of our members stated this only starts lubricating at the high temperature generated in cars and is unsuitable for loco bearings The pioneer of small locomotives LBSC recommended Etna Medium as used for his workshop machinery but a good grade of motor oil will do such as Castrolite Mobiloil A or similar This is quoted from his loco design articles for Mona in Model Maker magazine 1954 so their composition and properties doubtless diff
11. to side and rocks the loco somewhat An axle pump fills the boiler whilst running and is so efficient as to render the hand pump mostly redundant when in motion The axle pump can be seen functioning by opening the by pass under the large pressure gauge on the left of the backhead Turn a few times anticlockwise to open temporarily move the gauze filter from the left side tank filler hole whilst pushing the engine a few feet Water will be seen squirting rhythmically from the end of the bypass pipe Now close the by pass clockwise lof5 NLSME ARTICLES Page 2 of 5 Cylinder Lubrication Open the draincocks if not already done The lever is on the left side of the cab floor and should be pulled back and if you push the loco hissing noises will be heard as the pistons alternately draw in and expel air through the draincocks which will also squirt out a residue of thick steam oil signifying the cylinders were manually oiled at the end of the previous run It is not unusual for this oil to be opaque orange brown due to the presence of condensed water and a little rust as the cylinders are cast iron The cylinders mechanical lubricator is the large running board mounted box to the right of the smokebox Take out the brass filler cap and see if there s any oil inside dull green in colour Top up to about inch below the top of the filler and cap replaced prime the pipes to the cylinders by pressing the two push buttons down on the front of
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search