Video of My Live Steam Loco No.3 - I.P. Jane

[Chris Cairns]

Here is a video of my third Live Steam loco in action, a I.P. Jane. Hopefully when I get the bits together my IPS Janet will have a similar or better performance ( http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about81.html ).



And on YouTube - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vE8u66QWN4g

Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed it.

Chris Cairns.

(edited to correct video link)

[ACLR]

another great Chris Cairns production thanks mate.
was that an intentional disconect at the end

[Chris Cairns]

Short Answer - No!

The coal wagon I used ( 1st one is this posting http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about140.html ) is fitted with a centre coupling. Unfortunately it is much lower than the one on the loco, so when the loco was running out of steam it decided to un-couple and go on shed - actually it pulled the pin out of the top of the coupling.

I've got some of those multi height couplings (got them from the same ebay seller as the PPS boiler and Janet bits), but I need to fit them with screws and nuts, and I intend replacing the Jane's centre coupling with these multi height couplings.

The IPS Janet will be similarly fitted, but that is not my next project at present (I've got a troublesome SL1K which needs a boiler change first, whilst I refurbish the one fitted which has suffered damage due to being gas fired).

[ACLR]

I was thinking of gas fireing but i think the standard boilers are not up to scratch for that realy. and £100 for new boiler + postage to aus takes it out of my range at the moment. also £50 for a gas conversion kit so i may just save up for an acucraft edrig for that sort of money

[Chris Cairns]

There are 2 weakness with the standard boiler when using the Cheddar type gas burner.

1. The solder fillet which holds the pipe in the middle of the boiler through which the steam pipe goes up, is right in the flame centre of the gas burner and I think it is just soft soldered. I've had 2 of these leak, the 2nd one only happened at certain temperatures and was found using a mirror whilst running on my rolling road, so it is any area that I treat with silver based solder when refurbishing loco boilers.

2. The gas burner does not have any deflectors fitted like the meths burner, so it is easy for the flames to creep into the cab and affect the sight 'glass'. I intend to make some similar to the ones that came with my meths burner.

And of course if you boil it dry with a gas burner then the soft soldering will go making it pretty useless after that.

I have one complete Cheddar type gas burner which was fitted on the troublesome SL1K, and some parts for a second one that came with the boiler and Janet parts.

I will put one in the IPS Janet when it is rebuilt, and probably put the other one in my IP Jane, and use the meths burner from that for my Mamod/MSS locos. These both have silver soldered boilers. I have what I was told is an early silver soldered Mamod loco boiler, but it has been through a hard life and is currently missing the pipe in the centre, plus the inserts need more soldering to make it steam tight again.

But I need to get another boiler refurbished (soldering up the steam dome collar, the boiler pipe fillet re-soldered as above, and soldering in 2 x 6BA screws to make easy removal/replacement of the backplate and sight 'glass') so that I can progrees with this troublesome SL1K first (which will feature as my Live Steam Loco No.8 in due course).

[ACLR]

Chris do you solder the nuts onto the back of the boiler or just the tread and use the nuts to hold the brass site glass cover on ???

[Chris Cairns]

I take a 6BA screw, lightly tin around the bottom of the head, feed some thread through the hole in the boiler where the rivet was previously and bring this out the hole for the sight 'glass', put this thread around the top of the threads on the screw, drop the screw into the sight 'glass' hole and then pull the screw up into the old rivet hole. Then holding the screw with some pliers or similar I heat it up with the gas solder torch, and apply a little more solder/flux if required.

So now you have a threaded stud which will hold the brass backplate by using some 6BA nuts.

I've previously read about soldering some nuts on the inside of the boiler but I think my method is better as it is easier and the solder around the screw in the hole (both boilers I've done this on have different size holes for the rivets) will hold better (very difficult to clean the inside face of the boiler behind these holes).

Sorry no photo but my camera is no good for these close-ups.

[ACLR]

no probs mate i get the idea

[Chris Cairns]

OK, following the fitting of a PPS Ceramic Gas Burner, here is a short video of the loco in action.

Sorry it is only from the on train position, but my kitchen is too full of recent ebay purchases and engines in the workshop, so it is impossible to get my test oval of track in the video screen without all that clutter.



And on YouTube - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kp0015xXzJA

Thanks for watching, and I trust you enjoyed it.

Chris Cairns.

(edited to correct video link)

[ACLR]

Great runner there Chris realy enjoyed watching that