Millie - duration

[Gremlin]

I've just run my Millie that I think is just about run in now. I thought I'd see how long a run I could get. Once the water was heated I topped up the gas and then tried to keep the safety from blowing. The last half of the run she was at 20psi and she ran sedately for a full 50 mins. I dare say people have had longer but I'm very pleased with that. Was nice to have her pootling around while we had dinner in the garden.

[benchmark]

Looks like you have gotten her to very optimum performance states, well done.

[Gremlin]

She was pulling 6 of my scratch built stock which are weighted.
When I first bought her secondhand keeping her on the track was a challenge. She was only 6 months old and barley used, I think the previous owner found her too lively, but of course the basics aren't run in. I'm much happier with her now.

[St.Michael]

I still have much to learn and so I have to ask you: You say you heaten the water and then topping up the gas Is that something I could do on my Lady Anne, or must I in that case also fill more water?

[Gremlin]

I find that you get a longer run if you turn off and top up the gas once pressure is reached. I don't put anymore water in because none is lost up to that point. Filling with hot water would also save gas.

[Spule 4]

Interesting observations, and a Millie is on my "own one someday" short-list.

Anyone else see the opportunity of a "Millie Economy Run" competition?

[JMORG]

Millies do run for an average of 40-45 minutes without a problem.
Surprisingly, I managed to get my Silver Lady up to an hour's running (average is about 30 minutes) on 1 fill!

[Adam R]

On my bertie, Internally fired, I usually get 45mins to an hours run, constantly running.

Funnily enough, we once got a shade under 2 hours on one steaming, 1 gas fill, 1 water and 1 Oil(still had some left).

On this occasion, she was working the hardest ive ever worked her, With a train about 1/8 the length of llechfan garden railway on the hook behind her. This was something like 15 coaches and about 50 odd wagons, probably more in fairness.

The gas was set so the safety valve wasnt lifting, and the regulator was open enough to keep momentum on the hills, She never ran away on the downhills either, because the rear of the train was still dragging round a bend/ going up hill.

I think a millie would probably go further being a pot boiler, the gas tank is HUGE on one too.

[bessytractor]

I find I get bored my Millie goes so long! Wouldn't sell it though, its a fanastic loco.

[benchmark]

My Millie also runs for 45 min easy. i do not top the gas when it has risen steam all i do is fill the boiler with warm water from a kettle.
Its always the gas that finished first to stop the run.

If i topped up the gas it may do over 50 mins.

I like the Millie long runs, i just set it off and my sons have fun changing the points as the like again and again for the whole duration.

[IrishPeter]

Mine is somewhat run-in and has an endurance of about 45-50 minutes on the Skebawn and Castleknox.  I expect I will not get much improvement on that as the S&CLR&T is pretty steeply graded with a couple of long stretches of 1 in 30.  I an get an hour plus with a light train and careful handling, but that requires a bit more attention than I am usually prepared to give.  This evening she was happily handling 10 FWEs (four-wheel equivelents) without the regulator being more than a quarter open.  I have had her up to 14 FWEs without any stress. They are very economic locomotives to work, if a little nippy at first.

Peter in AZ

[TommyDodd]

I find I get bored my Millie goes so long!

If going round in circles no longer excites you, maybe you should try more advanced operating- maybe try running a passenger service to time, or use cards or dice to generate freight traffic so your pickup goods really does pick up (and set out, naturally).

[IrishPeter]

I am a bit of an operations nut, so 'Millie's endurance makes operating sssions run smooter.  A 'Ruby' with half the run time can make things difficult - usually by running out of steam at the wrong moment.  When the S&CLR&T is finished there will be an upper terminus, a large and small intermediate stations, and a lower terminus is the exchange with GSR/CIE.  The traffic generating system for the railway will be the same as the one that I used with a fair amout of success with a 'OOn3' gauge layout that could be run end to end.  It uses cards and dice to generate various combinations of routine traffic and additional train movements. One to six cards are drawn for each train, and there are a number of wild cards for each days operating with cover unscheduled events such as:

Nunexs
Cattle Specials
GAA Away Games
Special shipments

This stops things getting too boring.

A typical card would read something like"Collect cattle wagon at Aussolas'  However, a quick glance at Aussolas might reveal that I need to drop a cattle wagon there earlier in the day!  Other cards make for things being quite such as 'no tail traffic' or 'two vans Castleknox to Skebawn.' Stops things getting boring...

Peter in AZ

[Jerm]

Last weekend I put my recently acquired second hand Millie up and blocks for a test/diagnostic run. In spite of some bad seals and a sticking safety valve, I got a run time of just over 47 minutes.

[IrishPeter]

This is the liveliest monsoon we have had for several years, so running has been a bit restricted recently - plenty of 'rain stopped play.' It usually starts raining early in the afternoon before I get off work, so I am stuck. Saturday evening - when it actually stopped raining for a while - I had 'Millie' out and she ran for just over an hour. The load varied from 2 x 4-wh carriages, two wagons, and a BV up to two 4-wh carriages, and three bogies and a couple of wagons. We were also reasonably derailment free - i.e. what ground faults there were were caused by objects on the track not out of alignment track.

Peter in AZ