Garden Railway Forum

Hi - I am seriously considering getting a Regner Vincent and have heard the water gauge should not be trusted and a sharp eye must be kept on the water level - that it should be topped up frequently and will require a number of water top ups just on one gas tank full - something in the order of a water top up every 5 minutes or so. Are there any owners out there who can share their experience please?

I don't have a Vincent but I do have a Konrad. I started off without a top-up and with the supplied valve it certainly ran out of gas first. I was warned with the Ronson valve I fitted there could be more space in the tank and it was possible the water might run out.

Now I have fitted a water top-up valve, which is great, but I do top it up very frequently (certainly every 5 mins). Not just because I don't trust the gauge (though I don't) but because if I add little and often then the pressure doesn't drop too far.

As Simon has posted above, if you have a Ronson gas filler valve conversion fitted then you will be putting more gas into the gas tank than originally designed so the gas will then generally outlast the water on most Regner Easy Line locos, including the Vincent.

Most of the Easy Line locos use a 4mm outside diameter sight glass tube which I find very unreliable for determining an accurate water level. I fill my Regner boilers up to the safety valve bushing then suck 20mls out of the vertical boilers & 30mls out of the horizontal boilers (including the Vincent). Vincent will run for at least 30 mins (watched one running yesterday for approx. 30 mins) and I would usually top it up two or three times with water. If using a Jacksons Miniatures 'Superior' water top up bottle these supply 3 mls of water per pump. I'm using a Roundhouse supplied water top up bottle which has a more varied pump output so just watch the pressure gauge & once it has dropped approx. 1/2 bar then that's enough water (each loco is individual so you will get to know their preferences).

Chris Cairns

Thanks Simon and Chris most helpful. I like to sit back and watch trains go around (easily pleased!) so the occasional top up / adjustment is not too much hassle. Apparently the latest Vincent has a 6mm water gauge glass so that may make them a bit more of a reliable. Any way going to order one.

I should have added I love my Konrad, the slow and steady running regardless of radius or gradient is exactly what I like, and I hope you'll enjoy your Vincent just as much!

I should probably also add that I found mine a pain to light, especially at first when it suffered a blocked jet several times. It's still nowhere near as easy to light as my Roundhouse Millie. But once it's going it behaves itself!

I would add, if you fear you have run it to low or nearly out, just shut off the gas and let the locomotive cool down. Adding water to a low or nearly dry boiler is worse than just letting things cool off. These wee beasts are very over engineered. I also, when adding water top up, will fit the feed to the top of the sight glass as this helps "blow down" the glass giving a better reading. I also add a very fine piece of red colored wire inside the gauge glass. This helps break the surface tension of the water, which also helps in getting a better reading. The ultimate upgrade would be to get the newer 6mm sight glass set up from Regner to replace the 4mm version. Bigger is better when it comes to sight glasses. The trick is not to kill steam pressure to the point of not being able to run when you top up the water. I tend to add a few pumps, knocking pressure down 1 bar or 10psi depending on the gauge. Then I let the engine do a few laps till pressure is back to max and I repeat the process. My Regner Stainz has a tiny boiler, so regular topping up is required. Every engine is different, this is something you learn the more water you boil. The more you run, the better the model will run and your confidence in yourself and your skills will get better. If you have some local steamers, have them join you for those first runs. They can help you learn and have a great experience running a steam powered train.