Garden Railway Forum

Hello All,
I appear to have bought a live-steam loco:
(Hopefully, there is a photo attached?)
It is a Beck 'Anna' fixed at 45mm gauge, which I assume is why no one else bidded?

Does anyone know the history of these loco's?

Thank you,
Phil.P

Phil.P wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:04 am I appear to have bought a live-steam loco:

Does anyone know the history of these loco's?

Welcome to the dark side......

This link to a page on Mark Horovitz's website gives a potted history of the Beck Anna loco.

http://www.sidestreet.info/locos/loco57.html

Graeme

I'm intrigued when it says the loco has to be reversed "manually". Does that mean "pushed"?

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:42 am I'm intrigued when it says the loco has to be reversed "manually". Does that mean "pushed"?

Yes, the valve gear is slip eccentrics, mounted outside. You push the loco in the direction you want it to go, which sets the eccentrics, then you open the regulator to start it moving.

Works fine on a continuous track, but a pain in the what he said on end to end tracks and when shunting........

Graeme

GTB wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:24 am

Phil.P wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:04 am I appear to have bought a live-steam loco:

Does anyone know the history of these loco's?

Welcome to the dark side......

This link to a page on Mark Horovitz's website gives a potted history of the Beck Anna loco.

http://www.sidestreet.info/locos/loco57.html

Graeme

Thank you Graeme. - You have also answered Rik's question, re the slip-eccentric valve gear.

Mark is a little derogatory. Yes, I suppose it is a 'toy', but aren't they all, to a greater or lesser extent?

I was the only bidder, and it comes with a pile of other items. - Coaches, part-finished wagons, and a part-finished battery loco.

'All' I need is a circle of track.. So I guess it will be run on bricks, to 'prove' the engine?
It appears to have instructions, and all the paraphernalia one needs?
Fixed at 45mm, which will limit where it can be run. I might have to re-kindled my association with the West Midlands 16mm group? - One of their number has a 45mm line.
Or perhaps, visit Paul at the CFR? - Great Central, Rothley.

Thanks again,
Phil.P

Sounds a good deal. I didn't realise those Becks were made that long ago.

Once I have it in my oily(?) mots... I will post some pictures..

Phil.P

I'll follow progress with interest. I notice one of the front widows has been enlarged maybe to attach a servo to the throttle knob?? Will you try putting it under RC?
If so, I wonder if you can also include a device to roll the loco forward or back a few cm to reset the direction of the slip centric remotely....

Rik

I did find one other site with information, and the loco there is a hybrid(?) at least in colour, and has a link from the regulator into the cab, but was not radio control. - Something like the ALSPC website? I will check, then edit this..

http://www.alspcs.com/Beck_Anna.html

Not sure if a 'stick' on a servo, would move the loco far enough (back or forth) to set the gear?

Phil.P

So did you get the old Anna going once she arrived? These old Beck have brass boilers, something to keep an eye on and drain dry when the locomotive is not in service to prevent the water from drawing the zinc out of the brass. Yes the notch is for a servo rod to go forward to a crank arm mounted in place of the knob on the throttle. These ran well, but you have to really keep the valve gear and eccentics clean and well lubricated or they will wear out fast. Neat little beasts that became the first Merlin Loco Works locomotives with more UK looking bodywork mounted to them. Good luck with the old girl. AD

Hiya!

No, just not had the time, yet..

I will take it to the Butterley 16mm group, as they have the knowledge and equipment to test it. Before it gets a run. - The 16mm group who are nearest to me, non of them have 45mm gauge track.

I will update this thread, when things happen.

PS> I enjoy your exploits, and videos, though I do fear for the loco's on the curves occasionally.

Phil. P

artfull dodger wrote: ↑Sun Sep 10, 2023 3:48 pm So did you get the old Anna going once she arrived? These old Beck have brass boilers, something to keep an eye on and drain dry when the locomotive is not in service to prevent the water from drawing the zinc out of the brass. Yes the notch is for a servo rod to go forward to a crank arm mounted in place of the knob on the throttle. These ran well, but you have to really keep the valve gear and eccentics clean and well lubricated or they will wear out fast. Neat little beasts that became the first Merlin Loco Works locomotives with more UK looking bodywork mounted to them. Good luck with the old girl. AD

So...
I have eventually got to run the 'Anna', and I am smitten! She ran impeccably, easy to control, everyone present enjoyed seeing a 'heritage' loco run, and if I had wanted to, I think I could have sold her to a number of those present?

The pressure gauge does not work. - Can they be repaired?
It would be nice to keep her as original as possible.

It was decided to run her gently, without a pressure test, which will limit when and where she can be run.
I will ask a second opinion, at the weekend, but a 45 year old brass boiler might not like a hydraulic test?

Phil.P

I don't have live steam experience, but if it's anything like an air compressor gauge there's a curled tube inside with a link to the needle. Sometimes the connecting link becomes disconnected or otherwise breaks, and if that is the case you might be able to get away with fixing or replacing the link. (Might need to adjust/calibrate the gauge afterward.)
She looks beautiful out and about!

Phil.P wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:26 pm

So...
I have eventually got to run the 'Anna', and I am smitten!

She ran impeccably, easy to control, everyone present enjoyed seeing a 'heritage' loco run, and if I had wanted to, I think I could have sold her to a number of those present?

Well done Phil. Glad she worked out ok.

I can sympathise with wanting to keep her as original as poss, but IMO having a working and accurate pressure gauge is more important that keeping the original fitting 'just because', especially given the old brass boiler. You don't want to inadvertantly over-pressurise that!

philipy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:00 am
Well done Phil. Glad she worked out ok.

I can sympathise with wanting to keep her as original as poss, but IMO having a working and accurate pressure gauge is more important that keeping the original fitting 'just because', especially given the old brass boiler. You don't want to inadvertantly over-pressurise that!

Good point! From what I've seen online on other Annas it's not a particularly visually distinctive gauge, and as a piece of safety equipment it's meant to be replaced as needed over the lifetime of the locomotive. Better an intact original boiler than an intact original gauge, if one had to choose, I suppose.

Thanks for the comments..
More to think about.. I will possibly (weather permitting) be amongst other's with more knowledge on Saturday..

Phil.P

Yesterday (Easter Saturday) there was a meeting of the 'Irregulars' at WIGFA..
The loco was looked-over by Dave Mees (Abbeybach Engineering Services) and it was noted that the gas tank was a later Roundhouse model.
There was a small split in the (thin-walled) silicon gas pipe and, as noted before, the pressure gauge was not working..

It has joined other jobs on Dave's bench, to have a new gas pipe, and pressure gauge fitted.

Whilst we were there, I fitted a RC Trains MR601 to Dave's Bole-Laser 20DL, paired to a RC Trains Tx10.

This meant I spent most my time at the bench, rather than running a train, but it was good to catch up with others there.

Phil.P

Sounds like you're taking good care of her Phil, glad you caught that leak in the gas pipe!