Garden Railway Forum

Hello, I bought this Edrig for £200, it's in need of repair and is losing steam under the front... Any ideas? Also what gloss black paint should I use to repaint the front?

Thank you!

Hi Nic,
Now, I know next to nothing about steam loco's but even for those that do, "under the front" doesn't give much to go on, could you be a bit more specific about where under the front?
As for the paint, most folks would paint the smokebox in matt black rather than gloss, but either way it needs to be heat resistant paint and I believe that barbeque paint is often quoted. It also needs to be completely stripped back and degreased first and then given a proper primer before the black, because getting paint to stick to brass is not the easiest thing to do.

No doubt others who know more than me will be along to give you more precise advice.

Thanks Phillip! I appreciate the advise and will certainly follow what you have said.

When I open the regulator the front hisses a lot and the pressure drops rather quickly. I can't see the steam coming out, but the front ends up in a cloud from the underside. I'll see if I can have a closer look later as well.

I also got a roundhouse russell for £400, that steams and runs perfectly from the same collection.

Both have been used without dionised/filtered water in a hard water area, so will need some attention going forward however.

On closer inspection the reverser is jammed... Will have to check this out more thoroughly...

Lit it, and the reverser unstuck... Still losing steam though somewhere

Try this Google search to help you with setting up the reverser.
"How to adjust the reverser on an Accucraft Edrig"
This query will open up several helpful tips on the Edrig model.
The smokebox can be removed from the frame after taking out the exhaust pipe by unscrewing it.
The smokebox can then be degreased and sanded down to apply new paint.
From the looks of thigs the previous owner left the fire burn in the smokebox and destroy the paint.
The burner should be turned down so that the fire pops back onto the burner when it is in operation.
I have an Accucraft Earl that I have modified and still operate after 16 years of operation. With proper care the engine will give many years of operation.

The price you paid is a real bargain. Good luck with repairs and happy running.
Charles M

Something to consider, the Edrig is missing the circular lump of metal inside the smokebox door. I think they are steel, to protect the actual door from heat.

I made protection for the firebox door from a piece of .020 brass shim stock. I used a piece of fiberglass material to act as an insulator for the door.
The material I had was .100 thick so it would compress down to make a tight connection to the door. I had not any problem with the paint on the door blistering after that fix.
Charles M

You might want to try my favourite test:

turn the loco upside down, put on some compressed air (even an adapter with a bit ot hose you blow into is ok, you do not need high pressure) and then spray the steam lines with some dishwashing liquid.
Any leak will create bubbles so you know where to investigate further.

Might be a broken solder joint.

Hope this helps.

And this is why I love this forum, so much brilliant advice!

I had left the loco on the study table across the room last night...

I woke up last night to the smell of gas, the filler valve last night was leaking...

New valve ordered this morning.

I will try all of the above and write back to see how I get on - I will also construct a protector for the smokebox door, I especially like the washing liquid idea - I used to repair bikes and I never though of crossing the puncture repair skill over to steam locos!

I recognised that the loco has been run with the flame in the wrong place as when I fired it up the first time it produced a large flame down inside the funnel, upon turning back the regulator it settled down to its correct spot.

Once you get it running, you'll want to attack the loose, burned paint on the chimney with some sandpaper or wire brush before repainting, so the new paint sticks.

I'm curious to hear where the leak is coming from in any case..

I took the above advice and painted the smoke box with VHT paint, this went very well.

And here is the finished repaint.

I have yet to however repair the steam leak. I can see a build up of oil under the smoke box from the steam chest, so I assume it is from that. How do I go about repairing this or replacing it?

Thanks.

You will get a certain amount of steam oil collecting under the front end when running. I find when cleaning up my Edrig rebuild that there is always a collection of oil present when I am done running. Cleaning up the engine allows me to look for problems and take steps to fix things before it gets worse.
I have seen someone put compressed air into the boiler and place the engine in a tray of water to locate a leak from the front of the engine. If the reverser valve is not set correctly, you can have steam pass around the valve and under the engine. I would look at the reverser and see if the leak is originating from that location.

Charles M