New steamer question

[Whosk]

Just new to this live steam game with a Accucraft Ragleth, everything is going great and having a ball, I have fitted finer gas and throttle valves from "The Train Department" and a Summerlands chuffer, starts easily and runs well but the engine seems to do a lot more crackling and some quite load 'pops' since I fitted these goodies, is this normal.
I get the feeling that a lot of water is still going thru the system rather than steam, in other words the condensate that happens at the beginning seems to keep going rather than running on pure steam after warm up, perhaps I am doing something wrong or something is amiss???
I have bought a 'naked' engine unit and am looking at some different cab ideas but I think I will make a quarry style of engine with a spectacle plate and side tanks, radio control of course.
I can see this hobby as a disease that can only be cured by buying another engine!!

Wayne of Australia

[Big Jim]

Oooh I know that one.
Worse than hard drugs. If you are like me you end up with a fair bit of motive power and almost nothing to pull behind it.
Still its all down to the individual. Its your money do with it as you will.

[steamie1]

Pops and crackling ok its the oil in the steam. Running semi light 25lb to 30 is right. Condensate in colder weather on start stop normal. Dribbling when running should reduce as it beds in. Hope it helps rest the mind. Run pure water Accucraft oil and don't forget a detailed oil of moving parts prior to a run with say car engine oil in a syringe. Wipe excess oil away after as it attracts dirt. These are strong locos...

[GTB]

Condensate in colder weather on start stop normal.

He's in Oz and it's summer here. It was +30degC where I am the other day.

The crackling will have increased when the Chuffer was fitted, as it diverts the condensate and oil into the hot smokebox, instead of it being ejected up the chimney and over the boiler and cab roof.

Graeme

[Whosk]

Thanks for all the reassuring info fella's, I feel better now. I had the thought that the way the chuffer is set up may have been the issue, I was thinking of putting the think cap on and put some sort of deflector in the smokebox that drip of the liquids somewhere else but without impeding any air flows etc.
I'm in Adelaide GTB and it has been warm but that cyclone of WA has sent quite a cool front down my way, cool enough to get some smoke action out of the stack.

Wayne of Southern Australia

[steamie1]

Opps! I did miss the location part at the start. It has been raining cats and dogs in Cornwall for days. How cold does it get in winter your end..

[Chris Bird]

Hi Wayne
The Ragleth is a great loco to start with and it sounds like you have fitted the right extras

As Graeme says, the Chuffer sends more of the oil and condensate down and the popping is the oil/water droplets 'exploding' on the hot metal on front of the burner flue. While it is normal to get some popping on all locos, you might like to check whether the burner might be turned up a bit high. As the gas tank warms up, the pressure increases, so it is normal to turn the burner down a few times at the start of a run. This will be much easier with the fine gas valve you have fitted.

The trouble with a deflector is that it will get very hot and might make the problem worse. No harm in trying though....

Cheers
Chris

[Gremlin]

As Chris said all quite normal but I can remember being slightly alarmed when my first loco popped like a firework display.
Agree about the loco addiction

[Whosk]

Thanks again for the info fella's, I can run the engine with about 20lbs quite nicely, I have a grade but that has little effect on her.
I like to keep that pressure down to reduce the burner roar and have some gauze to fit which you fella's say will improve it even more.
The burner roar on one engine I saw on youtube was horrendous and it was blowing off constantly, I can't see the point in that, I have only had mine blowing of a couple of times on the first firings till I got the knack.
I am pretty happy with the 30 minute run time as well, it has been a good experience and am certainly glad I chose the Ragleth as my 'first' engine.
Regard our temperatures here Steamie, taken from a tourism site - Average daily winter (June-August) temperatures, Adelaide - Max 15.9°C, Min 8°C - no snow generally but our local highest point (Mt Lofty) does get a cover of snow every now and then. Now if you want to talk about summer, high 30's is the norm with the occasional burst up into the 40's but generally only for a few days. Too hot for trains in the backyard.

Wayne in Southern Australia.

[Keith S]

Too hot! Well, I don't suppose you'd like it here very much. Most of the year where I live, butane won't vaporise. Right now it's minus 32°C! I suspect butane is a solid at these temperatures outside.

Your engine's popping sounds may subside somewhat after you've learned to fire it a little better. Even on little butane-fired engines I find firing to be something that is learned over time. At first it seems as though there is nothing to it, but then you learn that there are little differences in settings that make a big difference. I'm certainly no master at it myself, I've managed to turn the gas down more than I used to on my engine, but it still blows off a lot, and while I used to think the regulator was the primary control, I now feel as though the gas valve is. Sometimes the engine seems "angry", lots of blowing off and hissing, even when the regulator is keeping it at a slow speed, other times when I'm in better control of the fire, even with the regulator open wider the engine seems docile and pokes around calmly. It's hard to describe. You just need to play with the engine A LOT and learn what it likes. I bet the fizzing and popping will settle down eventually.

[Whosk]

I'm sorry Keith but I will pass on your invitation to visit at xmas time LOL that is way too much cold for me. I can see that operating a live steamer is a learning curve, I had thought it would be handy to have a pressure gauge on the gas line to monitor what pressure is going to the gas jet but I can see the problems associated with gas pressure variables for that idea to not work. I reckon I have the gas pressure worked out and how low it can be, somebody mentioned not overfilling the lubricator, I have to admit that I have been guilty of that and now that it has been pointed out I can see that I have had a virtual hydraulic lock on the pistons when I try my initial steam up move, that would be explained by the overfill, I'll have another steam up on our lovely 28C cloudy day tomorrow try a bit less fill on the lubrictor.

Wayne of Southern Australia (the place with Mediteranian weather!)

[GardenRail]

I can only reiterate what fellow posters have put. The Ragleth is an excellent locomotive and there have been very few problems with them. I have a coal fired one and another gas fired one awaiting conversion. Just for general info and mostly in fact for second hand locos, it is worth checking the reverser valve by coming up to pressure, then opening the regulator WITHOUT putting it into gear. If you get a steady woosh of steam up the chimney then you have a dodgy steam chest. This was on occasion a problem with new Accucraft locos but I have not seen any sign of it in recent years. properly oiled and maintained, your little loco should last for many years before any replacement parts are needed – and new rods, bearing etc are available from Accucraft if needed. Don't listen to that old canard about slide valves wearing in and piston valves wearing out. Properly oiled, a centerless ground stainless steel piston valve running in a honed brass bore is actually running in oil and will not wear at all.

[Whosk]

Just an update on my Ragleth, it has been an excellent engine that steams beautifully with minnimal gas (and associated noise) but I am curious regard the lubricating oil, I seem to have a lot of oil left around the smokebox and underneath in the smoke box area after a run, she uses all of her lubricating oil on a steam up with a fair amount of smoke drifting up from below the boiler (burnt oil?).
I have read on some forum (somewhere amongst the many) that the oil use can be reduced by inserting some fuse wire down the steam line, what are others thoughts on this, wise or not?

Wayne in Southern Australia.

[GardenRail]

Just an update on my Ragleth, it has been an excellent engine that steams beautifully with minnimal gas (and associated noise) but I am curious regard the lubricating oil, I seem to have a lot of oil left around the smokebox and underneath in the smoke box area after a run, she uses all of her lubricating oil on a steam up with a fair amount of smoke drifting up from below the boiler (burnt oil?).
I have read on some forum (somewhere amongst the many) that the oil use can be reduced by inserting some fuse wire down the steam line, what are others thoughts on this, wise or not?

Wayne in Southern Australia.

These locomotives do tend to over oil. First of all the lubricator should be filled only to the level of the cross tube. Secondly there are ways to reduce lubrication and you have mentioned one of them. The other is to fit a sleeve over the hole. Don't worry too much about under oiling. They really need very little and will squeak if not getting enough.

Another tip regarding firing is to fit some 40 denier stainless steel mesh over the burner tube. Cut to length and then cut to just under the diameter of the tube. Wrap round a pencil so that the diaper is a bit tighter than the burner diameter and slide on like, well, any simile that you can think of... This will slow the gas down and help more heat to go into the boiler rather than into the smokebox. As then, your loco runs in you will get much longer runs with an almost silent burner. Depending on your skills, you could also add working automatic draincocks from DJB Engineering – and I always add a working steam Bangham whistle (designed for this engine) from the same firm. I think it is great to see the steam as the whistle on the spectacle plate is used. I have two coal fired locos based on this chassis, with a gas fired one in process and with a few mods as detailed you really end up with something rather special in terms of running pleasure.

[Andrew]

Hello,

Just a quick addition to the popping and cracking issue - I noticed the same thing when I fitted a chuffer to my RH Bertie, and the additional crackling was detracting somewhat from the other benefits. The next time I had the smokebox off (to repaint I think, itr's not something I do often!) I notice that the chuffer was very loose - I don't think I'd pushed it on hard enough when I first fitted it. I rectified that and the next time I ran the loco the crackling had stopped. Couldn't say it was cause and effect, might just be a coincidence, but perhaps worth a try?

Glad you're enjoying your loco anyway,

Andrew.

[Chris Bird]

Hello,

Just a quick addition to the popping and cracking issue - I noticed the same thing when I fitted a chuffer to my RH Bertie, and the additional crackling was detracting somewhat from the other benefits. The next time I had the smokebox off (to repaint I think, itr's not something I do often!) I notice that the chuffer was very loose - I don't think I'd pushed it on hard enough when I first fitted it. I rectified that and the next time I ran the loco the crackling had stopped. Couldn't say it was cause and effect, might just be a coincidence, but perhaps worth a try?

Glad you're enjoying your loco anyway,

Andrew.

That is interesting Andrew. With a loose Chuffer, I reckon the oil would have run down the hot pipes and burned there, making the noise. With it properly fitted, the oil most likely runs down the chimney wall and falls away from the pipes. I recommend giving the chuffer a smart tap with the handle of a screwdriver to ensure it is seated properly.
Cheers
Chris