What's In Your Steam Up Kit ?

[Narrow Minded]

I thought it might be of general interest, but especially useful for newcomers and potential live steam owners to have a chat about what we have in our "steam up boxes" - the stuff we all take for granted, but would be stuck without

I'd personally be especially interested to see anything that I haven't previously thought of having, but would want to add to my own collection

 

In no particular order, I have....

a little 'toolbox' including a multi-tool with snipe nose pliers

 

 

and an assortment of tools

 

 

A refillable lighter and a couple of spares (people always borrow lighters at steam-ups!)

 

 

A couple of boiler filling syringes

 

 

and a handy size container for the filtered rain water (make sure the syringe fits as shown in the photo)

 

 

A collection of 3 link coupling chains, lamps and headboards

 

 

Spare batteries for the working lamps, and connector clips for R/C battery packs (I lose em)

 

 

Gas can adaptors - for 'screw top' and 'push fit' types

 

 

and of course the fuel supply itself

 

 

Steam oils (both of the recommended grades because I run Accucraft and Roundhouse loco's) and lubricating oil for the motion

 

 

A "shunters pole" - for coupling the 3 link chains, but also useful for reaching the regulator inside the closed Roundhouse cabs, fishing out errant bits of ballast etc

 

 

A "rolling tin"

 

 

which carries a "Rolling Road", so I can carry out any fault finding without occupying the track at a steam-up

 

 

Last but not least, a selection of rags for wiping down loco's, hands etc

 

 

Unless I've taken something out and forgotten it, that's the contents of my box, have you got anything else in yours ?

Edited April 17, 2017 by Narrow Minded

[Owd Bob]

You forgot to show the wheelbarrow you use to push it all around in!  Looks like i've a lot of stuff to start collecting now. Many thanks NM it's all very helpful & informative.

[Narrow Minded]

Doh! I knew I'd forgotten something............

Water Top up bottle

 

 

 

............ and all the "tools" go in a handy box (17"x12"x4") while the water, oil and gas go in a slightly smaller bag with a shoulder strap, so there's a free hand for the loco box

 

[DavidB]

That's a very impressive selection of equipment you have there NM.  Is that a dental mirror (for checking that burners are alight?) alongside the spanners? 

 

I have a few other very low-tech things that I use on my line:

 

- a homemade uncoupling hook made from thin wire for uncoupling Accucraft chopper couplings - it's just a straight length of thin brass wire with a curled handle covered in shrink wrap.  A couple of my rakes of FR/WHR carriages have sprung-loaded corridor connections, which makes it impossible to access the couplings by hand, so the uncoupling hook is an essential part of my operational kit.  It's also helpful for other stock where I have removed or altered the Accucraft chopper housing to reduce the distance between vehicles, and there simply isn't the space for me to reach in by hand to lift the hooks.

 

- an old tapered needle-file with the tip ground down so that it fits neatly into a slot in a safety valve for making adjustments.  The handle is a piece of wooden dowel which is useful on the rare occasions when a safety valve won't reseat completely - a quick tap from the dowel always does the trick.

 

- a feather from one of my bantams.  The quills are exactly the right size for clearing out flangeways and crossings.  As the bantams often cause the blockages in the first place (by scratching up the ballast while foraging), it seems only fair to use their feathers to clear the track again.

 

David

[Narrow Minded]

Thanks David, I dunno about "impressive", but it just grew over the years as things I found I 'needed' but didn't have readily to hand got transferred from the general toolbox and into the kit,

Yep, that's a small mirror for checking the wicks are alight on the old Lady Anne - though usually you can tell if one's out by holding a hand over the loco.

 

Corridor connections and shortened choppers aside, a shunters pole (uncoupling hook) just makes the job so much easier - I struggle without it with just plain old 3 link chain & hook couplings!

 

I must get round to making a safety valve adjuster! I've had an old screwdriver sitting around for years waiting to be converted. At the moment, I use the snipe nose pliers, which aren't ideal, so thanks for the nudge on that one.

I used to give the SV a "quick tap" if it wouldnt stop feathering, but got a severe Tutting from an 'old hand'. Since then I've done the opposite and given it a lift with the pliers and let the spring snap it back down in position.

 

Great idea having the culprits contributing to clearing the flangeways.

[LH&JC]

A tool I've recently added to my kit is a beer bottle top, it's the right size to sit on top of a chimney and stop a loco impersonating a fountain. I know chuff pipes stop fountain impersonations as well but I prefer the more natural sound of a loco without one. 

[Narrow Minded]

Sounds like a valid excuse to carefully remove a beer bottle top and give it a try (after making sure the beer doesn't go flat - "cheers!")

I'm a fan of the chuff pipes myself, and will be ordering one for my latest acquisition, but it'll be a while yet as there are other mods I need to finance first. I was prepared to go back to the 'pre chuffer' days and put a folded rag over the chimney until any priming had cleared, but a handy bottle of Abbot will let me try your suggestion out ta!

[vjoneslong]

Nice shunters pole NM. Where did you get yours from?

 

My steam up toolbox is rather sparse in comparison. Oil, lighter, and my shunters hook (torch with brass hook added) and thats about it!

[Owd Bob]

You'll have to enlighten me as to where and how you get the filtered rainwater NM, 'cos using the right type of water is not something i had thought about before..

[vjoneslong]

You'll have to enlighten me as to where and how you get the filtered rainwater NM, 'cos using the right type of water is not something i had thought about before..

I use a water butt connected to the guttering on my shed. I then run the water through some coffee filter paper which removes all the muck before I use it. Simples!

[Narrow Minded]

I use a water butt connected to the guttering on my shed. I then run the water through some coffee filter paper which removes all the muck before I use it. Simples!

Pretty much the same, but my water butt is "free standing" - I found I was getting too much detritus washed off the shed roof and guttering. Just having an open top allows plenty of rainwater to be caught.

I saved up a collection of empty windscreen wash / anti-freeze etc plastic containers and fill them then store 'em in a dark corner of the shed (direct sunlight will encourage algae)

A plastic funnel lined with "J Cloths" and coffee filters is used to transfer 'stored water' into the 'loco' water bottle - filtered and ready to use.

 

We actually live in a good area for tap water, (check the insides of your kettle...... if you've had it a good while and you use it frequently and there's no scaling inside, you're good to go), but I prefer not to risk it.

 

Oh, and the Shunters Pole is obviously some sort of dental tool, and it turned up on a car boot sale table!

There's also been a LOT of debate on whether de-ionised water is safe to use, but again, for the sake of gathering up some free rainwater and running it through a filter, why risk it?

[Owd Bob]

Very useful! Thanks Men! Will melted snow do the same job? its easier for me to catch

[44690]

Interesting list of bits 'n' pieces. FWIW I also take spare batteries as my loco is R/C. I get my water from our condenser tumble drier. Filtered to remove anything suspended in it and stored in old plasic milk bottles. Our tap water would probably be ok to use as we've had our kettle for years and no residue or limescale. I'd still filter it though to be on the safe side.

 

Ian 

Edited May 25, 2017 by 44690