The Night Mail

[coastalview]

8 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I usually keep little springs in the carpet, well that is where they're up anyway

I think they head for the carpet looking for those tiny screws.

[Happy Hippo]

I am pleased but not happy.

 

Pleased by Wales's narrow win in the 6 Nations rugby.

 

Not happy with their overall performance with a one man advantage for 74 minutes!

 

I think they need to pull a couple of digits out if they have any hope of repeating their success next Saturday against a resurgent Scottish side.

[laurenceb]

I thought that springs went into orbit

[rockershovel]

On 05/02/2021 at 11:21, PhilJ W said:

Are they playing King Kong at the local cinema?

 

Ook! 

[Dave Hunt]

Report on this afternoon's events:

 

Drinking Penderyn...........

Eating Welsh cakes whilst drinking Penderyn..........  

Watching Wales prat about and nearly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory........

 

Much more of that and I'll go back to watching England. Oh, hang on, I've just remembered, one of my paternal great grandfathers was Irish and on my mother's side one  was Scots. Jill, get in some Bushmills and Lagavulin and fix up some soda bread and haggis. We'll crack this yet.....

 

Dave

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Dave Hunt

[BR60103]

I'll repeat my tip on dealing with Kadee (and similar) springs.

Get a foot of fine sewing thread and run it all the way through the spring. Set the spring fully in place, ten remove the thread.

Separating springs usually requires a hobby knife and the Kadee spring pick. 

 

 

[pH]

Here's a picture of the boiler on a Durango and Silverton locomotive being 'blown down'. I've seen it done on a tourist line in Hawaii, and it is pretty spectacular. The real reason for a blowdown is to clear deposits from the boiler, but on tourist lines, it's done so often that it's usually for effect.

 

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/762463/

 

Now, I know boilers could be blown down on British steam locomotives, but they certainly weren't blown to the side like this. Did all steam locomotives have the facility to do this? I seem to remember reading that Western Region crews handling LMS pacifics on loan to the region were so taken with the blowdown valves that the valves had to be blanked off with a coin, which seems to imply that WR engines didn't have the facility. And where did the blowdown valve exhaust to? Again, I seem to remember reading that it lead into the ashpan but if so, it certainly couldn't have exhausted with the force shown in that photo.       

Edited February 8, 2021 by pH

[jamie92208]

Thanks for all the tips on handling small springs.  Last night I fittedcsome buffers to a Midland brake van and guess what I found in the pack, yes, a nest of smallish springs. Fortunately not as small as Kadee springs. I managed to separate them one at a time by gently teasing the nest apart until enough of a spring end was visible to insert the end of a suitable needle file. This was gradually  inserted then rotated to get the spring away from it's siblings.  I even managed this without losing one but do like the needle and thread method.

 

Jamie

 

 

[jamie92208]

5 minutes ago, pH said:

Here's a picture of the boiler on a Durango and Silverton locomotive being 'blown down'. I've seen it done on a tourist line in Hawaii, and it is pretty spectacular. The real reason for a blowdown is to clear deposits from the boiler, but on tourist lines, it's done so often that it's usually for effect.

 

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/762463/

 

Now, I know boilers could be blown down on British steam locomotives, but they certainly weren't blown to the side like this. Did all steam locomotives have the facility to do this? I seem to remember reading that Western Region crews handling LMS pacifics on loan to the region were so taken with the blowdown valves that the valves had to be blanked off with a coin, which seems to imply that WR engines didn't have the facility. And where did the blowdown valve exhaust to? Again, I seem to remember reading that it lead into the ashpan but if so, it certainly couldn't have exhausted with the force shown in that photo.       

Not sure is my answer but I think, down onto the track in the 4 foot, though it probably varied depending on the class of loco.

 

Lovely picture though.

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

All boilers have blowdown valves, it is an absolute necessity.  UK locos do usually discharge into the ashpan or 4 foot, I think the LMS locos alluded to had 'continuous blowdown' which off-region crews might not have understood.

 

Land based boilers usually blow down into a catch tank or pit, you can't blow down directly into a drain as it would pressurise it, with unfortunate consequences for any nearby users.....

[bbishop]

1 hour ago, pH said:

Here's a picture of the boiler on a Durango and Silverton locomotive being 'blown down'. I've seen it done on a tourist line in Hawaii, and it is pretty spectacular. The real reason for a blowdown is to clear deposits from the boiler, but on tourist lines, it's done so often that it's usually for effect.

 

 

That's a 10 on the Hippo scale!  Bill

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, pH said:

Here's a picture of the boiler on a Durango and Silverton locomotive being 'blown down'. I've seen it done on a tourist line in Hawaii, and it is pretty spectacular. The real reason for a blowdown is to clear deposits from the boiler, but on tourist lines, it's done so often that it's usually for effect.

 

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/762463/

 

Now, I know boilers could be blown down on British steam locomotives, but they certainly weren't blown to the side like this. Did all steam locomotives have the facility to do this? I seem to remember reading that Western Region crews handling LMS pacifics on loan to the region were so taken with the blowdown valves that the valves had to be blanked off with a coin, which seems to imply that WR engines didn't have the facility. And where did the blowdown valve exhaust to? Again, I seem to remember reading that it lead into the ashpan but if so, it certainly couldn't have exhausted with the force shown in that photo.       

I can't speak for other regions but Western engines had regular boiler washouts on shed.  This also allowed an inspection of the boiler and especially the firebox whilst the loco was cool. Some poor soul would have to climb into the firebox  with a wire brush and a flare lamp, and clean off all the insides of the stay bolts for a visual inspection to ensure there was no sign of weeping. 

 

Dumping steam and water whilst the loco is in motion looks spectacular but there is an increased risk of dropping the water level below the firebox crown and getting the fusible plug to drop into the fire.

 

By all accounts that really is spectacular, unless you happen to be on the footplate with the fire hole door open.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Happy Hippo]

The sky has been combed and the flakes of dandruff are now falling into the grounds of the Hippodrome.

 

This causes great displeasure within the household as it ruins my dreams of lazing on the banks of the Okavango and twirling my tail.

[Dave Hunt]

Regarding blowdown, when water softening was introduced on the LMS it was found that the concentration of the salts used for softening that were in themselves detrimental could be reduced by drivers frequently 'blowing down', I.e., draining a small amount of boiler water. Thus a system was developed that constantly drained some boiler water, called continuous blowdown, and at first the waste was taken through the tender and escaped onto the track. The PW people, however, reported that it was causing damage so the waste was redirected into the ashpan. Scottish and some Welsh based engines generally received water that didn't have the lime content of most of the water used in England and so didn't have the same problem. I think that the photograph of the D&RG locomotive shows something quite different that is more akin to a boiler flushing system.

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

If anyone has seen photos of the recently restored Big Boy in thecUS, they will notice a continual escapevof steam from drivers(Engineers) side  below the cab. That is apparently  a continuous blowdown system.  

 

Jamie

[Northroader]

A good place to see blowing down is on the Brecon Mountain Railway, where they like to do things American style. Usually done once on each run for a short time, with a swoosh sound and a cloud of steam appearing around the ashpan.

[Tony_S]

My domestic water softener apparently does something at 2am. I don’t think it is as spectacular as a steam blow down though. I don’t intend to check 

[Happy Hippo]

Everybody here knows I always have spectacular blowdowns, but I can assure Tony, I'm not in his water softener.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

I’ve seen a Durango engine blow down in person, right at the bottom of some gorge, and let me tell you, it is LOUD. But a interesting sight when you’re six, if a bit scary. 
 

I have just been informed school has been canceled today, icy roads. Well that’s good for me but bad for some. 
 

Douglas

[Tony_S]

11 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Everybody here knows I always have spectacular blowdowns, but I can assure Tony, I'm not in his water softener.

I suppose that is why they have a lid, to prevent passing hippos falling in. 

[Happy Hippo]

I do tend to make a splash wherever I go.

[Happy Hippo]

Rails of Sheffield have 7 mm Scale Heljan GWR Moguls in unlined BR Green (late crest) for £425.

 

Much as I am tempted, my area of operations really precludes it's use, so I can pass up the opportunity.

 

Although Cathays shed did have one on it's books for a short time and Aberdare shed was also home to some 28xx 2-8-0 locos, basing my fleet around the Cardiff Valleys division does have it's advantages.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Happy Hippo]

It a bit on the chilly side today.

 

I had to make a delivery so took the car out and there is a spot on the 'main' road that floods due to inadequate drainage.

There is a hedge each side of the road and it is just twigs and branches at this time of the year, except where the spray lands when vehicles drive through the puddle.

At this point the hedges look as if they've been snowed on due to the spray turning to ice.

 

Apart from that, as is usual in the Telfland micro climate, the promised snow has failed to materialise.  One presumes it will arrive, probably in about late May!

 

The planning for the grandchildren's railway continues, although it is growing rather larger than first anticipated.

 

At this rate, I can see me renting a large industrial warehouse for my various railway schemes.

 

 

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

The planning for the grandchildren's railway continues, although it is growing rather larger than first anticipated.

I managed to find enough track (Roco HO with moulded track bed) to set up a dining table sized oval to test the nieces “classic” Triang Hornby locos with some wagons. After testing them I put the track away. Aditi said I could have left it out as long as I liked. I did say I have lots of other projects I could bring in. 

[Happy Hippo]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I managed to find enough track (Roco HO with moulded track bed) to set up a dining table sized oval to test the nieces “classic” Triang Hornby locos with some wagons. After testing them I put the track away. Aditi said I could have left it out as long as I liked. I did say I have lots of other projects I could bring in. 

The table in the conservatory is covered in boxes at present.  Most of then relating to 7 mm rolling stock or paint.

 

I am still looking for a 1.8 mm dia drill bit to clean out some buffer shanks, and until I find such, am not attempting  to put anything else together.  I like to get the buffer units made up and get the 3 link hooks in place before I apply the buffer  plank to the rest of the chassis.  I find it makes it easier to do when it's off the wagon rather than build the wagon and then try and add all the bits which invariably become more fiddly to work with.

 

The  undiagnosed cough continues to annoy me, and I've forgone the walk today as my trip earlier on show how much the cold air affects it.

 

I've now managed to reduce the overall footprint of the grandchildren's layout to a much more manageable  20ft  x 16ft.

 

I can put it into the old Billiard room (if I had one).