Douglas’ mostly 7mm live steam workbench and layout.

[Mikkel]

Agree, and also, look out for his reaction next time there's a software update on that forum. Then ask if he needs help 

[Annie]

There's always going to be creaking old curmudgeons who think their opinions are holy writ handed down from heaven.  Take no notice of them Douglas, - you did alright with repairing your B-L Mogul.

 

[PatB]

And how, I wonder, did the curmudgeons acquire their knowledge. Could it, perhaps, have been by delving into mechanisms that they didn't quite understand and applying repair techniques they weren't quite sure would work? 

 

As a curmudgeon myself, I commend you for having a go and achieving a successful result, that being a running locomotive. It's not as if the world will be running out of B-L moguls any time soon, so any loss of originality is a matter between you and your wallet and none of anyone else's business. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Yesterday the Florence Street (should be my real name, forgot the street bit) Locomotive Works underwent a massive change. A rather nice Chinese made wooden tool chest was bought from the local Harbor Freight. And very good it is too, all the locks worked! 
 

The chest was to big to fit on the other desk, so was moved to the original site of the Works, on the desk in the right of the picture with the yellow arrow. A shelf on the almost adjoining bookshelf has been turned into a carriage shed, wireless phone charging port, and cutting area. And I included an atmospheric shot of some signals. 
 

Douglas

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[J. S. Bach]

On 13/11/2020 at 08:22, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Thanks Mikkel, I said that last bit in reference to a pretty thorough verbal battering I got off a Bassett Lowke live steam enthusiast on another forum/website. 

I have a better idea than keep on truckin'; tell him to be a bee and BUZZ OFF!

[Annie]

Now that is one very beautiful tool chest.  I could do with something like that.

 

Must be difficult working with that big yellow arrow dangling about in your room though.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

22 hours ago, Annie said:

Must be difficult working with that big yellow arrow dangling about in your room though.

I just use my giant eraser and erase it, and when i need it again I drag out the big highlighter and draw about on the wall of the 5th dimension.

[Nortonville Phil]

Just like mine.

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

I’m currently working on a way to modify the backhead general arrangement slightly. Currently it has a pressure gauge, but really needs either a whistle or blowdown valve fitted as well. I have the original whistle, but it’s very bulky so I think I may just buy a valve. The photos show some failed arrangements out of the cab. 
 

Douglas

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

New/old layout thread is back in action.

 

 

 

Douglas

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Last night I think I finally arrived at the final arrangement. The whistle has to be upside down though, to alleviate the need to drill through the roof. All that is needed now is to buy some 3/16 x 40 threaded nipples, so the t-piece can thread into the boiler bushing. 
 

 

 

A few more things. 
 

1. A suitable name is needed for the garden line in which this will run. It’s supposed to be based somewhere between Liverpool and Wigan, so something like Lowkington springs to mind. Suggestions are very welcome.

 

2. Part II of the narrated videos should go up within the next two weeks, it will cover the history of the engine and its owner, who was a notable US navy captain. 
 

Douglas

Edited November 19, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Happy Hippo]

Douglas, you should put the whistle in upside down:  That is with the 'mouth' facing downwards.  It enables it to drain.  All you'll get is a bubbling noise as condensate will gather in the sound tube if the mouth is facing upwards!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Douglas, you should put the whistle in upside down:  That is with the 'mouth' facing downwards.  It enables it to drain.  All you'll get is a bubbling noise as condensate will gather in the sound tube if the mouth is facing upwards!

I was thinking of using it more as valve to siphon off excess steam or water, should there be any. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

A long run was had this evening. Well, actually 4 runs were had throughout the day, but wick problems plagued those. Got it running in the end. 
 

Douglas

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Big news:

 

1. Two new pieces of rolling stock have been acquired. The first is a very nice Leeds Model Company Brentnall & Cleland PO wagon, which seems to have had very little use in life. As has the next, a Leeds LMS van. Both were in the USA funnily enough, with a load of other Leeds rolling stock. 
 

2. The railway has been moved. It was originally partially in the dining room, and partially in the living room. Obviously higher powers wished for its removal. I suggest the garden, but that was declared off limits. However the spare room was accepted. So in it went. Since the photo was taken a siding has been added, along with a Meccano (not Hornby, actual Meccano) water tower.
 

Douglas

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Annie]

The Leeds B&C open wagon is very tidy.  Most Leeds litho opens I see on offer are in a very rough state

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

The Leeds B&C open wagon is very tidy.  Most Leeds litho opens I see on offer are in a very rough state

The condition was reflected in the price ($50), for better or worse I know not. But he did price bogie vehicles the same though, which I thought was strange. In particular a North Eastern Railway “high capacity box van”, in near mint condition, zero bids!

[Annie]

Those big NER transhipment vans are really a mainline traffic item and not the kind of thing to be found down any branchline so they might not appeal to that many 'O' gauge enthusiasts.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

The wagons arrived today, in very good condition. Sadly one of the axles on the B&C wagon is sticking, and the wheels were basically floating about on it, so it needs some serious attention.  The van however is trouble free.

 

On I believe it was Wednesday (Thursday for Annie), the Model Railway Handbook by W.J. Bassett Lowke arrived, and has been extremely interesting. 
 

Today another trip to the local Harbor Freight was undertaken, and we returned with two boxes of O rings, (metric and imperial), and two moving blankets. The O rings were to finally replace the fairly ancient and leaking fiber washers/gaskets on the safety valve and lubricator plugs on the Mogul. The blankets will go underneath the railway, so I don’t have to do the back braking job of wiping up all the priming residue from the engine. 
 

Douglas

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Annie]

Now there's some sights to soothe sore eyes.    It's so rare to see a Leeds litho open wagon in such pristine condition.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Axle fixed, wheels fixed. The axle end needed filing to a dull point, and the axle box needed a bit of regrinding. The wheels were loctited to the axles. 
 

Currently the layout is disassembled, so the blankets can be put in place. Some work has also been done on the station. Photos will be posted at some point today.

 

Douglas

Edited November 28, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Here are the photos of the new station as promised. They show (in no particular order) the arch rather reminiscent of Euston, the station, the goods siding/yard, and the water tower and station approach. 
 

Mogul News:

Myself and the great Happy Hippo (the railway’s technical adviser) of this forum realized recently that the Mogul isn’t actually running properly. It should be able to pull 4-6 tinplate BR coaches on the level at speed, and mine struggles to make a single rotation with just one. So the problem appears to have been the lubricator filler plugs leaking (rather badly, there was a not insignificant plume of steam going up the chimney when stationary), and the wicks I make for the burner being a bit iffy. So, once my next resupply of oil arrives, it will hopefully work as it should. 
 

Douglas

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon,

 

This was purchased yesterday, a drain cock from the USA dealer of Stuart Models, a company originally founded by a dear friend of Henry Greenly. It will replace the pressure gauge and whistle on the backhead, as it is much more aesthetically pleasing than the aforementioned two.

 

Getting back to Mr. H Greenly, I was recently gifted a birthday present from @Nortonville Phil containing many books, one of which was what appears to be the great mans biography, a very interesting read.

 

Douglas

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

So, all that ye have seen so far of the Mogul has been a bit of a hoax. Basically, I only showed the good bits of the run. The engine should be able to manage 5-7 or nonstop rotation of the track, and in all the videos thy hath seen the engine has only actually done 4.
 

However, after much deliberation and the finding of a steam leak, the replacing of both burner wicks, and some new oil, the engine is now doing 5-7 circuits o’ the track. And, even better, it can now pull both of my heavy steel Bassett Lowke BR coaches. But I have found it enjoys the company of my Leeds wagons more. 

Douglas

 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening,

 

Just finished a quick repair on this scratch built lower quadrant signal I made a few months ago. I managed to knock it over today, and it snapped off it’s base and broke the small quadrant support. The base will get repaired tomorrow (maybe tonight), but the quadrant support was repaired this evening. I also replaced the pins on the quadrant moving arms with brass Hornby track pins, so they aren’t flapping about any more. I need to figure out some way of attaching some wired to it so that it can be connected to my nonexistent lever frame, suggestions are welcome. I’m also not sure what type of signal it is, I simply saw one and thought it was nice so built one. 
 

 

(The materials used are, card, balsa wood, some other wood, wire, and brass)

Douglas

 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works