Douglas’ mostly 7mm live steam workbench and layout.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

12 hours ago, Mikkel said:

I can see the attraction of that!

 

It even comes with built-in 'clickety-clack' effect - if a rather fast one 

Hopefully I’ll be able to find what was making said noise, as it should be virtually silent. My best guess is that the valve extension was a bit to slack, on both sides of the engine.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

On 22/10/2020 at 13:52, J. S. Bach said:

I am quite sure that this H16-44 will pull the plumbing right out of the station; it weighs in at somewhat over thirteen pounds! it is what some call a "doorstop"; I prefer "bridge bender"!

 

Edit: It would just pull the whole station!!

If you got @Dave Hunt to take it up to a decent altitude maybe “bunker buster” would be a good name!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

The various fixings and fittings are currently delayed in the current mess that USPS is having with the election, so hopefully they will be arriving tomorrow, as we don’t get Mail on Sunday’s, at least in this state. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Well ladies and gents, I was rather bored this evening so I decided to record a narrated youtube video. Said exploit is below. As this engine has a very complex history, there will be a part 2 at some point, mostly covering what I know of the engines operational history. Apologies for my hand being in the thumbnail. (Now fixed).

 

Douglas

 

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[J. S. Bach]

I like your test stand; maybe we could see if it stands up the torture of my "bunker buster"?

[Annie]

Frank Hornby would definitely approve of your rolling road/test stand.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Parts arriving today, so a big update will either be posted tonight or sometime tomorrow. 
 

 

Douglas

Edited November 5, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

On 01/11/2020 at 20:16, J. S. Bach said:

I like your test stand; maybe we could see if it stands up the torture of my "bunker buster"?

That might entail a sight redesign.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Parts arrived. To make a long story short I got into an argument with higher powers on the best way to do the job, and the end result was my being told that the engine was to be condemned to its box for the best of its existence. And I was not to try and fix it.

[J. S. Bach]

On 05/11/2020 at 15:00, Florence Locomotive Works said:

That might entail a slight redesign.

Slight redesign?? Major rebuilding as a minimum!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Well the mogul may not be a total loss after all.

 

 

 

Hint hint...

 

 

 

Douglas

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Well the mogul may not be a total loss after all.

 

 

 

Hint hint...

 

 

 

Douglas

Tell us all, - enquiring minds want to know.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

12 minutes ago, Annie said:

Tell us all, - enquiring minds want to know.

The strategy hasn’t been decided on yet...

[Florence Locomotive Works]

So, the new plan:

 

Is to repair the existing old lubricator. 

 

Step 1. Unsolder the two soft soldered bushings on the front of the lubricator, to enable larger access to the interior.

 

Step 2. See if there's enough room to get a dental pick/something similar in there with some J.B. Weld on it. J.B. Weld is a very very very tough epoxy with ground steel in it, and will almost certainly be at home in its planned environment.

 

Step 3. Carefully plug both holes with J.B. Weld, and try to not get any inside the steam line.

 

Step 4. Let set for 24 hours.

 

Step 5. Remove paint.

 

Step 6. Resolder pipe from bottom of lubricator into receptor on the regulator block.

 

Step 7. Solder brass sleeve over steam line from boiler to lubricator.

 

Hopefully it will work.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Progress,

 

Both bushings have been removed, and two cavernous holes have been revealed. Now the plan is to figure out whether it can actually be epoxied. I’ll probably have to boil it in water first to get rid of all the rubbish inside, or I could also soak it in petrol.
 

Douglas

 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Well the strategy is now to make a new pipe to go inside the lubricator. The old one was removed, a surprisingly easy job. Tomorrow a Meccano pipe bender will be made, and a copy of the old pipe will be made. This will then get soldered back inside the lubricator, and the outer hole in the lubricator filled with J.B. Weld. 
 

Douglas

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Massive new discovery, will update tomorrow. However if you must know it’s been explained on “The Night Mail” a topic in Modeling Musings and Miscellany. It should be the latest post as of now.

 

 

Douglas 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

It’s only working!

 

Douglas

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

So, the repair has been a resounding success.

 

But I hear the masses cry, what was the repair?
 

Well, I learned that there were in fact supposed to be two holes in the pipe, one for steam and the other for the oil displaced by the condensed steam. So all that needed doing to fix it was solder the pipe back into the lubricator, and plug the hole in the wall with more solder. So that was quickly done, and then a brass sleeve was soldered over the inlet pipe, and the outlet pipe resoldered into its dock. And do you know what, it worked.  

 

Now fairly long runs can be done, as long as you manage the steam flow. I'm now thinking of getting some Ace Trains goods wagons to run behind it, as the bearings in my Bassett Lowke BR coaches need looking at. 

 

Douglas

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Here’s a better and more impressive video.

 

Douglas

 

 

[Annie]

Well done that man!  

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Thanks Annie. I suppose it’s proof the modern teenager isn’t completely useless.

 

 

Douglas

Edited November 13, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Mikkel]

Impressive fix, Douglas. I really like the low panning shot  in the second video.

 

As for "useless teenagers", there's no such thing of course.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Impressive fix, Douglas. I really like the low panning shot  in the second video.

 

As for "useless teenagers", there's no such thing of course.

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. 

[J. S. Bach]

5 hours ago, 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. 

Ignore him and "KEEP ON TRUCKIN' "; you have nothing to be ashamed of!