A bit of work on a newly acquired Accucraft C21 pays off.....

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beavercreek

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Early in December I bought myself a birthday present, which I had first seen at the Exeter show. It is a used RC live steam Accucraft C21 with very little running time on it.
Because of a longish illness just before Christmas and other time constraints, I did not get a chance to steam her until a month later at our monthly area meet.
She did not perform well at all, in fact she was a very distinct disappointment. No real power at all...puddings and pulling skin come to mind.
I checked the timing, burners etc and they seemed spot on....
So a after lot of emails back and forth with a very patient Mr Mees at AbbeyBach engineering and the guy, Rod Blakeman, who had originally installed the RC system, I decided that I had no option but to strip her down and check everything.

So...... after all of that, cleaning, blowing compressed air through all of the pipes, check compliance on axles etc and then putting her back together (first LS loco that I had completely stripped) I took her out for a test on my layout. Due to the 10% inclines (1:10) I knew that, being a rod loco, she would be only able to travel on the reasonably flat area......
She seemed in fine fettle....now for a real test at the next monthly meet.

Yesterday was the day and she was taken along with a little trepidation...She was set up in a siding and fired.........

Yeaayyyyy!...she took off with a regal progress and complied really well with the control (I converted the RC system to Deltang).
I loaded her up with a small selection of heavy rolling stock, some wooden-built (drop bottom gondola, long caboose, pipe gondola)..........what would she do?..... no worry, she just pulled them with out a flinch......gradually I added a couple more freight cars and again she was just fine....RESULT!!!
I didn't get a chance to take photos at the meet as concentration was needed..we had three live steamers following each other at the same time with pauses only for water top ups and for me to add the rolling stock.

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Wow.
Gorgeous loco.
I applaud your boldness.
Stripping a ls loco seems....for me.... An exercise in flirting with disaster. This because i know little of the finer points, and my metal working skill are pathetic. Otoh, if there are no adjustment options, id be game.

I recall changing the jet on my SRRL 24, and fiddled with adjustment for nearly a full day before it was right.

Mike, what resource did you use to understand timing?
 
Excellent work, glad to see the C21 doing what she should be doing again. I just achieved the same thing with my Merlin Mayflower that was suffering some issues on one of the cylinders. Its a great sense of accomplishment to see all that work pay off with a great running model! Mike
 
Thank you Steve and Dodger.

I know what you are saying Steve...I did need a deep intake of breath when I began the process. But as long as you go step by step, take photos as you go and do it stage by stage then hopefully you come out the other end without anything unfortunate happening.
On most (if not all) Accucraft locos there are scribed circles around the reverser rod and the piston valve rods.
These scribed lines show how far the rod should go in and come out.
The reversing rod is the easiest as it is just a simple adjustment.
The timing for the piston corresponds to the positions of the timing cams on the rear centre axles. But as long as these a good the piston valve rod can be adjusted



POSITION 1 timing cams.jpg

POSITION 2..counterweights and crankpins down on left of loco (looking toward smokebox).jpg
 
Do you know what you actually changed Mike, or is it just a good cleaning.
 
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The good clean did dislodge a little congealed 'gunge' from the steam pipe ways.
But also the total resetting of the rods, wheels, timing cams, realignment etc obviously did not do any harm.

Anyheew she is now a great steamer, so I am again happy with her. (even if she will never pull anything except herself up my layout 10% gradient).
She will be a good loco to take on visits to friend's and area meets with flat-ish layouts.

I have also learnt a lot through the whole strip-down, build up process. and now have more confidence tackling anything to do with my live steamers in the future.
The LS shay motion mechanics is a little more involved but hopefully my two shays will not give me jip just yet
 
Hi Thomas, yes indeed there be various types of juniperus, and a mix of many other 'evergreen' types (conifer and others) including crytomeria japonica, different types of chamaecyparis, thoides, pinus mugo, thuja, picea, hebes, sedums, hemlocks, 'ghost' heathers and others.
They are all miniature varieties and most have been out for about 10 years now. Some are not so well behaved and need more pruning than the others (roughly twice a year during the growing season.

If you have time, pop over to my layout The Beaver Creek Railroad's facebook page and you may well see the range of 'bushes and trees' that are spread throughout the line.

www.facebook.com/beavercreekrailroad


CRYPTOMERIA japonica ‘Tenzan' ( 2.jpg

CRYPTOMERIA japonica ‘Tenzan' (.jpg

Heather, Silver Knight :(Calluna vulgaris) .jpg

Hebe topiara-2.jpg
 
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I see the 'Health and Safety Police' are on the case!!
Working at heights directive..
Safe use of ladders..

Someone will have the book thrown at him.*

*But only after he has come down, a proper hazard assessment has been done, and he has the correct personal protective equipment!
:rolleyes::giggle::giggle::giggle:
 
Nah!
Mike lines set a few decades ago, when if you fell off the ladder it was your fault for being a bit of a prat.
 
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