Clear Water Glass in my K28

[main131]

The sight glass showed no reading other than a permanent level mark caused by water sediment which had laid dormant for some time previous.
Access to inside the glass with small 'bristle brush was managed by removal of top fitting assembly.
Discovered the top feed pipe to be blocked with years of scale build up preventing effective use of 'blow down'
This is now cleared together with the blow down glass allowing the water level to flow and therefore 'safer driving'

Now we all know how difficult it can be struggling to read water levels in a small sight glass when outside in different weather conditions. Even more frustrating when you discover there is no water getting through anyway
These small water gauge glasses need free passageways to the boiler at both the top and bottom to equalize water levels and pressures on both the water in the glass and the boiler. If one end is restricted the glass could easily contain a plug of air that would be increasingly compressed as the boiler pressure increased giving a false reading

It is nice that my K28 has a blow down especially when some expensive models do not.
Cab view picture shows the various 'controls' in my K28
Linked chain on regulator for Radio control; Twin gas burners; Bypass valve for axle pump; Sight glass with lined back ground (note 1/4 glass of water) with blow down valve below

Video shows loco on half throttle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX1qtzQ_2FU&list=UUjUA51QsBdV8jf0f2fUIfBA&index=1&feature=plcp

 

[BRStandard]

Here's my tip - I store my loco water supplies in 4 and 6 litre milk bottles. I add a tiny amount of navy food colouring to each bottleful - it shows up the water level in your sight glass like a treat.

You can, of course, use whatever colour your prefer but a certain amount of experimentation has caused me to settle on blue if only because red colouring, whilst very effective in showing the water level, is a tad embarassing when your loco blasts out plumes of pink smoke!

 

[Richie]

Nice work Trevor Just had a new water gauge with a thin red line in the glass that looks wide with the water level fitted to my K-27 by John Campbell

 

[bobg]

Devices with small waterways are notorious for having difficulties. When designing them keep the passageways as big as possible, of course there are limits.

Schellbach tube (with the line on) is available in some sizes, but often difficult to source. That does not stop you providing your own line with some paint, preferably glass paint or placing something behind, with contrasting diagonal lines on, that will strangely reverse where the water is.

The doyenn of model engineering 'Curly' Lawrence (a.k.a. L.B.S.C.) always said "the problem is, that you cannot scale nature" and that is really what we are trying to do; water, is water, is water, in any scale!
<Edit> sp'

 

[mmts]

Some of the G1MRA members at my model engineering club use a laminated piece of a barcode behind their glasses.................
Carnt see a problem on any scale in using this method......................

 

[main131]

I have the K28 and a friends K27 running at a small meet in Leicestershire next Monday if anybody would like to come and have a run?

Nice work Trevor Just had a new water gauge with a thin red line in the glass that looks wide with the water level fitted to my K-27 by John Campbell

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