Gas or coal

i think tag has summed up well

i have no coal burner but would love one
have been around and love the smell-this alone, together with the extra attentiveness and finesse (akin to a real locomotive) make coal special

they are expensive-

i agree start with a live steamer of what you can afford-and see if you love it
they are not convenient compared to electrics

but they are unique and rewarding
and there is a bit of 'ceremony'

so if you love the process as well as the running-it may be that youll find the extra effort of coal to be exactly what you like the most
 
mitchell coe said:
Well wow what a response I think for certain I will order a Ragleth I spke to Paul at DJB what a great help he was a proper man to deal with, thank you all and thankyou Tag your final pst has convinced me I will start with a small engine and if I enjoy it I will have to work hard and get Sabre steam or similair much later kind regards to all for the help, but keep the helpful posts coming in it was exactly what I needed Mitchell Coe
Click to expand...
Blimey that was quick! First of all let me say that a Sabre or indeed one of the ELR or Shawe locos are not bigger than the Ragleth one ? in fact probably smaller! The Ragleth is however cheaper and IMO easier to drive and fire. You still get a full-bodied loco with in fact more 'whistles and bells' than the others ? largely because it uses Accucraft mechanicals rather than Roundhouse. The advantage (other than this) is of course the whistle and the draincocks ? plus the simple fact that it is easier to keep an Accucraft coal-fired locomotive properly clean than a Roundhouse based one. The reason for this is that Accucraft do not use any rustable components in their locos, so a full de-grease with water soluble spray degreaser, followed by a blast down with a garden hose set to 'jet' is easy to do after every single run (very important for coal running). My locos have fresh oil every time on all moving parts. The net result is minimal wear ? and my locomotives look in new condition.

There is, certainly, a learning curve for coal, just as there is for learning to drive a car. You won't be relaxed about it from the off. Indeed it might be an idea to get a couple of Hogs Hill stand alone rolling road sections, so that you can practice in comfort and privacy. I ran my Fowler for the first time with Ivan Prior standing behind me taking the p...proverbial! There is lots of help and advice available and I now find coal running as relaxing as gas or pot boiler running. I will generally run for an hour ? or an hour an a half at a time ? but at Exeter show I was running my Edrig for most of the day...

Don't spoil the ship for a ha'pporth o' tar ? do have the whistle and draincocks fitted. Still several hundred pounds cheaper than anything else. If you want to know more then give me a call at home ? my telephone no is in GardenRail or email me with yours on tag@atlanticpublishers.com

PS My Ragleth is due in May...

bestest

Tag
 
Thank you Tag you are most kind, you have persuaded me yet further and I will order my Ragleth from Paul at DJB tomorrow 1st thing Kind regards Mitchell Coe
 
^ he doesn't bite.

Steve, have you ever actually had a proper go with a coal fired 16mm loco, or even spent some time watching someone else play with one? I spent a couple of very enjoyable afternoons at Gorton Towers while Tag ran the above mentioned Edrig and it certainly didn't look like tiresome, back breaking work. Quite the opposite in fact!

Why am I not suprised there's a Ragleth on order Tag? :bigsmile:
 
Mitchell, as others have said, there is no "Best" way to go.

If you prefer to fire up your loco and just let it run, then gas is for you. However, if you actually want to operate your loco in a close to prototypical way, then I vote for coal. I truly enjoy firing up my Annette, working the fire, showing others that it is actually running with a strong fire. Later in the day when the light dims a little, the glow from the fire box is not only beautiful, it lets you know how your fire is doing and whether it needs attention.

While running at Diamondhead Mississippi in January, I actually had a problem with a fire that was too hot, and the glow from the firebox was almost white instead of orange. Now, with direction from Yves Guillaume [Trinidad], I'm working with mixes of Welsh Anthracite, hardwood charcoal and a little bit of Bituminous to see if I can cool the fire down a little. My goal is to run without the safety valve blowing off constantly.

With coal, the most important thing to remember is to have patience. If you try to rush the process of building your fire, you will rarely be able to run without difficulty.

Kind regards and enjoy,

Will Lindley
 
thumper said:
My goal is to run without the safety valve blowing off constantly.
Click to expand...
This used to be a problem with the coal fired Edrigs which are very "free steaming". Tag modified his firehole door by fitting a damper and Paul Bailey is now fitting dampers as standard to his Edrig and Ragleth kits. He very kindly modified my Edrig firehole door (free of charge) by adding a damper and it makes a huge difference and makes the loco that much more controllable. I don't have a similar problem with my Annette but leaving the firehole door open for a little while would do the trick. If the fire gets too hot I usually add some coal to cool it down. Letting the fire cool risks losing it on the Annette.
Steve
 
To say nothing of the fact that, when you open the firebox door to stoke the fire, it is a real crowd pleaser. Often they don't believe their eyes what they are seeing.

Coal%20Fired%20Steamer%202%20(resized).jpg
 
400Parker said:
thumper said:
My goal is to run without the safety valve blowing off constantly.
Click to expand...
This used to be a problem with the coal fired Edrigs which are very "free steaming". Tag modified his firehole door by fitting a damper and Paul Bailey is now fitting dampers as standard to his Edrig and Ragleth kits. He very kindly modified my Edrig firehole door (free of charge) by adding a damper and it makes a huge difference and makes the loco that much more controllable. I don't have a similar problem with my Annette but leaving the firehole door open for a little while would do the trick. If the fire gets too hot I usually add some coal to cool it down. Letting the fire cool risks losing it on the Annette.
Steve
Click to expand...
Yes indeed.This makes a significant difference to both coal and water consumption and adds an extra bit of flexibility to running. It is a peculiarity of the Accucraft piston valve locos that they draw the fire rather more than the slide valve Roundhouse based models. Not better or worse ? just different. My John Shawe Fowler does not need this damper generally, the fire can be dampened down by just adding extra coal. This loco is coming to pieces yet again for further cosmetic modification, adding balance weight eccentrics rathe r than the standard Roundhouse type and modifications to my slide bar brackets. I hope to feature all the mods to this engine in an article when complete. Perhaps Matt will make it back down to Plymouth again for another running sesh....
 
Will be in touch Mr G, am spending a few days down there in the not too distant future!
 
brianthesnail96 said:
Will be in touch Mr G, am spending a few days down there in the not too distant future!
Click to expand...
You are always welcome Matt. We may be able to organise a steam up with the Dartmoor Irregulars....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top