Oil in Water Sight Glass?

David Price said:
I had been warned about Accucraft locos - my Roundhouse Davenport has been a delight by comparison!
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I have 3 Accucraft locos, 2 are quite a few years old now apparently, they were second hand and could be 20 years +. They're fine, a bit difficult to light
though, in fact sometimes bloody difficult! I recently bought a brand new Roundhouse, which is a dream to light, but doesn't seem to be as robust as the Accucrafts. Horses for courses I have to say!
Glad to hear the oil problem has been resolved.
 
Hi Phil,

I'm new to the live steam scene but the general advice I've received locally is that if you want "out-of-the box" running and reliability Roundhouse is the way to go - if you want detail Accucraft or Bowande are the choice.

The Decauville seems to have been a bit more of a problem child than other Accucraft from what I have discovered so far.
 
Accucraft sight glasses are renowned for being 'lazy'; they bob around when topping up, and seem prone to fluctuation when running. Much better to ignore them, find out what the run time of each loco is (and their boiler level at the end of the run) and work from there. I know my IOM locos will run out of gas around 25 minutes, and that that is safely before they boil dry, so I tend to top them up after 10 - 15 minutes to keep the central flue covered. The sight glass then becomes, at best, a tool of last resort, and at worst, an ornament.
Despite all of the above, I am very happy with my Accucraft locos!
 
I the only loco I have with a site glass, is my Mamod Brunel! I fill my locos up with the recommended amount of water, then run until the gas runs out, as per the instructions. There always seems to be plenty of water left. Some top their gas up after the engine has reached pressure, but then you really do need to watch the water.
 
Sight glass on my Regner often has air bubbles, making it unreadable. The fact you have to fill the boiler through the sight glass seems to aggravate the problem.
 
It seems good pratice to close both regulator and oiler, if so equipped, after the run.

At least as per instructions in German Regner, too, advises closing the regulator - gently rather than wedging it shut lest you will find it "frozen" the next time round.

I routinely check that the regulator will move after cooling down before storing the loco.
 
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David Price,
Be very careful removing screws on the Decauville locomotive. The assemblers sometimes used Super Glue to hold screws in place when they have stripped the screws during installation on Accucraft models.
I would suggest they you try to turn the piston rod into the crosshead with a small pair of forceps. My model of this same engine appears to have had the piston rod epoxied at the connection to the connecting rod.
Fortunately, my locomotive has been a good model. The engine has had all of the modifications done to it before the sale to me. My locomotive was one of the last of the engines to leave Accucraft before the stock was sold out.
 
I don't have an answer to the question about super glue. I have found that screws have to go back into the same location they came from, even if they appear to be the same size. They are location specific. I have found some kind of adhesive residue in the hole when removing a screw during maintenance.
Charles M
 
Superglue will melt when hot.. It is one of the ways to get things apart.

I would surmise, it is more likely to be a thread-locking compound, of some description?

PhilP.
 
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