Questions after first steaming of Accucraft Lyn

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Michael

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My first steaming yesterday could have gone better but at least the wheels on my Accucraft Lyn eventually went round! I thought I had done all the preparation work. I have all the accessories and a rolling road, have read "The Passion of Steam" by Mark Horovitz so know the theory, watched Chris Bird's excellent Ragleth demo and read many relevant posts in this forum but you can't beat a bit of experience of which I had none.

That would have told me straightaway that there was a problem with the gas supply. The boiler lit but there didn't seem to be much control over the flame and I had to re-light several times. it did raise steam however and the wheels turned but pressure was soon lost. Fiddling with the gas control valve I unscrewed it to far and it popped out releasing all the gas! However once reinserted and re-lit I suddenly heard a roar from the boiler and then I realised there must have been a blockage. You can't describe what a boiler should sound like from reading a book!

Before my next attempt could you please help me with a few questions:

1) Is it water, oil gas (as detailed in a post here and in Chris Bird's video) or gas oil water as per Accucraft's instructions?

2) should you drain the water in the boiler after use. If so how do you do that?

3) Accucraft say fill the boiler completely. Does that mean to the level of the filler cap. Some people are saying you should do this and remove so many mls.

Thanks and by the way I'm hooked already and can't wait to get it onto my track!

Michael
 
Gas is always last!
I oil first and then water.....It doesn't seem to matter whether you follow Accucrafts instructions using the water blow off valve under the cab or leave it closed and extract a few mls after filling to the full with water. ...I use filtered rain water.! If I am to store the engine for some while, I empty the water otherwise I leave it in unitl next time!

I Have had my Lyn several years now as it was one of the first produced..it is very reliable although I have had grit in the gas jet very occasionally!

Enjoy!
 
Hi Michael

Just to try and answer some of your questions.

1)Gas last, that way there is no chance of firing an empty boiler.

2)If not in use for a long time, tip the water out of the filler hole or suck it out with a syringe (when cold of course!)

3) I always fill the boiler completely, then open the drain valve. I then light and let all the excess water run out, until steam starts to come out. That way I know I have the water at the right level and that steam is being raised, then I shut the valve (Very hot!). I guess you can remove water befor lighting, but make sure you dont take out too much or the boiler may run dry.

4) Welcome to live steam and enjoy!:D

Pete
 
I don't know the loco in question but here's my generalised opinions. Others more experienced than I may well have more specific comments.
Michael said:
Before my next attempt could you please help me with a few questions:
1) Is it water, oil gas (as detailed in a post here and in Chris Bird's video) or gas oil water as per Accucraft's instructions?
Click to expand...
Water, oil gas. if you only have water no harm can be done, but if you only have gas and light up things may get a bit too hot. You need the oil if you have steam, no gas, no steam.
Michael said:
2) should you drain the water in the boiler after use. If so how do you do that?
Click to expand...
Yes if it's going to be a good few days before using the loco again. Open the blowdown valve and open/remove the water filler. Turning the loco upside down and shaking gently may help.
Michael said:
3) Accucraft say fill the boiler completely. Does that mean to the level of the filler cap. Some people are saying you should do this and remove so many mls.
Click to expand...
Too much water in the boiler and it will carry over into the cylinders (prime), not good practise. Not enough water and you may run out of water before you run out of gas, again not a good idea. I'd go for filling and then taking a few mils out.
 
Michael,

The most important thing is keep your wits about you and 'watch' and 'listen' till you've learned it's foybles. John makes a good point about water before gas but as long as you re-check before applying the flame, all will be well. You've climbed the steepest part of the learning curve already, enjoy (and worry a little less), they are pretty tough when all said and done, and a great deal of fun.
 
Accucraft recommend gas first so any escaped gas can dissipate before you try and light things. Avoids the big bang!

As long as you are carefull it dosn't really matter which order you do them in, just allow time for any vented gas to blow away.

I always fill the boiler then suck out 60ml using a syringe. This saves having to heat it up them let it escape through the blow-down valve. Saves a small amount of gas and time lol.
 
Many thanks for the prompt responses. I've just had another go and that was more successful now that the gas is going through correctly. I'm leaving the drain valve open until steam comes out but there is a noticeable ammount of water under the cylinders (I changed betwen reverse and forward initially as I'm sure I read somewhere that helps remove any condensed water from the cylinders). For the first 10 minutes it's was ok:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJPL...nly help me learn the controls. Michael
 
FWIW, I think the only reason the manufacturers don't reccomend water first is that the acronym then becomes offensive to some people. I agree totally with Neil (r), that way no harm can be done! It doesn't 'matter' which way you do it in terms of the locomotive, as long as you do all three! You should always fill the gas in a well ventilated area anyway, and allow any stray gas to disperse befroe you light up.

You have the basics now - enjoy! Oh yeah, they always piddle loads of water and oil about the place....;)

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Good to hear you are making progress Michael - though I couldn't see the video.

As has been said, the only reason for the gas to come first is to disperse it. Out of doors this happens very quickly , but on blocks in the garage it can be interesting if you have a drip tray full of gas! Though nothing compared with unscrewing the valve - I gather it didn't catch fire!!
If you think that you may forget to add water - then do that first!

I use water from our condensing tumble drier and never empty it out. There is never any residue and in a copper boiler there is no issue. Tap water in a brass boiler is a different matter as the brass de-zincs over time.

I have run my Accucrafts with a full boiler and the blow down, as in the video, or by removing 30mls, the same as Roundhouse. Both work fine. Just settle on one way and stick to it as a routine - as you never want to fill the boiler and leave the blow down closed.........

There will always be oily water under the loco (or all over it in some cases) on start up - this is the condensate from warming up the cylinders.

Not sure why steam was coming out of the cylinders though..... I would give it a good few runs on the rolling road to let it settle down.
Good luck
Chris
 
Good afternoon,
Mike,before you light the burner,allow some gas to escape with the smokebox door open for about twenty seconds,this allows liquid gas to escape and stops the chuffing sound you get when first lighting up.Do it outside though.
 
Michael said:
but after that there seemed to be more steam coming out around the cylinders and less coming through the chimney.
Click to expand...

I think that's a symptom of running on a rolling road Michael because there's no load. I saw the same effect with my Caradoc - but when running on the track, she's never exhibited the same effect.
Oh, and BTW, I'm about 12 months ahead of you with the live steamie experience and what the guys have said is excellent advice! :clap:
 
An easy one I use to teach our new steam recruits is this.
WOOF !

Water
Oil ( In lubricator )
Oil ( Oil around the locomotive)
Fuel ( Gas , Meths , Coal , Peat or Whatever you burn )

WOOF gets a laugh and is easy to remember . I have not found anyone offended by this one. Doing the same procedure makes sure you don't forget a step.

Charles M :D
 
Many thanks for all the replies, all points duly noted. I am pleased to say that I have now passed my driving test and following conversion to remote control (regulator only) have had 3 successful runs on my 100' track. Despite the addition of 2 tons of top soil when it was built last year (raising one end 8"), this still has a long gradient so I knew live steam would be a challenge. I am therefore limited to the number of wagons/coaches that can be added and have to constantly use the remote control. Looks like I'll be buying more topsoil soon!

Not had so much fun in ages:bigsmile:

Michael

PS Does the gas always run out when the train is in the most inaccessible place on the track:)
 
PS Does the gas always run out when the train is in the most inaccessible place on the track:)
[/quote]
Yes and sometimes they derail as well....:rolf:
 
Michael said:
Not had so much fun in ages

PS Does the gas always run out when the train is in the most inaccessible place on the track:)
Click to expand...

Exactly the same fun high I got after my first steam run!

Yes, gas is programmed to run out in awkward places.
Just like photocopiers know how urgent your job is, and have appropriate faults.
Thermos flasks are generally more helpful, knowing to keep hot liquids hot, and cold liquids cold.
 
Just high jacking this thread as it has some useful advice.

Given my new ragleth its second session today, first session was disrupted by a problem with gas filling and derailments on R1 points.
Todays session was much better, got about 20-25 mins run time.
I too noticed aload of water and steam coming from one cylinder and when I start up massive amounts of water coming out of the funnel. From reading this thread, I reckon Im overfilling the boiler/closing the blow down valve too soon. I get nervous with water as I destroyed my first Mamod by running it dry.
So does the water blow down valve act like an overflow or does it drain the boiler? If left open does it just vent steam so leaving it open isnt an issue (except I lose steam pressure)?
 
If you fill your boiler to the top Cyclone, then with the water level drain open light the gas. To start with as the water expands it will force excess water out of the overflow, eventually water will stop coming out and you will start to see the first wisp of steam. At that stage close the overflow valve and you will have the EXACT correct water level designed for that particular loco.

This EXACT bit is important because it is a designed amount of water to just outlast the gas tank designed for that specific loco and to give an optimum starting water level to minimise initial carry over into the cylinders and up the chimney. Whilst some experienced garden railfarers may have adopted the practice of taking some water out with a syringe I wonder how many have actually calculated the correct amount to take out ? (Many boilers and gas tanks are different sizes). Or do some not take enough out and thus have a wet engine to start with, whilst perhaps others take too much out and run the risk of boiling dry?

To answer your question the overflow valve should be open when first lighting up, and then closed once the expelled water starts becoming expelled steam.

Two more sessions and you'll have it all off to a fine art and never look back.

Happy steamings!

John
 
To avoid confusion I should say the 'overflow valve' I referred to is what Accucraft call the 'Water Level Check Valve' in the instructions. You open the valve to check the water level when filling up, and any surplus water overflows.

Happy steamings,

John
 
What John says is theoretically correct, however I have to say that Accucraft seem to have built in a large margin for error. A number of people (myself included on occasion) fill the boiler, use the overflow and raise steam, then turn off the gas and refill the gas tank. There is always a considerable amount of water left in the boiler at the end of a run, even after doing this (which I perhaps wouldn't reccomend until you are familiar with your locomotive) so I think you are perfectly safe removing a few mm from a full boiler prior to lighting up.
 
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