Roundhouse "Lady Anne" - a numpty question

beancounter

beancounter

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Last night I was going over the Lady Anne I bought at the weekend. The water filler cap is far more than finger tight - it won't move with normal finger pressure. Is the cap in one piece or two? The reason for asking is that there seems to be a washer or O-ring about a quarter of the way down the knurled cap. Before applying more force (pliers?) I'd like to be sure what I'm twisting...
 
Mine is just one piece screwing directly to the boiler without a projecting fitting- your o ring doesn't sound in the right place!? and it was never more than finger tight. Have you tried some cloth before pliers. It could after running be at the tight end of finger tight.
 
Hi Ian,

I've tried a cloth, and twisting as hard as I can without using tools. The dealer (Anything Narrow Gauge) had test run the loco, but not for about 6 months.
 
The O ring you speak of on the filler cap is there to provide some form of positive location for the heavy brass dome that fits over this knurled knob to stop it shaking off in normal running. My 5 year old Lady Anne has the same.

Assuming this filler cap has not been fitted "cross thread" it may just be that the previous owner (I'm assuming it is 2nd hand) has overtightened it. Gentle application of pliers should be OK, try a little WD40 or penetrating oil to ease it first perhaps. Has this loco been run on "hard water" tap water ? There could be some limescale deposits fouling the threads.

If in doubt give Roundhouse a call. They are always very helpfu, especially with a newbie. I know, I was(still am) one of those.

Max

P.S. just seen your update - what did the dealer reccomend ?
 
Not that i am a live steam chap, but instead of all the above can you try warming it with some boiling water just to get the thermal differance back into it?
 
maxi-model said:
The O ring you speak of on the filler cap is there to provide some form of positive location for the heavy brass dome that fits over this knurled knob to stop it shaking off in normal running. My 5 year old Lady Anne has the same.

Assuming this filler cap has not been fitted "cross thread" it may just be that the previous owner (I'm assuming it is 2nd hand) has overtightened it. Gentle application of pliers should be OK, try a little WD40 or penetrating oil to ease it first perhaps. Has this loco been run on "hard water" tap water ? There could be some limescale deposits fouling the threads.

If in doubt give Roundhouse a call. They are always very helpfu, especially with a newbie. I know, I was(still am) one of those.

Max

P.S. just seen your update - what did the dealer reccomend ?
Click to expand...

Hi Max,

that's very helpful, thanks. I haven't spoken to the dealer yet - the information about testing came out of the (long!) discussion I had with him before purchasing the loco on Saturday.
 
steve parberry said:
Not that i am a live steam chap, but instead of all the above can you try warming it with some boiling water just to get the thermal differance back into it?
Click to expand...
Probably a little inadvisable as if this is R/C'ed the transmitter and servos live usually live in one of the side tanks, that would be in the direct line of fire of any torrent of boiling water or if any immersion was involved. This also happens to be a brass to brass fitting so not sure you are going to get much in the way of differential.

Always, if not sure contact the dealer or Roundhouse direct. Dealer has a good reputation. I've bought from him, although in my case it was a new/old stock (ex PPS) engine.
Max
 
maxi-model said:
The O ring you speak of on the filler cap is there to provide some form of positive location for the heavy brass dome that fits over this knurled knob to stop it shaking off in normal running. My 5 year old Lady Anne has the sameMax
Click to expand...
What Max said!

They sometimes stick when they haven't been used for a while, pliers will soon have it off, then only tighten gentle finger tight - the O ring at the bottom does the sealing, not a metal to matal face.

NHN
 
Thanks chaps.

Judicious force (pliers) has removed the offending item (it was very stiff). Further to Max's comments, there do appear to be white scaly marks around the hole, so perhaps hard-ish water contributed. First glance also appears to reveal no washer/o-ring for sealing. I'll look to see if there is one in the spares pack I ordered from Roundhouse.
 
LlongfordRailway said:
It would be great to see some photo's or a youtube video when you steam it
Click to expand...
A photo as requested (I don't "do" video, so I'll post another when steam trials are underway):

IMG_2162.jpg
 
Tony,
Shame on me for not mentioning you as well. It was just that Lightlines happened to have a blue Lady Anne on their website.
If I'm not mistaken, you actually did line my John Shawe Roundhouse Jack, as seen here...
Coal%20Fired%20Steamer%20with%20Gondola%20(resized).jpg
 
since you have 'white stuff' around the threads-ie scaling

i dont know if you need to do this now, but it might be prudent

id suggest that you use either a commercial scale remover or white vinegar
-soak some cotton wad or tissue and allow it to dampen the threaded areas for about an hour, and then brush off with a childs toothbrush -or whatever may fit the inside of the filler to alow you access to the threads-even pipe cleaner with the extra stiff bristles would do the job i think

you can follow this up with a thin coat of the penetrating oil, again worked with a suitable stiff brush , and several insertions and removals of the piece , wipe again, and then remove as much as you can of the remaining film-

and then
using 1:3 or so white vinegar to water-light er up and use the acidified water to descale inside the boiler

youll enjoy the tangy aroma of salad as well!!!LOL
id also suggest that for the next few steams-leave the cap off and allow it (and the boiler and its threads,) to dry-the repeat insertion etc, will also help to remove any remaing stuff, and should reduce the chances of it seizing up again
 
Thanks Steve and Steve - I did have a go at the threads of the filler cap with and old toothbrush, which improved things. Later in the week Ill try the vinegar treatment. Hopefully there isn't a scaling issue - when I took out the small amount of water remaining in the boiler, it was't cloudy and there didn't appear to be any bits in it.

With a bit of luck I'll have a steam test next weekend.
 
beancounter said:
LlongfordRailway said:
It would be great to see some photo's or a youtube video when you steam it
Click to expand...
A photo as requested (I don't "do" video, so I'll post another when steam trials are underway):

IMG_2162.jpg
Click to expand...
Snap !
eb467e1a63274c71be1cc4b8ba55df61.jpg

I think she looks fine just as she is:thumbup:
Max
 
The exact same thing happened with my Roundhouse millie. It isn't limescale its zinc oxide. No limescale should form on any of the upper surfaces of the boiler. The best way to stop it is to dry the screw thread before leaving for a long period of time.
 
ZingyOrange said:
The exact same thing happened with my Roundhouse millie. It isn't limescale its zinc oxide. No limescale should form on any of the upper surfaces of the boiler. The best way to stop it is to dry the screw thread before leaving for a long period of time.
Click to expand...

That's helpful - thanks Dave
 
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