I ordered one of these locomotives sometime last year with the plan that i would collect it at the AGM this year. Over this time, i had corresponded with the makers and a few had a few adjustments made to suit my personal desire. Likewise i had to wait for them to get their in-house tooling in order so that they could iron out a few rough edges from the prototype models.
I have been made to understand that there has been lots of contention about the makers 'Edenhouse' , who had apparently bought over the very controversial 'Sabre steam loco' business when it went out of commission but i do not know the details so i will only stick to talking about the bespoke loco they produced for me.
They promised me a locomotive at a very competitive price and i felt i would give them a fair chance and try them out.
It came in an attractive carrier box with very classy leatherwork and the makers logo on the front . Inside was the locomotive, a user manual, Boiler certificate, shovel, fluebrush and rectus valve male tip for water topping.
The locomotive uses the already tested and proven Roundhouse running gear . The buffers ,smokebox , pressure gauge and safety valve are also Roundhouse . The Boiler is subcontracted to order , the chassis and bodywork are made in house as i was told.
It is gauge adjustable ( 32mm and 45mm).
If you want to know more about hem, you can contact them via their website. http://www.edenhouse-locos.com
Back to my loco, please pardon the dirt/ash particles and grime in the photos as they were taken after my attempt to fire it up on coal which i must confess could have gone more elegantly.
There are a few perks which i would like improved on subsequent models, for example a boiler blow-down valve on the sight glass, also i did not like the Teflon tape used on some of the fittings so i unscrewed them and used high temperature silicon gasket material instead.
By and large, these are small things which can be improved on.
The Loco feels solid in hand, heavy and firm and the bodywork is not flimsy at all. The body is secured with hex screws all round and can be easily removed if you want to create a Hunlset looking locomotive from the chassis.
The locomotive does not have a water pump , instead of this it comes with a precision Rectus valve to top up the water , the Rectus valve locks the feeder pipe in place so you can refill with just one hand and a water bottle.
Edenhouse claim that you can get about a 10min run on one tankfull, though i have not yet tested that claim yet .
My reasoning is that , if i have to keep tending a fire every few laps, i may as well give it a few squirts of water at the same time.
I have only attempted to fire her up 3 times now and being a newbie to coal firing coupled with the fact that i may have purchased anthracite which was probably not the best quality in the market , the first 2 attempts did not go well . After some good tips 'n' tricks from the internet, the 3 attempt went much better and i got a few run laps out of her on my very uneven garden railway in the chilly danish breeze of 10 degrees centigrade.
So far , i am satisfied with the locomotive and i am working on my coal firing skills which i must point out is not as easy as my other gas fired locos but nevertheless very satisfying.
I will also add a short video taken at the moment with a mobile phone since that is all i had at hand.
As my coal firing experience improves , i will keep you abreast of the developments with this loco.
