Garden Railway Forum

TonyW wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:04 pm

CSL wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 5:37 pmAnother potential inherent drawback is that water and fuel consumption reduces adhesion ...

Ah yes, the "fun" of the second trip on an NGG16 on a wet day from Caernarfon up the hill to Dinas on the Welsh Highland is something I won't forget. The front water tank would be filled to the brim, but the oil tank in the back bunker would by this time be half empty (and not re-filled until the end of the day). So, the front end would plod away quite happily but the back end would be slipping hopelessly due to lack of adhesive weight. Using the sanders didn't make much difference as they are on the front engine, and once its ten wheels had passed over the sand there wasn't much left on the railhead.

And then the steel oil tanks were replaced by much smaller and lighter plastic tanks, so it happened on the first trip as well...

Booked for, I think, 15 minutes, my record was 54 minutes to do the journey. Happy days!

If I recall, didn't the NGG16'S also have gravity sanders back then?

Keith S wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:01 pm Does the model have two separate boilers, or are the halves conjoined in some way? Is it controlled with one regulator, or two?

For that matter, I suppose I have the same questions about the full-sized article!

Later full size ones had two inner fireboxes in a single boiler shell, but the first ones had a single central firebox with fire tubes at each end and were useless at boiling water, as the draft of one engine unit affected the other one. They had separate regulators inside the boiler for each end, but they were linked mechanically. Same for the reverser.

The only double fairlies bought by Aust. railways were useless at pulling trains, or going around sharp curves. Two were packed up and sent back whence they came without entering traffic and another ended up powering a sawmill....

The ones in Canada seem to have done better, but I doubt any Canadian engineer really loved them.

Not sure how Roundhouse have done it, but the published specs and photos suggest they have two boilers with two burners, with a single regulator on a manifold linking the boilers. It is r/c only, so they are presumably using two servos on the valve gear, like the Darj Garratt. Looks like getting at the burners to clear a blocked jet might be interesting.......

All academic for me, the only bendy loco left on my bucket list is the FCV Climax.

Graeme

JMORG wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:13 pmIf I recall, didn't the NGG16'S also have gravity sanders back then?

They did ... mechanical linkage for the back end, and steam-operated mechanism for the front.

GTB wrote: Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:13 amThey had separate regulators inside the boiler for each end, but they were linked mechanically.

The FR ones have two independent regulators. It is much easier, and I always felt more "in control", when shunting using one end only.

So are you going to get one Tony...

FWLR wrote: Thu Jan 03, 2019 11:08 amSo are you going to get one Tony...

No, but I'm sure one will turn up here in due course.

TonyW wrote: Thu Jan 03, 2019 11:27 am

FWLR wrote: Thu Jan 03, 2019 11:08 amSo are you going to get one Tony...

No, but I'm sure one will turn up here in due course.

It'd certainly benefit from some lining...

It would look lovely at the head of my Ffestiniog rake but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon!

All the best,

Andrew.