DJB Edrig

[Sammmm]

Hi i havent posted in a while , been quite in active in the garden recently, but i just wanted to know peoples views on the DJB coal fired conversion kit for Edrig, as i have put my self on the waiting list and wanted to know if anyone here had one and whether they are good/ value for money as my edrig at the moment can be a bit touchy in reverse and forward for that matter.

Ta ,
Sam

[Endless, Nameless]

Drop Tag a line. He has an Edrig, which he likes so much it now has a Ragleth as a stablemate.

I've seen it run a few times and it goes very nicely indeed.

However if your loco has issues running as a gas fired engine it ain't gonna magically fix itself by plonking a coal fired boiler on there

[Sammmm]

Drop Tag a line. He has an Edrig, which he likes so much it now has a Ragleth as a stablemate.

I've seen it run a few times and it goes very nicely indeed.

However if your loco has issues running as a gas fired engine it ain't gonna magically fix itself by plonking a coal fired boiler on there

Thanks! ill talk to him about it, and yeah your right it won't i was thinking as im paying £900 odd quid for the conversion i may aswell send the chassis off to someone to get it check and any bits replaced

[grumpfuttock]

Here's a pic of the DJB Edrig coal fired boiler, fitted to an Edrig power unit to give you an idea of what you get.
They are very good value for the money.
My advice to you when your kit arrives, is read the instruction manual thoroughly a couple of times at least. Take each stage cautiously, double check the measurements etc. when cutting away the footplate to make a space for the firebox to fit in (a template is supplied). It is not difficult to assemble once everything is prepared. The hardest part I found was bending the pipe on the top the reversing block which connects to the pipe from the regulator inside the smokebox. I wasn't able to do as the instructions implied which if I remember rightly it said to bend it up 90 degrees, this would never have fitted to the pipe from the regulator, I only needed to bend it approx 60 degrees, as the pipe from the regulator wasn't exactly in the same position as shown in the manual. This stage needs caution and care, as one can only bend and correct copper pipe a very limited number of times before it cracks, without annealing it. I found the instruction manual very well written and illustrated.

Since that photo was taken, I have fitted the supplied pump under the cab footplate, it was impotant that the two fixing holes were drilled in exactly the right place. I had the misfortune to have a tap break in one of the holes in the chassis frame ! Tag Gorton has since advised me to ask DJB for an extension rod for the pump which connects to the crosshead instead of the rear crank if I get any problems with the pump. Maybe these rods are supplied as standard now, my kit is from 2008.

Unfortunately my loco is not running yet, as I have had other things taking up my time, and I have kept changing my mind about what sort of loco to base the kit and and chassis on. I have the cab etc to make, having no original Edrig to start with. I have spent a lot of time searching for what I find an attractive type of loco to base my freelance loco on.

I am glad to say I have now pretty well made my mind up what I am going to build and have just finished altering a drawing of a Forney loco that I found in a Garden Railway World magazine from yonks ago. The original drawing when reproduced to 16mm scale fits the boiler diameter and length and chassis perfectly. The drive axles being in exactly the same position as on the chassis (amazing luck). The DJB smokebox is obvious the wrong shape for this type of loco. To be able to have a good supply of water the bunker has been lengthened by 4 centimeters. Obviously this would create a good deal of overhang of the track on 5 ft radius curves so I plan to have the bunker section articulated so that it is very closely coupled to the loco, by a bar pivotted at a point behind the rear of the firebox, to the center point of the bunker, the bar being fixed to the bunker section, the bogie being free to turn. This way the bunker section moves in an arc in relation to the locomotive, the bogie follows the track. I did this setup with a Mamod years ago, and it worked very well.

As soon as the weather starts to get warmer, I will start work on the loco, which at the moment is being built as a cardboard mock up to hope fully reduce mistakes when I start cutting up brass sheeting. Of course the loco could end up looking like something totally different when I finish

Here's my altered version of the drawing.

[Sammmm]

Here's a pic of the DJB Edrig coal fired boiler, fitted to an Edrig power unit to give you an idea of what you get.
They are very good value for the money.
My advice to you when your kit arrives, is read the instruction manual thoroughly a couple of times at least. Take each stage cautiously, double check the measurements etc. when cutting away the footplate to make a space for the firebox to fit in (a template is supplied). It is not difficult to assemble once everything is prepared. The hardest part I found was bending the pipe on the top the reversing block which connects to the pipe from the regulator inside the smokebox. I wasn't able to do as the instructions implied which if I remember rightly it said to bend it up 90 degrees, this would never have fitted to the pipe from the regulator, I only needed to bend it approx 60 degrees, as the pipe from the regulator wasn't exactly in the same position as shown in the manual. This stage needs caution and care, as one can only bend and correct copper pipe a very limited number of times before it cracks, without annealing it. I found the instruction manual very well written and illustrated.

Since that photo was taken, I have fitted the supplied pump under the cab footplate, it was impotant that the two fixing holes were drilled in exactly the right place. I had the misfortune to have a tap break in one of the holes in the chassis frame ! Tag Gorton has since advised me to ask DJB for an extension rod for the pump which connects to the crosshead instead of the rear crank if I get any problems with the pump. Maybe these rods are supplied as standard now, my kit is from 2008.

Unfortunately my loco is not running yet, as I have had other things taking up my time, and I have kept changing my mind about what sort of loco to base the kit and and chassis on. I have the cab etc to make, having no original Edrig to start with. I have spent a lot of time searching for what I find an attractive type of loco to base my freelance loco on.

I am glad to say I have now pretty well made my mind up what I am going to build and have just finished altering a drawing of a Forney loco that I found in a Garden Railway World magazine from yonks ago. The original drawing when reproduced to 16mm scale fits the boiler diameter and length and chassis perfectly. The drive axles being in exactly the same position as on the chassis (amazing luck). The DJB smokebox is obvious the wrong shape for this type of loco. To be able to have a good supply of water the bunker has been lengthened by 4 centimeters. Obviously this would create a good deal of overhang of the track on 5 ft radius curves so I plan to have the bunker section articulated so that it is very closely coupled to the loco, by a bar pivotted at a point behind the rear of the firebox, to the center point of the bunker, the bar being fixed to the bunker section, the bogie being free to turn. This way the bunker section moves in an arc in relation to the locomotive, the bogie follows the track. I did this setup with a Mamod years ago, and it worked very well.

As soon as the weather starts to get warmer, I will start work on the loco, which at the moment is being built as a cardboard mock up to hope fully reduce mistakes when I start cutting up brass sheeting. Of course the loco could end up looking like something totally different when I finish

Here's my altered version of the drawing.

Thank-you very much thats helped me alot now im just waiting for that email that will arrive one day saing he's starting the batch, hopefully the National show will get enough interest for him to start thanks again

[grumpfuttock]

Well I hope you won't have to wait too long ! When you get your boiler kit, you are welcome to contact me if you have any questions.