Roundhouse Millie top up system, sight glass and gauge

[alan2525]

Does anyone have any pictures of the Water top up system, Sight Glass and Pressure Gauge / Syphon fitted to the Roundhouse Basic Locos.

I was looking at my new Mille (Oily Rag's loco from these forums - Thanks Eric!) and figuring how best to fit these parts. I've got a 5mm sight glass with blow down, clack valve, whistle valve, whistle, pressure gauge etc that I want to fit, but wanted to have a look at the Roundhouse Parts to see if it's worth turning up a manifold or fitting roundhouse of fthe shelf bits.

Thanks in advance for any help!

The main issue seems to be lack of clearance underneath the loco for fitting the lower fitting for a sight glass.

[SillyBilly]

You don't need a clack valve unelss your putting an enotts or a hand pump on.

http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/ftopic593-0.php
MHLR has got some good photos here of his heavily upgraded Bertie (same thing really). If you asked Roundhouse you'd possibly be able to buy the pressure gauge siphon seperatley, personally I'd just buy the upgrades given that it'd be so much Quicker and easier.

[Chris]

A water gauge and top up came with my Bertie but I haven't been brave enough to try fitting it yet. I will get around to it at some point.

[alan2525]

You don't need a clack valve unelss your putting an enotts or a hand pump on.

http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/ftopic593-0.php
MHLR has got some good photos here of his heavily upgraded Bertie (same thing really). If you asked Roundhouse you'd possibly be able to buy the pressure gauge siphon seperatley, personally I'd just buy the upgrades given that it'd be so much Quicker and easier.

Cheers for the link! I wanted the additions to look a little nicer than the Roundhouse solution as the loco has an open cab, the roundhouse filler is fine for the Bertie but looks a bit ugly sticking out at an angle in my eye. Also I was thinking of putting an Enotts valve under the footplate to simplify refilling the loco. Plus I'll need an extra thread for attaching the whistle valve.

I've designed a little Brass Manifold block which should do the trick and hopefully not look too ghastly! Also fancied fitting the sight glass I already have as it's a nice model engineering one with a proper tube off the drain and a little wax cast handle on the blow down valve!

[SillyBilly]

I guess on Tag Gorton's Millie, he had the filler valve in the driver's chest. All in his Live Steam Workshop book of course!

[mhlr]

Gauge and top of the gauge glass...



Cab (before I moved the pressure gauge)



And I hope Dan of the DLR doesn't mind me using his photo, he's made a whistle for his from old bits and bobs, but this is where the pressure gauge goes on.

[alan2525]

Cheers for those photos, what happens to the bottom fitting on the slight glass, do you need to notch one of the frames in order to fit the gauge glass? Doesn't seem to be much room between the threaded bush on the boiler and the cab floor.

[mhlr]

It goes through a hole in the footplate, but there isn't a notch in the frames.