Pressure Gauge - These are optional on the Basic Series locos to keep the entry level price down. On my Basic Series locos that have no pressure gauge I put a drop of steam oil on top of the safety valve. When that oil starts to bubble it is time to turn the gas down. Running before the safety valve blows is best. If you are fitting a DJB whistle they used to do a banjo fitting that allowed a pressure gauge to be fitted at the same time (photo shows my pre-owned Bertie with a manually operated DJB whistle & pressure gauge).vette wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:28 am I just got a round house Jennie. Its shipping now cant wait for it. A few questions Frist do i need a pressure gauge? the instructoions say to load up a heavy car for the frist run since it like to jump on the frist runs. I was hoping to get a whistle from DJB engineering Will i need a second servo to activate this whistle? Besides throttle what else should i make rc? What track to they like brass rails?
Priming - Unlike Classic Series locos (whose chassis' are run in on air first), the Basic Series locos are not run in so can be a bit lively on their first few runs. They do have to pull a load around the Roundhouse test track satisfactorily before they are shipped out. I ran my Jennie on blocks first and on track I leave the steam regulator cracked open so the water is cleared from the cylinders initially on raising steam pressure.
DJB Whistle - These can be manually controlled (like the one on my Bertie) or radio controlled.
Radio Control - Roundhouse do a Radio Control fittings kit (BRCK) for the Basic Series locos (not shown on their website). As they are slip eccentric the R/C is only on the steam regulator. The Jennie's tender has a cut out for a power switch & a hole in the chassis for feeding servo wires through from underneath.
Here's some recent running of two Jennie's double headed - mine is the black pilot loco & is doing most of the work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d69J2ARzMRw
Chris Cairns