Joining the coal fire clan!

[tom_tom_go]

After much 'Umming' and 'Arring' (not like a pirate mind) I finally taken the plunge and put myself on the waiting list for a Riverdale 'Amy' coal-fired boiler kit. My 30th birthday is next year so my partner is going to buy me the RH chassis kit for me to build as the boiler will not be ready until October 2013!

Joep from Riverdale has been great to deal with so far and from what I had read and seen people are pleased with Riverdale locos and service.

Very happy

[Keith S]

Good, just try to forget about it or you'll go nuts waiting!

[tom_tom_go]

I think the chassis will keep me busy until then!

[Keith S]

I don't think the chassis will take more than a week, unless you are disciplined and ration yourself to one part per week-end!

I'm envious though, the Riverdale boilers look like a clever design. I would love a coal fired engine.

[Chilbrook]

I've been in touch with Joep too - yes, very friendly and helpful. I'm thinking seriously of ordering an Amy boiler kit at Peterborough next April.

At the moment I'm building a Roundhouse Katie and it's just fantastic, although I'm a bit nervous about the valve timing bit. I'm hoping to get the cab floor sprayed this weekend so that I can on with fitting the lubricator/gas tank etc.

If the Katie goes well I won't be able to resist a coal fired loco!

Paul

[tom_tom_go]

I would of liked to of built Katie as a coal fired loco, however, Joep advised that this would not work as the Elke (Billy) boiler will not fit on the Katie as the boiler is mounted much higher on the Billy due to the different smoke boxes of both. As well the positions of the domes would not fit.

Nevermind, having my gas fired SL and my coal fired Lady Anne running at the same time is hardly a bad thing

Chilbrook, RH customer service is great so you can always call them if you get stuck with setting the valve timing

[Keith S]

Not to mention, the valve timing turns out to be quite easy once you begin doing it. I found that the engine ran quite well with the "rough timing" procedure in the instructions before securing the valve covers, and after I had assembled the whole thing it was quite obvious how it all worked and was very easy to fine tune while the engine was in steam and on blocks.

Roundhouse does a very good job on their kits, and they have excellent customer service by phone and Email. I sent them a picture of the finished locomotive and they even took the time to return that Email with a nice message. It's rare to get good service nowadays; the whole procedure of building one of these kits was very rewarding.

[GardenRail]

After much 'Umming' and 'Arring' (not like a pirate mind) I finally taken the plunge and put myself on the waiting list for a Riverdale 'Amy' coal-fired boiler kit.  My 30th birthday is next year so my partner is going to buy me the RH chassis kit for me to build as the boiler will not be ready until October 2013!

Joep from Riverdale has been great to deal with so far and from what I had read and seen people are pleased with Riverdale locos and service.

Very happy

These are very well designed beasts. Some might prefer on board water for a coal-fired locomotive, but please do bear in mind that unlike a loco recently advertised on ebay, the boilers on these Riverdale locomotives are specifically designed for this sort of running and work very well indeed. You will enjoy the build, the running qualities – and the smell! The only thing I would personally add to this model would be a resonator whistle.

[tom_tom_go]

Thanks Tag. Joep has included a Regner whistle in my boiler delivery as the Riverdale locos are designed to fit this type of whistle. I prefer the DJB sound, however, it will be good to have two loco's with different whistles so you know which one is approaching

Out of curiosity, have those who have built the RH chassis kits painted the parts first or did you complete the build, test and then strip for painting?

Cheers,

Tom

[Chilbrook]

I painted the frame first, partly because I was unsure how easy it would be to de-construct.

It's great to hear Tag's positive comments about Riverdale. If the Katie goes well I won't be able to resist saving up for a coal fired amy kit.

Here's a photo of where I'm at!

Paul

[Steven.T]

I love the red colour on the boiler! Wish I had the confidence to build my own!

[Chilbrook]

Thank you. As to building your own - go for it! I'm a fairly recent convert from O Gauge modelling, and believe me this kit is beautifully engineered in comparison with their kits.

I was nervous about it because I didn't think I really understood valve gear, etc, but so far the instructions have been very clear and it's all fitting together very nicely. Also, I'm learning how it all works

Oh, and the colour is Ford Damask Red!

Paul

[GardenRail]

Thanks Tag.  Joep has included a Regner whistle in my boiler delivery as the Riverdale locos are designed to fit this type of whistle.  I prefer the DJB sound, however, it will be good to have two loco's with different whistles so you know which one is approaching

Out of curiosity, have those who have built the RH chassis kits painted the parts first or did you complete the build, test and then strip for painting?

Cheers,

Tom

What you could do Tom is to use the Regner whistle valve as supplied and then fit the DJB whistle and resonator to the spectacle plate. I do like to see the steam coming out of the right place

[Keith S]

I personally painted the parts prior to assembly. Well, I assembled the frame sides to the spacers, then painted. I masked off the area where the cylinders are, so they wouldn't have paint between them and the frames.

There's no sensible reason I can think of to assemble, then dismantle, and assemble again.

[tom_tom_go]

Thanks for the comments chaps. Even though the boiler kit is a long way down the line I am still excited!

Good idea Tag regarding the whistle, interesting

[GardenRail]

Thanks for the comments chaps.  Even though the boiler kit is a long way down the line I am still excited!

Good idea Tag regarding the whistle, interesting

It no longer says on the new DJB website that one can buy the parts separately but if you call you should be able to get just the whistle and resonator chamber...I did.

[tom_tom_go]

Ordered the kit today so will start a new post when construction begins