ragleth opinions

[pippindoo]

My Ragleth loco, NOBBY. Full 3 channel control of regulator, reverser and whistle, with all servos out of sight! R/C, paint job and lining very abley provided by Tony Willmore, NOBBY steams freely, runs like a well oiled sewing machine and is a very powerful loco. I'd recommend ACCUCRAFT locos to anyone!

[pippindoo]

My other ACCUCRAFT, this time a Lawley DELILAH. Again, full 3 channel R/C, new coat of blue, and lining. It's starting to look like Doncaster works!.... She also runs like clockwork, but for longer! Much longer!

[Superbiker_uk]

I love my Ragleth - super loco's and great fun to customise

[Chris Cairns]

Mind you it is still a dear to light. Bad enough to nearly make me want to sell it on.

It is interesting the different experience owners of Accucraft & Regners have with regards to lighting up (or not), yet you never really hear of Roundhouse & Cheddar Models owners having lighting up problems.

With my Ragleth I have now accepted that it will probably blow itself out from cold during the initial light up and I will have to relight the burner again. The only recent light up where it did not blow itself out was when it was very cold outside and I was using a mixed butane/propane gas.

Would like to have a closer look at my burner but there is a fair bit of dis-assembly required (compared to a Roundhouse or Cheddar loco) so it will have to wait as I've got plenty on my 'To Do' list for the Peterborough show.

Chris Cairns

[JMORG]

My Roundhouse Katie puts ALL to shame when it comes to (not) lighting!
It has a new jet as well... Maybe a new burner is need?
TonyW what do you think?

[TonyW]

TonyW what do you think?

Hard to tell without seeing it, but...

- Does it light better if you put the flame under the front buffer beam rather than at the top of the chimney? It should, because the gas is heavier than air so you put the flame where it is, rather than where it might be in a while.

- Does the exhaust smell? Other than smelling damp it shouldn't have an aroma at all. If it does it is probably not getting enough air.

- Once lit, does the flame flutter or is it stable? If it flutters then there might be an air leak around the gas jet, cured by some PTFE tape.

I've got RH burners that are 25 years old and still work fine, although I've recently replaced one as the new design is less noisy and I wanted to see if it made any difference to an old loco ... it does!

[JMORG]

Yes, no and VERY unstable!
It has always been difficult but it definitely has gotten worse with age! Its a very early Katie as it still has the stepped cylinders rather than the flush ones they use now. I might eventually try a new burner or pull the current one out and try tests...

[Boustrophedon]

OK so I may have to eat my words regarding my Ragleth. Just taken her for a run (And in doing so I found my lost wedding ring in the cab.), let the gas settle for 5 mins, let a short spurt out of the filler more to see if she was full, cracked the gas open and lit her at the top of the chimney, popped back first time and then ran flawlessly.

[TonyW]

... and lit her at the top of the chimney ...

Lighting under the front buffer beam is easier, quicker and safer. The gas is heavier than air so it takes a while to get to the top of the chimney. Any delay in ignition will see the loco standing in an invisible puddle of gas, which will then go "pop" with all manner of interesting results when a source of ignition arrives.

Lighting under the buffer beam puts the flame where the gas IS, not where it might be.

[mikewakefielduk@btinterne]

But with a Ragleth you're meant to open the smoke box door and light them that way....

[Superbiker_uk]

But with a Ragleth you're meant to open the smoke box door and light them that way....

That's how I light mine and never had any problems.

[Boustrophedon]

But with a Ragleth you're meant to open the smoke box door and light them that way....

That's how I light mine and never had any problems.

Well that's the way I normally try, using a long blowtorch "windproof" type lighter, always gives me endless trouble.

[mikewakefielduk@btinterne]

using a long blowtorch "windproof" type lighter, always gives me endless trouble

That might be your problem - you just need a gentle yellow flame to ignite the burner. If you have a blowtorch type flame (ie blue) and its blowing into the smoke box you might be actually blowing the burner's gas the wrong way if you see what I mean.

[Trabant Dave]

Well I am a recent convert to live steam and currently running my Caradoc on blocks or rollers; I use a 'barbecue lighter' - a yellow flame type - and leave firing until about 10/15 mins after filling; crack the gas open only a fraction and pass the lighter down the flue about an inch; it's thin enough to pass the exhaust pipe.

Gentle pop and she's alight - then wait a few minutes prior to opening the gas up to raise steam.

I've still got eyebrows and haven't ground my teeth to stumps in frustration at repeated relighting.........

Regards

Dave

[Boustrophedon]

using a long blowtorch "windproof" type lighter, always gives me endless trouble

That might be your problem - you just need a gentle yellow flame to ignite the burner. If you have a blowtorch type flame (ie blue) and its blowing  into the smoke box you might be actually blowing the burner's gas the wrong way if you see what I mean.

Well I failed with other lighters.

[MDLR]

Any delay in ignition will see the loco standing in an invisible puddle of gas, which will then go "pop" with all manner of interesting results when a source of ignition arrives.

I was once preparing to light a loco on the old MDLR - When I tried to light it there was a ginormous WHOMPH as the gas caught, because the loco was in a hollow created by the retaining wall...........

[Chris Cairns]

When I tried to light it there was a ginormous WHOMPH

It was before my involvement with them but our 16mm Group's previous portable layout had a turntable which used to be used for gassing up, etc. until exactly the same happened to the next unsuspecting member when he went to light up his loco and the turntable virtually exploded in a fireball!

I also watched a new owner of a John Sutton Jedrig try to light it up Roundhouse style (applying flame to top of chimney as he has a large collection of Roundhouse locos) with flames subsequently licking out all over the place. I advised him that Accucraft recommend lighting up with the smoke box door open for 2 mins.

It is interesting all the different light up techniques being used here. I tried a BBQ yellow flame lighter down the flue tube but the liquid gas just kept blowing it out. I tried some of those cheap Lidl flexi hose lighters but again the liquid gas won with those lighters losing the little rod & ball in their nozzles (which produced the poker burner effect). I now use another make of BBQ yellow flame lighter which I hold lit just inside the open smoke box door then crack open the gas valve. This gets the lit gas to pop back to the burner, but then my burner suffers from an annoying pulsing initially which usually blows the burner out again. I've cleaned the jet and fitted coffee filter paper behind it, and the air control slide has been adjusted for the optimum burn pattern when the burner is hot.

I've just been doing some maintenance on my Caradoc (including removing the smoke box) and I noticed that the superheater pipe is right up against the burner on its bottom side (where it burns) so I wonder if that is part of the problem (the superheater on my Billy goes down one side of its burner).

We have 2 members in our 16mm Group who have Edrigs, and they both tend to lit up with their burners subsequently firing out of the open smoke box door (no pop back to the burner), and one of these is fitted with the Milton Locomotive Works replacement burner.

Chris Cairns

[TonyW]

I was once preparing to light a loco on the old MDLR - When I tried to light it there was a ginormous WHOMPH as the gas caught, because the loco was in a hollow created by the retaining wall...........

In a loco shed one morning many years ago I witnessed somebody discard a cigarette end in to an inspection pit. We soon found out where the contents of a leaking propane bottle had ended up overnight. The result was a bit more than a WHOMPH....!

As for lighting locos, I should have made it clearer that I was referring to Roundhouse locos, or any others that do not have opening smokebox doors. Accucraft locos with opening doors are designed to be lit through the door, and that's fine, but invariably I still use the under the buffer beam method with them, and that works fine too.

Top of the chimney is not the best method.

[Keith S]

I have always wondered why they solder the smokebox door shut at Roundhouse. Seems like more work than it would be just to hinge them. The hinges are already there!

[Boustrophedon]

I have always wondered why they solder the smokebox door shut at Roundhouse. Seems like more work than it would be just to hinge them. The hinges are already there!

I understand that you can order them to be left unsoldered, I wish I had done now.