Last job of 2009

[TommyDodd]

Well, I have a day or three off work, and today I decided to have a therapeutic session in the workshop. Lurking on the shelf was my 1985 vintage Charles Pooter. The last time I ran her a small meths fire deep-fried her 27khz radio gear. She didn't need the long invisible arm, being a well behaved machine, so I resolved to convert her to manual. The regulator was easy enough, since they're still using the same spindle size so a modern spare handle is a straight swap, but the reverse lever was an odd design they no longer make.
It was a fairly straightforward bit of metalbashing, slightly complicated by the need to scribe the lines to cut the control notches on a thrashing, vibrating, spitting hot loco (since a steam test was the only way to determine the optimum position of the lever for forward and reverse). Anyway, since the thing was in steam (at 2330) I decided to use up what was left on the track. This meant dropping in the lift out bridge and threading the fishplates, in pitch darkness, lit only by a fast-fading torch clenched in my teeth. But she managed a couple of dozen laps, her first taste of nickel-silver in over a year, which was very satisfying. The fire dropped at 2350, which gave me just enough time to park her in the workshop before returning indoors for a celebratory glass of Balvenie single malt. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to finagle the new lever into the old (one piece) bodywork.
Happy 2010!

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Brilliant, I was seriously considering running over the date change
DVLR- running over the decade!!!

[mhlr]

Brilliant, I was seriously considering running over the date change
DVLR- running over the decade!!!

Cus I told you that you should... I didn't either.

[SillyBilly]

I'd love to see some photos, the old meths Roundhouse locos are so characterful.

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Coor yeah, dylan and pooter espesially!

[Hancockshire]

They don't make them like that any more

[MDLR]

This meant dropping in the lift out bridge and threading the fishplates, in pitch darkness, lit only by a fast-fading torch clenched in my teeth.

You need to get yourself to your local Wilkos - they sell an LED headlamp (with straps to go around your head) for £2.99 the last time I looked.

It's an extremely useful piece of kit for round the house, too, 'coz you get to use both hands instead of having to hold onto the torch and the light shines where you're looking!

Happy New Year!

[TommyDodd]

Today was earmarked for finishing-off. Just the bodywork to refit, a five minute job that somehow stretched over an hour. Apparently RH must have used a different design of widget connecting expansion link to reach rod on manual and radio pooters, since when reassembled the new combined reach rod & reversing lever (faithfull to the original design, or at least faithful to a back-of-envelope sketch given to me by Sir Roger de Loxley) fouled the body and wouldn't move. So I was left with the dubious choices of:
a) wangle the existing rod to fit the gap, removing one ninety degree bend and introducing two new ones- risky since this strip of steel had already suffered a lot of bending and twisting so even with heat treatment I'd be pushing my luck with metal fatigue.
b) Make a new rod/lever. Probably the best option in the long term, but that was my last bit of steel of anything like a usable size for that job, and I really wanted the beast to be a runner for Dave Billmore's "Frostbite Special" steamup this Sunday- when you're trying to run in near or below freezing temperatures a meths-fired loco is a Really Useful Engine.
c) Bite a chunk out of the bodywork to provide clearance. Possibly a sacriligeous thing to do to such a venerable machine (she has round spectacles and a larger bore chimney, so is probably from 1985) but at least the scars of surgery would be invisible. Since the bodywork is in one piece there was no way to maneuvre a saw of any description to where it was needed so the only option was to mount a grinding wheel on the trusty minicraft, wangle it into position and grip like h377. Noisy, difficult to control and risky (a couple of wild slips did take nibbles out of the paintwork- fortunately invisibly on the inside of the tank) but it got the job done. Reassembled, cleaned and polished she now sits on my mantlepiece, and tomorrow makes her first public appearance in, er, far too long.

[mhlr]

when you're trying to run in near or below freezing temperatures a meths-fired loco is a Really Useful Engine.

So you can heat your hands over the top of it!

[MoelygestLR]

No, so you can get the damn thing lit (people watching me trying to light linda using butane gas at the PTLR will appriciate what I mean!)

[mhlr]

No, so you can get the damn thing lit (people watching me trying to light linda using butane gas at the PTLR will appriciate what I mean!)

My Edrig was like that yesterday, and that was on B+P mix. Kept either scorching Tag stood on his coal fired Edrig, or refusing to light at all

[MoelygestLR]

No, so you can get the damn thing lit (people watching me trying to light linda using butane gas at the PTLR will appriciate what I mean!)

My Edrig was like that yesterday, and that was on B+P mix. Kept either scorching Tag stood on his coal fired Edrig, or refusing to light at all  :lol:

Ahh but I was determined and so after spending some 5 or 10 mins trying to light it it actually lit, keeping it lit once it was warm was easy just regas and relight whilst warm! oh and i kept the gas bottle in my pocket sort of keeping it warm by my body!

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

I had that problem with RIVER BUTLEY. Had it going but then it was dinner so shut it down. After I tried to relight but wouldn't!

[andysleigh]

I had that problem with RIVER BUTLEY. Had it going but then it was dinner so shut it down. After I tried to relight but wouldn't!

ANNIE

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH So that explains it!!!!!

I always wondered why it took a bit to light edrig every now and then!!!!

(I've only ran her in below 0 temperatures so far!!!! )

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

ANNIE

NO it is RIVER BUTLEY, You sold it and I bought it therefore I can call it what ever I want!!!

[andysleigh]

ANNIE

NO it is RIVER BUTLEY, You sold it and I bought it therefore I can call it what ever I want!!!  :lol:  :lol:

ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE

[PCLR]

ANNIE???

[andysleigh]

ANNIE???

I used to own an accucraft excelsior, and it was named annie. i (stupidly) swapped it for a crap lady anne at IMP models stand, 'Mr B' then bough the loco at another show, and re named it River..somthing or other.
I miss ANNIE, she was a good loco

[mhlr]

I used to own an accucraft excelsior, and it was named annie. i (stupidly) swapped it for a crap lady anne at IMP models stand

BIGGEST
MISTAKE
EVUURRRR!!!