Whistling Tom Rolt(s)

[Mr ACME]

Hello all

Amongst the engines I have in to work upon at present are a brace  of Roundhouse Tom Rolts.

The Customer wants:

- Fit centre rear buffers
- Fit vacuum pipes
- Replacement of gas valve knob by a more realistic lever.
- Replacement of cheese head screws by hexagon headed bolts.
- Lubricator blow down which doesn't scald your fingers.
- ACME chuff pipe which sounds fantastic and doesn't allow the condensate to dribble all over the paintwork when starting up.
- Bangham whistle fitted which is visible on the cab front and is operated by RC. The whistle itself is not a standard kit so had to be made up specially. To fit the servos in a new bracket had to be made to fit two micro servos.
- Replacement of standard 3/4" pressure gauge by ACME 1/2" model.

The Customer is very happy.

Best

Mike Ousby

[METHSSNIFFER]

Are we now using the forum for advertising and sales talk.!

[Mr ACME]

Are we now using the forum for advertising and sales talk.!

Not intentionally but if it irks you feel free to use your delete key. I post items here to pass on ideas to anyone who wants to use them. That's how we all learn. Fortunately I am very busy at present and if I want to generate orders then I use Garden Rail or SMT.

If the moderators feel that I have done something wrong then I will gladly remove it.

[METHSSNIFFER]

No not at all u carry on its nice to see anyones work but it be nice to see more doing it themselves than paying others Im one for believing in havin a go !

[Mr ACME]

No not at all u carry on its nice to see anyones work but it be nice to see more doing it themselves than paying others Im one for believing in havin a go !

Which is why I've been asked by TAG Gorton of GR fame to write a series of articles showing,"How to do it."

Not everybody feels confident enough to do it themselves. Some will try and others won't.

I started out in 2001 working closely with Ian Pearse firstly with Marches Models and then when it became Accucraft UK in 2004. Shame to let all my experience and knowledge go to waste.

[Sammmm]

Ahh very nice... but you should remind the customer that All TR Engines use AIR BRAKES

[Mr ACME]

Ahh very nice... but you should remind the customer that All TR Engines use AIR BRAKES

He says that its his railway and that he can do what he wants.

[METHSSNIFFER]

Now name dropping as well ! We dont need books to share knowledge forums are free and so should the advise be Shame on you!

[Keith S]

Mike, how do you find the steaming performance with the chuff pipe? That chimney is quite narrow, and the chuff pipe obstructs quite a bit of it. Obviously it works, but do you find the burner performance any different, or that more exhaust is escaping out the drain at the bottom of the smokebox rather than out the chimney?

I recently bought an engine with a very narrow chimney, and it wouldn't steam well until I installed a bigger one. I also installed a chuff pipe in my "Billy", which thankfully has a nice wide chimney, and I do notice the burner won't light from the chimney top anymore, and when the engine is making oil smoke, some of it comes out the drain, where it didn't before the pipe was installed. None of this affects the locomotive enough to bother me, but on that Tom Rolt, there is a bit more of the chimney obstructed by the pipe. Just curious.

[Mr ACME]

Now name dropping as well ! We dont need books to share knowledge forums are free and so should the advise be Shame on you!

You are contradicting yourself. One minute its blatent advertising and the next its not submitting enough free information.

Now I'm confused!

I will gladly show any of the work i do in this forum if it enables people to actually use the information. I've just finished some major work on a Accucraft Garratt and next is a Roundhouse Lynton and Barnstaple, then a Russell, then a Jack, then three Ragleths, etc.

[Mr ACME]

Mike, how do you find the steaming performance with the chuff pipe? That chimney is quite narrow, and the chuff pipe obstructs quite a bit of it. Obviously it works, but do you find the burner performance any different, or that more exhaust is escaping out the drain at the bottom of the smokebox rather than out the chimney?

I recently bought an engine with a very narrow chimney, and it wouldn't steam well until I installed a bigger one. I also installed a chuff pipe in my "Billy", which thankfully has a nice wide chimney, and I do notice the burner won't light from the chimney top anymore, and when the engine is making oil smoke, some of it comes out the drain, where it didn't before the pipe was installed. None of this affects the locomotive enough to bother me, but on that Tom Rolt, there is a bit more of the chimney obstructed by the pipe. Just curious.

hello Keith

I've never had a problem with one of my chuff pipes. If I dare say that I've made and sold 100's. I can't comment on yours without knowing a little bit more. Whose is it?

[Pendo Pilot]

I've just finished some major work on a Accucraft Garratt......

Ooooh Details please! I'm getting very into these machines right now.

As for the Rolt, very cramped but shows off what can be done. Very nice work although I know not your choice but I find the centre buffers & original buffers makes it look a bit toylike. I would of just gone for centre personally. But horses for courses I guess...

[tom_tom_go]

Hi Mike,

Have you fitted a blow down system like you get on the Accucraft loco's or is it just a different lubricator drain plug so as you say they don't burn their hands?

I think that's the only thing missing from current Roundhouse loco's as it's great at the end of the run to blow down and watch all the steam jet everywhere!

I would be interested to know what you have done if it is an Accucraft style system as I would love to fit one to my SL.

I also sent you a mail a few days back asking about RH spectecle plates, if you have a mo could you reply - cheers

Tom

[Keith S]

Mike, how do you find the steaming performance with the chuff pipe? That chimney is quite narrow, and the chuff pipe obstructs quite a bit of it. Obviously it works, but do you find the burner performance any different, or that more exhaust is escaping out the drain at the bottom of the smokebox rather than out the chimney?

I recently bought an engine with a very narrow chimney, and it wouldn't steam well until I installed a bigger one. I also installed a chuff pipe in my "Billy", which thankfully has a nice wide chimney, and I do notice the burner won't light from the chimney top anymore, and when the engine is making oil smoke, some of it comes out the drain, where it didn't before the pipe was installed. None of this affects the locomotive enough to bother me, but on that Tom Rolt, there is a bit more of the chimney obstructed by the pipe. Just curious.

hello Keith

I've never had a problem with one of my chuff pipes. If I dare say that I've made and sold 100's. I can't comment on yours without knowing a little bit more. Whose is it?

Well, it's a summerland one, but my question was more along the lines of whether you've noticed any change in burner performance of locos with very narrow chimneys. The Billy has a fairly wide chimney, so the only difference I've noticed is that I have to light it from underneath now, as the flame won't travel down the chimney with the wider exhaust pipe. Once lit it burns just fine, but I did have another locomotive that came from the factory with a chimney that was simply too narrow to let combustion gasses escape, and the fire was unstable until I widened the chimney. I was just curious if during the development of your chuffer you noticed a change in burner characteristics if you blocked too much of the chimney.  More idle curiosity than anything, like maybe you've discovered through trial and error just how much you can get away with before the fire suffers. The engine that had the narrow chimney steams perfectly now with the wider one, which is why I'm curious about the subject.

The Tom Rolt looks like a good job, although that certainly is a full cab.

[Mr ACME]

Hi Mike,

Have you fitted a blow down system like you get on the Accucraft loco's or is it just a different lubricator drain plug so as you say they don't burn their hands?

I think that's the only thing missing from current Roundhouse loco's as it's great at the end of the run to blow down and watch all the steam jet everywhere!

I would be interested to know what you have done if it is an Accucraft style system as I would love to fit one to my SL.

I also sent you a mail a few days back asking about RH spectecle plates, if you have a mo could you reply - cheers

Hello Tom

The blowdown works in exactly the same way as Accucraft. I make all the bits myself and thread the drain Leg of the Roundhouse lubricator so that I can screw it on. It's not a straight screw on replacement. I've been asked before to supply a DIY fit model, but tend to confine fitting them as a part of a bigger work programme for each engine.

Please be patient about the spectacle plates.

Best

Mike Ousby






Tom

[Mr ACME]

I've just finished some major work on a Accucraft Garratt......

Ooooh Details please! I'm getting very into these machines right now.

As for the Rolt, very cramped but shows off what can be done. Very nice work although I know not your choice but I find the centre buffers & original buffers makes it look a bit toylike. I would of just gone for centre personally. But horses for courses I guess...

I know what you mean. My customer was bothered about not being able to couple up to his existing centre buffered stock.

If it was my engine I would either have made up a adaptor vehicle with twin buffers at one end and a single centre buffer at the other end, or dispensed with the twin rear buffers and settled for the centre one only. However to quote an old expression,"He who pays the piper calls the tune!"

Best

Mike Ousby

[tom_tom_go]

Thanks Mike for the response

Would you consider doing a DIY kit again or advising how much this costs to have fitted by yourself generally?

Cheers,

[Mr ACME]

Thanks Mike for the response

Would you consider doing a DIY kit again or advising how much this costs to have fitted by yourself generally?

Cheers,

Hello TomTom

I can't see it being able to be a DIY fit. As to doing the fit for you I'm sorry that I'm overworked as it is at present. Couple with this I have to get things ready for my stand at Stoneleigh in a month's time.

Ask me again in three months time. As I wrote earlier I'm not trying to drum up business, but want to show what can be done.

Best

Mike Ousby

[METHSSNIFFER]

Your drummin up business lol... I am impressed with your sound modules as they do sound great. Whats fitted to the Criccieth Castle from Roundhouse can this be bettered

[Mr ACME]

Your drummin up business lol... I am impressed with your sound modules as they do sound great. Whats fitted to the Criccieth Castle from Roundhouse can this be bettered

Actually I've had no orders as a result of anything I've posted on this forum, nor expect to. If comments you make on this group to Greg about Busybody figures, my sound units and secrets such as,"Do all busybodies have finger prints on them Nice work Greg keep your secrets to yourself someone may take advantage," are anything to go by I don't think that you are genuinely interested anyway, so in future I will probably ignore your postings. Its as though you have purposely gone looking for things to be negative about.

As I wrote before all the business I get either comes from GR, SMT or referral.

As to the Cricceth Castle I'm not conversant with what's fitted. My sound units are aimed in the main at small industrial locos.