Gerald, I understood perfectly what you described. Several years ago some one designed what he called a ‘Splitator’ which is as you describe, his design had just a tube to dump on the center of the track. I LIKE the idea of a drain screw so it can be emptied at a precise spot instead of all over. I’m going to remove the drain tube and install a drain plug. THANK YOU FOR SHARING A GREAT IDEA.
nick jr
Jon CO or AZ would be nice. Lots of garden railways in CO ,especially Denver area. I have a long ways to go but Im sure someday i will follow my kids whereever they decide to go. Im going to AZ sometime late winter early spring for my sister-inlaws wedding. who knows I might not come back haha.
Bring your Shay to my place in July. Maybe you will change your mind about selling it.
Gerald your English is very good.
Thank you Gerald. I think you understand the problem. I might just just give your solution a try.
Gerald Gottein said:
Hi Jon!
Reading this Thread, with a transalation-Programm English into German. As far as i unterstand, is your Problem that oil comming out the chuffer gets down the chimney on the tracks, where the oily film makes the tracks slippery. Hope i understand/translated this right.
I also own a 2 Cylinder Accuraft-Shay. I’ve made a oil-trap, simple brass tube covered with silver soldered covers on every end and a drain-screw. Mounted the oiltrap under the longboiler, in line of the exhaust pipe, between the machine and pipe to the smoke stack.
The only manko of my oiltrap is the place under the longboiler, in this Position there is not so much heat to evaporate the oily steam coming from the 2 Cylinder-Machine, so i have sometimes to empty the oiltrap with the drain-screw.
Hope you understand my english.
For more Details take a look at the Thread of this modification in the Austrian-Livesteamforum "Schienendampf.com., Side 2.
http://www.schienendampf.com/34487225nx30160/vorstellung-test-und-fahrberichte-f23/accucraft-2-cylinder-13-ton-open-cab-shay-t901-s24.htmlGreetings from Austria, Gerald
Gerald - thak you from miserable yUK for your interesting and useful post. A good solution to a perennial problem, it seems, that of the locomotive self-lubricating the track over which it is moving!
Add to that the combination of steeper than usual grades and the phenomenally slippery s/s track and you have a frustrating problem that just won’t go away.
With your permission, I’ll pass on your ideas to a couple of folks over here who make modifications to AccuCraft models.
And yes, your English is better than my German!
BEst wishes
tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Going-shooting Boys
Gerald - dankt Ihnen von einem sehr klammen England für Ihre interessante und nützliche Idee. Es ist eine gute Lösung zu einem mehrjährigen Problem, es scheint, das der Lokomotive selbstschmierend die Fährte, über der es beweglich ist! Fügen Sie dazu hinzu, daß die Kombination von steiler als übliche Änderungen in Hochheben und die phänomenal rutschige unbefleckte Stahlfährte und Sie haben ein frustrierendes Problem, das einfach nicht fortgehen wird. Mit Ihrer Erlaubnis werde ich Ihre Ideen hier an ein paar Leute weitergeben, die wer Modifikationen zu AccuCraft-Modellen machen.
Beste Wünsche
tac
Show-off!..
Da bin ich, oder, auf Berlinische, ich bins.
'snot my fault all you 'mercans are xenophobes. Hereabout, if you don’t speak at least three languages apart from your own [whatever that might be], you are accused [quite rightly IMO] of being a total klutz.
Besp
tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Linear B Boys
Gerald, what volume of liquid does it hold and how often do you have to pull the plug.
Thank You nick jr
Hello Gerald -
I looked at the forum post you linked, Your mod is very nice but far beyond my skills. Thank you for posting.
Nick Jr said:
Gerald, what volume of liquid does it hold and how often do you have to pull the plug.
Thank You nick jr
Hi Nick!
Sorry for my later answer, have not so much time, much to do and think because comming weekend Regner in Germany celebrates his 35 Year Factory Jubilee, me and other guys from schienendampf.com will drive their locos at this jubliee.
The oiltrap is a simple Bass Tube, 50 mm long, 18 mm diameter, it think the brass is 1 mm thick. I drain it when the boiler has enough temperature for running the machine before starting. And when i make a stop to add water through a godall valve.
Because this are the two times, i think, when you need a oiltrap.
Before running the steam condenses in the cold cylinder to water, and meanwhile you make an Tank Stop, the Cylinders is getting colder, so the first steam also condenses.
Like i wrote before, the better place for the oiltrap would be a place near to the gasburner so the water in the trap vaporizes, my place (under the longboiler) is not the ideal place, has not so much heat, so i have to drain it using the drain valve.
But never mind, the Shay runs very good, i have much fun with the machine.
Last weekend we had a little steam fair, just half hour from my hometown.
Here’s a short video from the steam fair, my shay is running one round on the layout from Franz (also a member from schienendampf.com) The noise comes from a summerland-chuffer wich is mounted in the smokestack of the shay).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ScYlBQ-t44
Greetings from Austria, Gerald
PS:
Jon wrote:
“I looked at the forum post you linked, Your mod is very nice but far beyond my skills.”
Cheer up jon, maybe you know a person, model-railroader or neighbour or some other who can help you. I hope for you.
Gerald nice video and nice Moduler.
Gerald, thank you for your reply.
The ‘splitator’ installed on my Shay is 45mm X 18mm and thin walled brass tubing, so the volume is about the same. It is about in the same location on the boiler as yours so it doesn’t get the heat of the burner either. One thing I did was to insulate the exhaust pipe from the cylinders to the tank hoping that would help hold the heat, but didn’t do much to help.
I am going to talk to Jason of The Train Department to see if there is a small enough drain cock that I can install in the existing drain tube that can be opened and closed with a piece of tubing with a slot in the end, so I don’t have to lift it off the track to drain the tank.
Your thoughts on this idea will be greatly appreciated. nick jr
Hi Nick!
Meantime i changed the first drain cock from my selfmade, built similar to the drain cocks Accucraft uses in there lubricators, into a simple steam valve from wilesco. They use the valves to regulate the steam in their tractors and other stationary machines. Found in a old steamtractor.
I have no problems with the level to the tracks. Join togheter the Wilesco Valve and the, to use your word, “spilator”, with a piece of brass hex material in wich i made 2 different taps, because Wilesco uses the normal M5 tap, i used a fine Tap for my selfmade drain cock in the spilator.
Sorry no Photo, i have first to learn adding photos here in my posts. I’m a greenhorn in the largescale-central forum.
Good night, here in Austria it’s 22:15 PM.
Greetings from Austria, Gerald
Gerald, thank you for your valuable input.
The person who developed the ‘splitator’ called it that because it was to stop the crackling and spitting of the exhaust at the stack. it does that but with an open pipe in it the exhaust plumes are seriously reduced at the stack. I see with yours the stack plumes are still in full bloom.
Good Morning from the East Coast of America, 0130 AM.
And welcome to the forum. nick jr
Hi Nick!
Won’t disturb jon’s thread further.
There is a other way to reduce (eleminate) the oil exhaust.
http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/19322/regner-konrad-and-lumber-jack-ru
Never tried on a accucraft loco but with locos from Regner Germany it works.
Gerald
Gerald, I couldn’t read the explanations, but think I got the jist of it from the pics, please correct me where I am wrong.
It looks like anywhere there was metal to metal, where a lubricant would be needed, the mating parts were replaced with a plastic that needs no outside lubrication, hence negating the need for steam oil all together.
??? nick jr
Please forgive me as well Jon. Gerald, judging from the number of hits this thread has taken, many are interested in what you have to say.
Hi Nick!
You wrote:
" It looks like anywhere there was metal to metal, where a lubricant would be needed, the mating parts were replaced with a plastic that needs no outside lubrication, hence negating the need for steam oil all together."
That’s right, the plastic material is PTFE or in common speach namend Teflon.
Very resitent material to 300° Celsius (or less 250° Celsius) Temperatures a Livesteam Machine hardly ever gets.
Only, when PTFE gets warmer the Volume of the material distend, as example when you make a gasket with 3mm, make the gasket ca. 3-5% thinner, otherwise wise with 3mm it will stick. With the thinner gasket ist seals perfect.
Greetings, Gerald
Nick Jr said:
Gerald, I couldn’t read the explanations, but think I got the jist of it from the pics, please correct me where I am wrong.
It looks like anywhere there was metal to metal, where a lubricant would be needed, the mating parts were replaced with a plastic that needs no outside lubrication, hence negating the need for steam oil all together.
??? nick jr
Please forgive me as well Jon. Gerald, judging from the number of hits this thread has taken, many are interested in what you have to say.
OMG Really Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Gerald, thank you very much for the very detailed explaination of the tolerances of the teflon used.
I’m sure others will take advantage of your informative post.
stay well and keep us in the USA informed of your progress on what ever projects you are involved in, as you can see you now have a following.
Have a good day (or night) in your time zone, nick jr.
Nick the Bellflower cricket motor uses the teflon as the piston in the cylinder. It does not seal well when run cold and running on air. As soon as the piston warms it expands and creates that seal. Apperently you get no wear as long as you keep it lubricated. The biggest thing you have to be carfull is when making it you have to take the expansion into consideration. Too big it wont move and possibly crack the cylinder. Too small it wont seal properly. I wonder why we dont see it used more?
Nick Jr said: Please forgive me as well Jon. Gerald, judging from the number of hits this thread has taken, many are interested in what you have to say.
No problem Nick. Thread drift is fine with me. I’m always learning!