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Rickster 4'' RL latest

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Steam Traction World
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Rickster
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Post  highpressure Mon 31 Dec 2012, 8:50 am

Hi Rick,

FIRE!!! cant keep it from blowing off!!!! Dont use the blower at all, damper fully shut and fire doors open and still too much!! I try not to do the fire doors open now as it will cause issues with the tubes dragging cold air in. These are such big fire boxes and there are 18 huge tubes that it shouldn't be any problem to have more than enough steam. It is probably mixing coal and technique, I too have run out of fire on the first couple of steams not being used to the size of the fire box, I always cram it full, almost up to the bottom of the door, if you're driving it will shake the ash through the grate, you might have an issue with the dead stuff blocking the underside of the grate which I have had, The Coleman made me a nice angled rake which I have needed a couple of times to clear the ashpan.

Coal can be a very funny thing, some of it is great, some is total crap, anthracite whilst being clean has little flame which in my experience is what will give a good pressure, fire through the tubes, heat transfer. House coal works well for me but is usually so smokey the neighbours look hacked off and I cough like a tramp for two days after a weekend. Get some Welsh Dry Steam, you'll never look back, very easy to light, lots of heat, no clinker, not much smoke and best of all devine smell. Andy Holmes will deliver a pallet of 40 bags to you for 300 or so which is around 7.70 and bag or I think he will do a half pallet ( 20 bags ) but not sure of the price. Pity we're not closer together or that Prston weren't on tomorrow otherwise I could have bought you a bag and we could have had a go together, as The Coleman will confirm nothing like watching and learning to get experience, although I'm no expert just had a engine of one sort or another for the last 7 years.

PM your postcode and perhaps I could take a ride over on a good forecast weekend in the next month and we can go out for a steam!! I could even bring "His Majesty" and we could go out together!!!

Kev.
highpressure
highpressure

Number of posts : 1096
Age : 56
Location : West Sussex, 4" DCC Road Loco
Registration date : 2008-06-18

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Post  the coleman Mon 31 Dec 2012, 9:52 am

Hi rick. Just to confirm on what kev was saying.I've been to a few rallies with kev now and have learnt no end of experience on fire control .
the coleman
the coleman

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Post  Rickster Wed 09 Jan 2013, 8:47 pm

For anyone interested, I've posted a few short clips of my Road Loco taken during the Christmas break. You can view them here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJvPsDl8kWI

and here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WrOFMLspTY.

The governor works in a fashion but it doesn't want to close the steam port again when the requirement for steam is no longer there. I have to use pliers to pull the rod back up at the moment.

cheers

Rick


Rickster

Number of posts : 267
Location : canterbury, Kent
Registration date : 2010-02-19

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Post  Robfishman Wed 09 Jan 2013, 10:41 pm

Thanks Rick

Looks great, and I love the sound of the whistle.
Robfishman
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Post  bjwlancashire Thu 10 Jan 2013, 1:53 pm

Looking good on the videos Rick, it must feel good to be out and about on it now, how do you find it with the seat position, it appears so high? I guess you have no chance driving with the roof on. It does not sound like it is working at all if it was uphill, effortless.

Is there a "mine's bigger than yours" whistle competition going on here? I have seen and heard SONIC45's 3 chime whistle and that sounds good on a full size engine, he tested it on a Fowler Tiger Tractor. I will upload a picture of the whistle I plan to fit too, another 3 chime unit.

Looking forward to getting all our engines together at the open weekend whenever it is, the line up and mass whistle blowing should sound good anyhow.

Cheers

Brian


Last edited by bjwlancashire on Thu 10 Jan 2013, 5:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
bjwlancashire
bjwlancashire

Number of posts : 938
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Post  Kevster Thu 10 Jan 2013, 4:50 pm

Thanks for uploading Rick,

Engine looks great ,love the sound of the whistle too.

Kev
Kevster
Kevster

Number of posts : 424
Location : Hertfordshire 4 inch; DCC road loco
Registration date : 2011-01-27

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Post  IanL Thu 10 Jan 2013, 6:43 pm

The whistle sounds wonderful the engine looks great you must be very proud of what you have produced

Ian
IanL
IanL

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Post  Flasback Thu 10 Jan 2013, 7:25 pm

Rick,

Can you please let me have the whistle spec as it sounds great. I think I owe myself a late Christmas present or early Easter one Twisted Evil .

cheers

Dwain

Flasback

Number of posts : 191
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Post  Rickster Thu 10 Jan 2013, 7:42 pm

Thanks for the comments one and all. On the whistle front I can't give details cause I don't know myself!

All I know is I heard it on someone else's 4" RL and loved the sound so when he sold the engine I bought it. I am led to believe it is off a full sized Burrell but I'm sure others on here will know better than I.

I have seen something similar on Heritage's website but can't vouch for the sound.

I am quite pleased with the result but there are far better engines on here than mine for the
Quality of finish. It's horses for courses and I have attempted to not go mad on the appearance because I know how crap you will feel when it primes as you will at some point and it is impossible to clean it all without stripping it all down again. You've all heard this before from Highpressure and Lynn, and it is soul destroying the first time all that lovely hard work gets sh1t all over it, but after that you can get on and enjoy driving it knowing it won't be pristine again - almost like a right of passage to get to best place - driving these engines.

For me the driving position is really comfortable with the seat at the top of
The bunker because I have a long distance from cheeks to feet and is quite stretched out. The only downside as I have mentioned before, the exhaust smoke blows back straight in my eyes - when working hard all sorts of bits get blown out the chimney and makes my eyes sting so glasses will be the order of the day I think.

Cheers

Rick

Rickster

Number of posts : 267
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Post  Flasback Thu 10 Jan 2013, 8:52 pm

Rick,

I've been looking on the Preston Services website at what they have, could you please pass across the dimensions of the whistle so I know which ones to look at because I don't want to get one too big.

Cheers

Dwain

Flasback

Number of posts : 191
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Post  Rickster Thu 10 Jan 2013, 9:55 pm

Hi Dwain,

The whistle not including the whistle valve is 9.5" x 1.5" and the thread size is 1/4" BSP.

If you need a whistle valve, I got mine from Heritage and it's really good - does not leak in the slightest - just make sure you put it on the correct way with the arrow facing the way the steam goes.
hope this helps

cheers

Rick


Rickster

Number of posts : 267
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Post  Tim Watson Thu 10 Jan 2013, 11:05 pm

[quote= The only downside as I have mentioned before, the exhaust smoke blows back straight in my eyes - when working hard all sorts of bits get blown out the chimney and makes my eyes sting so glasses will be the order of the day I think.
/quote]

Rick: a very elegant engine. A small chimney extension and spark arrester may help, but there is no question that some sort of protective glasses are essential. I find Smith & Wessons really good and forget I'm wearing them.

Tim
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Post  highpressure Fri 11 Jan 2013, 8:54 am

I would reiterate Tims sentiments on the glasses, I feel like a tit sometimes Embarassed when wearing them but you soon get over that when you recount the story that if you get a bit of crud in your eye from a grinder because it is steel it can be dug out of the cornea once it goes rusty and starts to hurt, but the red hot ash that burns into the cornea just crumbles when you try and pick it out with a hypodermic What a Face so is difficult to remove and does permanant damage due to the burning affraid YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

I am speaking from experience on the rusty crud being dug out in A+E by a hypodermic!!!! I don't want to try the hot ash option.
highpressure
highpressure

Number of posts : 1096
Age : 56
Location : West Sussex, 4" DCC Road Loco
Registration date : 2008-06-18

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Post  Rickster Sat 12 Jan 2013, 1:59 pm

Hi Tim,

Can you give me a bit of info on the Smith and Wesson glasses please when you get a mo ?

thanks very much

Rick


Rickster

Number of posts : 267
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Post  Tim Watson Sat 12 Jan 2013, 2:50 pm

Rick:
Afraid I get them through work, but the following looks similar:

http://www.coleparmer.co.uk/1/1/16355-smith-wesson-magnum-glasses-fog-free-clear-lens.html

Tim
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