A Roundhouse SR&RL joins the battery locos

[DGE-Railroad]

I've taken the plunge and dipped my toe in the world of live steam, in the form of a Roundhouse SR&RL.

This should give the battery fleet a fright! In keeping with the rest of the fleet though, she is radio controlled.

A chuffer and FX control is winging it's way from Nigel and I will soon start construction on a momentum wagon for it.

I like the loco and it had a good reputation but I can't help thinking the lack of detail let's it down. I accept it's not in the Finescale camp, but I'm sure it can be improved a but further.

So let the beautification commence!
First up, the pressure gauge has been downsized


I'm not a huge fan of the glossy paintwork, so am trying shooting it over with my trusty flat clear coat, which seems to be going on okay

A consignment of detailing parts are on their way from Trackside Details, Ozark and Swift Sixteen. The plan is to detail the loco and tender, to raise the tender and cab height some to make it look a bit better proportioned:


Whilst waiting for various parts to arrive, I've made a start on changing over the various bolts to hex-head, in the spirit of it being the little things that make a difference.


And lastly she's getting some additional electronics, starting with some front and rear lights.

 

[maxi-model]

Roundhouse, at least up till fairly recently, is a make one bought because one wanted a loco based on good sound engineering, that was a robust and reliable runner and had a superb back up service behind it. Fiddly fine details that might consign it to a display cabinet was a secondary consideration. However, I get the impression Roundhouse have realised they have had to up their game on the detail front to satisfy the market given their the standards shown in more recent new releases and redesigns of older product. You have got a beauty of a loco there, I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it and the steamie bug bites. The specialist rolling stock makers seem to have woken up to the sales potential this SR&RL loco's existence offers - see Bowater Models offerings. Roundhouse also have a Fourney in their back catalogue that I think had SR&RL associations and there is always the new Davenport. Enjoy. Max

 

[dunnyrail]

There was me thinking from the title that it had been converted to battery operation, not an unknown crime to be commited to Live Steam. But a Sandy River would of course have been a little extreme. SR’s are very nice beasts I well remember one of our guys at the Ridgmont 16mm group regularly running his with many oohs and aahs from the assembled group.

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Thanks both
By all accounts it's a great running little engine, as all Roundhouse products are. I'm hoping to make any detailing additions discreetly and sympathetically.
I'll be going to Bowaters for a box car or two; should be ideal for the momentum device.

More pictures as I make some progress. I'd love to add a Davenport when funds allow!

 

[tac foley]

Is this a new model, or just new to you? The early versions from the 90's had not an awful lot of detail. There is still, as you note, a remarkable lack of finer detail, but as Maxi-model pointed out, RH are a brand that you buy to run and run, as they seem to do forever, thanks to a dedicated team of builders in Doncaster who can provide you with just about any spare ever needed.

I'll be very interested to see what you make of it by way of extra detailing, and wish you all the very best of luck in your dealings with Ozark Miniatures/Precision Scale - I was kept waiting for MY components for a couple of months while they totted up enough orders to make a casting session worth-while, and the shipping and duty + VAT made sure that I'd never deal with them again at a trans-Atlantic distance.

Best of luck with it - it is a VERY fine model, one that has now got something to haul behind it to do it justice, thanks to Jon and the team at Bowaters.

PS - you'll need to renew your top sight-glass washer - soon.

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Is this a new model, or just new to you? The early versions from the 90's had not an awful lot of detail. There is still, as you note, a remarkable lack of finer detail, but as Maxi-model pointed out, RH are a brand that you buy to run and run, as they seem to do forever, thanks to a dedicated team of builders in Doncaster who can provide you with just about any spare ever needed.

I'll be very interested to see what you make of it by way of extra detailing, and wish you all the very best of luck in your dealings with Ozark Miniatures/Precision Scale - I was kept waiting for MY components for a couple of months while they totted up enough orders to make a casting session worth-while, and the shipping and duty + VAT made sure that I'd never deal with them again at a trans-Atlantic distance.

Best of luck with it - it is a VERY fine model, one that has now got something to haul behind it to do it justice, thanks to Jon and the team at Bowaters.

PS - you'll need to renew your top sight-glass washer - soon.

Hi Tac
Sorry for the slow reply. The loco is just new to me. That said, it is a later varient (and does not look to have had very much use either). I absolutely take your and Max's point about the RH brand being legendary for being built to run and run and I suspect, to be fairly forgiving and of course, the excellent backup froma great team of British engineers up in Doncaster.

I have decided to try and source everything I can from either Trackside Details or within the UK (which adds to the challenge!). I have a few bits from Ozark but they're not crucial. I've been down the months of waiting for some Ozark bits before, sadly...
Trackside Details by contrast was an order of 25 pieces which Dave had in stock and the turnaround, from my first emailing the shopping list to him, to being ready for dispatch was about 20 minutes. Incredible service! In fact, I had to ask him to hold off shipping quite so quickly or I was likely to be out of the country by the time it had negotiated our highway robbery/customs system!

I am SO nervous at messing about with this at all. It is a lovely model but I tell myself it's only cosmetic, I'm taking my time and being as careful as possible, to add a few little 'improvements' that will to my eye at least, add rather than detract. I don't intend to part with it so I'd like to keep something that brings me joy from both the way it looks and the way it runs

Thanks very much for spotting the top sight-glass washer. That is something I had not noticed. I will tackle that whilst I have the cab off.

A few parts are starting to trickle in. My big challenge at the moment I think, is likely to be trying to thread the smallest gauge wire I could find for the front LED, inside a replacement copper handrail. That said I'm off for sunnier climes for a few weeks so can tackle it afresh at the end of the month!

Darren

 

[Paul M]

thread the smallest gauge wire I could find for the front LED, inside a replacement copper handrail.

Will you be pulling 2 seperate wires through each of the handrails, rather than trying to get 2 wires through one handrail?

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Will you be pulling 2 seperate wires through each of the handrails, rather than trying to get 2 wires through one handrail?

I think I may have to Paul. I thought the handrails may be a neat way to hide the wires but I think I will struggle to get more than one inside.

My other option would be to run along the chassis and up through the smokebox; a downside of the handrail approach is the exit from there to the light. The best I can come up with is exiting next to and behind the front handrail mount. It's a decidely fiddly approach

Darren

 

[DGE-Railroad]

One thing I forgot to mention...the exhaust from the left hand (I think...) cylinder is loose. The other isn't.

I only noticed as I had the smokebox and stack removed anyway; normally they're held in place by the nut holding the stack.

It still stands up on it's own, but it definitely flops around - it can be easily be rotated fore and aft a bit. Is that okay?

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Just a quick post to balance the comments I made about a long wait for an Ozark order before. This time, the 4 parts I ordered were despatched within a week. I think I may have been unlucky before in ordering a kit that would have required a lot of less common castings.

A few pictures experimenting with some Swift Sixteen axle moulds on the front truck to see how they look

 

[Charles M]

Darren,
You only need to have one wire to the headlight. Use the locomotive itself as the return earth ( ground ) line . I have done this on an Accucraft Shay loco. I ran high temperature Teflon wire in a small brass conduit up to the light and grounded one wire from the headlight to the frame . It works very well.
You can make a small section of conduit to go between the handrail and the back of the headlight to hold the wire you use. I make mine by wrapping .020 brass wire around a piece of rod big enough to hold the wire I am using . You wrap the brass wire tightly to make a very small coil of the length you need . This is then fitted between the handrail and the back of the headlight with your electrical wire inside. Easy and it looks good too. Painted black and it is perfect.
Charles M

 

[phils2um]

I think I may have to Paul. I thought the handrails may be a neat way to hide the wires but I think I will struggle to get more than one inside.

Can you use the body/chassis as a common return?

Edit added: just saw Charles suggested the same above!

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Darren,
You only need to have one wire to the headlight. Use the locomotive itself as the return earth ( ground ) line . I have done this on an Accucraft Shay loco. I ran high temperature Teflon wire in a small brass conduit up to the light and grounded one wire from the headlight to the frame . It works very well.
You can make a small section of conduit to go between the handrail and the back of the headlight to hold the wire you use. I make mine by wrapping .020 brass wire around a piece of rod big enough to hold the wire I am using . You wrap the brass wire tightly to make a very small coil of the length you need . This is then fitted between the handrail and the back of the headlight with your electrical wire inside. Easy and it looks good too. Painted black and it is perfect.
Charles M

That's a fantastic idea Charles. Thank you so much for the advice!

I will use this approach once I'm back with the loco and will be sure to post my progress.

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Can you use the body/chassis as a common return?

Edit added: just saw Charles suggested the same above!

Great minds think alike Phil! Thanks to you too for suggesting this approach

 

[dunnyrail]

One thing I forgot to mention...the exhaust from the left hand (I think...) cylinder is loose. The other isn't.

I only noticed as I had the smokebox and stack removed anyway; normally they're held in place by the nut holding the stack.

It still stands up on it's own, but it definitely flops around - it can be easily be rotated fore and aft a bit. Is that okay?

The worst thing that is likely to happen is that Steam may come out from below rather than the cylinders. So long as it cannot flop down to drag on the track it will be ok. You could tie it in place with some thin bendy non plastic coated wire wrapped round something nearby and convenient. I had to do something similar with my RH Jack for the same reasons, I uses Gardening Flower arranging steel wire which is nicely bendy but fairly strong.

 

[DGE-Railroad]

The worst thing that is likely to happen is that Steam may come out from below rather than the cylinders. So long as it cannot flop down to drag on the track it will be ok. You could tie it in place with some thin bendy non plastic coated wire wrapped round something nearby and convenient. I had to do something similar with my RH Jack for the same reasons, I uses Gardening Flower arranging steel wire which is nicely bendy but fairly strong.
View attachment 269820

That's great to hear. Thanks very much for the reassurance and advice. The steel wire is a good idea. Once the funnel and securing nut are back on, its immovable so no worries on that score.

One of my jobs is to fit a chuffer so even when that's fitted the pipes should be held in place.

To satisfy my curiosity I will make sure to check the exhaust exit on this cylinder for leaks when I run it up on the rolling road

 

[tac foley]

That's great to hear. Thanks very much for the reassurance and advice. The steel wire is a good idea. Once the funnel and securing nut are back on, its immovable so no worries on that score.

One of my jobs is to fit a chuffer so even when that's fitted the pipes should be held in place.

To satisfy my curiosity I will make sure to check the exhaust exit on this cylinder for leaks when I run it up on the rolling road

Does that mean that you have yet to run it?

 

[DGE-Railroad]

Does that mean that you have yet to run it?

Umm... Maybe.

 

[Paul M]

We need to congratulate DGE-RAILROAD on his patience

 

[DGE-Railroad]

We need to congratulate DGE-RAILROAD on his patience

Thanks Paul
..or berate me for my stupidity. It's got to be one of those two

Darren