Countess Loses Virginity

[Clive Elesmore]

Approximately 1535 UTC/GMT The Countess lost here virginity down here on the island of Alderney.

She rose steam quite quickly and quickly blew off. She ran light about 15 mins in each direction. All indications were good and she was allowed to "couple" with 3 Pickering carriages.

She carried on for about another 35-40 minutes pausing for refreshment part way.

Initial concerns about the lubricator were unfounded. The water gauge was a dissapointment as it seems to show the boiler full until empty. Boiler capacity is quite small. I am sure I will sort out the gauge glass.

Minor niggle mentioned in an earlier post was the reverser stick on the tx. Despite my earlier posting I had not taken the spring off of the stick so I had to hold it forward or back all the time - bit of a pain. The other thing was that the regulator stick is full forward for shut and full back for open, I would have preferred the other way.
That said control was good and with a suitable shunters pole I think some controlled shunting could be performed.

Must get lamps, tools, oil cans and buckets for detail.

Very impressed, very happy. Well done the Pearses, Accucraft and John at Trackshak.

I tried the video but it is rubbish, may upload later just to show how it should not be done! Couple of pics attached.

Clive

 

[Rosco]

Thanks for sharing the pictures, it looks lovely in black. In my experience you can never really trust water gauges.

 

[minimans]

2nded the small sight glasses never seem to work unless it's a big round type glass not a tube. But that engine a coaches does look the business!! You should be able to reverse direction of the lever using a switch on the Transmitter? all mine have it. I think you should send it over here so we can see it in a scenic setting though...........................................

 

[Clive Elesmore]

Hi Minimans

I would love to bring her over. I think Homeland Security etc would have trouble with it in the baggage.
I had intended to be over for the ECLSTS end of March (I know wrong coast) but looks like I will be trying their October offering instead. (Hopefully with a bit of Floriday thrown in provided the tropical revolving storms are out of the way.

I am very pleased with the way the engine performed and look forward to running her again shortly.

Hope there is no fog over the bridge (Golden Gate)

Cheers Clive

By the way, Thanks Steve for putting the pics so they can be seen. I must get a web page up so I can post pics into the posting. I looked at Picassa yesterday but did not like the way it was scanning all my pic files so deleted it again.

Thanks again Clive

 

[Clive Elesmore]

Well if you want to know how not to do it hopefully there will be a youtube clip link here. It was filmed using a Sony digicam but in 15 sec slugs to a memory stick. Play back on windows viewer was nothing to right home about.

Hope it works, I'll try it after it has hopefully posted.

Cheers Clive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ear2wN5SuFY

 

[JoelB]

Congratulations on the new engine! I have an "Earl" -- also in black -- from the first batch, and it is an excellent runner, easily the best AC engine I've owned. I agree that the sight glass is not particularly helpful, on mine even less so once water was topped up through the Goodall valve (too many bubbles). I got into the habit of stopping the engine at regular intervals to add water and oil.

Chuffed2Bits makes some excellent GWR pattern lights for these engines (usual disclaimer applies, just a happy customer); note that the "GWR Lamps" link only seems to work from the Home page, if you try to navigate to Lamps from anywhere else, it vanishes.

 

[minimans]

Hi Minimans


By the way, Thanks Steve for putting the pics so they can be seen. I must get a web page up so I can post pics into the posting. I looked at Picassa yesterday but did not like the way it was scanning all my pic files so deleted it again.

Thanks again Clive

Clive you can post pictures into the main text post, When you press upload your post appears with your picture info just under it, what you do is click your mouse inside the text border under your last line of text and then click on the picture info, this will then show as an addy link. Now click on upload post and your done..................

 

[Clive Elesmore]

Hi Minimans

I am going to experiment with your picture posting advice. I have written down the instructions so lets see how it goes.

DSC00087.JPG

Lets see if this has worked but I think I may have blown it.

Clive

 

[Clive Elesmore]

Wow, it worked. Yahoooooooooo

Thank you Minimans

 

[johnsaintjim]

Clive you can change many things on the DX6i transmitter (Tx) in the software, including the direction the sticks work. It's probably best to read the manual rather than me try and describe it here. The manual is not as daunting as it looks because you can ignore the helicopter bit, which more or less halves it. (This is unless you have the optional rotor blades on your Earl of course...)

You can also easily change which bit of the Tx controls which lever by switching the plugs round on the receiver (Rx). I believe you will have an AR6110. All the channels are marked on the Rx, so you can swap them very simply. You can't really do any damage as long as you don't physically bend the pins, etc, which is not easy to do. You need to fit the servo leads back the right way round (with the black and red wires in the same positions as before) but even here, if you fit them backwards, it won't do any damage, that servo just won't work until you fit it correctly. This will allow you to customise the levers to where you want them.

Sounds like you have already heard about taking the spring off the reverser lever. You should also find that you can adjust the friction on the lever so it doesn't flop about. Otherwise you can find yourself confused by the loco rapidly changing direction as you tilt the Tx. Very disconcerting.

I have the regulator on the right hand lever with the friction turned up to maximum. the reverser is on the left hand horizontal stick. I have the gas valve servo on the left hand vertical with the lowest setting so it can't put the fire out. On the right hand horizontal is the DJB steam whistle lever. I have just made a spring for that so it sits left when off and pushes right to sound the whistle.

I have learnt a lot about the DX6i since fitting r/c to my Lawley last year so if you need some support, drop me a PM. I'm in the process of fitting r/c to my Earl and am using the same DX6i as the Rx with - surprise surprise - an AR6110.

 

[owlpool]

beautiful
wish I had an excuse to get one

 

[Midwalesstokie]

My Countess arrived from the IoM today and was promptly steamed when I got home. It ran beautifully and just seemed to glide round the track. A prototypical load of six W&L wagons and a brake posed no problems and I trouble stopping it from blowing off all the time. It came fitted with r/c which also works very well although I had to remove the spring from the reverser as it was impossible to drive it with one hand!

I also treated myself to another W&L coach, secondhand from chuffed to bits which also arrived today. I've now got all three coaches.

Here's a few photos of Countess on her debut.

 

[Clive Elesmore]

Looks a treat. I am looking forward to receiving a green one from John around the end of April, same rc set up. I have been lazy this week and could have removed the spring but have not. As you say a bit of a pain when running.

I hope to have mine running again next week. All the best Clive

 

[Midwalesstokie]

Gave it another run tonight and fitted the name / numberplates and the GW transfers. I also blackened the wheel rims, cranks and the oil drain. Here it is posing for it's official works photos on the dining table!

It really is a beautiful model. I've just sat looking at it for half an hour!

Here's a couple of the real thing for comparison.

 

[Clive Elesmore]

No doubt about it, a beautiful engine. What a difference putting the plates on makes. I must put the plates on my black Countess and look forward to a green Earl, mind, if I wait it could be the other way round. I will follow your example and black the rims etc.

The link to the lamps was good and I will buy a pair of each, plus 4 buckets for mine.

Like the wagons in the pics as well. Please keep posting.

Cheers Clive

 

[brianthesnail96]

Can't believe how much difference adding those few bits and bobs has made- looks very plain in "out of the box" green, but it's beautiful now!

 

[Midwalesstokie]

You're right it makes a massive difference, it looks much more realistic now. I just need a couple of men to stick in the cab now and hide the lubricator. It runs beautifully too.

 

[JoelB]

James,

Beautiful job on the engine, I especially like how you blackened the wheel rims and flycranks. How did you do that? Paint? Metal blackening agent?

Many thanks, Joel

 

[Midwalesstokie]

Hi Joel, they're just painted using high temp paint. I probably ddn't need the high temp stuff though, it's just what I had handy at the time. Only took 5 minutes but defnitely improves the appearance.

 

[Nibbs]

Hi James,

Love what you did with your Countess and rushed out and painted my cracks etc black too and what a difference it makes. They look like real engines now not just models.

I have added real coal to my Earl and Countess. I cut a piece of thick card to fit in to the coal bunker and stuck real coal all over it. I also set a small loop of thick copper wire in the middle so I could remove the coal load to get to the r/c batteries and the charger plug. Then I made a tool to use to hook it out when access was need. This I also made from copper wire with the blown (live) insolation still on. It just fits into the loops on the back of the loco so I don't loose it!

The only other modification I have made has been to put some heat resistant wire covering material over the roof hinge springs so they don't damage the side of the to of the cab and a strip of Velcro to the inside edge of the roof so when it folds down it doesn't scratch the cab side.

I am still thinking about adding glazing to the cab windows and would really like to have them pivoted open, as all the photos I have seen seem to show the windows open, but I don't think the frames are movable.

Thanks again for the tips.

Cheers!
Keith N. (Nibbs)

Countess with coal load to cover r/c batteries

Tool in place - used to hook out coal load for access