Meths Fired Steam in the Snow!

[Chris Bird]

Hi all
I thought you might like to see a little video of my 1983 meths fired Lady Anne. We had just enough of the right kind of snow - but she still struggles a bit (and the driver doesn't help!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ganKVCxtRw4 Cheers Chris

 

[Steve]

Brilliant Video, very nice train and railway

 

[Elmtree Line]

Very Nice!!

Like the way you've filmed at ground level, makes it so much more realistic

 

[dunnyrail]

Great stuff, must get a Chuffer Pipe for my Jack and Stanley Tram.
JonD

 

[Chris Bird]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments!
Steve - I think you are right about her being the oldest (or at least one of the oldest) - Roger Loxley put one of the videos of her on the Roundhouse museum. I first got into garden railways in 1983 and I also had that same catalogue. Lack of funds meant that it was a Mamod and later a bitsa Merlin loco for me. Twenty five years later I found this one at PPS (Alan is still kicking himself for selling it to me!). All I have done is replace the dumb buffers and paint the buffer beams. It is a real pleasure and hasn't let me down yet......
Cheers
Chris

 

[brianthesnail96]

Interesting loco though Steve- like the look of it, well worth finishing

Video is- as usual- wonderful Chris. What a brilliant little loco!

Edit- second photo has appeared since I wrote that, the broadside shot- really like the look of it!

Finish it this year, gowan!

 

[Chris Bird]

I've still not finished the loco I built at school using roundhouse parts in 1987 as it needs work to the burner and new con rods. I wish I'd bought a working chassis at the time but I just bought the cylinders and valve gear parts. Maybe these are the oldest unused 80's Roundhouse parts.
[/quote]

Steve - that looks excellent! Perhaps 2010 is the hear to steam it! The early gas burners are nothing like as good as the FG - my Fowler really struggles in this cold weather - but the con rods would be simple enough. What is wrong with them?
Cheers
Chris

 

[Chris Bird]

Really the skills needed to get as far as did are no more than you can learn in high school metal work classes. It is just cutting, bending, soldering and screwing things together. The most complicated part I made was the boiler. There are quite a few books out there and quite a lot of ready made parts available most of it was self taught with a little help from my teacher and father. It was made easier as the school workshop had a bench shears and a bending machine. I learnt how to solder things more at home though using my fathers blow lamp and plumbing soldering, to make models from tin-plate and offcuts of brass and copper. When using silver solder for the boiler, the temperature is much higher put you still have to get the parts to fit together in the same way, apply flux etc. You just have to clean all the joints up well first and learn to recognize the correct shade of red the copper turns when you have heated it up enough for the silver solder to run correctly.

Steve - you make it sound so simple! But you are right - having a go is the main thing. You mentioned in an earlier post about joining a local model engineering society. I am a member of two and have learned a huge amount - and you mught find someone to tackle fixing your fine loco. If not, one of the guys listed under Chuffer-fitters on my website could probably sort it for you.

 

[GlenF]

Great video Chris! I've got a old meths-fired loco myself which incorprates various vintage Roundhouse bits - cylinders, wheels, frames, rods, valve gear etc. Unfortunately it was spoilt somewhat by its US-style plywood bodywork! In fact it might be an old Dylan or Lady Anne that was butchered?? It was a great runner but a poor steamer, the burner was a homebuilt version and not from RH. I stripped it down with the intention of rebuilding it into something more British but then forgot all about all it. However your video has renewed my interest. Here's a pic of the current sorry state of affairs.....

Glen

 

[brianthesnail96]

http://www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk/ < Link To Summerlands Chuffer There y' are Steve!

 

[Chris Bird]

Thanks Matt - that's the one! And I have updated my profile to include the website and my contact email Steve.
Cheers
Chris

 

[Chris Bird]

Great video Chris! I've got a old meths-fired loco myself which incorprates various vintage Roundhouse bits - cylinders, wheels, frames, rods, valve gear etc. Unfortunately it was spoilt somewhat by its US-style plywood bodywork! In fact it might be an old Dylan or Lady Anne that was butchered?? It was a great runner but a poor steamer, the burner was a homebuilt version and not from RH. I stripped it down with the intention of rebuilding it into something more British but then forgot all about all it. However your video has renewed my interest. Here's a pic of the current sorry state of affairs.....

Hi Glen - that is one hell of a project you have there! The footplate looks odd as there is not much room for the burner and firebox. Does it have the normal RH firebox enclosing the boiler? I guess it would come partly under the tank - but then the hot gasses need to get out somewhere. It has to be worth sorting as they are such nice docile runners when working properly. Perhaps you would share your progress with us.....
Cheers
Chris

 

[GlenF]

Hi Chris. Yes it's got a firebox around the burners but, as with most of the bits on this loco, I don't know if it's a genuine Roundhouse part or something that was scratchbuilt. Here's a view of the underside of the loco before I took it apart. The burner has 3 wicks but they're all bunched up too close together. I probably need to spread them out more (and maybe add a 4th wick?). Note how one cylinder exhausts up the chimney whilst the others exhausts down onto the track to give a drain cock effect....very odd. More pics of this loco can be seen on my Flickr photo site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsandstuff/sets/72157621896828370/ < Link To link here

If anyone can post an underside pic of a genuine Roundhouse meths loco I'd be interested to see how it compares to this. For example how many wicks do they have?

Cheers, Glen

 

[Chris Bird]

If anyone can post an underside pic of a genuine Roundhouse meths loco I'd be interested to see how it compares to this. For example how many wicks do they have?

Hi Glen
Thanks for all the photos - it looks like it could be a very nice loco. Here is a quick snap of the underside of my rather dirty Lady Anne. You can see that there are four wicks - though she tends to blow off quite a lot. I gather it has a fair bit to do with how well the wicks are packed in and the height of the wick above the burner.
Cheers
Chris

 

[johnsaintjim]

Enjoyed the video Chris and an interesting thread too.

 

[Elmtree Line]

Nice to see one of the older 0-4-0 Lady Anne's, obviously one should point out for those not familiar with Roundhouse that the Lady Anne locomotive has been around for many years, but has evolved from what was an 0-4-0 meths burner to the 0-6-0 gas burner we have today, with a few variations along the way and special editions such as the Queen Anne and more recently the Silver Lady. Refinements are made every year, as can be seen on the three i own. The beauty of meths as the fuel is that its silent, the downside being its more temperamental in breezy weather and has been known to start lineside fires at many railways over the years, all part of the fun though!!

"Queen Anne" pictured..

 

[GHWood]

The picture made me laugh Chris! looks like the driver is trying to work out just how his charge has fallen over whilst he has been for a brew!

 

[Chris Bird]

The picture made me laugh Chris! looks like the driver is trying to work out just how his charge has fallen over whilst he has been for a brew!

Yes - that's Old Tom - he likes his cup of tea!
Can you tell me how you got my picture to show in the message and I couldn't? Should I be pasting the picture into the message rather than attaching it?

And Keith - I love that Queen Anne - I haven't seen one of those for many years.....
Cheers
Chris

 

[GlenF]

Thanks for posting the pic Chris! Interesting to see how the wicks are positioned, now I know what to aim for with mine.

Cheers, Glen