Small boiler testing.

[tac foley]

A recent post of mine highlighted certain features inherent in maintaining the safe use of small steam locomotives in scales such as Gauge 1 and 16mm - as well as associated scales which have boilers of LESS than 3 BAR/Litre capacity. Unfortunately, my post also engendered an element of comment in which I was accused of obfuscation, although I had pointed out that it was NOT a total test, but a basic firing-up test to make sure that things were working as they should.

Regardless of that, let's not overlook that we actually 'test' our little boilers each and every time that we fire them up.

With that in mind, I've posted the 16mm Association's Youtube video here - so that you can all see what is entailed in the testing that may or may not be required for you to run your live-steam model in public, or at a GTG where people who are not well-acquainted with the operation of a live steam model might be present.

 

[dunnyrail]

A recent post of mine highlighted certain features inherent in maintaining the safe use of small steam locomotives in scales such as Gauge 1 and 16mm - as well as associated scales which have boilers of LESS than 3 BAR/Litre capacity. Unfortunately, my post also engendered an element of comment in which I was accused of obfuscation, although I had pointed out that it was NOT a total test, but a basic firing-up test to make sure that things were working as they should.

Regardless of that, let's not overlook that we actually 'test' our little boilers each and every time that we fire them up.

With that in mind, I've posted the 16mm Association's Youtube video here - so that you can all see what is entailed in the testing that may or may not be required for you to run your live-steam model in public, or at a GTG where people who are not well-acquainted with the operation of a live steam model might be present.

Thanks for posting this Tac it is a very useful vid well worth watching by any on here with Live Steam, I would point out that the self testing which is what most of us need to do on an annual basis is Well into the Vid. Any one that needs that fast forwards to 30 mins and watch the next ten minutes, this part also makes interesting points about Brass Boilers that need a full hydrolic retest every 3 years by an Engineering Society or 16mm Boiler Tester. Most Uk boilers tend to be Copper but Regner in particular and many other continental Mfg’s can and do use Brass. A point well worth remembering, I am not decrying Regner or others in this respect, just that there is a differing regime with Boiler Testing requirements. Do not forget that paper work!

One of the points I found amusing, in my days as a 16mm Boiler Tester we always insisted that the punters bring their loco to us full to the brim rather than using water from the Test Rig, though as this was a specialy created Vid to show the workings of boiler testing that can be forgiven. The point is well worth remembering if taking your loco to have it tested. In fact be equiped as if you were going for a run as the live steam test is generally done after the punter has steamed up the loco meaning that another can be on its 10 minute pressure hold. Sometimes at a meat many boilers are tested meaning that efficiency of time use is quite important. Also I always used to put some tissue under the loco which very quickly highlighted some weeps if there were any. He did that a bit late in the process and then only to clean up the weeps from the left open whistle.