Firing my live steam loco 'Russell' on coal Part 2

[@timothyboles6457]

I've been watching a few of the fabrication videos, and jumped ahead to the firing. Brilliant build, a friend of mine who is also getting into live steam has been watching with interest

[@WhyAyeMann]

As andrew said, your patience with this scale is to be admired. I always fire up my girls with bits of charcoal and then put on a layer of welsh coal from the train department. I wish you much luck my friend.

[@etherealbolweevil6268]

We used to have a jar/tin containing methylated spirit and charcoal for the first stage (easy lighting), layer of dry charcoal then stove esse coal (almost no wastage) when charcoal was alight.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Hi 👋🏻 Johnathan. Only with we had smelly vision on that steam engine 😀

[@marc-andrebrunet5386]

You are now my Great "small steam system teacher"

[@mattseymour8637]

Thanks for the advice! Will try the coal out and will try and mix it as like the smoke of softer coal and like you said it gives a more forgiving fire!

[@iancraig1951]

That was good--the intricate soothing you had to do to that fine little machine was good to see--the fine tuning of the operation in the fire box..Keith A is going through a purple patch at the moment also showing great detail and using good dialogue to explain..I understand steam timing for the inlet side but the exhausting phase maybe..Good videos.. I live in Oz big distances are involved so hobby shows are like hens teeth so the stuff you show is like gold..E

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Ian, thanks for the comment. It's good to hear your encouragement and enthusiasm for these videos. I know how you feel about hobby shows it's similar round here. Exhaust should be taken care of by the designed length of the slide valve and how it covers the ports. Get the inlet working and the exhaust follows.

[@marktaylor8659]

Absolutely beautiful work and action.

[@batch5626]

This is my favorite engine to watch run, it is a masterpiece. I can only dream of making something like that in my shop! Did you engineer it all yourself?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi, yes I built it myself. There are more videos on my channel describing and showing some of the building process.

[@Flachschieber]

Hi Jonathan, I like your videos very much. You have buildt a nice steam loco ;-) Thank you for this detailed documentation. I build steam locos myself too. And I'm happy to see that there are other people who enjoy these cind of work too. Nice Greetings from south Germany, Marco

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks for the comment. Good to hear you build steam locos too.

[@bassgitab]

congratulation.......amazing tutorial....Thank You sir.

[@union310]

Bigger holes in the grate and more space underneath it for air.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I did that and you can see it steaming well in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5eXnImnd5yVfLs

[@associatedblacksheepandmisfits]

Gorjuss 😊

[@GarrettTaylorLeedy]

I live in the United States of America I have a 1/8 scale Cannonball little Gasser locomotive. Your gasoline switch engine or shunter it's called period looks like mine a little bit. I like your outdoor riding railroad but I love your RC powered locomotives. but I like steam engines. very good video excellent

[@mattseymour8637]

So could I get a complete gauge glass from ebay to fit mine or will only the same size one fit?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Here are several suppliers of boiler fittings. You have to be careful when you get a new one that fit the thread in the boiler bushes.

[@mattseymour8637]

How do you install a bigger gauge glass in diameter to a loco with a smaller gauge glass?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi matt, it was a completely new gauge glass with all the fittings ready made bought off Ebay.

[@pwsod]

Dog poop is small chunks off a Fire log?

[@Hjerte_Verke]

Yeah. Those cheap fire logs made of sawdust and paraffin, Duraflame is one brand. Genius, aye?

[@andrewirobinson]

Jonathan - your patience with finescale 16mm is to be admired. Anthracite for a high heat thinner fire?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I'll take you advice Andrew, next time I try a steaming.

[@mattseymour8637]

Thanks for your answer, i have anthrasite beans, but not welsh steam, is this just as good?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Welsh steam coal is a form of anthracite. Low ash and high calorific value the only problem is it takes more heat to get going and If you forget to turn the blower on after shutting the throttle it will go out quickly. Get a good fire going and it generates a lot of heat. I mix some soft coal in with the anthracite to give a more forgiving fire but try what you've got and see how it works out.

[@mattseymour8637]

I've mixed anthracite but not Welsh anthracite with steam coal. Is this OK?

[@gilbondfac]

bravo....congratulations

[@DonQuixotedeKaw]

What is the composition of the "dog poo"?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I've changed it now to charcoal socked in paraffin, much better. The other was some compressed sawdust and paraffin you could buy in US.

[@mattseymour8637]

I have a 1 inch minnie, but fill her to half way on the gauge, do you recommend 3/4 for my engine?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

1/2 to 3/4 of a glass is good, no fuller because you need to leave space for expansion of the water as it heats.

[@CornishCarper]

Oh what I wouldn't give to have 1 percent of your building skill, I am a qualified mechanical engineer but due to my Epilepsy I have developed hand tremors :( Now I just dream and make kits for static models using live steam drawings.

[@RockyRailroadProductions_B0SS]

Great old Welsh Highland! Your Russel is coming along very nicely. It seems to steam very well. What gauge/scale?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks for the comment. It's 16mm equals a foot or 1 in 19 scale so it runs on 32 mm gauge track ( O gauge) representing 2 foot gauge.

[@thessalonician]

More than speechless! Many thumbs up! Are you a Mechanical Engineer?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi thanks, for your comment. No, I'm not an engineer but I did do metalwork at school.

[@timbaghurst4066]

How wide and how long is Russell?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

It's 11 cm wide over the cylinders and 32 cm long over the buffer beams.

[@timbaghurst4066]

@@GandyDancerProductions Okay thank you! I was just wondering because I am designing my own steam locomotive around the size of yours so I was just needing a base idea for how big it should be. Oh and one more question how tall is Russell because I forgot to ask in my first question!

[@GandyDancerProductions]

@@timbaghurst4066 It's 14.6 cm from the rail head to the top of the cab and the same for the chimney. Good luck with your build.

[@timbaghurst4066]

@@GandyDancerProductions Thanks!

[@adamkane9414]

LOL damn that's cool 🧐

[@batch5626]

Wow!

[@Erikdc14]

my homemade locomotive is not building up a fire it keeps going out plenty of air holes whats the problem

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Could be a few things, like not enough air being sucked through the fire box by the electric blower or the steam jet up the chimney. Easy fix, put bigger batteries in your auxiliary blower and/or make the steam blower jet smaller. Do you have a petticoat pipe on the chimney? That can help. If the coal is hard like anthracite it needs a very high temperature to get going. Try some softer coal. And finally make sure the material you're starting the fire with is getting hot enough before you start piling on the coal. Otherwise the coal will just put it out.

[@linkshutdowm]

Creeper Army there's a hole under the cab that sucks oxygen as it burns, but that's big loco stuff. A small (very) one may be built if you posses the skill

[@cmw184]

What happened to this loco?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

It's on the side board at home waiting for some more tests.

[@cmw184]

Gandy Dancer Productions coolio

[@themadscientest]

You are running bituminous coal indoors!

[@GandyDancerProductions]

The coal had burn through so there wasn't any smoke and it was only for a few circuits. I did leave the basement door open and I don't intend to do this too often.

[@thevioletvalleyrailway346]

For lighting up try soaking the “ dog poop “ in lighting fluid and lighting it with matches. It’s a lot less nerve racking.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi, I've changed over to using charcoal soaked in paraffin much better. Hope you've seen my recent video running Russell here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5eXnImnd5yVfLs

[@ddrusa]

Why cant there be any videos of any one building these

[@GandyDancerProductions]

There are look at the other videos in my channel.

[@ddrusa]

@@GandyDancerProductions I'll check it out thank you