The loco that I build alongside the recent ME series has now been completed and has been through a couple of months of track testing and the usual ongoing R&D that goes with every newly built steam loco. It is shown below in original Southern spec with none of the minor changes that were applied as the locos came into use. Also has displacement lubricator instead of mechanical pump, in line with the prototype C23.

I hope to write up all the fine tuning over the next few months for the editor's consideration, but rest assured there were no significant deviations from the published drawings! The main change was getting a better reading on the water gauge glass.

Fiddling with the blast nozzle size has resulted in a loco will make steam on a level track on light load, but will still pull like a demon when openend up! I have been very pleased with the self reguating character of this loco, so that once the train is under way ( weighted 7 1/4" gauge bogie trolley with driver plus one or two adults) the regulator and cutoff can be set, around 40% full movement in both cases, and the loco will merrily circulate the BDSME track of 1/3rd of a mile with the occasional shovel of coal and a bit of injector to back up the tender axle pump. Last years's IMLEC contestants will confirm it can be a tricky track. On several ocaisions I've done a full lap with arms folded, just to show off! You need to fill the firebox and boiler in the station first though!

Exhaust sounds a bit asthmatic when starting off, but sharpens up when rolling and as with the first loco, runs very smoothly even with nominally very short cutoff (with joy gear the cutoff is longer than with most others I gather).

Look forward to seeing another one completed soon, there must be one nearly ready!

Nick

OK after 2 completed locos and feedback from those keen enough to check this sort of thing, it's time to do a final review of the drawings. I will make all the amendments that have come to light and update the masters so that anyone buying a set of drawings from Polly in future will have known errors removed. A nice job for the weekend. The only critical change is the positioning of the Joy Gear slideshaft pivot mentioned some time ago, this was rectified by rev 5 of the frame drawing issued in Dec 09.

I draw full size where possible, get the drawings scanned onto disc and Polly print them in a convenient format, which may well not end up as full size. Scaling from the drawings can be done to get approximate dimensions but I've always been told it's bad practice.

Boiler has a capacity of 2 litres full to the brim, grate area 54 cm2, WP 80PSI. Which other dimensions did you need Neil?

Edited By nick feast on 27/06/2012 08:28:09