I am having a bad year with squeaking cylinders. Yesterday I acquired a new 5" gauge loco, which was running fine on the rolling road when I went to collect it. As soon as I put it on my track and pushed it along, a horrible squeak from one or even both (inside) cylinders. I assumed oil starvation, and the chimney does seem dry, so I undid the oil supply line and checked everything. Lubricator (mechanical) is working absolutely fine, clacks seem OK. I even pumped a little oil directly into the steam chest. All to no avail This is the third time something like this has happened this year (last year it was injectors – they're now all fine!) Any suggestions on how to get out of this new fine mess?

The other thing with this loco is that the valve chest is beneath the cylinders, so any oil injected in would sit on top of the valve cover as far as I can see. (The valve cover being the lowest part of the assembly) I've now become intrigued as to how it would ever mix with the steam and find its way onto the port face. It must have worked once! Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Martin.

Edited By Martin Ashley on 17/10/2020 22:01:52

Thanks Paul, appreciate your taking the time to reply. Yes, I've heard that one lubricator supplying both cylinders can be bad news. I would guess particularly with outside cylinders. This loco of mine is of course inside cylinder with the oil feed going into the middle of the front of the chest. She's thirty years old, so I guess it must have worked most of that time! Maybe, as you say, with valves flailing around and steam moving about the oil does somehow get picked up into the flow. I'm now suspecting clacks and will take them apart tomorrow. Bizarre, since this engine is a replacement for one that had outside cylinders, two lubricators and a blow back into one of the lubricators that must have been responsible for a squeak in that engine. Hence my original comment about a bad year for lubricators!

Martin.