Prepping 'Sweet Pea' No499 "John H Owen"...
Today I was at my 5" gauge concern, the Ryton Pool Miniature Railway (operated by Coventry Model Engineering Society) as 'passed driver' so that 'trainee driver' Emma could practise her driving skills on No499. No499, named "John H Owen", is owned by CMES and is one of the numorous 5" gauge 0-4-0 Sweet Pea Class Saddle Tank locomotives. With a boiler pressed to 80psi the engine is substantially powerful and operates with Hackworth Valve Gear. On arrival, the engine was placed on the track ready for preparation for running. 
First thing to do is check that nothing is falling off the engine. For example, loose bolts or fittings. With this check being successful it is time to oil up. 
"John Owen" includes many different oiling points such as axleboxes, slides, pistons, crosshead, water pump pistons, connecting rod barings, reversing gear and of course the cylinders. The hackworth valve gear is easily accessible though so oiling up isn't difficult. 
Is it now time to light up?! Not yet! With water in the boiler I like to check inside the smokebox & Marine firebox. This then involves checking the tubes, blast pipe, steam pipes and blower pipes, not to mention the all-important spark arrestor. It is also worth checking the firebars and ashpan. If you have a safe level of water in the boiler (around 1/4 of a glass or more) then it's now time to light up. (If you don't have enough water then we add more water via the double-acting handpump, situated under the footplate floor). We light up using parrafin wood. This is piled in the firebox before being lit. A battery-operated 'blower' is then placed inside the chimney, creating an artificial draft with which to "pull" the fire. Once the wood has taken a good hold then its time to try and add coal, a few shovel fulls will do for now. 
We also need to check the mechanical lubricator. This oils the cylinders and operates from the left-side valve gear. We fill this with steam-oil. It is then worth "priming" the lubricator by 'turning the wheel' a couple of times. That way the oil will be (hopefully!) be pumping as soon as you begin to move and you should already have oil in the cylinders to prevent seizing.
Above you see "John H Owen"s cab. The firebox door & ashpan door can be seen clearly below. The two water gauge glasses can also be seen. The pressure gauge can on top of the manifold with the whistle just behind it. The blowdown valve, used to empty the boiler of steam & water, can be seen below the ashpan door, pointing towards the ground. This is operated using a specially-made handle. The "on-off" (bypass) valves for the two water points are the two red stalks, one either side of the firebox. The handbrake can also be seen on the right. The reverser, with three 'notches' in either direction, can then be seen on the left. In the centre of the firebox can be seen the regulator. The small handle in front of the pressure gauge is for the whistle and the small 'wheel' to the left of that is the blower. The small rod with the red-handle on the left is the lever for the handpump. (It is stored on the footplate to prevent it getting lost!).
After a clean up, "John H Owen" is seen above with the battery-blower working hard. At 30psi, the locomotive blower can be used. The coal fire would normally, by now, have taken a good hold. The loco blower is more than enough to 'pull' the coal fire well.
With 80psi on the clock, the only thing left to test is that the Safety Valve's work. With the valves having 'lifted', this test has been passed. With no injector(s) to test, preparation is complete. All thats left to do is couple up the riding truck(s), clear away the prep tools and chug away. This engine has automatic drain cocks and so a careful start is vital to prevent over-loading the cylinders with water. More Posts Coming Soon! Thanks for reading!
Today I was at my 5" gauge concern, the Ryton Pool Miniature Railway (operated by Coventry Model Engineering Society) as 'passed driver' so that 'trainee driver' Emma could practise her driving skills on No499. No499, named "John H Owen", is owned by CMES and is one of the numorous 5" gauge 0-4-0 Sweet Pea Class Saddle Tank locomotives. With a boiler pressed to 80psi the engine is substantially powerful and operates with Hackworth Valve Gear. On arrival, the engine was placed on the track ready for preparation for running. 
First thing to do is check that nothing is falling off the engine. For example, loose bolts or fittings. With this check being successful it is time to oil up. 
"John Owen" includes many different oiling points such as axleboxes, slides, pistons, crosshead, water pump pistons, connecting rod barings, reversing gear and of course the cylinders. The hackworth valve gear is easily accessible though so oiling up isn't difficult. 
Is it now time to light up?! Not yet! With water in the boiler I like to check inside the smokebox & Marine firebox. This then involves checking the tubes, blast pipe, steam pipes and blower pipes, not to mention the all-important spark arrestor. It is also worth checking the firebars and ashpan. If you have a safe level of water in the boiler (around 1/4 of a glass or more) then it's now time to light up. (If you don't have enough water then we add more water via the double-acting handpump, situated under the footplate floor). We light up using parrafin wood. This is piled in the firebox before being lit. A battery-operated 'blower' is then placed inside the chimney, creating an artificial draft with which to "pull" the fire. Once the wood has taken a good hold then its time to try and add coal, a few shovel fulls will do for now. 
We also need to check the mechanical lubricator. This oils the cylinders and operates from the left-side valve gear. We fill this with steam-oil. It is then worth "priming" the lubricator by 'turning the wheel' a couple of times. That way the oil will be (hopefully!) be pumping as soon as you begin to move and you should already have oil in the cylinders to prevent seizing.
Above you see "John H Owen"s cab. The firebox door & ashpan door can be seen clearly below. The two water gauge glasses can also be seen. The pressure gauge can on top of the manifold with the whistle just behind it. The blowdown valve, used to empty the boiler of steam & water, can be seen below the ashpan door, pointing towards the ground. This is operated using a specially-made handle. The "on-off" (bypass) valves for the two water points are the two red stalks, one either side of the firebox. The handbrake can also be seen on the right. The reverser, with three 'notches' in either direction, can then be seen on the left. In the centre of the firebox can be seen the regulator. The small handle in front of the pressure gauge is for the whistle and the small 'wheel' to the left of that is the blower. The small rod with the red-handle on the left is the lever for the handpump. (It is stored on the footplate to prevent it getting lost!).
After a clean up, "John H Owen" is seen above with the battery-blower working hard. At 30psi, the locomotive blower can be used. The coal fire would normally, by now, have taken a good hold. The loco blower is more than enough to 'pull' the coal fire well.
With 80psi on the clock, the only thing left to test is that the Safety Valve's work. With the valves having 'lifted', this test has been passed. With no injector(s) to test, preparation is complete. All thats left to do is couple up the riding truck(s), clear away the prep tools and chug away. This engine has automatic drain cocks and so a careful start is vital to prevent over-loading the cylinders with water. More Posts Coming Soon! Thanks for reading!
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