DRIVING THE LOCOMOTIVE MANUALLY
On manually controlled locomotives, there are three main controls, all of
which are housed in the cab.
1) The gas regulator, which should be used to control steam generation as
described earlier.
2) The reversing lever. This is in the right-hand side of the cab and is
moved fully forward for running in a forward direction and fully back to
run in the reverse direction. The lever has a locating stop at either end of
it’s travel, which have been factory set for optimum forward or reverse
running. In mid gear, the lever sits on a third stop in the centre, but to set
the gear for running, it must be sprung outwards slightly as it is moved
forward or backwards, so that one or other of the stops sits in the hole in
the lever. It should be parked in the centre (mid gear) when the
locomotive is stationary for any length of time. When in mid gear
position, the engine will not move under steam power.
3) The steam regulator. This is the main steam control valve and regulates
the speed at which the engine will run. The regulator handle is situated in
the left hand cab doorway and is moved anti-clockwise to open and
clockwise to close.
Using the reversing lever, select the desired direction of travel and open
the regulator a little. Initially, there will be a certain amount of water in
the pipes and cylinders, which will exhaust through the chimney and, after
a few moments, the engine will move jerkily, until this clears. Once the
parts have warmed up, the engine will move off steadily and it's speed can
be controlled with the regulator. Subsequent starts will be quite smooth
once the cylinders etc. have reached their normal operating temperature.
To reverse the locomotive, close the regulator to bring it to a halt, move
the reversing lever over and open the regulator again.
The art of
fine control will soon be learnt with a little practice.
DRIVING BY RADIO CONTROL
This model is fitted with 2.4 GHz R/C equipment. On a Radio Controlled
model, speed and direction are controlled by the transmitter. First, turn on
the transmitter and then turn on the receiver on the locomotive with the
switch at the front of the tender or coal truck.. The left hand stick on the
transmitter controls the steam regulator, down for stop up for go. Moving
to the left or right has no function. The right hand stick operates the
reverser, left for forward and right for reverse. This stick is sprung loaded
to return to it’s central position. Moving up or down has no function
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