a little depending on gas valve setting. The boiler should not be
allowed to run dry, and the gas tank capacity is such that the gas
should run out before the water. When the gas is fully used up, the
steam pressure in the boiler will be seen to gradually drop until the
loco comes to a halt. Should the water expire before the gas is fully
used, the pressure will drop rapidly and the loco will stop. Check the
pressure gauge – if this is zero turn off the gas. No damage will result
if the gas is turned off immediately.
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 left-hand side of the cab and is
moved fully forward for running in a forward direction and full back to
run in the reverse direction. 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 valve gear is effectively in neutral and the
engine will not move under steam power.
3) The 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 right 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
its’ 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.
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