Locomotive running tools
The following tools are supplied with your new locomotive:
Battery blower
Firing shovel and pricker
Flu brush
Water top-up bottle
Bottle of steam oil
Bag of coal
Preparing your locomotive
Your locomotive must be fully prepared before every running session in accordance with
the operational guidelines below.
Firstly, fill the boiler with water using the top-up bottle. Distilled water is preferred if
available. Place the end of the flexible pipe from the bottle into the water valve connector
located on the right hand side of the floor of the cab (9). Fill until the water reading is
slightly over the top of the gauge glass (3).
Next, fill up the large saddle tank with water. To do this, remove the saddle tank cap
located in the middle of the tank.
N.B. If distilled water is not available: clean soft tap water, filtered rainwater or filtered
water from a dehumidifier may also be used.
Next, unscrew the top of the lubricator (7) and also unscrew the drain of the lubricator,
which is located beneath the cab floor on the right hand side. Allow any water to drain
then, as oil starts to appear, retighten the lubricator drain screw (finger tighten only). Top
up the lubricator with steam oil until full and then screw the top on again (finger tight).
The next task is to use a light motion oil to lubricate the valve gear. Make sure to include
all moving parts even those between the frames. For instance, the water pump ram,
located just above the front axle, together with its joint to the eccentric arm are both easy
to miss, yet require routine lubrication. Also, there are parts of the eccentric located on
the rear axle that will benefit from frequent lubrication.
Your locomotive is now ready to be steamed.
Running your locomotive
When you are ready to light your locomotive, place the battery blower into the chimney
and turn it on. Then prepare a shovel of paraffin-soaked charcoal and shovel this into the
firebox and light the fire. Soon after, shovel three or four more loads onto the fire and
shut the firebox door. After a couple of minutes or so put another three or four loads into
the firebox, as to create a nice even spread and again shut the door. It is important to keep
the firebox door shut as much as possible as most heat is lost here. Keep an eye on your
