The perils of buying second-hand steam locomotives

 

My plan for the club steam day, had been to take two locos along. The Garden Rail Peckett and my Regner Willi. 

In preperation, because it hadn't run for a while, I took Willi down to the club for a quick spin. Chatting to the organiser, there was a problem. While I might be happy with my little vertical boiler machine, when I bought it second-hand, I didn't get the all-important boiler certificate. 

Not certificate, no running. Especially on public days. 

This isn't unreasonable. We've just had to cetificate all the boats for insurance purposes. On a public track therefore, proving that your chuffer isn't going to explode is fair enough. 

Of course, there's no time to get a certificate before Sunday, not helped by a pressure gauge that doesn't drop to zero. Yes, it goes up when the model is working, but you don't pass a test without a properly working gauge. 

This is a new problem, and one I'll need to attend to. Maybe there is a way to adjust these things, or I'll just have to buy a new gauge. At least access to change it is excellent!

So, if you buy a second-hand model, make sure you get a boiler certificate, or at least be aware you'll likely need to do something about it in the future. 

Anyway, I was allowed on the track during the evening. Five minutes to make a complete circuit!