What better way to start the new year, than with some little chuffy trains?
Especially if you've the remains of a cold and so could do with the fresh air. And it's not raining, or too cold.
My plan was to take my Peckett and Roundhouse locos along for a spin on the club track. A flask of tea, along with some of those festive biscuits that need finishing up at this time of year.
When I arrived, the track was mine alone. There were some guys at the model boat club, but as usual, they quickly shuffled off to the warmth of the clubrooms. The lake had a little bit of ice on it, and the one yacht in action, wasn't going anywhere.
Things didn't start well. Trying to gas the Peckett, both adaptors leaked badly, and the model was quickly covered in frost.
Since the day wasn't warm, I left this for a few minutes, attending to the other loco and hoping it would evaporate. Eventually, I gave up and lit the burner. A bit of heat would soon solve it!
A few minutes later, we had steam, and plenty of it. The little blue loco ran superbly for about 20 minutes, including a boiler top-up.
Even with the burner turned right down, there was steam to spare. The safety valve was lifting all through the run, and we had more than enough power for the three coaches.A really pleasant run!
Moving on to the Lady Anne, I hit another problem. None of the three lighters I brought along would give me any flame! Even the one used for the Peckett suddenly wasn't playing. This has happened before, and I just replace them - which lasts a few goes, and then they are scrap again. One job in 2026 is to find some reliable replacements. I don't mind spending some money, if it makes the steaming session easier.
Oh, and then I cut my thumb locking up again. I hope this isn't an allegory for the rest of the year!
2 comments:
Your Peckett and rake of four-wheelers do look quite splendid. Glad you got something to run.
Lighting up: I have both a hand- held piezoelectric gas lighter - think of the sort of thing used to light gas hobs before the advent of built-in lighters and also a refillable ‘wand’ type hand held gas lighter - came from a cook shop in Douglas if I remember correctly and is probably intended for lighting candles and such. The former is a bit hit and miss when it comes to igniting gas at the smokebox door, particularly if it’s windy, but it allows infinite attempts to be made. The latter is far more reliable, but I have to remember to keep it topped up as it doesn’t take more than a few aborted attempts to exhaust the gas.
Chris TGG
Lighting up - what's wrong with a matchstick? I always keep a box of 'camping' matches as the backstop. Old tech and subject to derision from the bigoted but it works...
Post a Comment