You may remember that at the BBC Gardeners' World show, I had an issue with my Merlin Mayflower. A cab full of flame made the RC wiring a bit crispy.
My assumption was that this would all need replacing, but out of curiosity, I switched it on during the week, and it worked!
Next stage was a trip to the club track for a proper test. The evening was warm, high 20s rather than last week's 30+. The loco fired up quickly, with all the fire staying in places where the fire should be in a model steam locomotive.
Pressure took a while to build, and looking in the cab, I could see why. There was a loose bolt on the back of the boiler. Hot water was coming out, and if there is water, there will be steam escaping.
I nipped it up with a spanner, and all seemed well. The loco trundled off around the track, making five or six circuits before running out of gas, in the steaming area.
After a few minutes cooling, I regassed and watered, and off we went again. Sweet as anything.
I lost count of the number of circuits this time. The goods train is at the limit of the model's power, although it would help if I lubricated the axles, and there is some squeaking from under a couple of the wagons. That should reduce the rolling resistance a bit.
I can't complain though. For the moment, the RC gear stays in place. I might wrap some tape around the receiver, which doesn't have much of a cover now, but for the moment, if it ain't broke, I'm not going to try to fix it!
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