Advice on what to watch out for with Live Steam

[scottychaos]

One of the best ways to learn more about Live Steam is to subscribe to Steam in the Garden Magazine:

http://www.steamup.info/

(disclaimer..I have no affiliation with SitG other than being a satisified reader of many years! )

Scot

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="ToadFrog&WhiteLightn"]

http://www.sptrains.com/ Go coal burners!

Why do you have to be a member on your url to get "better" pricing?

Like it when my questions go unanswered for abit, customer service at its best!

Toad

 

Toad, I was asked not to post on this forum any more.  The mods took this post as advertising, and I thought it was locked.  I'd be happy to respond to your question via email.  I wasn't ignoring you, just trying to respect the wishes of the community and the modderators.

[Anonymous]

http://www.sptrains.com/ Go coal burners!

Why do you have to be a member on your url to get "better" pricing?

 

Like it when my questions go unanswered for abit, customer service at its best!

Toad

[steamup]

Only real problem I had was finding Steam Cylinder Oil in Cape Town, ended up buying 20 liters of the stuff!    

 

20 liters!  That should last you a few lifetimes...

[John Busby]

Hi scoobster28

I had more modest aims I have a Millie with a few extra details added.

Like Vic my dream loco is a Roundhouse Darjeeling loco but I don't think I will ever get beyond having a tea van and open wagon from that railway

You will not be disapointed

regards John Busby

PS Roundhouse is only the best if you want loco's from the UK and colonies there production is mostly just that

[Anonymous]

http://www.sptrains.com/ Go coal burners!

Why do you have to be a member on your url to get "better" pricing?

 

[Benjamin Maggi]

Have you ordered any engines yet? What did you decide to do? I have heard that Roundhouse is the best, specifically because of their quality and their reliability. They might not be the cheapest, but when it comes to overall value I think that they are a good deal. I am still saving my pennies for a Lady Anne.

[Anonymous]

thanks for all of the advice.

I think I'll order in a few in from a few different manufacturers and run them through the next six months by then I should figure out all the pitfalls so I can help customers with their issues one we carry them

Thanks again!

[whiterab]

As to manufacturers, I can only comment on Accucraft because of their focus on 1:20 scale which is my personnal standard.  I have been very happy with their engines. 

They do take a lot of attention.  You can't fire them up and ignore them.  This is prototypical because the biggest reason the real railroads abandoned steam and went to diesels was the maintenance and manpower cost to run steam.

The amount of attention required does vary between locomotives.  The Accucraft Shay is geared very low so it just chugs along no matter what the grade and is very easy to run.

The rod engines such as there "K" classes are very sensitive to grades and curves so require changes to firing and throttle any time the track conditions change.  Downgrades can be especially problematic as steam engines don't have internal braking that electric engines have.  From experience, they can hit really impressive speeds if you don't trottle back in time when hitting a down grade of 2 1/1%  Again this is prototypical.

Steam is very addicting but safe IF you take your time and respect that you are dealing with a different set of physics. 

DO NOT use propane in a butane fired engine.  There are experts out there that use a propane/butane mix in cold weather.  Propane and Butane have very different vapor pressures at varying temperatures and some use a mix to give better firing in cold weather.  That same mixture can rupture a butane storage tank on a hot day.  If you sell and engine and recommend propane you can be held liable for what can be potentially a spectacular and expensive occurance. 

[Anonymous]

OH, don't buy Chedder -they went out of business at least 2 years ago!!!

 

Aaaactually, Stuart Models bought most of Cheddar and has re-introduced the Iver....for 585 pounds (excl VAT), or about $1160.00 US... bit steep IMO, even if the R/C IS included, but Stuart is, well... Stuart.

[cabbage]

Well...

I would have a look at "PPS steam", "Brandbright", and "Garden Railway Specialists" then.... OH, don't buy Chedder -they went out of business at least 2 years ago!!!

regards

ralph

[Anonymous]

I'm curious about what you mean when you say "resell." I'm assuming that you will modify them to run better, give them some weathering and so on

I own a train store, so since it was something that I was in to, I figured customers would be in to it too.  I just don't want to buy a considerable amount of merchandise without first checking that I'm choosing the right brands etc.

[FJ and G]

I'm curious about what you mean when you say "resell." I'm assuming that you will modify them to run better, give them some weathering and so on

Fuel might be a concern, along with run times. I have a Ruby that uses Butane. Propane is less expensive (but some may disagree as I'm not an expert). Incidentally, Ruby on Rails is some sort of programming for computers. They asked if anyone has experience with Ruby On Rails. I volunteered to run my IT divisions' Ruby on Rails but found it has nothing to do with trains

[two tone]

Hi sptrains,  All makes are good from what we read but are the owners as good at looking after their loco   IE good maintenance check all things on a regular bases. good qty coal or gas watch water when loading NO floating bits of rubbish in it. Treat a loco like a lady and she will do you proud

[whitecatbob]

After much deliberation I have just purchased my first live steamer, a Accucraft Mortimer and  I am very pleased with it. The rather simple instructions at came with the loco seems a bit brief on first reading, but the fueling and running of the engine proved to be very easy and simple and I had several very successful 10 to 15 minute runs straight out of the box. Only real problem I had was finding Steam Cylinder Oil in Cape Town, ended up buying 20 liters of the stuff!    

[vsmith]

"...Advice on what to watch out for with Live Steam?..."

Watch out for Burned fingers

I dont think theres any brand to avoid, even Mamod has a devoted following.

Aster seams to garner the highest resale values

Roundhouse and Chedder are both highly repected as is Accucraft.

I would think given the high satisfaction I can gleem from those who own and operate them, I really dont think it matters which brand you buy, what really important is that you buy the model locomotive you really want.

For me, if I had the bling I would be investing in a Roundhouse Darjeeling Class B locomotive, but I do have a soft spot for Accucraft's NCNG 2-6-0 mogul and their new 4-4-0 also looks really good.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to be ordering in some Live Steam locos for both personal use and to resell.  Can anyone who is experienced with live steam let me know what to look for / watch out for, what brands are recommended from experience, and what brands to avoid.    I am really excited about the prospects of running with steam, but I want to make sure that I make a good investment, and everyone I talk to that sells live steam just says the brand they're selling is the best.