Accucraft trains DECAUVILLE 0-4-0T Instruction Manual - page 6
Page 6
Lighting Up
Open the smokebox door; just pull it open by the door handle. Light your
lighter/match etc. and gently open the gas control valve until a gentle
hiss is heard in the burner.
Apply your light into the smokebox and the flame should “pop” down the
fire tube and ignite the burner inside the fire tube.
If the gas valve is open too much the flame will not pop back; it will either
fail to ignite, will roar in flame out of the smokebox, or there will be a ball
of flame around the front of the engine, which will then blow the whole
fire out (after giving the driver a fright)!
When the fire sound has stabilised, after about 30 seconds the gas can
be turned up until a healthy roar is heard. The smoke box door may be
shut after about two minutes. Now leave the locomotive to raise steam.
When the pressure starts to rise, water will be seen running out of the
boiler blow down valve. When the water reaches its correct level steam
will be seen. Now close the check valve and let the locomotive raise at
least 40 p.s.i..
Running
When the engine has raised about 40 p.s.i. you are ready to start
running. It is advisable to run the engine in reverse first; it clears the
condensed water from the cylinders best this way. Before commencing
your first run of the day, it is advisable to put a cloth loosely over the
chimney for a few minutes, as condensed water will be ejected from the
chimney. This is quite normal; the motion of the engine will be jerky until
all condensate has been ejected.
Do not
stand over the chimney as
ejected boiling water/steam could cause serious scalding.
Place the direction lever into the reverse position, and than open the
main steam valve. The engine should start to move off in the reverse
direction. From starting from cold it will be jerky, this is normal, as it has
to clear the condensate from the system. The more the main steam valve
is opened, the faster the engine will go; our advise is to start slowly and
learn the road with your engine.
After a minute or so, remove the cloth and continue running. I running it
is correct practice to balance the boiler pressure against the load being
pulled and the track conditions.