I ran a live steam display using my Accucraft Dora for most of Festival Week at Otago Model Engineering, Dunedin, NZ.
![]()
[Note that is my Forney in front of the tankcar and it kept on derailing the front pony on entering the curve so was returned to the display stand inside the hall. The pony is very light and doesn't help to control the loco as in the prototype ... something to think about in the future
![]()
]
Trying a different loco, my Bertie from Roundhouse, he slipped a tank car and while I was clearing the TC off the track he ran off the road and crashed a couple of feet onto the concrete of the Steam-Up Area. Obvious damage was a bent piston rod and locked solid and not so obvious was the frame bent inwards about a mm .... not obvious until I took a caliper and measured the frame separation at various places. Being 'pressed in' the slip eccentric valve gear which sits between wheel and frame was loose and had clearance to slip out of position ... either side as wheels and axle slopped back and forth that critical one mm.
![]()
It was suggested that just hand strength would correct things but I prefered to use a 3mm bolt and three nuts to force and hold the frame apart the little under one millimeter.
Up on his rolling road Bertie ran forwards and backwards under steam AOK so I mention this hoping that none experience such a problem but perhaps of interest if something similar happens to your loco.
The display was worth the effort quite apart from being something different for the public in that there is now talk of building a layout for dual track Gauge O /1 32/45mm steel set in concrete for live steam locos and battery powered .... concern was expressed that brass track for electrical drive would be too easy to be ripped up and stolen ... so time will tell if anything comes of this .... meanwhile thoughts are for Bertie and Co's home track extensions
![]()
[Note that is my Forney in front of the tankcar and it kept on derailing the front pony on entering the curve so was returned to the display stand inside the hall. The pony is very light and doesn't help to control the loco as in the prototype ... something to think about in the future
Trying a different loco, my Bertie from Roundhouse, he slipped a tank car and while I was clearing the TC off the track he ran off the road and crashed a couple of feet onto the concrete of the Steam-Up Area. Obvious damage was a bent piston rod and locked solid and not so obvious was the frame bent inwards about a mm .... not obvious until I took a caliper and measured the frame separation at various places. Being 'pressed in' the slip eccentric valve gear which sits between wheel and frame was loose and had clearance to slip out of position ... either side as wheels and axle slopped back and forth that critical one mm.
It was suggested that just hand strength would correct things but I prefered to use a 3mm bolt and three nuts to force and hold the frame apart the little under one millimeter.
Up on his rolling road Bertie ran forwards and backwards under steam AOK so I mention this hoping that none experience such a problem but perhaps of interest if something similar happens to your loco.
The display was worth the effort quite apart from being something different for the public in that there is now talk of building a layout for dual track Gauge O /1 32/45mm steel set in concrete for live steam locos and battery powered .... concern was expressed that brass track for electrical drive would be too easy to be ripped up and stolen ... so time will tell if anything comes of this .... meanwhile thoughts are for Bertie and Co's home track extensions
