Screwy Nick

Sean and Jan, thank you for words of encouragement. Not bad for a 16 year old new locomotive. Seller told me the owner was a collector and fired it up only once, can believe it as it looks new, not cleaned up to look new. I really lucked out. Jan, You are right, even with my ears can hear the difference between air and steam. LiG

I started by adjusting the throttle on air, and left it a little cracked to compensate for possible expansion when under steam. Outside was out of the question this morning so did my Utility Room steam up. Usual live steam preperations, lube etc. Started with 375mls of 160'F water. Since it had a head start didn't take long for the boiler to reach 30lbs pressure. Easily cleared the pipes and cylinders and walked away. After it cooled a little I made the final throttle adjustment to fully stop, and tested it under steam. Going to let it cool and test the throttle to make sure it opens again and didn't seize during cooling/contracting. I am very happy with the Mike and can't wait for the weather to clear for an outside run. LiG.

Thank you for your confidence. Rain predicted for most of the day so will have to resort to firing it up in the vented utility room. Very unusual to find a 16 year old NEW locomotive. Stay Tuned.

Enjoy the pop corn and the show. The only thing left is to actually fire it up, that will be tomorrow. Even the R/C works.

Received it on Friday evening and unpacked it. First thing I noticed the carrying case has wheels and a handle like a suit case, nice touch. Everything appears to be there. I can see where it has been fired up, but no rail marks on the wheels. It looks brand new, not 'cleaned up' really unused. The battery would not accept a charge, not unusual for something that has been sitting for years. I gave it a shock and it is now charging, sounds are what is to be expected. Today going to fashion an adapter and charge the boiler to test the integrity of it and the steam lines. After that will fire it up. Oh, it still has gas in the tank which I will vent out, attests to the quality of the manufacturing. More good news later.

Welcome to the forum and to G scale. A friendly forum with several knowledgeable people. Looks like a nice loco, who made it??

Chuck, just happened to be in the corral at the right time and whistled, they all looked to see what was happening.

And sometimes convey what they think of you, "So There"

I haven't done anything with my trains since my last posting, been working as a handy man/mechanic on a small horse farm. Haven't bought anything more than LED's since 16. Purchased an Aristocraft LS Mike that has only been out of the box and run once, so the seller says. I personally have never even laid eyes on one. Thanks go to Chuck for his Ebay experteese and advice. Suppose to arrive Friday, so keep an eye on the Live Steam section. Am I Excited????? and something I learned from Sean, no pic, didn't happen.

Fellow vet and local G scaler today received the Bachmann 2-4-2T locomotive. Gave it a quick test run between periods of rain. Ran extremely well right out of the box with six wheel pickups. Could see Gunny's smile if you were standing behind him. I can't take credit for him getting it, Chuck alerted me to this 'all metal' gear box last week, I then planted the seed.

DUH me, I just ASSumed he had.

Hello-o-o-o, yes I check here about twice a day.

I don't know how old the locomotive is, but have seen incidents where the excess grease has collected to one side and turned solid over time. May need to be cleaned out and fresh grease added.

Thank you for reviving this. I never knew anything like that ever existed, great engineering and yes would make a beautiful item somewhere near the end of they layout eluding to further construction.

Will you also be offering different wheel diameter?? Or possibly spoked wheels??

Since the wheel spacing can be adjustable, with the correct side frame look like they would be great for trolley cars.

jerrybaffeto, you have a PM

Jerry, being a PRR NUT I may be interested in that one, please keep us informed.

Sean, saw the pics you posted on the top, GREAT, looks like you are preparing for spring and have the track cleaner working.

Thank You Chuck

PAZGRR, thank you. Hope to get more run time today if the wind subsides.

Thank You

Between days of rain,

jerrybafetto, VERY VERY NICE. Can you tell us more about it?? Are you planning to produce the unpainted shells, if so I am sure there is a market for them.

Mikado463, thank you, just havin' fun.