roundhouse FOWLER User guide

FOWLER
Owners Handbook

Operating Instructions
IMPORTANT:
Read these instructions carefully before operating the locomotive.
The following items are required for running this engine and are not
included with the model.
Fuel Butane gas. See 'Filling the gas tank'
Water See 'Filling the boiler'
Lubricating oil See 'Lubrication'
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
This is a working model locomotive using steam under pressure and
highly flammable fuel. Provided it is operated with reasonable care and
attention, no problems should arise.
It is intended for use out of doors and must only be operated in a well
ventilated area.
Whilst the locomotive is in use, hot gasses are exhausted up the chimney
and excess steam frequently blows off through the safety valve even when
stationary, so operator and spectators should not bend over the model.
As you will appreciate, this is not a toy and is therefore unsuitable for
young unsupervised children.
Follow manufacturers recommendations regarding the safe storage of
Butane gas canisters.
Some areas of the model will get quite hot whilst it is operating, so a pair
of gloves are provided in the tool kit for your protection. Always have to
hand either a fire extinguisher or wet cloth when operating the model.

CONTENTS
Tool kit Page 4
Running in Page 4
Access to controls Page 4
Coupling engine and tender Page 4
Identification of parts of the locomotive Page 5
Preparations for operation Page 6
1. Filling the Gas Tank Page 6
2. Filling the Boiler Page 6
3. Lubrication Page 7
4. Lighting the Burner Page 8
Running the locomotive Page 9
Driving manually Page 10
Driving by radio control Page 11
Altering wheel gauge page 12
Trouble shooting & maintenance Page 13
Storage between operating sessions Page 13
Steam leaks Page 13
Regulator not shutting Page 14
Radio control Page 14
Gas system Page 15
Service and parts. Page 20
Boiler and Gas Tank Certificate, Pages 17 & 18
(EC Declaration Of Conformity).
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Fowler Instruction Booklet

TOOL KIT
The following items are included with your locomotive.
One 60ml bottle of special steam oil for use in the cylinder lubricator.
One 60ml syringe with plastic tube for filling the boiler with water.
One set of spare washers and ‘0’ rings.
One spare gas jet.
One Allen key for cylinder socket cap screws.
One pair of protective gloves.
One cleaning duster.
One wheel setting (back to back) gauge and key.
RUNNING IN
All locomotives are test run before leaving the factory, but will require
several hours of running in, when new, to overcome initial tightness and
allow valves etc. to ‘bed in’ completely. It is recommended that the model
is run with light loads for the first few hours of operation. Also, the loco
will waste a proportion of its water and steam until ‘run in’ due to leaking
slide valves, a tendency to prime more, and simply overcoming the initial
tightness of the moving parts.
As the model heats up and cools down each time you raise steam, screws
and nuts have a tendency to stretch and loosen a little so you will also
need to make regular checks and ‘nip up’ any that become loose.
ACCESS TO THE CONTROLS
For normal operation, all controls are accessible without the need to
remove any part of the locomotive.
The gas regulator is accessible through the side of the cab as is the steam
regulator and reversing lever on manual control engines.
The radio control receiver, batteries and switch are housed in the tender.
Simply lift out the dummy coal to allow access. Batteries are not included.
COUPLING ENGINE AND TENDER
The tender has a steel pin under the front which should be fitted into one
of the two holes in the draw bar from the engine. Use the first hole for
close coupling if running on large radius curves, or the second hole if
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curves are tight.
On radio controlled versions, the servo leads pass through the rear buffer
beam and should be coupled to the leads from the tender. Note that these
are marked so that the correct plug and socket can be connected together.
IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
Radio controlled version illustrated
1) Lubricator drain screw. 2) Lubricator filler cap.
3) Reversing servo (this is replaced by a
reversing lever on manual models).
4) Pressure gauge. 5) Gas filler valve. 6) Safety valve.
7) Boiler filler plug. 8) Gas regulator. 9) Steam regulator.
10) Steam regulator servo and linkage (not fitted
on manual control engines). 11) Gas burner.
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PREPARING FOR OPERATION
The locomotive must be serviced before being operated. It is important to
perform all the following operations.
1) FILLING THE GAS TANK
The filling of the gas tank should only be carried out in a well-ventilated
area, where there are no naked lights or other lighted locomotives close
by. Ordinary Butane or Iso-butane gas (as used in gas cigarette lighters) is
the preferred fuel, though for economy, the larger canisters as used for
blowlamps or camping stoves etc. are better. The larger canisters have an
EN417 threaded self sealing valve on top and require a special adapter to
couple up to the filler valve on the locomotive. A special brass gas filler
adapter is obtainable from your local garden railway supplier or direct
from ROUNDHOUSE.
Mixed gasses are also available and may be used if ordinary butane or iso-
butane are not available, but see the ‘Gas System’ section for more
information on this subject.
Before attempting to fill the gas tank, make sure that the gas control valve
is closed by turning it clockwise.
The filler valve for the gas tank is on top of the tank under the cab roof.
Invert the gas canister and place its nozzle over the gas filler valve.
Support the tank from underneath and press the canister down. The gas
will be heard hissing as it enters the tank and a small amount will escape
around the valve. This is quite normal and is the tank venting as the liquid
enters.
After about 20 to 30 seconds, liquid gas will emerge from the valve
showing that the tank is full. Remove the canister immediately.
2) FILLING THE BOILER
A syringe and plastic pipe are supplied for filling of the boiler.
The boiler is filled with water through the filler plug housed inside the
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centre dome on top of the boiler. This painted brass dome is a substantial
and heavy item, being turned from solid brass. Care is needed when
removing the dome, especially when the engine is hot, as the dome itself
will be hot. Take care not to drop the dome onto the locomotive, as the
weight of it may damage the model. Lift off the dome then remove the
plug by unscrewing, gripping the large knurled head. Fill the boiler right
to the top with clean water. Distilled water is recommended if available.
As an alternative to distilled water if this is unavailable, clean tap water
can be used in soft water areas.
Also, rain water or water from a dehumidifier can be used provided that it
is passed through a paper wine or coffee filter to remove any particles or
debris in the water.
Do not use deionised water as this type of water may cause long term
damage to the boiler and fittings.
There has to be a space above the water to allow steam to be raised so,
insert the end of the plastic pipe into the boiler and withdraw 30ml of
water with the syringe.
Replace the filler plug finger tight.
3) LUBRICATION
Regular lubrication of all working parts is important and should be carried
out before each operating session. There are two types of lubrication
required: The external moving linkages and bearings are lubricated with a
medium oil such as motor engine oil, and the internal steam mechanisms
such as cylinders, pistons and valves are lubricated with a special steam
oil that is mixed with the steam. Infrequent external lubrication will allow
parts to run dry, and over oiling can form pools around operating parts
that attract dirt and grit. If too thin an oil is used it will evaporate very
quickly as the loco gets hot –leading to dry running. We recommend the
use of a 20-50 motor oil for external lubrication.
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When carrying out general lubrication, do not forget the regulator spindles
(see Trouble Shooting section for further details of oiling the regulators).
Internal lubrication is achieved by steam oil that is mixed with the steam
in the displacement lubricator, housed in the left-hand side of the cab.
Remove the knurled cap from the top and slacken the drain screw two or
three turns at the bottom but do not remove it. Any water in the lubricator
will run out through the drain screw. Tighten the drain screw and refill
with the steam oil supplied, then replace the cap. Take time filling the
lubricator, especially when cold, as the oil takes time to run down and
may trap an air bubble. Both cap and drain screw are fitted with ‘0’ rings
and need only be closed finger tight.
NOTE: Only special steam oil as supplied should be used in the lubricator
and under no circumstances should ordinary oil be substituted, or damage
may result.
The gas and steam regulators will require periodic lubrication –see the
troubleshooting section for details.
4) LIGHTING THE BURNER
WARNING: Before lighting read the section on gas system
troubleshooting and be aware of potential problems. If the gas system is
not operating correctly, shut it off immediately or damage may result.
Move the locomotive to another location before lighting. Butane is
heavier than air and small pockets of gas can collect around the
locomotive during filling.
To light the burner, hold a lighted match or cigarette lighter over the top
of the chimney and slowly open the gas regulator by turning it anti-
clockwise. The gas should ignite almost immediately with a pop as the
flame travels down the chimney and into the boiler tube. The burner
should be audible but not too loud.
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NOTE as stated above, the gas regulator should be opened slowly until
the burner ignites. If opened too quickly, particularly when the engine is
cold or if the gas tank has just been filled, it is possible that the flame may
not travel back into the boiler flue but stay in the smokebox. If this should
happen, the burner will sound quite different to normal and the blue flame
will be visible in the smokebox if viewed down the chimney from a safe
height. Should this happen, turn off the gas immediately or damage may
result and then re-light it. If the problem persists and it is not possible to
ignite the burner correctly, then a dirty jet should be suspected and
cleaned as detailed in the Gas System Troubleshooting Section.
For the first couple of minutes keep the burner on low. This is important,
as until it warms up, the flame will be a little unstable and turning it up
too much could cause it to go out. Also, with a completely full tank, liquid
gas could be drawn off instead of vaporized gas, which can also
extinguish the flame.
After a couple of minutes, the gas control valve can be opened more to
speed up steam raising. Open the gas regulator slowly to about one full
turn. The full range of adjustment (closed to fully open) is achieved within
the first full rotation of the gas regulator knob any more is unnecessary.
RUNNING THE LOCOMOTIVE
When full working pressure has been reached (between 35 and 40psi), the
safety valve will start to blow off steam. Steam generation can be
controlled by the gas valve in the right hand cab doorway. If the safety
valve blows off frequently during running, then too much steam is being
produced which wastes water and gas. Turning down the burner will
decrease the amount of steam created. Conversely, if steam pressure is not
maintained during a run, then the burner should be turned up.
After a few minutes of running it may be noticed that the gas pressure
through the burner has increased. This is due to the gas tank becoming
warmer and so increasing the gas pressure. Simply turn the gas down –
this may need to be performed several times during a run. The art of
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balancing steam generation to the operational requirement by the
adjustment of the gas control valve will quickly be learned.
The gas tank has a duration of about 25 minutes, though this will vary
depending on gas valve setting. The boiler should not be allowed to run
dry, and the gas tank capacity is such that the gas should run out before
the water. When the gas is fully used up, the steam pressure in the boiler
will be seen to gradually drop until the loco comes to a halt. Should the
water expire before the gas is fully used, the pressure will drop rapidly
and the loco will stop. Check the pressure gauge –if this is zero turn off
the gas.
No damage will result if the gas is turned off immediately. Never re-fill
the gas tank without first re-filling the boiler.
DRIVING THE LOCOMOTIVE MANUALLY
On manually controlled locomotives, there are three main controls, all of
which are housed in the cab.
1) The gas regulator, which should be used to control steam generation as
described earlier.
2) The reversing lever. This is in the left-hand side of the cab and is
moved fully forward for running in a forward direction and fully back to
run in the reverse direction. It should be parked in the centre (mid gear)
when the locomotive is stationary for any length of time. When in mid
gear position, the valve gear is effectively in neutral and the engine will
not move under steam power.
3) The steam regulator. This is the main steam control valve and regulates
the speed at which the engine will run. The regulator handle is situated in
the right hand cab doorway and is moved anti-clockwise to open and
clockwise to close.
Using the reversing lever, select the desired direction of travel and open
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