roundhouse LEEK & MANIFOLD User guide

Owners Handbook
For the Leek and Manifold Locomotive
LEEK & MANIFOLD

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT: Read these instructions carefully before operat-
ing 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 reason-
able 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 unsuit-
able for unsupervised children.
Follow manufacturer’s 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 is provided in the tool kit for your protection.
Always have to hand either a fire extinguisher or wet cloth when
operating the model.
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CONTENTS
Tool kit. Page 4
Running in. Page 4
Access to Water Top Up Valve & Lubricator. Page 4
Batteries. Page 4
Identification of parts of the locomotive. Page 5
Preparing for operation. Page 6
1. Filling the Gas Tank. Page 6
2. Filling the Boiler. Page 6
2a. Quick filling when cold. Page 6
2b. Filling using the Pump bottle Page 7
3. Lubrication. Page 7
4. Lighting the Burner. Page 8
Running the locomotive. Page 9
Driving the locomotive manually. Page 10
Driving by radio control. Page 11
Water top-up system. Page 11
Storage between operating sessions. Page 12
Altering wheel gauge. Page 13
Trouble shooting & maintenance. Page 13
Steam leaks. Page 13
Regulator not shutting. Page 14
Radio control. Page 14
Gas system. Page 15
Gas Regulator (Internal Parts) Page 16
Identification of gas burner parts. Page 19
Service and parts. Page 20
Boiler and Gas Tank Certificate, Pages 17 & 18
(EC Declaration Of Conformity).
Instruction Booklet
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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 water top-up pump bottle.
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 and 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. Most are quite visible and easy to get to however if there is any
steam leaking from the valve chests on top of the cylinders, refer to
the Trouble Shooting section.
ACCESS TO THE WATER TOP UP VALVE AND LUBRICATOR
For normal operation, all controls are accessible without the need to
remove any part of the locomotive; however, to give access to the
water top up valve and lubricator cap, the cab roof is removable. It is
held in place by a small magnet at the front and 4 hooks on the
underside of the roof. Gently slide the roof backwards about 5mm and
then lift the roof off. On radio controlled models, the locomotive
batteries are housed in the right hand side tank.
BATTERIES
To access the batteries in the locomotive, remove the roof and steam
dome then lay the locomotive on a soft clean cloth on its left side.
Remove the battery cover plate screw and plate, and then gently pull
the tab attached to the battery holder. This will draw out the battery
holder containing 4 x AAA batteries.
Batteries are
not included.
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Battery
Cover
Plate
Screw
(M3 x 6)

IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
Radio controlled version illustrated
A) Boiler top up valve. B) Gas regulator. C) Gas tank (under coal).
D) Lubricator. E) Water gauge. F) Pressure gauge.
G) Gas filler valve access hole.
The gas regulator is accessible through the right hand cab door. On
manually controlled models, the steam regulator handle is accessible
through the right hand cab doorway and the reversing lever is
operated through the left-hand cab doorway. The switch for the
locomotive R/C equipment is under the right side tank. Push the
switch forward to turn the locomotive R/C on.
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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 ‘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 gas tank is located in the rear coal bunker under the dummy coal
load. There is a hole in the dummy coal load that allows access to the
gas filler valve. Alternatively remove the dummy coal load to gain
access to the top of the gas tank and the gas filler valve. 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
There are two methods of filling the boiler.
2a) Quick filling when cold.
The brass steam dome can be lifted completely off to access the safety
valve. The 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
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drop the dome onto the locomotive, as the weight of it may damage
the model. Remove the safety valve assembly by unscrewing it. Using
the 60ml syringe and plastic tube supplied, fill the boiler fully to the
top with clean water. Distilled water is recommended if available. As
an alternative in soft water areas, clean tap water can be used. Also,
rain water or water from a dehumidifier may be used provided that it
is adequately filtered.
Many people use rain water passed through a wine or coffee filter to
remove any particles or debris. Do not use deionised water as this
type of water in the long term, may cause 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, and then
place the brass dome over it. Note that there is a rubber ‘O’ ring
around the body of the filler plug which helps retain the dome during
normal operation.
2b) Filling using the Pump bottle when hot or cold.
The boiler filler valve is situated in the cab, on the top of the boiler
and to the front of steam turret. Remove the roof. Fill the pump bottle
with clean water and press the end of the tube into the top-up valve.
The socket has a slight taper in it, and a little downward pressure on
the tube will ensure a good seal.
Pump the handle on the bottle to inject water into the boiler whilst
maintaining downward pressure on the tube. Keep pumping until the
water level in the water gauge (located inside the cab), is almost at
the top of the glass.
Remove the plastic tube. Note that a small amount of water will
remain in the top of the valve but will evaporate away as the valve
heats up.
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
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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.
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 ‘Gas System’ section in the
‘Trouble Shooting and Maintenance’ section so that you are aware of
any 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.
NOTE as stated above, the gas regulator should be opened slowly

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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’ 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 vaporised
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 (about 40psi), the
safety valve will start to blow off steam. Steam generation can be
controlled by the gas valve in the cab. 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 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

a little 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.
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 full 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 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 the regulator a little. Initially, there will be a certain amount of
water in the pipes and cylinders, which will exhaust through the
chimney and, after a few moments, the engine will move jerkily, until
this clears.
Once the parts have warmed up, the engine will move off steadily and
its’ speed can be controlled with the regulator. Subsequent starts will
be quite smooth once the cylinders etc. have reached their normal
operating temperature.
To reverse the locomotive, close the regulator to bring it to a halt,
move the reversing lever over and open the regulator again.
The art of fine control will soon be learnt with a little practice.
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