roundhouse SAMMIE & BERTIE User guide

SAMMIE & BERTIE
Basic Series Locomotives
Owners Handbook
For the Sammie and Bertie Locomotives

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 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
be aware of this and take extra care when handling or operating
the locomotive. 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
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 7
3. Lubrication Page 8
4. Lighting the Burner Page 9
Driving the locomotive Page 10
Storage between operating sessions Page 12
Trouble shooting & maintenance. Page 13
Steam Leaks. Page 14
Gas System. Page 14
Boiler and Gas Tank Certificate, Pages 17 & 18
(EC Declaration Of Conformity).
Service and Parts. Page 20
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Sammie & Bertie
Instruction Booklet

TOOL KIT
The following items are included with your locomotive.
One small bottle of special steam oil for use in the lubricator.
One 60ml syringe with plastic tube for filling the boiler with water.
One spare gas jet.
One set of spare washers and ‘0’ rings.
One Allen key for cylinder socket cap screws.
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’. The locomotive 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. Take note in
the ‘Lighting the burner’ section regarding this matter.
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
cylinder or front cylinder covers, refer to the Trouble Shooting
section.
Note: - When steam has been raised and you are ready to run, it is
advisable to connect a heavy truck or flat wagon with a weight (up
to 20lbs) for the locomotive to pull. The design of the model is such
that when the boiler is initially full of water, opening the regulator
may allow water to pass through the steam regulator. As this
reaches the superheater, the water will flash into steam causing the
locomotive to accelerate rapidly. An alternative method is to initially
run the locomotive on blocks or a ‘rolling road’.
After 5 to 10 minutes the water level in the boiler will have reduced
and the model can be run light, if desired.
When the locomotive is fully bedded in, this tendency will lessen.
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IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS
OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
1/ Steam regulator. 2/ Gas regulator.
3/ Gas filler valve. 4/ 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 ‘Gas System’ on
page 13 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.
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2) FILLING THE BOILER
The boiler is filled with water through the safety valve bush, housed
on top of the boiler under the dome nearest the cab. 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 dummy steam dome and then
remove the safety valve by unscrewing it using the knurled ring at
its base. 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 adequately filtered
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 safety valve
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.
The slip eccentric valve gear is located between the rear wheels
and the frames and is lubricated by running oil down the back of
the wheels. 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 of
the lubricator. Locate the knurled lubricator drain screw located
under the cab floor. Unscrew this two or three turns, but do not
remove it. Any water in the lubricator will run out through the hole in
the drain screw. When the water has finished draining, tighten the
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drain screw and refill the lubricator from the top with the steasm oil
supplied. 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.
After filling the gas tank, 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
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 refer to gas system
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troubleshooting. 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. .
When full working pressure has been reached (about 40psi), the
safety valve will start to blow off steam, this can take up to 10 or 12
minutes in outdoor locations. 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 made. Conversely, if steam pressure is not
maintained during a run, then the burner should be turned up. 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 the gas valve setting.
DRIVING THE LOCOMOTIVE
There are two main controls, both of which are housed in the cab.
1) The gas regulator, which should be used to control steam
generation as described earlier.
2) 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.
Select the desired direction of travel by manually moving the
locomotive for one wheel revolution in the desired direction and
crack open the regulator just a little. Initially, there will be a certain
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