# Aster S2 kit assembly questions/issues



## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

As this is my first Aster kit, I may have a few questions about assembly. First, I have a question about the lapping of the bottom of the slide valves and the steam port plates in the cylinder assembly. Why are these the only components that need to be lapped? It would seem that all of the components in the assembly would need to be lapped to ensure no steam leakage.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron, 

The valves and port plates have to be lapped as they are in constant motion (moving connection) the lapping is to help the valves seat quickly so as to eliminate steam blowby. The rest of the steam fittings are either sealed with compound and therefore are static connections when compared to the slide valves. The pistons and the cylinders are bore matched and honed already so that portion is done for you from the factory. 

Enjoy your kit and any questions just ask. Don't forget to take pictures and read the instructions/look at the diagrams numerous times.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know specifically about the S2, but the pistons probably have rings for seals. The bottom of the "D" valve needs lapped and I would expect the upper surface of the valve (or top of the cylinder casting). That is the only sliding "metal to metal" seal on the engine and thus the only parts that need to be lapped.


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## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

The locomotive is propelled when the valve blocks move across the valve. Lapping of the valve surfaces ensures that the mating surfaces are flat and smooth so there is no leakage of steam as these parts slide past one another and providing the timed steam events of allowing steam to enter and for it to exhaust. 
Lapping is pretty easy, given the proper wet sand paper. I believe the paper provided in the kit is 1000 grit. I have 1500 and 2000 grit wet dry for automotive body detailing. While the 1000 grit will work well, when I built my Mikado, I started with the 1000 grit and then went to the 1500 and finally to the 2000 grit. The valve faces turned out to gleam like mirrors. I did mine on the kitchen counter next to the sink. Make sure the surface that you do your lapping is dead flat. Place the paper grit side up, and wet it down with plenty of water. Gently push the part over the wet surface back and forth in a straight line motion. Inspect the surface and you'll see the milling maching lines fine as they are, begin to disappear. Keep adding water to the paper and continue lapping until these lines are completely gone and the surface takes on a shine like a mirror. 

After each face of the mating faces are lapped, test them by moistening one of the lapped faces with water and gently placing it against the other lapped mating face. If the surfaces are properly lapped, they will draw together like a magnet and will seem to stick together. Dry each part and wrap it up and protect them until they are required for assembly.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Not to bring up the old adage again, but anything more than 1000 grit paper is, well, frankly overkill. As I have either re-built or built countless numbers of valve chests, I can say that 1000 grit wet-dry paper is plenty for valve surfaces, unless there are severe milling errors. The valve blocks will settle into their own lap eventually as this is part of the seating process (thank gravity for that one, it pulls down on the valves causing them to create their own steam sealing). 

Also, lapping back and forth is normally not recommended due to the stop start stroke that occurs, either a circular motion or 90* rotations after picking up the piece for another stroke is the preferred way. 

And yes, the S-2 has rulon compression ring lands for the pistons to seal against the pistons, and like I said previously, the bores are already honed for you.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

I have used 1000 grit wet sandpaper as supplied in the Aster kit and have had no problems after building 5 Aster kits. A "figure 8" motion on the sandpaper works best for me and it is the one suggested by Aster. 1000 grit will give you a "dull" mirror finish. You can't see your reflection, but you can see individual light sources in it. 
Make sure you read the S2 instructions very carefully and look at the assembly pictures closely. There are quite a few parts that look identical, but must be assembled in a certain way so you can later get at the screws without disassembling too much. The S2 seems to require more fitting/filing than previous Aster kits. Probably the factory trying to save $$ or using a different vendor for subassemblies.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Question on cylinder assembly. It appears that the die block does not sit firmly within the slide valve due to the valve spindle passing through the die block, which slightly raises the die block off of the slide valve. This being the case it would seem that the slide valve, under steam pressure, would not seat properly against the steam port face and rise up to meet the bottom of the die block. Is this normal? I have a close-up picture and will post as soon as I figure out how to ddd photos. Any feedback is much appreciated.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Steam pressure holds the D valve down against the seat. It can lift if the pressure in the cylinder become greater than the steam pressure and this is a good thing as this allows water in the cylinder to be expelled back into the steam side. This prevents problems with bent rods or (in the real world) cyclinder heads blown off.


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## RP3 (Jan 5, 2008)

There are two things that will help make sure that the valves remain seated properly. First make sure that each die block and valve pair does not have any burrs that could cause them to hang up on each other. If so, clean off the burrs but avoid taking too much material off cause you want to keep the fit as close as possible without binding. Next, when installing the valve chest etc, tip the die block so that the end away from the spindle rests lightly on the valve and then tighten the set screws. This will keep the valve from lifting when you invert the engine for lubricating, cleaning, etc. This way you should have reliable valve operation regardless of the temperature. 

Ross Schlabach


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks guys, that makes sense. As this is my first live steamer, I am relying on you guys with your extensive knowledge to keep me on track. So far the process has been thoroughly enjoyable and I have learned much.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

There ain't nuttin like putting your engine together and studying the parts to understand what they do and why. The questions show you are doing it right... ain't it grand!  I get all giggleified when I finally figure out why some oddball part is shaped the way it is or why parts are connected the way they are. 

Just a note, I was quite concerned when I got my Mike to assemble, I remembered how difficult it was to, and how lousy I was at, assembling plastic model cars and such when I was a kid. Then I read Mark Horivitz's review in GR of his assembling a Mike and his comment that he had to file a little on the holes for the screws that hold the smokebox on. I didn't have that particular problem but had some other part that was a bit too tight of a fit and I had to run a file along one edge to "clean" it up some. My second Mike had no 'fit' problems at all, but it was totally missing the threads it two different parts! OUCH! The first one took me 20 minutes of fiddling before I took a good look at why I could not get that bolt started! 

BUT... don't go filing away on things until you know that it is a problem with the part and not a problem with how you have assembled things up to that point. 

Make sure you have the correct part in hand and not some mirror image part, or the "long" one instead of the "short" one. 

You might find it better to loosen other screws such that parts can "adjust" in position slightly and a part then fit without alteration. 

If you think you have found a burr or "flashing" on some part, make sure it REALLY is a burr or flash that you are cleaning up! You might just cut off some important protrusion used for alignment. 

When putting parts together that have threads, whether a bolt/nut or just two parts that screw together, make sure you have not started the cross threaded. If there is significant resistance to turning them, double check that they are the correct parts and are aligned properly. It could be a tight fit, but more likely there is something wrong, so just double check it before applying the 3-ft monkey wrench or 5-lb sledge hammer.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

link (I hope) to the cylinder pic showing the slide valve and die block question above. 

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk31/Ron67FL/Aster GN/Aster-1.jpg


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Ron67 on 06/08/2008 8:28 PM
link (I hope) to the cylinder pic showing the slide valve and die block question above. 
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk31/Ron67FL/Aster GN/Aster-1.jpg




Yep, looks a lot like the Mike valve assembly. Steam will fill the cavity that you can see all around the sliding valve parts. The actual valve is free to float somewhat but gets pushed back and forth by that big slug of brass attached to the rod. The steam exerts a pressure against the back of the sliding valve to hold it down against the face it slides over. 

It looks like you have it assembled correctly. Not too sure if you have that slug too tight against the valve part. You want it to touch, but not apply lots of pressure downward (let the steam do that). Of course, the rod is free to rotate some just due to slop at the other end where it attaches to the combination lever, getting it really tight would be difficult, but if it is, it will produce excess friction in the "motor" that the motion would have to overcome. 

That slug should also be a slip fit between the upper protrusions of the valve part. You do not want it to be real loose in that fit or have any amount of slop. It needs to push the valve forward and backward without slapping into the valve nor have any way for the rod to move without the valve moving with it. It can screw-up the timing if it is too loose.


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## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

Ok, this question is for you guys that have the RTR S2's or have observed Han's pre-production prototypes. 

According to Ross Schlabach's review on the S2, the drivers on the S2 are comprised of "tires" made of iron, pressed onto a forged center section. He goes onto say that this was a cost savings measure as well as a performance enhancement as this assembly is supposed to slip less than previous Aster locomotive models the the Mikado that had the stainless steel rims pressed onto forged center section. 

So, has anyone noticed any difference in the traction power of the S2, say compared to the Berkshire? How will these new iron rimmed drivers going to wear over time? I would imagine they may rust over time if left in a humid environment. What about strength? Iron, I believe is softer than steel, but then most of the layouts are made of either brass or aluminum railed tracks. This may be a mute point, as I was just bored here at the office waiting for a certain package to arrive. Hard to say if it would be possible to literally "run the wheels off" of this locomotive. Any thoughts? 

Oh, another question, how is the integral whistle? I don't recall seeing any reviews or comments on the topic.


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## Rob Meadows (Jan 6, 2008)

Well one more question to add to the list. I was looking at Samhongsa's brass version of the S2 and noticed marker lights on the tender, high up, just behind the oil bunker. I have not seen these in the pictures of the Aster version. Is this an oversight or are we talking perhaps, different time periods?


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

Rob, As per the Aster web site:" both models are built to "AS RETIRED" specs" and from the photos of the static display engines it looks like no marker lights on the tender is correct. 

GNSteamer, Aster used Iron tires on their early engines I would not worry about wearing them out, I think you will wear out long before those drivers... As for rusting, they look to be painted so this should not be a problem, traction should be better, the weight of the S2 is the same as the Berkshire and I have not found the Berk. lacking in traction, unless someone has "oiled down the rails" So with iron tires the S2 should be able to pull a sizeable train!


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## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

I don't think the word "Oversight" exists in Han's dictionary. Exhaustive research has gone into this project in conjunction with the Great Northern Historic Society. Of all of the locomotive's in the Great Northern roster, this prototype's unique welded tender certainly simplified the replication of details in the model's Vanderbilt tender.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Making progress on Black #, slow, but progress none the less. I have finished through step number three and am finding that the drive linkage is binding. I can get a 180 degree rotation but that's it. I've doubled checked all the steps leading up to this point but somehow something is not right. Will have to try to work this out before proceeding to the next step.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron, 

Be sure to add a drop of oil to all of the running gear and axle boxes. This can cause binding due to excessive friction....I have seen perfectly square frames and running gear bind because the bearings were left dry.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

the drive linkage is binding. I can get a 180 degree rotation but that's it. I've doubled checked all the steps leading up to this point but somehow something is not right. Will have to try to work this out before proceeding to the next step.



Ron, make sure the chassis is perfectly straight and that everything is square. The chassis should be built on a perfectly flat surface to make sure everything is in alignment.


Go back over every step in the book and double check your work and make sure the left and right parts are installed properly.


Just some thoughts from my experience.


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## danielstroka (Jan 10, 2008)

Ron, 

If it stops dead at 180 degrees it could be the strap on the eccentric connecting to the axel pump is on backwards and needs to be reversed. I did this by mistake. Also I noticed everything moves really smooth with the wieght on the wheels and wheels on the ground. However if I place blocks under the frame and elevate all the wheels off the ground, it is less free. 

So far all the parts seem to fit better (w/o any filing or deburring) than the Berk kit.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Has anyone noticed if the driver rods are rubbing on the brake support arms? Mine are very close to rubbing and with some sway while running they may rub.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

concerning the binding issue, I've narrowed the problem down to the water pump. Detatched, the rnning gear runs like a watch. Now I just need to figure out why the compression and decompression of the plunger is so stiff. 

Pat, I've noticed the same thing about the clearance between the rods and the brake hangers. So far I've not noticed any rubbing marks. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Hopefully I can figure out the water pump. All in all, construction has gone very smoothly and I continue to be impressed with the fit and finish.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Ron, make sure you put a drop of light oil on all the O-rings and on the eccentric for the water pump. Are you sure you put the SS ball in the correct banjo fitting? If it's in the output line that would cause the pump to bind.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

The problem is the axle pump ram. It appears that it bottoms out about half way in the pump housing and does not allow full compression, thereby "binding" the running gear at about 180 degrees of rotation. Not sure if this can be fixed w/o replacing. I've carefully inspected the inside of the housing and there does not appear to be anything to prevent the full compression. Any thoughts?


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Ron, 
Disconnect all fittings from the pump and manually slide the piston in and out. If it is still binding, make sure you have the correct O-ring installed and oiled. If so, I would give Hans a call and see if you can get a replacement pump and piston. I had a defective oil tank solder joint on my Berkshire and Hans quickly sent a replacement.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Other than Aster Japan, any resources out there for 3mm stainless balls? I checked Lowes and HD without success. Also checked my local hobby shop. Thanks.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Ron, 
Try Small Parts at  [url]http://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/bnmx.cfm [/url]


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## AsterUK (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi, a 1/8th inch diameter stainless steel or bronze ball can be used instead of 3mm. Some folks like to substitute a Nitrile rubber ball in their axle pumps. 

AsterUK


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

Pat, see note #6 on Hans's web site in his S-2 biulding tips.


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## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

Send Hans an email and he will source any missing parts for your kit from Japan. 
As for the axle pump action, you might check the orientation of the pump arm on the eccentric, if that is correct as well as the elevation at which the lock nut is securing the pump body onto the bulkhead as well as the position of the eccentric on the driver axle that everything lines up.


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Pat, see note #6 on Hans's web site in his S-2 biulding tips.



Jeff, I spoke with Hans about the brake hanger/coupling rod interference about 10 days ago. He was aware of the problem and thus the note #6. 
Thanks,


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Axle pump was not milled correctly and had to order a new one from Hans, which I've already received and installed. Problem solved. Again, great kit and responsiveness from Hans.


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## vmsysprog (Jul 2, 2008)

I love that Vandy tender!! 
Steve G.


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## vmsysprog (Jul 2, 2008)

Could you provide a url for this? 
Thanks, 
Steve G.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Finally finished(100%) with S2 kit #08 (black). What a great experience!!! The link below will provide a few pics of the finished product, including a carrier I made to transport. The only mod I made was to add a small switch, housed in the back of the tool box, to turn the headlight on and off w/o having to turn the engine over each time. No steam yet, but will fire her up this weekend. 

Again, a great experience. I received the kit on June 6th and worked very slowly and deliberately for a couple of hours each night. I had no issues, except with the axle pump, which was replaced quickly by Hans. Very little filing was needed and I am still amazed by how all of the hundreds of parts fit together so beautifully. As this is my first Aster, and kit build, she is worth a bunch more to me than the purchase price. I hope to be lucky enough to purchase another kit some day. Thanks to Aster and Hans! I must admit that I am a little sad the the build is over. 

Photo link: http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk31/Ron67FL/Aster GN/


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## k5pat (Jan 18, 2008)

Ron, 
Looks like you did a great build. Lets see some videos!


I'm finishing installing RC in mine and also will be steaming tomorrow if the rain lets up a little.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Pat 
Where is thiis note #6?


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

The last eratta sheet on his site. It discusses filing 1mm off the brake hangers to avoid contact with the drive rods. I have not done this to mine yet as I don't see any issues yet. May change my mind after steaming a couple of times though.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron 

OK, I found it. Hans had already sent that to me but I wanted to know if it was an different than his first instructions. You may have to do it as the first 3 times I ran mine it was no problem then I ran it on a different track and it was a problem. I would do it sooner than later so you don't have to interupt a good day of steaming. 

On another note I have an Aster Daylight. Up until now I have always compared all engines to it, maybe that has to change with the S2 being such a good engine, a little more time to decide is needed. I think Hans and Aster got the S2 "right" like the Daylight is "right".


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

I am getting my feet wet with the first couple of steams and trying to figure out throttle/blower/bypass settings. One thing I have noticed is that the S2 steams up within 5-minutes and runs well out of the gate. Perhaps its something I am doing wrong but I've noticed after about 5-minutes of fairly slow and consistent running, something happens where I notice a "gurgling" noise out of the stack and the S2 takes off. Mind you that the throttle is barely open (and blower closed) as I like to run slow. Any suggestions on what may be causing the S2 to "take-off" all of a sudden?


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Arts S2 that we ran yesterday likes to have a little blower going all the time. The other Asters we run here are the same way. Especially when running slow. When running slow, the blower has to be open more to make up for the drop off from the exhaust blast pipe. You have to keep the draft going for a hot fire. If you are not getting it from the blast pipe you have to make up for it with the blower. The S2 has a huge boiler capacity and we found that it takes a little longer to come up to pressure because of this. We only used the drain cocks to help clear the cylinders at start up. When running slow and pulling a heavy train more water and alcohol will be used. Keep an eye on the sight glass because the slower you run, the less water that is being pumped into the boiler. When running at a nice prototypical speed the axle pump keeps up fine but when going real slow keep an eye on it. Because of the fully equalized suspension, the engine seems to almost float along the rails. It runs so smooth that it is amazing. I have always been a "black" only Loco kind of guy. The S2 has changed that. It is beautiful. The vanderbilt tender has to be seen to be believed. As far as your S2 "Taking off" on you, I think that if you run your S2 with a little blower going all the time your problem will be solved.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron 

The taking off thing could be a water problem, not lack of water but too much water. This has happened with my Big Boy. You run the engine with the bypass closed and it over fills the boiler. The water then gets into the super heater, at this point it acts like a flash boiler. The super heater is between the throttle and the cylinders so no matter what the throttle setting is the engine will just take off. You have to see a Big Boy do this to really appreciate it. It’s like there’s a JATO bottle attached to the engine and fired. Yes the axle pump on the S2 is very efficient and can over fill the boiler faster than you think. 

I have run my S2 at a very slow speed and have not had to use any blower as long as it’s moving. The only time I need the blower on is when it’s stopped. 

These are things I have found with mine, maybe other people have found theirs to be different.


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## Rob Meadows (Jan 6, 2008)

Ron, 
I would concur with Dan Pantages. I have had a similar thing happen with my Duchess when inadvertently over-filling the boiler. Try keeping your water level at half to three-quarters full in the sight glass.


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## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

I fired my S2 up for the very first time out at Pete Comley's yesterday. I had some minor steam leakage up in the manifold that quickly went away with a couple turns of a wrench and away she went. Incredible pulling power! The stack talk was very loud(compared to my Mikado) once a load was attached. Listening to the distinctive beats, confirmed the time I took to set the valve timing, not only once but twice during the chassis air test. It took only a couple of minutes to bring the boiler up to 2 bars of pressure and the blower was shut down almost immediately once in motion. One word of note, when installing the pilot truck, I had put mine on in reverse, nothing mentioned in the instructions which way but I only discovered this after my run and seeing that it was binding against my lead driver. The correct orientation will have the pilot truck reaching further forward clearing the driver. I only had time to steam it once and will certainly run it in next weekend when Pete hosts an open house tour of his layout. The S2 looks great and dwarfs my GN Mikado.


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Dan, I think you hit the nail on the head as I recall seeing that the sightglass was completely full a few times. I need to get used to the right combination of speed/load with the proper amounts of bypass and blower. Thanks for the feedback, along with everyone else. It's really amazing to see the S2 take off all of a sudden when its lumbering along at a slow pace. Other than this issue, I am very pleased with the performace so far.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron, 

As Dan and Rob stated, this is quite a known quirk with engines that have mechanical feedwater pumps. The term used in full size is water carryover and it's exactly as Dan describes. Water compresses faster than steam so you have more volume per stroke. Don't worry, you'll soon learn the ropes and be able to figure out when the engine is going to "prime" (slang term for carryover). 

Usually the engine will begin to slow a very minute amount, sometimes the safety will stop wisping steam and in turn piddle water like a coffepot, and other times there is no warning at all. Using blower rarely helps this situation as that becomes another path for the carryover to follow, and it will do so with gusto. Sounds like it's time for you to put some rolling stock behind that machine and put her through the paces. All of it boils down to the engine is letting you know that the boiler is full.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm curious now. No one else uses some blower when running slow, especially when pulling a heavy train?? All the Asters around here like a little blower going just about all the time. We find it "necessary" when going slow and pulling a long heavy train. 

As far as a full boiler. I'm sure not an expert, but are you guys saying that when the boiler is so full that water is being forced through the cylinders that the engine will take off? All I have ever seen when this happens is that a engine slows down because of lack of steam production. I have seen on the berk and BB, (both have a crown sheet type boiler) times when if the water drops below this area and then the axle pump catches up and water then washes back over this now over heated area the water seems to super heat in the boiler and the engine will take off. This is unique to these boilers. I do not understand how an engine can take off just because the boiler is over full.


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Two things. One, Ryan, you know that you cannot compress a liquid, that’s why hydraulics work. Two, Steve, it’s not the water getting into the cylinders that makes the engine take off it’s the carryover getting past the throttle and down the steam line therefore getting into the super heater. When the water gets into the super heater it turns to steam RIGHT NOW and because it’s past the throttle you cannot control it. The “slow down” Ryan talks about is the small amount of time between the boiler being full, no room for steam, and then the carryover getting into the super heater.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Dan, making sense now. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blush.gif Have you ever experienced what I said about the Berk and BB?


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

The pressure is on... 

The water at the bottom of the ocean is compressed by the weight of the water above it all the way to the surface, and is more dense than the water at the surface.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Dan, 

You are correct...was preoccupied when I wrote that. Although the idea of a hot water engine is very interesting. 


Steve, Ron, etc. 

I did remember last night, however that this can only apply to engines with a certain dry pipe-throttle super heater setup. This is one reason why it is mostly seen only in Aster engines. By using the proper setup of a separated drypipe, needle throttle and return flue superheated, the flash boiler effect is inevitable. Depending on the relation of the dry pipe mouth to the top of the steam space, the locomotive can in fact create a siphon effect when over full and very effectively oversaturate the engine. 

The Berkshire can do this on startup if the boiler is overly full as the crown sheet consists of plates that act as chambers within the boiler. as soon as the water in chamber #1 spills over to the now empty but heated chamber #2, it flashes instantaneously and you get water flowing out of the blower valve, or this causes the engine to run very wet. The siphon will stay until the bypass valve is opened, as the water will keep coming in otherwise. 



Steve, 
You asked about using the blower at low speeds. Very rarely have I had to do that, most of the time the locomotive creates enough draft to keep the fire happy. The blower is just an auxiliary means to raise the a/f mixture in the firebox to create more BTU's, which as we all know, the more BTU, the faster water boils. I find that if I leave the blower cracked on a locomotive it is soon creating more steam than is needed at the present time and that is a waste of water and fuel. Not that this is all that crucial in out scale, but it's more of a principal thing for me. In my little black book of operations, the blower is reserved to: light engine moves out of the yard (clearing cylinders), for windy days where an open flame firebox (ALA GS-4) can be affected, of course the blower is used when coasting to a stop and if the fire is feeble or the pressure is down below the operating range for a particular track. 

Mileage varies and everyone has their own running styles. I also allow my engines to get as close to overfull or if I can't get there in time, overfull before cracking the bypass open. I'd rather have more water than not, of course this applies to the little scales only, carryover is a very bad thing in the larger scales, usually resulting in a blown cylinder head or two, which ruins your day. But to each his own, I've seen boilers run dry and immediately filled with cold water, creating horrendous shock, and I'd like to avoid that if at all possible.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Like the guy on the late 60's show "Laugh in" (Ryan, this was way before your time) used to say, this is all "Veeeeeeeeeeery Interesting". One thing about us Texan's though, we do not mind wasting things. We like to keep that blower going so that fire is hot. To us Texans, nothing looks better then that safety valve blowing off the entire run. If we were the engineer's on real one's we would be fired the first day. Then we have to see who can pull the *longest heaviest* train. Remember when John Frank pulled over 40 cars with his "out of the box" Mi Mi. He thought that he fooled us but he Had that thing so tricked out it would have out pulled my BB /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif Anyway, this has been a great thread. I have learned a lot. Now if some body could just teach me how to put one of those darn E clips on. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Putting E-clips on is easy. All you have to do is start with lots of E-clips. It's like my golf game to get around 18 holes all I have to do is start with lots of balls.


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## aopagary (Jun 30, 2008)

Posted By Steve S. on 08/13/2008 8:02 AM 
Like the guy on the late 60's show "Laugh in" (Ryan, this was way before your time) used to say, this is all "Veeeeeeeeeeery Interesting". 

Now if some body could just teach me how to put one of those darn E clips on.

======== 

it was Artie Johnson. 

as for the e-clips, ...get an old flatblade screwdriver (1/8" - 3/16" blade); clamp it in a vise, get a 1/2" round file and slightly concave the tip. that works for me. 

cheers...gary


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, yes Charles you can compress a liquid but for practical purposes and especially the pressures our engines work with you cannot. Here are some numbers for those of you that need to know that sort of thing. At 1000psi, oil compresses .56% and water .35%, at 10,000psi, oil compresses 4.11% and water 2.9%, at 15,000psi, oil compresses 5.79% and water 4.35%. The Mariana Trench is about 36,000 feet deep and the pressure is about 16,000psi so yes the water is compressed by about 4.7%. 

And there ends the class on hydraulics for today.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Love the "classes" provided here! Thanks!


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Couple of You Tube Videos of the S2 posted today. Will add some more shortly. Still tweaking the right mix of bypass and blower and having fun in the process. The bark of this engine is very impressive, even with little or no load. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppQ83_tuZbY 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXtTNop2frg


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