# Accucraft Southern Pacific P-8 kit



## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Hello,

Has anyone assembled this kit? I've just finalized mine and would like to discuss some details.
Here's a video of the maiden run
Video

Regards,
Michael


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Sorry, wrong link.
Here's the correct one


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Well done Michael.
Seems to running well on a very nice track.
I think that the safety valve has put me off getting one!!!!
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## sakumar (Jul 1, 2019)

I'm in the process of assembling the kit. Since it doesn't come with a full assembly manual (although it does have the full Aster-like assembly diagrams), I have been giving some feedback to Channing @ Accucraft. I've just finished Page 4 (cylinder assembly).

Your loco appears to be running great!

(David, what's the problem with the safety valve?)


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

sakumar said:


> (David, what's the problem with the safety valve?)


Well, it's the NOISE!
That would drive me crazy after a while.
I much prefer a quiet safety valve, rather than some of these pop valves.
Besides it is not necessary to run at the maximum pressure.
Cheers,
David Leech


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## Jeff Williams (Jan 8, 2008)

David,
I also have a P-8. The pop-off doesn't make an unusual amount of noise. The apparently loud pop-off noise on the video may be due to the video recording device being more sensitive to high frequencies, rather than low frequencies. The sound of the wheels rolling on the track is much more pronouced than the pop-off sound on my track with the P-8 pulling a string of cars.
Jeff


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Jeff,

Would you mind letting me know how the trailing truck is attached to the main frame in your loco? Mounting the two springs as per the drawing didn't work for me - the truck was pushed upward towards the firebox and wouldn't swivel.
By the way, the safety valve does make this strange noise! Initially, I thought the water level in the boiler might be too high and that's water squirting out, but such is not the case.

Michael


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## Jeff Williams (Jan 8, 2008)

Michael,
Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll first try by attaching three photos.























I hope this helps


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## tommy98466 (Dec 27, 2007)

Nice.


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## Rpsqueezer (9 mo ago)

I have just started on one of the first kits that were shipped in. These definitely qualify as “craftsman kits” with the lack of directions. The drawings are nice but could use some additional information. I’m glad I’ve had 35+ Aster kits under my belt before I tackled this kit. I must admit being surprised that some parts were pre-assembled like the boiler shell, tender trucks and even the couplers/pockets. Another surprise is the decreasing sizes of fasteners. Where the vast majority of screws used in Aster kits were M2, this Accucraft kit has moved on to smaller screws with M1.7 and M1.4 making up most of the screws used on my kit so far. While this size reduction makes the fasteners less obtrusive, these are a bit more difficult to handle and you really need one of the high quality Phillips screwdrivers that Aster provided in their later kits. The small size has to make the screws more prone to breakage although I have yet to break one. Possibly I have avoided that fate by chasing out the threaded holes especially for the M1.7 and M1.4 screws. Assembling the tender tank alone employs over 50 of these screws, so chasing threads is an important task in the kit building process.

On account of a parts problem, I have been forced to jump instruction sections in order to keep building. So I now have the tender and the boiler completed while the chassis is about 60% done. Can’t wait to get it to the air test on my test stand.

So far I have enjoyed the build, and I’m looking forward to seeing it in action on the rails. Til next time….

Ross Schlabach


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Jeff Williams said:


> Michael,
> Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll first try by attaching three photos.
> I hope this helps


Yes, sir! Thanks a lot!

Michael


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## Jeff Williams (Jan 8, 2008)

Michael,
You are very welcome. 
As to your noisy pop-off, I suggest that when your boiler is up to pop-off pressure, that you hold the pop-off closed (with a flat-bladed screwdriver or other tool) and let the pressure rise until the second pop-off releases, (hopefully only 5-10 psi higher pressure) to find out if the higher-pressure pop-off also makes the same loud noise. If it is not as noisy, then there may be something like a macining burr inside the lower-pressure pop-off that is causing the loud noise. You could then consider ordering a replacement for the lower-pressure pop-off from Accucraft. This test will also give you confidence that the higher-pressure pop-off is actually working!
Jeff


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Jeff,

I put both valves on my test stand and checked them with compressed air.









The 'noisy' valve makes the same strange sound with air! Apparently there's something wrong, and I'll get a replacement.
The other valve is OK.

Michael


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

After dismantling the valve, I couldn't find anything that didn't look normal...and after reassembling the 'strange' noise has gone!
Maybe some dirt, swarf, who knows...
I adjusted the valve to 4 bar and marked it.









Michael

P.S. By the way...my loco is the spirit-fired version.


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## ferroequinologist (May 8, 2016)

Michael, I like your safety valve test rig, so obvious an idea when you see it but I never thought of it before, so thanks for posting the image it's a great idea.
Russell


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## bobrstrong (Mar 25, 2013)

All good info. Thanks guys.
Bob


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## sakumar (Jul 1, 2019)

Michael, did you have any problems with the operation of the crosshead? The bracket holding the two slide bars (items 21, 20 Page 4), goes below (and behind) Frame 1 (Item 13, Page 1). But then it ends up pushing the two slide bars downwards so that the crosshead doesn't slide properly. The installation diagram on page 5 seems to suggest that the tab of the Slide Bar Bracket goes _forward_ of Frame 1 but then the holes in the slide bars don't line up. Was this an issue for you as well? If so, how did you end up resolving it?

Adding some photos to better explain the problem.









The red triangle below shows how the crosshead slide bars are pushed down due to the bracket below the frame (red arrow).









One solution would be to file off the bottom 2 mm or so of Frame 1 (green) and then redrill/tap the frame to re-align the holes (green arrows).









A screen grab from a video of the Ready To Run P-8 seems to show that that is what has been done. Compare length of yellow arrow to first photo above.









Another solution may be to install the bracket in front of the frame (see below). But then none of the six holes in the bracket line up.









Finally, for those thinking that the cylinders are supposed to tilt downwards (towards the back) -- that is not the case. The cylinder blocks have tabs that fit into the frame and the top of the block is parallel to the top of the frame. see below.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

sakumar said:


> Michael, did you have any problems with the operation of the crosshead? The bracket holding the two slide bars (items 21, 20 Page 4), goes below (and behind) Frame 1 (Item 13, Page 1). But then it ends up pushing the two slide bars downwards so that the crosshead doesn't slide properly. The installation diagram on page 5 seems to suggest that the tab of the Slide Bar Bracket goes _forward_ of Frame 1 but then the holes in the slide bars don't line up. Was this an issue for you as well? If so, how did you end up resolving it?
> 
> Adding some photos to better explain the problem.
> View attachment 63584
> ...


Hi,
Sorry for the belated reply.
No, I didn't face this problem, however, similar ones with other items.
I compiled a report of what I experienced during the build, and discussed this with my dealer who considered giving feedback to Accucraft.

Michael


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## sakumar (Jul 1, 2019)

Michael said:


> Hi,
> Sorry for the belated reply.
> No, I didn't face this problem, however, similar ones with other items.
> I compiled a report of what I experienced during the build, and discussed this with my dealer who considered giving feedback to Accucraft.
> ...


Hello Michael,
Thanks for your reply. A list of issues that you encountered would be helpful.

I'm lucky in that I'm only about 20 minutes away from Accucraft's office/warehouse in Union City, CA -- so I can talk directly to them.

My problem indeed was that the part packaged in my my kit was out of dimension. It was 1.26mm too tall. Here are some photos comparing old (right) with new (left).


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Sakumar,

My detailed list with photos is written in German, however, a summary in available in English. My intention is helpful feedback for improvement, so I would like to keep this within a circle of like-minded guys, and I am happy to share but not just by posting to anyone.
Any ideas? By private email or has this forum a private message box? Pls advise.

Michael


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Michael,
There is a 'private message box', they have called it a 'conversation'.
Click on your 'box' at the top right and you can choose that option.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

David,
Thank you...'conversation' with Sakumar just started...
Michael


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## ludlow (Oct 6, 2016)

Hello everybody, this is my first message! I have had a P8 for 6 months now. It is a built-up model, but I have had to modify it to deal with various problems, so maybe I can be allowed to post on this thread?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

ludlow said:


> Hello everybody, this is my first message! I have had a P8 for 6 months now. It is a built-up model, but I have had to modify it to deal with various problems, so maybe I can be allowed to post on this thread?


Welcome, and yes, you are welcome to post relevant (or otherwise!) info on this thread.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

ludlow said:


> Hello everybody, this is my first message! I have had a P8 for 6 months now. It is a built-up model, but I have had to modify it to deal with various problems, so maybe I can be allowed to post on this thread?


Hello .... Ludlow,
We may know each other - do you live in Toulon, France? If so, I am looking forward to meeting you at EiWi in two weeks.
Michael


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

ludlow said:


> Hello everybody, this is my first message! I have had a P8 for 6 months now. It is a built-up model, but I have had to modify it to deal with various problems, so maybe I can be allowed to post on this thread?


IF this is Chris, and even if it is not, welcome to MLS.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## ludlow (Oct 6, 2016)

Yes, this is the technology-compromised Chris Ludlow! Sorry for the delay in posting. How my name here came to be just 'ludlow' I don't know, but there it is. I have no wish for anonymity (at least not here). Maybe I will change it sometime. Back to the P8:
This model bears all the traces of having been designed by a computer, and maybe the meths-fired version (which I have) was a last-minute thought. Here is my list of problems:

Impossible to close-couple engine and tender in the closest of the three holes provided in the drawbar, because the meths-feed tube gets in the way.
Impossible to see, and therefore replace, the silicon tube from the meths supply under the tender.
As supplied, the back end sat down on the copper pipes at right and left. The engine did not rest horizontal. The truck could not move left and right freely.
The left-hand Baker crank caught against the back of the dummy pump casting.
The wheelsets fell out of the front bogie - loose screws in the frames.
The loco trembles slightly, but noticeably, on the track.
On the real thing (except in a works photo) there is a horizontal box structure full-width above the front drag-beam. (I would normally say buffer-beam, but there are no buffers). This is absent from the model.
Similarly, on all except the works photo, there are two footsteps down from the footplate on either side of the smokebox. The model has just one each side.
The boiler handrail takes a dramatic upturn for the coned section. On the model, the upturn is slight.
The engine runs well, but seems to create too much steam. I wonder if four wicks is excessive.
Dick Abbott helped me out with the meths tube connection, and we were going to discuss the trembling, but ran out of time at the GTG here.
I do wonder if others have experienced the points above, and what they've done about them. They are a mixture of function and form.
Best wishes, Chris Ludlow, Toulon, France.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Chris,
As to the crank that catches against the dummy pump, I milled away part of the pump casting at the back:









As to the trailing truck, I first bent the copper pipes out of the way as far as possible. This worked fine as long as I ran forward most of the time. However, at the EiWi GTG one month ago, I had to run backwards over points and around curves to get to my train, and the truck just kept derailing! I have turned to a radical solution now: I removed the springs from the journal boxes, so the truck sits very low on the track with maximum clearance (the axle is still spirng-loaded via the spring of the truck):









Of course, if look very closely, you will notice that the center of the journal box no longer aligns with the axle. Here operational safety is more importnat to me.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Michael


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## ludlow (Oct 6, 2016)

Thank you Michael. Of course, I saw you running your P8 at the EiWi, but I had a bad fall and was a bit distracted. I also removed the springs from the rear truck, later replacing them with very weak springs, which no doubt are funtionally useless. For the pump, I just bent it forward a bit. You are obviously more of an engineer than I am!
Do you also have the impression that the engine makes too much steam?
Best wishes, Chris.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Chris,

Too much steam? At EiWi one guy remarked: "Actually the machine makes a nice sound, only you can not hear it because the safety valve blows off so often"  

Michael


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## ludlow (Oct 6, 2016)

Hi Michael, exactly! And I remember the person saying it. But I note there is a deafening silence from others on this forum who may own and run one of these locos. Unlike the safety valves. Best, Chris.

Chris,

Too much steam? At EiWi one guy remarked: "Actually the machine makes a nice sound, only you can not hear it because the safety valve blows off so often" 

Michael


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## Tom W (3 mo ago)

Michael said:


> Hello,
> 
> Has anyone assembled this kit? I've just finalized mine and would like to discuss some details.
> Here's a video of the maiden run
> ...


Hi Michael. I was wondering if anyone has answered your original question: "Has anyone assembled this kit?". I have seen the posts (although nothing in the last few months),
but I have not heard from anyone other than yourself who has successfully completed it. I purchased the P-8 kit last February and has been sitting on the shelf waiting for the assembly instructions as promised by Channing. I've previously built a Lion kit, a Barrett single cylinder tank engine kit (J-65) and have recently overhauled an Aster Shay. None of these would have been possible for me to complete without the assembly instructions. If I could hear from someone who has not built more than three or four Aster kits if they were successful it would give me a lot of confidence. 
Thanks,
Tom W.


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## richg (Oct 22, 2011)

Tom W said:


> Hi Michael. I was wondering if anyone has answered your original question: "Has anyone assembled this kit?". I have seen the posts (although nothing in the last few months),
> but I have not heard from anyone other than yourself who has successfully completed it. I purchased the P-8 kit last February and has been sitting on the shelf waiting for the assembly instructions as promised by Channing. I've previously built a Lion kit, a Barrett single cylinder tank engine kit (J-65) and have recently overhauled an Aster Shay. None of these would have been possible for me to complete without the assembly instructions. If I could hear from someone who has not built more than three or four Aster kits if they were successful it would give me a lot of confidence.
> Thanks,
> Tom W.


Tom I have built 4 kits the 4th being the P8. I have it running pretty well now. PM and I can give a complete run down. Just a little to much to type for me on the forum


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## Tom W (3 mo ago)

richg said:


> Tom I have built 4 kits the 4th being the P8. I have it running pretty well now. PM and I can give a complete run down. Just a little to much to type for me on the forum


Thanks for your reply. This is encouraging. Did you say you and PM are considering sharing your experiences with building it? Perhaps on some other platform?. How much of a problem was the lack of assembly instructions?
Thanks,
Tom


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## richg (Oct 22, 2011)

Tom W said:


> Thanks for your reply. This is encouraging. Did you say you and PM are considering sharing your experiences with building it? Perhaps on some other platform?. How much of a problem was the lack of assembly instructions?
> Thanks,
> Tom


Email me at [email protected]


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