# Accucraft 'Royal Hudson'



## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, we finally got to see what this loco could do when it finally got to strut its stuff on a real track - some pretty necessary 'tweakwork' by the redoubtable Geoff Calver over here in rural East Anglia being responsible.

Steam came up, with the loco's own blower, after about ten minutes, a few meters of running on Geoff's beautiful track in the fine afternoon sun to clear out the cylinders, and with a short train of about ten cars hitched up - and we were off for over an hour's run.

The performance was exemplary, the steam production prodigious, and the sound was glorious Even the coffee was pretty good, for a Brit, but then he HAS spent time over in God's Country - even hitching a cab-ride on the real 2860 [deep envy].

I'm not going to say anymore about it, except to publicly thank Geoff over here in rural east Anglia, and the boys and girls over the water, with whom I shall soon be spending soon time swapping lies, alevai, for their encouragement.

Geoff, Dan, David, Alan and Phyl, Charles Bednarik and Ryan, and of course, Cliff of AccuCraft - thanks, all.









tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/

PS - see you at the Invasion!

PPS - there just _might_ be a movie cliip or several appearing on YT in the near future - watch this space for noos.


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## Alan Wright (Jan 9, 2008)

Tac,
Well done!!! Phyl and I are pleased that the Royal Hudson is running as it should.
Credit should go to one person who you have not named in the list and that is Dick Abbott. Dick guided Accucraft through the design of this loco and almost all of the recommended "tweeks" that you received originated with him and were disseminated to the rest of us and others before being sent to you.
Phyl's Royal Hudson is running well and we have eventually found time to complete 10 cars for it to "play" with. Yesterday Dick coupled 21 behind his and it made little difference.
I have added a few pictures of Phyl's cars running at night with self contained lighting installed. We are now able to include the lighting if a customer requires it.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. For some reason I do not seem to have an edit function, or is Shad just jerking my chain here?

Of course, credit is due also to Dick - designer of the boiler in the fust place.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Terry
Great to the have the engine running to it's fullest potential. As per my email we have discovered a key component causing difficulty for the engine: a simple redesign to remedy the poor performance.


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## topshed (Jan 20, 2008)

Hi Tac,


Good to hear the Hudson is home and working well, you must be delighted! We must have a get-together again so I can see this vision of loveliness in all her glory!


Martin


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## topshed (Jan 20, 2008)

Hi Terry,


Glad to hear the Hudson is back and working well, you must be delighted! we must have another get-together sometime so that I can see this vision of loveliness in all her glory.


Martin


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## zephyra (Jan 2, 2008)

The Royal Hudson looks great and it's good to hear she is performing well. What were the tweaks or "simple redesign". Now if only Accucraft could take the Hudson innards and add the Dreyfuss body...


Robert


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By zephyra on 09 Jul 2009 09:19 AM 
The Royal Hudson looks great and it's good to hear she is performing well. What were the tweaks or "simple redesign". Now if only Accucraft could take the Hudson innards and add the Dreyfuss body...


Robert


Robert, please PM me. I don't seem to be able to e-mail you.

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By topshed on 09 Jul 2009 08:56 AM 
Hi Terry,


Glad to hear the Hudson is back and working well, you must be delighted! we must have another get-together sometime so that I can see this vision of loveliness in all her glory.


Martin 


Yo Martin - I heard you the first time!









I'm off back over in Canada for the rest of the mumf of July, but you are more than welcome to come over after that at a *weekend[/i]* - I'm doing jury service commencing 3 August......

BTW - dijja get the DVD I sent?

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Hello Terry. It is so fun to have a Engine that you waited so long for and then to have it run great. I sure am happy for you. You have to get down to Texas and run with us sometimes. Right now, we do not even have to lite the burners to get steam up.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Tac,
Glad to hear that all is fixed and better than when you got it.
BUT, why is it that all these things have to be done to make it right?
Why are Accucraft locos NOT correct in the first place?
I do wish that they would take more care in designing everything so that you can get an engine to be 'just right' right out of the box.
Maybe they WILL get better in the future.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## David Rose (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Charles on 09 Jul 2009 07:31 AM 
Terry
Great to the have the engine running to it's fullest potential. As per my email we have discovered a key component causing difficulty for the engine: a simple redesign to remedy the poor performance. 


I'm suprised to hear this engine has a component issue that causes it to have difficulty and 'poor performance'. The engines delivered local seemed to run so good.... ????


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By David Rose on 10 Jul 2009 08:51 PM 
Posted By Charles on 09 Jul 2009 07:31 AM 
Terry
Great to the have the engine running to it's fullest potential. As per my email we have discovered a key component causing difficulty for the engine: a simple redesign to remedy the poor performance. 


I'm suprised to hear this engine has a component issue that causes it to have difficulty and 'poor performance'. The engines delivered local seemed to run so good.... ????


That's great to hear that all your local locos are up and running so well.

It is a most beautiful-looking loco, but then I'm heavily biased in that direction anyhow.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave
In conversation with Bob McHale at NJLS along with a performance run with the part removed a conclusion: that there had been a change in OEM specs or a poor design. This part failure will cause it to "freeze up" thus the locomotive is unable to move forward or backwards.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

So Charles,
Since Accucraft recognise that this is a problem, shouldn't THEY be offering new axle pumps, rather than Dick and yourselves selling replacements.
Oh, but then I guess you both would lose that market!
Well done Accucraft!
Looking forward to meeting you in less than two weeks.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

David
Actual as it has been determined thus far, it is the ram that is the problematic design issue. 

Parts- I would hope that given the awareness out there in the public's eye of prior problems that Accucraft would put forth a "recall" and indicate that they would remedy the situation. 


I have very little to lose in the scheme of things. I only brought this forth so that owners can be aware if they are faced with the situation, what it might be and how to resolve it.


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## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Tac,You should Send it to Me so as We can put one of My Whistles on it.Than and only Than You will have A GREAT Royal Hudson.You know They Did not have a pep pep Whistle Like the Brits have


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Dear All - it is at this point that I SHOULD point out that Cliff at AccuCraft sent me a new pump and other parts within three days of me contacting him - and I live, as most of you know, in yUK.

In fact, he called me up from the state we do not name to ensure that he was in fact sending me the right parts and even offered an entire new loco should I want it. The shipping on that alone would prolly have paid for a small but comfy homestead in Wyoming. However, as the Customs and Excise folks here would have treated it like another lococ, rather than a replacement, and charged me accordingly, we decided to persevere with the one I had already received.

HIS support in this little saga has been exemplary, and I have nothing but respect for him and his efforts to help me out - even at 6000 miles 'arm's length'.

However, it would appear that it is the basic design of the axle pump that appears to be the problem. 

Best to all 

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Kudos to Accucraft for having Cliff on board.


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## zephyra (Jan 2, 2008)

Funny how the little old axle pump can cause so many problems - this is a technology that is so well known that it should simply work but, in my experience, rarely does!. One of the issues with the Aster Berkshire was the axle pump was fairly ineffective and many of us had to get replacement rams so this problem isn't unique to Accucraft. 



Robert


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

From what I heard they used a double O Ring ram and the front O Ring eveuntally gauled up from lack of lubrication. The quick fix was to remove the one ring until the replacement was available. Anyone hear more about that?


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Mornin'. Yus, we all knows about it NOW. The ram doesn't need ANY O-rings to function, BTW. And it was the heat that was swelling the O-rings so much that it was freezing up the axle. There is no lubrication, except the natural lubrication properties of water, since the water came from the tender in the fust place.

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I was talking to Cliff today and the subject of the axle pump came up. He told me that some -not all - of the Royal Hudsons shipped with o-rings on the pump ram which were too large, causing them to jam when they swelled. He asked me to pass along that Accucraft now has a supply of the correct o-rings in hand, and they are available to anyone whose pump needs them. Just give Cliff a call.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Dwight
Great news...service with a smile! Good service and many smiles on the faces of Accucraft Royal Hudson owners. The response time by Cliff and the Accucraft organizations was first class.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Agreed Charles! He would have responded faster, but was away at the NGRC in Denver. As he drove to and fro, he didn't get back until Tuesday, and was off on personal business Wednesday.







Great guy! 

I'd bought one of the metal cowcatchers for #21 a while back, and had just gotten around to opening it as I've got her disassembled and in the process of being painted (yeah, she's finally getting painted), and I was ready to drill and tap new holes for the new cowcatcher when I discovered it didn't have the link in the coupler pocket. As I'm busy enough trying to finish and reassemble her before I leave for the NSS this coming Wednesday, I called Cliff on Tuesday... the link showed up in my mailbox yesterday (Thursday). I owe him one for sure!


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