# Running Your Coal Fired K-28



## fkrutzke (Jan 24, 2008)

Because I have received several PMs from the earlier posting with questions and it will be several days before I can get a concise manual out, I thought I would start a new thread.

First: What will you need to run your locomotive?

The K-28 is not being shipped with tools, so you will need to order from Accucraft the following.

1 ----- A Stack Fan, you can also use an Aster Fan.
2  ----- A shovel and Pick.
3 ----- Flue Brush.

I recommend that you do not try to feed coal out of the included bunker/tray that ships with the locomotive. You need to limit the probability of getting coal dust in the water tank. I have always used one of Accucraft's gondolas coupled up right behind the tender, That way I can stoke from any location around the track. You could also stoke from a gondola on a siding or a container set next to the track. The problem with stoking from the tender bunker is that it does not fit tight in the tender and coal dust can ger into the water. This cah cause problems with check valves in the tender pump, the axle pump and the boiler check valve.


Other items needed:

COAL ----- I would suggest that you obtain coal from Coles Power Models.

Coles' Power Models, Inc
P.O. Box 623
Warren, TX 77664
Voice: (409) 547-3400
FAX: (409) 547-3444 

The grates and ash pan are designed for fairly large pieces of coal. The coal from Coles is just right in size.
I do not recommend other coal. I have tried them all and the Welsh coal from Coles is the best. I burns very clean, leaves no clinkers, *and does not soot up the flues like other types.*

Charcoal ----- I suggest using Cowboy brand BBQ charcoal from Lowes. This is easy to chop into pieces about the size of a large Lima bean or Brazil nut.

Charcoal Soaking Fluid ----- The best I have found for the price is TiKI oil for the backyard lamps.

WATER ----- Please use only Distilled Water, never tap water, and never deionized water, steam distilled only. Unlike my K-27's, the K-28 does not have a boiler blowdown. Distilled water will limit scale buildup.

Will post more tomorrow.

Torry


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Until Torry has time...Here is a guide for those not familiar with the coal firing process. Stop the video and read (no voice by design):


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Torry, 

Thanks for the update, I sent off an email to my dealer to order the needed parts, which in my opinion should have been included or listed on the page as an option so folks would know one way or the other if they were included with the engine. I have 50# of welsh coal, a sack of Cowboy charcoal, need some soaking fluid. 

Chuck and Ryan, thanks for the Coal Firing lesson I got a Jim's, it was a good reminder from the lesson I got from Torry a few years ago. 

Now all I need is for everything to arrive and a nice weekend day where the weather is nice and some track availability at a nice level live steam track......


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## Steve Shyvers (Jan 2, 2008)

Jon, 

The Justman Brush Company sells suitable flue brushes. Find their website and order online. Look for "nylon tube brushes" with black nylon bristles. These brushes have a long, flexible wire handle, which is a "must" for getting to all the flue tubes on some locos. I bought Justman's 1/4" dia. brushes, 18" long overall, for my loco's 1/4" ID flues. The actual brush dia. is slightly larger than 1/4" so there's good scrubbing action. 

Steve


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## Charles M (Jan 2, 2008)

I was out at the DGRS layout running trains when Torry showed up. We quickly cleared the track for him to set up and test the new locomotive. For those of you who are getting one of these, you are in for a real treat. It is a really very nice locomotive. Runs great and best of all , the smell of real coal burning on a nice fall day. It was a great day to be out running trains. 

Charles M SA #74


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Went to Lowes. No Cowboy brand charcoal, but Frontier Brand, that sounds like the same thing hardwood charcoal 

Coles is low on coal stock. they would only sell me 10 pounds 

jim


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Jim Overland on 21 Nov 2011 10:31 AM 
Went to Lowes. No Cowboy brand charcoal, but Frontier Brand, that sounds like the same thing hardwood charcoal 

Coles is low on coal stock. they would only sell me 10 pounds 

jim 
Jim
I hope this does not become cause for a huge price increase given the only available source from a hobby supplier.


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Engine arrived last night, got a few minutes to unwrap and look it over. Looks close to the butane model, but it has extra components such as a blower, axel pumo along with the hand pump, a whistle and of course a different boiler. I did not examine how to remove the smoke box cover yet. One thing I did see that will require modification is the hand pump is located in the back side of the tender under the decking which has to be removed to gain access to the hand pump. The decking has the doghouse, water hatch and ladder attached to it. The ladder would be the first thing to break if you were constantly removing the deck. I think I will follow the example I have seen with Aster engines and move the pump to be under the water hatch and use the hatch to gain access without needing to remove the deck. I'll need to replumb the pump lines. Anyong have a good source for some 3mm copper tubing? 

I'll post some pictures this weekend and hopefully will fire it up on Staurday at Jim's track.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jon
Contact Dave (seadog) for 3mm other have to make a union with 1/8" pipe.


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Charles, I sent him and email. I was able to add some tubing from the return line and reposition the pump. I will redo the return line with copper later. I hope to run it on rollers tomorrow in preperations for a run at Jim's on Saturday.


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## fkrutzke (Jan 24, 2008)

I am working to try to get the manual done by this weekend, but will provide a few more details. 

To remove the smokebox front, there is a 1.6 mm bolt at the very top of the smokebox right behind the headlight. This is the only holding device for the smokebox front. 

The ashpan/grates remove by a pin that has a clevis pin clip on the right, engineer, side. I would suggest perminently removing the clip. The pin holding the ashpan assembly really does not need it. 

The firebox door has a tab at the top that needs to be bent to more easily open the door. Accucraft followed my door drawing to a "T" but did not bend the tab. See drawing attached. Ignore where it says "bend line" this is where the K-27 door was bent for the hinge, just curl the tab at the top.

If you are using a good grade of coal, preferably Coles, that is a low ash coal, you will NOT NEED to brush the tubes after EVERY firing. This will reduce the chance of a probablem with the front end piping getting damaged. Accucraft did a great job with the front end pipiong from the view point of maintaining a scale appearance, but it is dellicate. 

As to piping for the tender pump. Two things, one is that the axle pump return line does not end under the water hatch, you need to prime the axle pump with the bypass open and pump the tender pump to clear all the air out of the lines. And as Jon remarked, the pump is not in the most convenient place. I'll post a modification to take care of this as well as have some parts available to extend the tubing with appropiate couplings. You will need to kn ock the baffle plate out of the bottom of the hatch. I'll cover that also.

Torry 








http://inshp.net/firedoor.bmp


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

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I moved the pump to under the hatch and extended the return line to also be under the hatch so you can see if everything is primed properly. Seems to work better now, you do loose a little of the pump stroke, but I think it is better than having to lift the tender deck each time you want to use the hand pump.











You can see the clear tubing end which is the return line from the bypass valve. The brass plate covers up the holes from where the pump was origionally.









Torry, the drawing you have of the firebox door also has a few holes in it, should they be added and what size should they be?


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

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Here is a picture of Cab arrangement











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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

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I also cut down the coal bin, it was too deep and intruded in to the water space, I cut about 3/4 of an inch off 


















I also got to build a fire and test on rollers on Friday evening

















I will say the boiler produces a large amount of steam, large firebox and plenty of room to get a good coal fire going.




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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Engine was really stiff and something was causing the engine to not have any pulling power. Suspected drag on either pistons or axel pump. Talked with Cliff, he has seen the o-rings on the axel pump to be oversized, so after a little disassembly I disconnected the axel pump and the engine seemed to roll much easier. Cliff sent out some new o-rings which I installed, seems to have made things much smoother, the engine now turns over by pushing it on the track similar to my butane K-28. I also don't like the position and design of the whistle valve, leaked too much and was right over the Johnson bar. Decided to cut it off, and I was going to plug it but decided to get a Regner whistle valve which I used sucessfully in the past. Waiting for it to arrive so I can finish the modifications and test run it again.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Jon, you should find the Regner valve bullet-proof. One good feature of it is that the lever position can be adjusted in relation to the steam feed outlet. 

Did a whistle come factory installed on your engine? If so, how is the sound? The Regner whistle uses hardly any steam, but is shrill, European style. I have started experimenting to change the tone. 

Good to have you back posting. 

Larry


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

The whistle that came with it looks a lot like the Regner unit, it is tucked under the cab on the engineer's side.


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

OK, modifications are done and air tested sat. I cut out the Accucraft whistle valve and replaced it with a Regner valve which was so much better! Here are photo's of the cab. I know have better access to the Johnson bar.




























Now all I need is a test firing on steam, stay tuned...


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## mocrownsteam (Jan 7, 2008)

Jon, 

Looks great!! Did you get the Regner valve from the U.S. distributor or direct from Regner? 

Mike McCormack 
Hudson, Massachusetts


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Train Department is the USA Distributor for Regner Train Department


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

FINALLY ran the K-28. Once the fire gets going it creates a lot of steam and I had several laps on the track. A bit of an impact from the axle pump, but I think this will be Ok with break in 

The problem that I had is that the by-pass value will not close when the nob is turned all the way in. Ideas ? 

jim o


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