# E6 First Steam Up Success



## N7IPY (Mar 30, 2017)

I was able to steam up my new Atlantic E6 On Sunday. I built up a simple test stand so I could have the Drivers turning under steam. I had purchased 2 sets of, and don't remember the technical name for them, but ball bearing sets that the drivers rest between and some short sections of track for the rest of the engine/tender to rest on. Kept the fire going for about 20 minutes, keeping a close eye on the water glass, trying to find the best location for the axle pump bypass valve.

I noticed a water leak under the tender and will investigate this evening or the the next when I do a clean up and oiling while I wait for the RC gear to arrive.

So, thanks for the answers to my questions over the last few weeks, helped a lot yesterday. -Will


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Congratulations on a successful run and the new loco!

Later,

K


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

My E6 Atlantic arrived yesterday and its first run was a success:










Video: 




Regards
Fred


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

How many gauges do you have on that track?

Later,

K


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

East Broad Top said:


> How many gauges do you have on that track?
> 
> Later,
> 
> K


The different rails allow me to run 2-rail and 3-rail gauge 1; 2-rail and 3-rail gauge 0 and S gauge.

Regards
Fred


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## Wizard69 (Feb 4, 2016)

You have some lush greenery there!

I have to ask how much for the engine. I have this desire to get a live steam engine in gage 1 but unfortunately the pocket book doesn't approve.

A second question if you don't mind, where did you get the multiple rail track? I have this idea that Gage 1 and S scale might work together either that and gage 1 plus a larger scale.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

3 rail Gauge 1? Who made that? European? 

From the pictures I see the "middle rail" looks slightly offset, is that the S gauge?

How about a top down picture of your track, if you would be so kind.

Greg 1,003 (getting close)


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

Greg Elmassian said:


> 3 rail Gauge 1? Who made that? European?
> 
> From the pictures I see the "middle rail" looks slightly offset, is that the S gauge?
> 
> ...


i wrote a small article for the G1MRA (Gauge 1 Model Railway Association) newsletter which I copy here:
In NL&J 143 and 150 (1989) I wrote about the construction of my Gauge 1 garden track Driehuis Junction. In NL&J 200 (2003) I reported about adding 0 Gauge rail to the inner loop of my track. Since then my track is used a lot for Gauge 1 and Gauge 0, running clockwork, steam and electric trains. A selection of the running can be seen on my YouTube channel SNCF231E (https://www.youtube.com/user/sncf231e).

I have also some older tinplate 3-rail electric Gauge 1 locomotives which I tried to run using one of the 0 Gauge rails as center rail by fiddling with the pick-ups of these locomotives. This did not really go well. I do have some S Gauge (22.5 mm between the tracks) trains (most of it American Flyer) and then the idea came to kill 2 birds with one stone by adding a middle rail to my outer loop positioned such that S Gauge and Gauge 1 3-rail electric could be run (not at the same time, of course). There was still one point/turn-out in the outer loop but that was not operational anymore and I started by removing that one. Then back to Terry Hines of Tenmille to order another 30 meter of nickel silver bullhead rail and some 1200 chairs. 
While waiting for the order to arrive I started to test a bit with small pieces of rail and sleepers and some leftover chairs. This resulted in making a drill jig, but I also noticed that when drilling the sleeper at the required location for S Gauge (which is just a bit out of the middle of the sleeper) the hole partly touches the extra molding in the middle of the underside of the sleeper; this molding is present to allow for screwing the sleepers to a base board. When adding the third rail I did find out that because of this molding it was difficult to keep the gauge constant; this is however no problem for the S Gauge American Flyer stock since these are rather forgiving having large flanges. And for the third rail for Gauge 1 the exact position is even less of interest.
I looked at the NEM and NMRA standards and kept the gauge to (approximately) 22.5 mm. During the construction I checked with an American Flyer bogie whether the gauge was right and when the track was finished I pushed some cars around to further check. I found that BUB Spur S, which also has large flanges, did not fit. I looked around the internet and found somewhere a German forum post mentioning that BUB Spur S is 24 mm since BUB made an error when translating from Inches. So S Gauge and Spur S are not compatible to my surprise. Most G1MRA members couldn’t care less and the Gauge 1 3-rd rail works good; you can see it on YouTube in video “BING tinplate 3 rail electric gauge 1 goods train”




Top down pictures of the track:

















Regards
Fred


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So you added all the chairs for the extra rails yourself, wow! a lot of work, how are they affixed?

(and thanks for the pictures, they blow my mind!)

Greg 988


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Sunset Valley RR make 3 rail track. 










Aikenback Live Steramers (Mike Moore's) track is also SVRR:










It's actually quite easy to add a 3rd rail for 32mm gauge 0 to existing 45mm track or to add a gauge-3 64.5mm rail. This is Llagas code 250 with their plugs - I did some other plain track using Micro Engineering metal tie plates on plastic ties.


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## fredlub (Feb 7, 2010)

Greg Elmassian said:


> So you added all the chairs for the extra rails yourself, wow! a lot of work, how are they affixed?
> 
> 
> 
> Greg 988


The Tenmille chairs are plug in; they are just pushed in a 2 mm whole and through their smart design they stay fixed. And yes, a lot of work but quite easy (I am good at easy things ).

BTW Tenmille now also makes 2-gauge track (0 and 1).

Regards
Fred


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks, their pictures are all very small, but I found that you drill a 3mm hole for the chairs, and apparently there is a profile to the pin that keeps it in the hole.

I for one would like to see how this is done, long term I would worry about the chair backing out. Clearly if this was a problem though, we would have heard about it.

But, over time, plastic loses it's flexibility, but I guess so do we ha ha!

Thanks for the information, again apologies for derailing the thread.

Greg 982


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

> I for one would like to see how this is done, long term I would worry about the chair backing out.


Greg, its quite easy with the right jig.

Here's my plugs and kit - a brass drill guide that puts the holes for the plugs in exactly the right place in a redwood tie. The paper thing is a drill guide for a pilot hole for spikes. The cut down yard stick is a track gauge - notched at 1.75" and 2.5".

See also: http://forums.mylargescale.com/16-t...d/18023-old-llagas-creek-tie-plate-plugs.html


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