# afinegan's DJB Coal Fired Ruby Project



## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is the 1/2 finished kit as I received it on December 22, 2008. Mostly it just needed the water pump system completed in the Mimi Tender and paintjob to finish it up.










So I sanded all the "to be painted" parts down and applied the paint. The paint I used is Rustoleum High Heat Satin Black. Its the first time I have ever painted metal and I think I did a good job considering. I also got a small can of flat white oil based paint to do the trims and the engine number. I got the railroad font, Railroad Roman, and measured on the engine the area I needed for the numbers. I made a square in photoshop, painted it black and put in the numbers "531" in the center white. Then I printed this on card stock paper and cut it out with a xacto knife making a stencil. Then I scotch taped the stencil, and "very sparingly" painted in the stencil. Waited until dry, then removed the stencil and did the other side. Here are the results.




If I were to do it again, I think I would try vinyl decals or the water slide on ones, but I am no expert so I dont know. 


































I took these photos late at night last night, so I will update this post later with better pictures, howto firing videos (once I get it down to a science) etc. Its all ready to get all dirty/weathered up! 

btw I photoshop the railroad letters I want to put on the tender but I dont think I am good enough to just paint them on, so I want to know how everyone else would approach this decal?

PHOTOSHOPPED PHOTO, not real.... yet lol. 











Well anyway, its ready to be brought to diamondhead for its first public running (will practice locally to get the running down pat, have welsh coal now!). 
Years after I hope to add some more detailing to the engine plus finish the new larger tender for this engine (hold coal + tools, and more water, have the brass stamped and cut, needs soldiered and put together).


Any comments ans suggestions are welcome.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks like it will be a fun engine to run. You did a great job on it. Wish I could see it at DH but can't make it this year.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Great presentation with paint and decals. Hope you have the same success we have had with our RFC (ruby fired by Coal DJB)







B style).


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Question, where do you guys get your custom decals or how do you make them (have access to lots of different types of printers)

Well I tried the welsh coal that Justin (slipped eccentric) brought down and that was the ticket. The water pump kept up the water (had to fill the tender 2x during this run)
The welsh coal held its heat up and dropped its heat but kept the fire going for more coal. The old stuff(7.5 gauge pocohantas coal) I was using would burn out waay too fast.
My shipment from Coles Power Models came in yesturday, 20 lbs of welsh coal!

So this engine officially runs very well, cant wait to see her pulling a load! Yes it is in the dark again lol.


Yes I know the "Water Thing" is the sight glass lol, must of had low blood sugar at the time lol (type 1 diabetic), or I am just too occupied to pay attention to the proper terms 





I was taking the video by myself, I need a tripod or something lol.


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## seadawg (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By afinegan on 01/09/2009 6:47 AM
Question, where do you guys get your custom decals or how do you make them (have access to lots of different types of printers)


Try Stan Cederleaf, a member of MLS. I've gotten a couple of different sets of waterslide decals from him. He does a great job. 

http://www.trainweb.org/pcsrr/indexx.html 

Yes I know the "Water Thing" is the sight glass lol, must of had low blood sugar at the time lol (type 1 diabetic), or I am just too occupied to pay attention to the proper terms 






It's your loco call it what ever you want. When I lived on my sailboat I would purposefully call the ropes / lines by the wrong or incorrect terms. After 20 years of living and working on haze grey naval vessels, I felt I was not compelled to call a halyard a halyard. It does confuse the people who are wrapped up in terminology. And people might not know what the "curved silver thingy over there" is but it was my boat. If the didn't like it, they could get off.









See you @ Diamondhead! Be there Wednesday night!


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## David BaileyK27 (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew, watched your vidio, just a couple of tips, keep the fire up to the firehole door, you will get a much longer run that way, otherwise the coal will burn away and you will have a problem recovering it, do not use too much blower when you are stationary, you are just wasting steam and half the fire is going out the stack,keep an eye on the water level in the tender, it will use it up very quickly and you will find that you will need the pump on all the time.
I wish I was coming to DH this year to see it, I had mine there two years ago.
Good Steaming
David Bailey www.djbengineering.co.uk


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

Glad to see the coal worked for you! Have fun running it.


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Andrew, 
Great video! Makes me want to convert my Ruby to coal  
BTW, I think your stencils look great.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Trials of 351.

I brought it out to the track I built at my local 7.5 guage club (TARR) to hone my skills in on firing and running this coal fired ruby.

The biggest thing I learn today is blower control, I don't need much blower at all to run this engine.

Figured out a cycle to keep it running:


1. Stop engine from running when you see the pressure start to drop

2. open blower on a low setting
3. put in some new coal

4. let it build to 40(on my engine)
5. using the goodall valve, put some water into it affectively dropping the pressure to 20 again.

(repeat this until you see a little water come out of the blower(stating boiler is full), raising pressure from new coal, adding water- blower at a low setting is KEY)


6.Once boiler is full of water raise the pressure up to 60 psi 1 more time

7. add new coal
8. turn off blower completely, open throttle and off you go.


Trial videos (with a funny fake crash at end LOL)


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