# Accucraft ruby help!!



## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Hey everyone first time post coming from Ontario Canada

I've been modeling n scale, ho and 1:29 g scale since I was a kid. Ive had a love for narrow gauge shay and climax locos so before spending $4000+ up here in Canada I picked myself up an accucraft ruby kit to start. 

The assembly process was fairly straight forward. The timing process was a bit of a different story. I've spent about 4 days and have read every article I could find including Dave Hottmann's setting up for inside/outside addmission. So I have it set up currently for outside admission and it runs about the same forward or reverse I tested it on air for a few days and it ran pretty good I'm just curious about the speed. I've seen videos of Ruby's screaming down the track and mine just sort of lumps along at full throttle. Is there a break in period were it smoothes out or is the timing/ eccentrics still off? any help would be appreciated


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Here's a link to the video

https://youtu.be/dJuRpL9k6oE


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Nick, at first glance, seems there is an awful lot of steam streaming out of the stack for the amount of speed. Could the valves not be seated properly and some steam is just blowing by? LiG


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## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Nick, Are You close to Winsor,If so I am in Michigan just over the River.
First off what Temp Outside was it? if Below 50 Degrees You can't run it on Butane.
Have to use Butane propane Mix 
If You are in Winsor Email Me [email protected]


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

Bob is using Fahrenheit degrees, of course. The equivalent Celsius is 10 degrees.


Hope this helps.


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## scoobster28 (Sep 15, 2008)

I had a Ruby kit I built that I could never get to run right. I had a couple of live steam suppliers work on it and it still wouldn't run right. It is now a shelf queen.

If you can get yours to run well, you will have a nice little engine. Strangely, the factory built ones seem to run well.


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## pickleford75 (May 3, 2012)

Is it me or does the exhaust sound as if its only running on one cylinder?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Timing is off. Check the valves, there is a score. When the eccentric is pushing it all the way in, the line will align with the edge of the bore. Same for the reverser in the middle. Once you have that, You need to play with the eccentrics to get the valve to open just before TDC, About 8-8:30 and 2-2:30 on the crankpin location on the driver. You should get a new Ruby to tick over at 5-10psi when set correctly.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Jim Sanders had to completely retime a factory built red Ruby #2 for one of our newest members of the local steam group. Ran like total rubbish out of the box. A retime followed by some better gaskets on the valve chests to stop steam leaks and she runs like a top for the owner. Mike


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Bob I am relatively close to Windsor it was around 7 celcius that day I wondered if that had anything to do with.


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Mike I was wondering about the gaskets being a problem as there was quite a bit of water/steam leaking out but nothing noticeable with air. My plan after about 4 hrs this morning was to pull the valve body off and check the gaskets. Are there better gaskets available?


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Kovacjr said:


> Timing is off. Check the valves, there is a score. When the eccentric is pushing it all the way in, the line will align with the edge of the bore. Same for the reverser in the middle. Once you have that, You need to play with the eccentrics to get the valve to open just before TDC, About 8-8:30 and 2-2:30 on the crankpin location on the driver. You should get a new Ruby to tick over at 5-10psi when set correctly.



Kovacjr could you possibly draw out what you're explaining I'm afraid I'm a visual guy and have a hard time understanding. Do you mean 830 on one side and 230 on the opposite side of the loco?


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

For gaskets, if you can still get the old style brown paper shopping bags that grocerys used to use, those work well, just use the original gasket as a template to trace out the new one. A good old 1 doller bill in the USA works well to due to the cloth type material used in USA money. I can still get the old style shopping bags from Trader Joe's, so that is what I use. The leaking from the gaskets under steam wont stop her, but does tend to get things messier than they need to be and any steam leak, is a waste of steam. The timing should be your first item to fix, deal with the gaskets later. The score he spoke of, is a line around the valve rod just before it goes inside the cylinder block. That is your base timing mark to set the eccentrics. From there you can adjust the eccentrics each direction from the base setting(very small increments here) to maximize the tuning. Its mostly all trial and error from that point. If you have any larger steamups in your area you can attend, ou can find much more seasoned help there to assist getting your Ruby going. Cabin Fever in eastern Pennsylvania in Feburary next year is a good place to go, or Diamondhead Mississippi in late January. Both are well worth burning up some vacation time to attend. Plenty to do for your wife/girlfriend/family as well while your running trains. Mike


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

This is where I have it set to start i just want to make sure that's right at least. I feel like I'm missing something thats right I front of me but I can't see it lol


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

IF in the photos, you just turned the loco over, why are the wheels not quartered?
Merry Christmas,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I see that as well David, drivers are 120' apart and not the correct 90'. I believe that is the problem. And that is a warrenty issue as I think the drivers come already pressed on the axles, even in the kits. I would contact an Accucraft dealer or find someone like Kovac to properly quarter the drivers.


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Mike Toney said:


> I see that as well David, drivers are 120' apart and not the correct 90'. I believe that is the problem. And that is a warrenty issue as I think the drivers come already pressed on the axles, even in the kits. I would contact an Accucraft dealer or find someone like Kovac to properly quarter the drivers.


David and Mike the I've rolled the drivers into the factory tuning setting as specified in the instruction. The drivers are quartered here a picture just flipping it over untouched


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

That looks better Nick. What I would do is call Jay Kovac(The Train Department) and have the Ruby right in front of you so you can look at it while you are talking to him. He might also know if there are any live steamers in your ara that might be able to help in person.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Set the loco in front of you with the crank all the way down, adjust the eccentric so that it is all the way in. This is done obviously by loosening the set screws in the eccentric and rotating the eccentric on the axle until you get the desired setting, then retighten the set screws. Roll the wheels and verify the valve is all the way in when the crank is straight down near the track.

If you need to adjust the valve so that the groove around it lines up with the surface of the valve block, loosen the lock nut on the valve then turn the valve so it screws to the right location.

These settings shold get you started. You may need to fine tune things a bit.


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Ok so this is the best I've got so far. The drivers rotate with minimum stalls with a light breeze of pressure but it gets a little lumpy the higher the psi. While I feel like it's not right after it is the smoothest its ran in the 3 weeks of me trying to tune. 

Eric you're saying the valve should be in when the crankpin is at bottom dead centre? My valve is all the way forward at TDC. I have it setup for outside admission if they're all the way in at bottom dead center would that be inside addmission?

https://youtu.be/CDj2AFkL-dw

https://youtu.be/IQFYT1vvXAY


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Nick,
Normally when a loco is running on steam, it will run much smoother than on air as the steam in the cylinder continues to expand, whereas the air does not.
You seem to have got it running very well.
Happy New Year,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

I have 3 rubys running ,Dave Hotmanns tuning ,also i followed Bills advise and resized all the portholes to i believe to 0.080,all run very smooth!


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Should that be .08 inches?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Decimal points can be so pesky!


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## Nickxlucas (Jun 11, 2018)

Alright guys I think I've got it. Shes running pretty great on air @25psi I think the steam runs in the cold arent making enough pressure in the low temps as the safety valve doesn't really blow off no matter how long you let it steam up. Working on a plan to steam up in the house on my wife's nice new stove lol

Thanks for all the help guys now to build a tender any suggestions for a starting platform? I've seen a few bachmann big hauler tenders for sale on ebay

https://youtu.be/PUpf1fDI0Bc


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

decimal point inched over!


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Vance Bass is the guru of Ruby mods and has a great series of pages, "Things to do with the Accucraft Ruby" including drawings for a tender. Have a look at www.nmia.com/~vrbass/steam/ruby/rubygallery.htm


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