# Got my first train today!



## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Today my berkshire finally arrived and boy is she bigger than I thought! She is so big that I had no where to put her besides the kitchen counter! Overall she's in excellent condition and she looks 10x more beautiful in person than in any photo I can possibly take. Here are some pictures of her on the counter and just for fun i put a soda can next to her so you can see how big she is lol.


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Congratulations! 

Best, 
TJ


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Sounds like another one is hooked! 

Where are you located, Steve? 

Larry


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Im down here just north of Orlando Florida


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Steven, Steven, Steven, 
I know that you are excited, but you are going to have to settle down! 
First of all, it is NOT a 'train'. 
It is a LOCOMOTIVE. (or perhaps Locomotive and Tender)
It will become a 'train' only when you have it on the tracks and attached to some rolling stock. 
Anyway, make sure that you know what you are doing before you first steam it up, or better still, maybe find someone close by who can help you the first time. 
It's not difficult, but you do need to do some things a certain way, and know what to expect. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Oh my mistake! haha. Thankfully I didnt make the mistake of calling it a toy







(except when attempting to take her on a plane!). Ill be a little nervous on her first steam up but ill be sure to keep an extinguisher near by and luckily a fellow birkshire owner posted a video showing exactly how to run her, so hopefully I wont burn the house down!


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Steve, look into the Ridge Live Steamers, a bit south of you. They have an elevated G1 track with a number of live steam operators. Also, Andrew Finnegan has an Aster Berk that he runs at the Tradewinds & Atlantic club in Cocoanut Creek. That's a bit far for you, but I expect that he will be at the Ridge meet in Feb. 

Larry (in Vermont)


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks Larry. I saw the Tradewinds & Atlantic club down near Miami but thats a bit of a haul for me! I like how close the Ridge live steamers are (little less than an hour away) so that will probably be the first place I go to, though that might be a ways down the road since I want to make sure I dont step on any toes or ruffle any feathers since Im new to the hobby. Andrew's video showing how to run his berk was what convinced me to get my berk and Ive seen him in several steamup videos from diamondhead so it was interesting to learn that he's a floridian too. Hopefully we'll cross paths someday and we can double head our berks haha.


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## Don Howard (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is the most recent newsletter for Ridge live steamers. 

I am pretty sure they will welcome you as a brand new owner and steamer. 
Use their website's Contact information to start instead of just trying to show up some day. 

http://www.ridgelivesteamers.org/newsletters/august_2013.pdf


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks Don. If I had all my equipment I could start steaming as early tomorrow according to that flyer haha. On a side note how do you all carry your engines? I know some people have special built carriers for theirs but I went to go lift my engine onto my shelf and was having a hard time finding a spot to grab it without damaging any of the details. I ended up using the walkways along the boiler but it feels like a lot of weight to be lifting it that way so I want to make sure I dont damage anything when moving it.


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## PawPaw (Jun 8, 2012)

Steve, here is a link to my website showing the engine carriers I make. You won't have to worry about those delicate parts being broken during handling. http://rapdlp1006.wix.com/g-scale-carriers#!b-bio/cy2g Dan Patterson


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Looks like an excellent carrier Dan. Hopefully Ill get one soon after I get all my equipment and my wallet has some time to recover! Gotta keep her pristine, she's an aster after all







. I kid I kid.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 27 Sep 2013 04:58 PM

...

I'll be a little nervous on her first steam up but ill be sure to keep an extinguisher near by and luckily a fellow birkshire owner posted a video showing exactly how to run her, so hopefully I wont burn the house down!
...


The house will be OK. it's the eyebrows you need to watch. WOOF!








Nice looking loco. 

Andrew


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Haha, I just got my head shaved this week so maybe I should get my eyebrows to match.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 27 Sep 2013 04:58 PM 
Ill be a little nervous on her first steam up but ill be sure to keep an extinguisher near by and luckily a fellow birkshire owner posted a video showing exactly how to run her, so hopefully I wont burn the house down! 
Just to be sure here, all you need is a squirt bottle with water.
Water will put the alcohol fire out.
Also a wet towel will do the same thing.
Unless you have set the kitchen counter on fire you should not need a real extinguisher.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada 
p.s. Here is my version of steaming up an alcohol loco. Not a Berkshire, but the same principle.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 27 Sep 2013 07:51 PM 
Thanks Don. If I had all my equipment I could start steaming as early tomorrow according to that flyer haha. On a side note how do you all carry your engines? I know some people have special built carriers for theirs but I went to go lift my engine onto my shelf and was having a hard time finding a spot to grab it without damaging any of the details. I ended up using the walkways along the boiler but it feels like a lot of weight to be lifting it that way so I want to make sure I dont damage anything when moving it. 
As you say, there have been many types of carriers shared on this site.
I would link you to a couple of threads IF I could find them, but I can't!!!
I would NOT try to pick up any larger heavy loco by grabbing steps or running boards etc..
You will probably be okay, but better to have the wheels do the supporting. 
Here are a couple of photos of my type of carrier to give you some more ideas to think about.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks for sharing David, I really like how you used couplers to keep the train from moving back and forth. I got another quick question, I noticed the pressure gauge is stuck on the first bar. Would the pressure from steaming the engine up fix this on its own or do I need to look into getting a new pressure gauge?


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 28 Sep 2013 08:48 AM 
Thanks for sharing David, I really like how you used couplers to keep the train from moving back and forth. I got another quick question, I noticed the pressure gauge is stuck on the first bar. Would the pressure from steaming the engine up fix this on its own or do I need to look into getting a new pressure gauge? 
If you have not had the engine under a full head of steam , I would wait until you do to see if pressure gauge is faulty.
BTW I just got one of David's carrier and I believe it is going to work great. Real easy to handle.
You got a great deal with your Berk.

BTW. I would not try to steam her up on the inside under any circumstance. If you are not familiar with the alcohol, you cannot see the flame and any residual fuel that might leak out could be a disaster.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 28 Sep 2013 08:48 AM 
Thanks for sharing David, I really like how you used couplers to keep the train from moving back and forth. I got another quick question, I noticed the pressure gauge is stuck on the first bar. Would the pressure from steaming the engine up fix this on its own or do I need to look into getting a new pressure gauge? 
Steve,
As Art suggests, I wouldn't worry at this time too much. 
A pressure gauge is not essential, but is nice to have.
As long as the safety valves are working, nothing bad will happen if the pressure gauge does not work at all.
It may just be stuck, and when pressure comes up, it will work as normal.
One suggestion would be as you build pressure, use needle nose pliers to 'lift' each of the safety valves in turn, to make sure that they are free to work as you will see steam come out.
I assume that the Berkshire has fairly standard type safeties, with a nipple that you can lift!
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks for the advice David. Her previous owner took good care of her so Im sure she'll run just fine but I was a little concerned about the safety valves working so its nice to know I can check them before the pressure gets too high.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 28 Sep 2013 10:31 AM 
Thanks for the advice David. Her previous owner took good care of her so Im sure she'll run just fine but I was a little concerned about the safety valves working so its nice to know I can check them before the pressure gets too high. 
Of course, this only makes sure that they are free to work, it does NOT tell you what they are set at!
Hopefully they are about right. 
Regards,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Reg Stocking (Sep 29, 2010)

Just a minute here. The Southern Pacific rulebook defined a train as a locomotive, with or without cars, displaying markers. You could hang a couple of lamps on the back of the tender and make it a train all by itself. But it would be nice to have cars too.


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Wish i could have some cars behind her but I just dont have room on my shelf unfortunately. I did solve my train carrier problem for the time being though. I took one of my old work shirts and slid it under the engine and used it like a sling to move it. When I put her back on the shelf all i have to do is slide the shirt out from under her. Its not the fanciest solution but it definitely makes getting her on and off the shelf 5x easier and I dont have to worry about breaking any details in the process. Ill worry about getting a real carrier later down the road once I start taking her to clubs. Thanks again to everyone who has shared their wisdom with me so far, though knowing me Ill probably have more questions later haha.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

I'm sorry Reg, but this appears to be a Nickel Plate Road loco. 
I demand confirmation from the Nickel Plate Road rulebook that the same rule exists before I retract my earlier statement!!!! 
My guess is that you would have to treat a Locomotive running light as a 'train', if you are talking 'train in section' etc.. 
Can't really have two terms for the same thing! 
It's great how much one can learn from this forum. 
From Wikipedia for the UK I find: 
In the United Kingdom Section 83(1) of the Railways Act 1993 defines "train" as follows: 
a) two or more items of rolling stock coupled together, at least one of which is a locomotive; or 
b) a locomotive not coupled to any other rolling stock. 
and for the US: 
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's 1948 operating rules define a train as: "An engine or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers." 
So, Steven was I am sure indeed correct, and I retract my original observation! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

"An engine or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers." 
So, Steven was I am sure indeed correct, and I retract my original observation! 

Ahhh, but are the markers lit? Unless they are, they don't qualify as "markers" in the context within which "displaying markers" is being used.


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## Reg Stocking (Sep 29, 2010)

Picky picky picky! A red flag at the back of the tender would also qualify on SP at least during daylight hours. And then we can consider whether NKP had lamp brackets on the back of its tenders....


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

So I finally got all my supplies to steam my engine up today and unfortunately things didnt go so well. I think my issue is with the wicks. When I initially lit them they were bright orange then after a couple of minutes they went dark blue and were almost invisible. By this point I noticed I didnt have enough steam for the blower any more and figured the fire must have gone out so I went to re-light the wicks and a few seconds after relighting them fire was coming out from the sides of the engine so I quickly turned off the fuel supply and doused the fire with a small spray bottle. On top of the issue with the wicks I did find out that the pressure gauge is indeed broken and needs to be replaced. While steam was building I lifted the nipples on the safety valves and steam came out so it was nice to know they were working, though I was still very uncomfortable not knowing what the pressure in the boiler was so I probably wont try to steam the engine up again till I get the pressure gauge replaced. Maybe I just didnt light the wicks properly or something because Im sure the previous owner who used the engine would have fixed the wicks had there been a problem with them, but at this point Im a little paranoid to try again. Does anyone have some advice at to what I might have done wrong or what might be wrong with the wicks?


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I think the wicks need to be fairly loose so the capillary action works. Loosen them up with a pin etc. They may have been restricted on your first firing eventually going out. You probably had the fuel turned up to the point of spillage on the second lighting causing flames.
It seems best to not let them burn down and crust over. Some use CO2 to extinguish to avoid this.

Andrew


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Steve, 
I'm afraid that you will be learning lessons the hard way doing it yourself. 
Any time that there is a loss of pressure so that the blower does not provide enough draft, PUT THE SUCTION FAN ON QUICK. 
You CANNOT have the fuel turned up or down, it is a chicken feed. 
If the flames were blue, then that is good. 
I would assume that you took the suction fan off too soon when you opened the blower valve. 
Next time wait until you have at least 2 bar showing (difficult without a pressure gauge) before opening the blower. 
When you open it, you should hear a 'good' roar from the escaping steam up the smoke stack, but you don't need it to be that amount to give a good draft. 
You can even leave the suction fan on until the safety valves lift if you would rather do that, but it will take longer. 
As long as the flames are not caused by leaking fuel, the only reason you will have flames coming outside the loco, is that there is not enough draft. 
Good luck, and take care, or find a local who can help you. 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks David I think that explains what happened. By the time I went to light the wicks again the blower had stopped working due to a lack of steam and I didnt put the fan back on so the flame must have spread in search of oxygen due to the lack of draft. I initially though it was because the wicks had overflowed but if that was the case that would have happened right from the start and I didnt see any alcohol dripping anywhere. Since the pressure gauge doesnt work about how long does it take to get enough steam for the blower and roughly how long before the safety valve lifts? Since all this happened within the first 2 or 3 minutes of lighting the wicks I think that the pressure gauge may indeed work but there just wasnt as much pressure as I thought there was so I thought it was broken but it would still be nice to know roughly how long it takes for these engines to get up to steam just in case the gauge really is broken.


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Now that I think about it would it be possible to test the pressure gauge by using the hand pump in the tender to slowly fill the boiler up till its pressurized or would this damage the tubing and fittings?


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 10 Oct 2013 08:02 PM 
Thanks David I think that explains what happened. By the time I went to light the wicks again the blower had stopped working due to a lack of steam and I didnt put the fan back on so the flame must have spread in search of oxygen due to the lack of draft. I initially though it was because the wicks had overflowed but if that was the case that would have happened right from the start and I didnt see any alcohol dripping anywhere. Since the pressure gauge doesnt work about how long does it take to get enough steam for the blower and roughly how long before the safety valve lifts? Since all this happened within the first 2 or 3 minutes of lighting the wicks I think that the pressure gauge may indeed work but there just wasnt as much pressure as I thought there was so I thought it was broken but it would still be nice to know roughly how long it takes for these engines to get up to steam just in case the gauge really is broken. 
Well, that all depends how much water there is in the boiler.
You said that you had watched the videos, so that will give you an idea.
I would say, as you are just testing, with the boiler HALF full (or is that half empty?) you should be ready to open the blower in 3 - 5 minutes, and the safety valve should go off at around 6 - 8 minutes.
I do not have any experience with this particular loco, so maybe Charles or Ryan can give you their timings.
Keep trying,
Regards,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By StevenIsBallin on 10 Oct 2013 08:13 PM 
Now that I think about it would it be possible to test the pressure gauge by using the hand pump in the tender to slowly fill the boiler up till its pressurized or would this damage the tubing and fittings? 
Well, I wouldn't do that.
This is how testing of a boiler for a boiler certificate is done, BUT with an accurate pressure gauge attached.
Since you don't know what is wrong with yours, you could actually cause problems if you added too much pressure.
Not that the boiler couldn't take it, but you may cause unnecessary stress on joints or the water gauge etc.. and end up with leaks that you then have to fix.
The other thing is that you end up filling the whole boiler with water, that you then have to remove some before you can steam.
I would either remove the gauge and test it somehow, or wait until you get a new one (mind you, I had a brand new Aster pressure gauge that leaked like a sieve!), or just go ahead with a steam test recognising that it doesn't seem to work.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks David. Between turning the blower on too early and not putting the suction fan back on when trying to relight the wicks Im certain that it was my fault and not the wicks. Ill take your advice and either leave the suction fan in till the safety valve pops or wait 5 minutes or so before trying to use the blower to make sure it has enough steam to work properly.


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Great news. I went ahead and steamed the engine up again today and everything went very smoothly. The issue last time was indeed that there was no draft for the fire but I made sure that didnt happen this time and everything went off without a hitch. The pressure gauge does work once some pressure gets behind it though it still gets stuck as the 1 or 2 bar when the pressure drops but that's fine. I did notice the safety valves weren't lifting even when the pressure gauge was maxed out so either the valves aren't set to the right pressure or the gauge is saying the pressure is higher than it actually is but since the gauge is getting stuck Im assuming its the later of the two. I was having an issue with their being a big bubble in the sight glass preventing me from seeing the water level so I had to fill the boiler till a little water was coming out the blower to make sure the water level didnt get too low. Is there a way to remedy this? Other than that the engine had a very hearty chug to it even when I didnt put any resistance on the wheels with my fingers (it was on rollers) and I was amazed at how smooth it ran.


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

Steven
If your Berk has a blow down valve, you can use it to rectify the bubble in the site glass.


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Unfortunately it doesnt have a blow down valve. I went to go steam the engine up today and I noticed that the sight glass still has water in it showing that the boiler is 90% full even though its empty so I think I might be having a blockage issue. I believe I read somewhere on the forums about filling the boiler with vinegar and letting it sit for a bit so the vinegar will get rid of any deposits left in the boiler. Do you think this would work to get rid of the possible blockage?


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Steven, 
Before you do that maybe try this. 
Again, I do not have this loco, and can't remember how the water gauge glass sits in the lower fitting of other Asters. 
It just might be that the water gauge glass is sitting too low in the bottom fitting causing the blockage. 
This has allowed water to fill the gauge glass, but of course it now has nowhere to go! 
Take off the top 'cap nut' so that you can see the top of the glass, then loosen the two gland nuts and try twisting gently and lift the glass a little. 
A Berkshire owner can probably advise if this is a possible solution or not. 
Maybe, ONLY attempt this is you are happy with the possibility of breaking the water gauge glass. It is however easy to find replacements as you can buy the glass by the foot and cut your own, but that is another story! 
Berkshire owners, where are you? 
As to actual air bubbles in water glasses, the was a thread a while ago where there was advice of having a small wire inside the glass to help. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks for the advice. I wasnt able to take the glass out entirely because the bolts holding the glass in appear to have been installed with loctight and I didnt want to risk damaging anything. I was able to loosen the nuts securing the glass though so I was able to move the glass up and down. While I was taking a break I came back and found that the blow down valves was dripping water since I forgot to close it before my break so apparently there was still quite a lot of water in the boiler as it had made a large pool under the engine. Im guessing it didnt drain fully because of the angle of the valve so Ill make sure to leave it open from now on so it drains completely. Fortunately once I came back and the boiler was empty the sight glass had emptied as well so I went ahead and re-tightened the nuts so the glass could no longer move. After steaming the engine up I was getting much better results with the glass, though I didnt tighten the nuts quite enough so I was having slight leakage at the bottom of the glass which allowed a small air bubble in but I have a feeling once I tighten the nuts some more I wont have any issues with the glass. Next time I go to the store Ill get some white vinegar and put a tablespoon of it in the boiler water to clear out any deposits that might have been left over from her previous owner just to be sure. 

Thank you for patiently answering all my questions and concerns. I greatly appreciate all the advice I have been given so far.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Hopefully someone experienced will comment on this, but does trying to remove deposits in a boiler run the risk of moving them elsewhere - like into your cylinders and valves - which could cause a bigger problem?


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## StevenIsBallin (Aug 31, 2013)

I think that would depend on how big the deposits are and how regularly you clean the boiler out. If you regularly clean the boiler out then any deposits that might be in there would most likely be too small to get stuck in any of the valves.


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