# bark boxes with small steam.



## Mike Lafond (Apr 28, 2010)

A while back i posted about how my dad's accucraft american melted down while building steam. He had run it a number of times with no bark box in it and it had run beuatifully. He installed a bark box and the engine melted down, literally. During the conversations with Cliff at Accucraft about getting the engine fixed it was revealed that other engines had melted down as well but they had had no bark box in them. It seems dad just had the gas up too high even though that was the way he had set it in the past. The best we can figure is that the fire didn't set back to the burner even though it sounded like it had. Of course you can't see with the bark box in the way. Once engine came back from accucraft, we fired it with a much lower gas setting and it ran fine. Dad loved the sound of the bark box and is once again putting one back in. Will keep you posted.

Mike


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## spincaster (Mar 10, 2012)

Mike, 

What do you mean by "melted down". What melted?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Guessing the smokebox.. 

Greg


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well that would have to have been one hot fire to melt metal. It may have got the so called insulation Burnt up. Don't think there should have been any plastic there. Later RJD


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Steamers tend to run without gas or meths here in the hot Florida climate. Just takes a bit o patience.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

In the great south land, I expect you just need to fill the boiler with water and set it out in the sun and she will take off in a a few minutes especially if the boiler is uninsulated and painted black.


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## Mike Lafond (Apr 28, 2010)

The insulators in the pilot wheels melted out. the cylinders where replaced by accucraft. the number plate on the smoke box door came un soldered. the cow catcher came apart. And of course the bark box fell apart. A rather nasty looking mess. Thankfully accucraft did a great job putting it back together.

Mike


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

You sure the first one wasn't made of chocolate?


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

I don't think all Accucraft burner jets are created equally. Some seem to have a bit larger hole and can really heat things up if you don't watch them. It's easy to spot on Rubies. Some have an almost jet black smoke box and some look pretty much like they did from the factory. I don't think the color difference has anything to do with the amount of run time on them.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I have found with my rubies that it is possible to have the fire in the smokebox rather than where it should be...at the burner. the size of the jet may affect how easily this happens. a large jet seems to blow the gas though the burner making it more difficult for the fire to stay on its surface (slots). 

I would hope that most of the parts on the engine are silver soldered, if that is the case the parts got really really hot, if soft solder was used, they still had to get up to 600 degrees or so I would think...that shouldnt happen if things are working correctly.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

On mine I had to make a clip to go over the air inlet holes on my burner. It was only after I cover about 50% that I could get the fire to stay back in the boiler. Now I can turn the flame way down as well.


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## roadranger (Jan 6, 2008)

What's a "bark box" look like? 
Anything like a "chuffer pipe"?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, same.. 

Sure sounds like a smokebox fire... 

Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

A "Bark Box" has a very large resonator chamber which--in most installations--blocks the view of the flues, making it difficult/impossible to see what the flame is actually doing, hence the issues we're discussing. 










The "Chuffer" is much smaller, fitting near the top of the exhaust tube, usually inside the stack itself. 










It's easy to see the advantages of the Chuffer in terms of still being able to see your fire. How the two compare in terms of sound is purely subjective (and really impossible to tell from YouTube videos). 

Later, 

K


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## roadranger (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks for that info, Kevin. 
I've never seen a "bark box" installed before...


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## Chris B (Oct 18, 2009)

Yes indeed - thank you Kevin. I have been designing Chuffers for three years now and that is the first time I have ever seen a Bark Box. I still have absolutely no idea how they work - but I know that they do! 

Incidentally, Chuffers are always in the stack as they use the natural resonance of the air in the stack, smokebox and flue to amplify and deepen the sound. The one in your photo is a general purpose one to push over an exhaust pipe - most come with a set length of pipe to set it at the optimum position for the best effect and just screw in. 

I have known an Edrig go into melt down when a friend's son was running it. That melted the insulating in the wheel hubs too - but the bark box must have been nearly red hot to melt the silver solder! 
Cheers 
Chris


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## cjsrch (May 29, 2010)

dont bark boxes also help with oil splatter to? 
oil gets trapped and burns up inside of it due to heat from the smokebox


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## roadranger (Jan 6, 2008)

The Chuffer pipes basically shoot the oil back down thru the opening at the bottom of the smoke box - engine stays clean, but the roadbed gets oily! 

Does anyone offer "Bark Boxes " commercially? 
Or are they all custom built?


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

From the GR product review: 

Trainmax "Bark Box" 
R&R Train Company 
2459 Odin 
New Orleans LA 70122 
Price: $100-$125, depending 
on model (+ s&h) 

That's all the contact info that's listed in the review. Google turned up this website: http://www.trainsales.com/barkbox.htm

Later,

K


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