Beginner Steam Loco

[Graham LelliottParticipant @grahamlelliott27740]

Hello. I'm seeking advise on the best loco to purchase as a starter/beginner steam locomotive. I'm terrified at the thought of building my own from scratch and not very confident with buying one as a kit either so feel a secondhand or new ready to run locomotive would be the best place to start. I understand a Maxitrak Alice or Sweet Pea would be suitable although can anyone suggest any other type of loco which is simple to operate and fairly reasonable with regard to cost. Is it also possible to run this type of small locomotive for long periods of time on a club track without a tender? I guess regular stops at the water tower would be required? The same also for coal? Any advise great fully received.

[Graham LelliottParticipant @grahamlelliott27740]

Advise sort on the best starter locomotive

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I think that the first thing any beginner should do is to join a local club (assuming that there is one), then you can see various engines running, ask questions and, probably be offered the chance to drive one as well as hearing of any engines for sale. Y ou also get the benefit of advice from the boiler inspector.

[Graham LelliottParticipant @grahamlelliott27740]

Thanks Brian for your comments. I am a member of a club here on the south coast and have gathered some useful advise but thought I'd seek a wider audience for their views.

[julian atkinsParticipant @julianatkins58923]

Hi Graham,

Pleased to hear you are a club member, as Brian's advice is excellent.

The more people you ask, the more differing views you will receive, which can be counter productive.

I dont know how Maxitrack can make the Alice loco for less than £4,000 with a copper boiler (even if TIG welded).

Their Jack design as a kit is advertised at just over £11,000.

Alice does not have an injector or superheaters. It is rated at 4 adults, whereas Don Young's 5"g Hunslet design can easily pull 12. Just because a loco has a nice paint job and a bit of polished brass does not mean it will be a reliable and efficient performer on the track.

I am not a fan of Sweet Peas having seen one bounce off the Bristol track during IMLEC in the mid 1980s. There is a view which I share that the marine type boiler is inferior to the loco type boiler, but there are equally others who disagree, and many many Sweet Pea owners and builders are more than happy with their own examples.

Probably the best loco to buy is one you know of, and have driven, and know it's history and the owner/builder. Anything without any boiler certificate paperwork treat as a loco without a boiler for valuation purposes.

Apply the same standards you would when buying an old secondhand car, and as per cars if you dont know what to look for take someone along with you who does.

I am currently helping a friend who bought a secondhand 5"g loco from a well known dealer. Many good examples to this design have been built, but this example has a number of significant issues and simply will not steam. The representations of the dealer regarding the loco's performance cannot possibly be true.

Cheers,

Julian

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Silver soldere dboiler on the Alice Julian. I expect once the CNC is set up they can knock a batch of 20 or so cylinders out very quickly

 

Regarding running time although a loco may not have a tender you will need to sit on something so most driving cars have provision for water and coal storage. Basically you sit on a water container and have a small compartment between your legs for your coal nuts.

Edited By JasonB on 08/10/2016 10:24:09

[Nick TParticipant @nickt]

I went though this loop a year ago and ended up going for a 5" Sweet Pea. I don't find it particularly attractive and almost went for a Holmeside which would have been too big for my workshop. I am a member of a club but the problem is that you ask four people a question and you get five different answers. The advantages of Sweet Pea are that a lot of have been built; there is an active and helpful Facebook group with 250 members; castings and parts are available and there is Jack Buckler's book for words and music. The book is a bit hit and miss at times and there is a file on the Sweet Pea Facebook site that shows errors and recommendations.

I have been working on mine for a year without any previous experience and I now have a rolling chassis.

A YouTube clip got me slightly more excited about Sweet Pea and it is a prototype Bagnall running in a quarry in the Lake District that is open to the public. See it HERE.

Good luck, Nick

PS: Because it is narrow gauge a Sweet Pea comes up as quite a big model and is relatively powerful for its size.

 

Edited By Nick T on 08/10/2016 10:43:27

[Graham LelliottParticipant @grahamlelliott27740]

Thanks guys for your thoughts, I really do appreciate it. There's a few points there that I hadn't even thought about so all very useful comments.

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings, looking at the video, it would appear that the loco shown "Woto" has Walsharts valve gear rather than the Hackworth of sweet pea, or are my eyes needing testing again?

Brian B

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Hi Graham;

Questions you have to answer:

1) how will you move it about?

2) do you want to pull passengers all day, or just go and have fun for an hour?

3) Do you want a prototype model, or something freelance?

4) Do you want to have a fixit locomotive, or one that is reliable?

5) What gauge(s) are you interested in?

—-

My answers, ONLY for your contemplation:

1) Car boot, lifting. I live in a cold climate, so the locomotives get lifted into the house. Contemplating my larger one, and which neighbours to ask this time; 120lbs up the stairs and onto a stand in the living room gets a bit of a bother year after year; 2 locomotives under completion; 50lbs or less for each of them.

2) I like having fun for an hour. I love talking to people, but find pulling passengers around puts you as a slave to them, not their equal. (IMHO)

3) I do like proper prototypes, but my favourite – my 3-1/2" gauge Tich is (obviously) not.

4) Now, I'd rather make my own mistakes than find and fix someone elses. No more "fixer-uppers" for me.

5) 3-1/2" gauge, mainly. Where I live, 4-3/4 is the popular one size up gauge, but the local club has 5". 3-1/2" is actually a great gauge for me in many respects.

Make up your own answers to these and your own questions – and, there's no wrong answer.

John.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Brian Baker 1 on 08/10/2016 19:28:27:

Greetings, looking at the video, it would appear that the loco shown "Woto" has Walsharts valve gear rather than the Hackworth of sweet pea, or are my eyes needing testing again?

Brian B

Woto sure does have Walschearts, but so does my Sweet Pea. Mine also has a proper loco firebox, so it's probably been expelled from the ranks of Peas

[Graham LelliottParticipant @grahamlelliott27740]

Hello John, many thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, it makes you realise that this hobby should be looked into thoroughly and should not be rushed. If I do go ahead it will be a 5 inch gauge loco for various reasons but all these comments are a great help.

[Author]

Posts