RH - Lighting And Running A Live Steam Loco

An introductory video on how a typical Roundhouse live steam engine is water, gassed and fired. Roundhouse engines can bring hours of enjoyment and preparing your engine for running is all part of the fun. You can find information on this loco and much much more on our website at www.roundhouse-eng.com.
You can contact the team on 01302 328035 or by email at [e-mail]

[@matheusgalvao9640]

amazing!! Great job! Cant wait to have mine own heheh

[@user-cn3zq2zu2o]

I am hoping to build a garden railway and get a Roundhouse loco next year. I think I will probably enjoy the preparation and steam up more than the actual running... and I mean that in a good way.

[@fabrizioviscardi40]

Hello, I have a lot of your steam and diesel locomotives and they run since many years in perfect conditions! With my compliments, cheers, Fabrizio - like one

[@mcbenman1793]

I have your silver lady locomotive. She’s a fantastic locomotive. I’m in Norway so she’s had to run in cold weather. She manages this perfectly. Even in -10 degrees weather

[@Mheosamej1]

I enjoyed that! I have found that turning the gas down once the pressure gauge hits 20psi avoids wasting steam, and then keep adjusting it down as the loco heats up means nice long run. A filler valve to top up the boiler is good too - a few pumps from a pump bottle every so often stops you running the boiler dry and can be used to prevent the safety valve lifting and wasting steam. My best run with a RH Beddgelert is 57 minutes on one gas fill once she had reached 20psi! (Not including time spent warming up from cold.)

[@kymvalleygardensdesign5350]

I found this video very informative, I will pass this onto my clients, thankyou

[@VestedUTuber]

One recommendation I'd recommend to anyone buying any small, tankless live steamer is to replace the filler cap with a Goodall valve. This will allow the boiler to be refilled without having to open the cap, allowing safe refilling during operation. The valve itself just screws on in place of the cap.
As for lighting, I've had issues with trying to light through the chimney/smokestack where the flame ends up just sitting on the smokestack. There's also one model out there where lighting via the smokestack is a VERY bad idea with... but if you know what you're doing with live steam you'd avoid the Aristocraft Live Steam Mikado like the plague anyway. Anyway, I typically end up lighting my live steamers through the smokebox instead. This also doubles as a way to shield the flame from wind.

[@Jasper_4444]

Thanks for the info!

[@paulhinkley198]

Remove 50ml of water when you fill to the brim not the 30ml Roundhouse recommend. This will prevent excessive water entering the steam valve pipework and cylinders making the loco easier to run on start up.

[@MrSteamywindows]

Great video. I’m surprised by the light weight of the steam oil though as I’ve always used 460 and evidently plenty has fed through to the cylinders. Has this weight of oil always been recommended?

[@roundhouseengineeringcoltd9887]

Back in late 80s/early 90s we changed from the 460 to the lighter 220 weight oil. We changed as we found the heavier weight oil to be carbonising and blocking superheaters occasionally.

[@thevioletvalleyrailway346]

What size spanner do you use to tighten the valve gear?

[@roundhouseengineeringcoltd9887]

6BA spanners for the hex head crank pins.