First Steam for my First Locomotive

I present to the world the first locomotive out of the Neidrauer shops on its first ever steam up. Big Smile for the very successful run day! It Runs! It Works! I am so very happy!

Saturday, 29-Nov-08, we had a steamup at Tim M.'s private track at his house. Bill W. helped me load and unload the 'Crab' 0-4-0 1840's style engine at the track, and I borrowed a flatcar to use as an engineers seat.

The very first fire for the very first time raised steam, lifted the safety (which was stunningly loud), so with water in the glass and a nice orange fire in the boiler I opened the throttle and down the mainline I went! Ya-Hoo! ChugChugChugChug it said as it wafted coal smoke and steam into the 50-degree air.

After a lap I dropped the fire and blew it down the boiler (emptied it while under pressure) to wash out any junk and sediment from the welding, machining and manufacturing of the boiler. Fired it up again and took a couple of laps.

After breaking for lunch I fired it up again, overcoming fire problems which turned out to be a full boiler (no room for steam) which caused the blower to put water on the fire thus put it out. I opened the blow down valve and drained some water out to make room for the steam. Recovering the fire, I ran the locomotive again for six consecutive laps and would have kept going were it not for the encroaching darkness and a new leak in the water tank which prevented me from putting water in the boiler. But I could have kept going. By now the locomotive had loosened up, was running nicely, and I was starting to learn how it liked to be run.

Tim and John discuss all things steam over John's freshly shopped Atlantic, which was also fired up for the first time in several years and run on the mainline, while Tim's consolidation awaits in the background.

Not pictured is Bill W. and friend 'Chaz' who was also at the steamup.

A great day was had by all!