Sir Art of the Roundhouse wrote:
"That
>said, nothing alarming is likely to happen - unless perhaps you allow your
>loco to sit in a conflagration caused by a meths fired loco - there, that
>should start a spat !
You bet it will--'tis the careless filling and spilling of butan/propane
gas that causes the conflagration. Some of you will recall an event a few
years ago at Diamondhead -- a stupid
steamer was filling his butane tank in the middle of the main running
section when a very beautiful lady came by with her beautiful SR Schools -
running beautifully on ALCOHOL.-POOF-a big sheet of flame. Fortunately, no
one was hurt (I couldn't get to the chap!) but the poor lady barely
survived the shock!
Sir Art--you have now been demoted to "The Knight of the Outhouse " where
you will get plenty of gas--methane!! Look out for me sneaking around with
an alcohol fired lighter! POOF!!
Alcohol "burning hot" Cantankerous Uncle Geoff.
"
>Charles,
>If memory serves, Roundhouse gas tanks are tested to 500 psi and destruct at
>~ 4500 psi so they are a bit tougher than the 10 tho' tin cans which these
>LPG products come in. Whether the piddly little Ronson gas valves with their
>4.5x 0.5 metric threads would last that high is perhaps doubtful, but I am
>told by those who have hydraulically tested tanks with the valves in place
>that they do survive to at least several hundred psi 'tho they don't work
>afterwards.
>The Fowler gas tank if I remember correctly, is in the cab roof, so it will
>be gently warmed by radiance & conduction during the run which will balance
>the cooling caused by the LPG being drawn off, & should therefore remain at ~
>ambient temperature. There is an all copper tube connection between tank &
>burner so the whole thing is pretty sound.
>Butane/propane mixes & isobutane ( the latter being a homogenous isomer will
>give a more consistent burn than the mixes where the prop. will burn off
>first ) should not be necessary for a cab mounted tank & I would stick to
>butane if you can find it, & as Joe says preserve your RH guarantee. That
>said, nothing alarming is likely to happen - unless perhaps you allow your
>loco to sit in a conflagration caused by a meths fired loco - there, that
>should start a spat ! - & of course isobutane or the mixes may well be
>necessary in the depths of a NY winter which mercifully I have no experience
>of !
>For that time when you have to dismantle & reassemble the gas connections,
>get, in addition to the vital PTFE tape, some gas leak detector spray - much
>better than soapy water. In the UK this comes as a flourescent yellow liquid
>but in the US in ACE stores is a blue liquid. Do not use with the burner lit
>as I guess the propellant is flammable.
>
>Art Walker, Guildford
