Great suggestions Jeffrey: The engines I describe are all different. The first was a #42, the second was a #278 serial number 96, and the third was a Bumble Bee #268. I will attempt to get the serial numbers of the other two over time.
I don't like the straight through exhaust solution because of all the oil that will be ejected on to the finish of the engine. However the restricted flow idea has merit. As for your engine I'm going to guess that the front spreader bar is not touching the pilot truck support frame. It's the fact that the spreader (spacer / stiffener) bar on the front brake shoes rubs on that pilot truck frame which allows the oil to migrate out to the brake shoes. If the pilot truck frame doesn't touch then the oil just moves to the pivot point and drips on the track center. You can see the part we removed at http://home.earthlink.net/~clarklord/_images/c16spreaderbar.jpg Clark Jeffrey Williams wrote: > > Sorry to contradict the prevailing howl about C-16 oil consumption, but I > haven't seen the same degree of crisis with my C-16. My unit is production > #83 of the # 278 style. Although steam oil does eventually accumulate on > the pilot truck pivot and drip occasionally in the middle of the ties > (after a 45 minute run, after all), it doesn't seem to be spreading on the > rails to a great extent. It may be that there is some variability on the > tube ID connecting the steam inlet to the cylinders to the reservoir or the > restriction in the steam fittings, so that the oil consumption on my unit > is less that on others. > > Of those on list experiencing high oil consumption, what are the production > serial numbers and are you running #42, #268 or #278 models? Maybe here's > a thread we can pull to discover the cause or connection to a particular > production run. > > I might suggest alternate strategies to reduce oil spread: > > 1. Short term solution - replace exhaust tube with a straight thru, rather > than crimped/baffled tube so that the oil blows straight out the stack. > You can thread a 1/8" dia tube (available at hobby shops) to M3 x 0.5 > thread with only a bit of effort and make one of your own. > > 2. Remove the lubricator tube fitting and insert a length of wire into the > tube to restrict the flow. Try different diameters of piano wire > (available at model airplane shops) until restriction meets your needs for > oil consuption. This would be a lot easier than installing and sealing a > needle valve and once set, would not require further adjustment. This > technique is used to balance pressure and flow on hydrostatic bearing > spindles on ultra-precision machine tools. > > 3. Risky - crimp the tube to restrict flow. > > 4. What is the viscosity of the steam oil you are using? Maybe heavier > (higher viscosity) oil would help the problem. > > =================== > > Clark Lord wrote: > > > Howdy all. A short background. Here at the house we have now had three > > different Accucraft C-16's operated. The first was from Seattle during > > my annual steamup. Much to my and the owners surprise and > > consternation, the engine was leaking steam oil out the piston rod > > packing glan so bad that in one lap the steam oil tank was emptied and > > the contents wound up on railhead of my outside track loop. The car > > wheels then spread the oil out evenly. It was so bad that any engine > > that ran the rest of the weekend slipped it's drivers with ease. > > > > Well time and weather cleaned the track and all was well. Enter the > > second and third C-16's purchased by local Las Vegas Live Steamers. > > Both of those engines had their first run on my track. Again oil was > > coming out in gross quantities. On these engines the excess oil was > > winding up in the smoke box, draining out the hole in the bottom, > > dripping on the pilot truck pivot arm, working it's way back to the > > pivot pin, traveling across the front brake stiffening rod and onto the > > brake shoes and then directly onto the rail head. > > > > If you wanted to make an oil to track delivery system this was the very > > best. In one lap around the track you could coat the entire track with > > an even film of steam oil. If we are having this problem here with 3 > > different C16's I'm sure that there are many more out there doing the > > very same thing. > > > > Lou Banning, owner of the #2 C-16 to run here, and I have been studying > > on this problem and yesterday we found a partial fix. Lou removed the > > stretcher rod that goes between the front brake shoes leaving the brake > > hanger just dangling. We then ran the engine for 1 and 1/2 hours (3 > > different runs) on the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society's modular > > railroad Christmas time setup in the Sprint Telephone Co. main office > > lobby. All the oil was now being deposited in the center line of the > > track instead on the rail. > > > > We were very pleased with this development as both steam and electric > > trains are run on the modules. We didn't have to clean 200 feet of > > track after every run now. > > > > The bad news is the engine is still using excessive steam oil. My guess > > is that the pickup tube in the running board oil tank reservoir is > > placed too low in the tank which allows straight steam oil to be > > discharged into the dead leg connecting line until the oil level is even > > with the outlet tube. At this time it begins to regulate normally. I > > suspect that when the regulation point is reached, most of the oil has > > already been discharged into the connecting line, gone through the > > cylinders, collected on the inside of the smoke box and drained out and > > onto the track via the route described above. > > > > So remove the stretcher rod between the front brake shoes and the rail > > oiling problem will go away. If you want the brake shoes to show, just > > put a nut on the back and attach the shoe to the hanger without the rod. > > > > Now to figure out what to do about the excessive oil usage. > > > > Also be warned that any C-16 that intends to run on my track will have > > to have the stretcher rod removed before running here. A clean track is > > a happy track. > > > > Best Wishes for the Holidays Ya'll > > > > Clark >
