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Inside This Issue: 1P6 rPeavgieew!
* Choosing Your First Loco
* Locomotive Review
* Steam Scene
* Workshop Project

Choosing Your First

Small Scale Live Steam

Locomotive Text by Scott E. McDonald

Over my 25 years in the live- may not be enough to get over the
steam hobby, I have been grade. One of two things has to hap-
an active participant in ed- pen — either the throttle gets opened
ucating the general public about live up to release more steam into the
steam at various venues. The patrons cylinders to overcome the grade
see a wide variety of trains of all and/or the supply of heat to boil
shapes, sizes and from around the world in full steam, water has to increase to overcome the loss of steam from
and in some cases the view can be overwhelming with the boiler.
engines that look intricately technical. When you crest the grade and start downhill, the
weight of the locomotive will assist in getting down the
Probably the most important question I get is, “If I grade without needing a lot of steam. In many cases the
were to get into this hobby, what would you recommend steam output will stay the same but the cylinders will be
as a good starter engine?” It’s a good question, but in moving faster than the supply of steam and are now act-
order to answer it faithfully, I need to know more about ing like pumps, pulling steam out of the boiler. Once you
that person’s interest in model railroading. Let’s take a reach a level grade again, your steamer may stall for a
look at these questions and things to think about when bit until the boiler fills with steam to bring the pressure
making that all-important first purchase of a live-steam back up to the level required to make the engine move.
locomotive. The other aspect to consider is that your steam loco-
motive may have a more restrictive minimum track ra-
You may already be in the hobby and have a railway; dius. What is the minimum-radius curve on your
if so, bringing live steam into an existing railway can existing track? Will your new acquisition be able to han-
offer up some of its own challenges. Let’s start with those dle the existing radius? If the locomotive that you have
who have a railway that is already set up for running your heart set on requires a larger radius you might be
track-supplied electric power. If this is where you are laying new track or realigning your curves to handle the
today, let’s take a look at some of the aspects of live new loco.
steam that will impact your existing railway. The other thing to consider if you are coming from the
track-power crowd into live steam is that live-steam en-
Unlike track-powered electric, grades play an impor- gines are going to leave a mess on your track. We use lu-
tant part in the operation of live steam. Many live-steam bricating oil on the moving pieces and steam oil in the
locomotives easily handle grades and others do not. The cylinders that is exhausted out of the stack — both end
reasons for this is that your locomotive will produce
steam power at a constant rate on level track, but once
a grade is encountered that constant output of steam

2

up on your track. accucraft starters: Left, the ‘Dora’ locomotive.
Also, live-steam locos for the most part do not have Right, the 0-4-0 that launched one thousand
live-steam beginners, the venerable ‘Ruby.’
insulated wheels. There are some manufacturers who do
build with electrical isolation in mind, so that you can locomotive will be able to negotiate. Are there larger loco-
operate electric and live steam on the same track, but motives in your future where a 12-foot radius is the bare
believe me; it is not practical because of the gunk factor. minimum? Or are you strictly a short frame, narrow-gauge
modeler who will never exceed four drivers (0-4-0, 2-4-0,
If you plan to keep both on your railway, then plan on 0-4-2 and the like) and can get by with a three-foot radius
developing a separate loop just for live steam or be pre- as your minimum?
pared to not operate steam and electric at the same time.
Also, you’ll want to clean your track after running steam- A seasoned live steamer will tell you to always build
ers, so that your electrical connectivity is not compro- to the largest radius you have room for regardless of
mised. your motive power configuration limitations. The es-
thetics of a wide sweeping curve is not only visually ap-
a steam-specific layout pealing but also makes it easier for your steamer to pull
longer consists.
Maybe you don’t already have a railway, so now you more locomotive questions
have to design and build one to support your entry into
the hobby? The big question here is: do you want an on- Many of us jumped into the live-steam hobby at a
the-ground railway or something elevated, to make it time when locomotive choices were limited and what
easier to have access to the controls of the locomotive? was available might not have included our modeling
Is it going to be a scenic garden railway or do you want a preferences. Do you have a particular prototype or rail-
utilitarian track where integration into the garden is not road that you model? Is fidelity to scale important?
necessary? Answers to these questions can bring design
esthetics into play in order to please all members of the Does it have to be American, British, German or some
family. other specific type? Are you a narrow-gauge or standard-
gauge modeler? There are many more manufacturers
If your railway is going to be on the ground, then there today to select from, but before you decide, take a good
is the bending-over factor in operation. You may want look at your railway again to make sure the locomotive
radio control for that steamer because of age, versus the can handle those items in the previous questions.
ability to run on the ground. But also keep in mind that
not all garden railways are on the ground; many that are The next question is one of how comfortable you are
built specifically for live steamers and are elevated and as a model builder. My first locomotive was a pre-ma-
use a variety of gardening “tricks” to integrate the gar- chined kit, easy to assemble with about 40 hours of as-
den into the elevated design. We could devote a whole sembly time required by the instructions. It should have
magazine issue just on that alone. run perfectly, but it didn’t. The kit came from Japan at a
time when there were very few dealers in the United
The other question deals on how much space you have. States who could offer assistance.
We have to consider the minimum radius that your largest
When it didn’t run, I blamed myself for trying some-
thing that might have been outside of my ability since I

3

made in uSa: Left, the Bellflower ‘Cricket,’ made in Southern California. Right, a Basic Project Engine,
made in the United States if the hobbyist lives there.

was learning from scratch about live steam. My only re- If they can’t answer the questions and you are new to
course was to ship the locomotive to Japan and have the live steam, then even though it might look like a good
company’s technicians explore what I did wrong. I buy on paper (computer screen) it might be best to skip
would later find out that I actually did nothing wrong, it.
but that I had received a defective cylinder casting which The Basic Project Loco
was replaced — and now the locomotive runs perfectly.
Another way to jump into live steam is to build a lo-
But there was the extra time, shipping, waiting and comotive from scratch, or cobble one together out of
frustration. The lesson here is that while kits are fun and available parts. Back in 1994, Michael Martin — who was
a great way to get to know your engine, if you don’t have then and still today is a member of the Bay Area Garden
easy access to support, kit building can be frustrating. Railway Society — embarked on creating a simple live-
steam locomotive that can be built with hand tools (no
So buying a ready to run (RTR), out-of-the-box loco- machining tools are necessary) that was then called the
motive has its merits. They have usually been tested on BAGRS Project Loco (it was renamed a few years later
air and you only need to prep it for operation and fire as the Basic Project Loco). It uses a Sterno-fired, com-
up. But that is not to say they will always run perfectly mercially available vertical boiler with easily available
right out of the box. So purchase where you know you parts.
can get the aftermarket support if something isn’t per-
fect out of the box. This little project was so successful that hundreds of
these have been made and modified by live steamers all
Your personal budget will always be a big factor in over the world. Mike has a web site that chronicles the
your first purchase. Even the simplest locomotive in live history and building plans for this little live steamer.
steam may be twice or more the cost of what you were Once parts are assembled, it can be built in a single
used to paying for an electric. These can be intricate me- weekend.
chanical devices and are usually hand-built in small
quantities. In some cases buying used might be more in http://www.panyo.com/project/.
line with your budget. “Buyer beware” means knowing
who you are buying from. Fuel considerations
There are four basic fuels that are used for small-scale
I have only purchased used locomotives at a national
steamup where I could test the purchase in front of the live steam: alcohol, butane, coal and Sterno. Each of
seller. Buying online for anything these days can be these fuels has its pros and cons.
risky. But with a used live steamer, you never know what
you will get. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the seller. alcohol: Methylated spirits or denatured alcohol are
the preferred fuel for steamers. Alcohol has the benefit

4

of being able to operate in very cold weather. Depending mamods: Left, ‘Brunel,’ a gas-powered, geared
on the type of boiler you may also need a fan to create a loco. Right, the ‘Mark II,’ an updated version of the
draft through the fire box until you have enough steam historic loco that uses gas instead of tablets.
to open the blower valve and let the locomotive fan itself.
Alcohol can be messy, its flame may be hard to see in a lower temperature fire will get the job done. Small,
sunlight (which has its own inherent dangers). But fuel lightweight antique locomotives and scratch-built
is inexpensive and easy to obtain at local hardware locos can run on Sterno.
stores.
Radio control
Butane: Becoming very popular in recent years, bu- The last consideration for your first locomotive is to
tane is easy to use. Most steamers prefer an iso-butane
which is a butane/propane mix to increase operating decide whether or not to have radio control. There are
pressure ever so slightly for better firing. Pure propane many locomotives on the market today where radio con-
is a fuel that is also used in some of the larger ride-on trol can be installed as an aftermarket modification.
scale locomotives. There are modelers who prefer Some models will have R/C already installed. So why
propane over butane and have scratch-built locomotives have R/C? Using R/C gives the engineer the freedom to
to use the fuel. operate more prototypically, even performing switching
operations. If you have grades on an existing railway,
Butane and propane are not interchangeable. So if then having R/C gives you the ability to control your
your locomotive says it uses butane that is what you will steam to better advantage for making the grades and
use. The down side of butane is that in colder weather it shutting down steam on downhill grades so that you are
doesn’t fire as well, because the cold affects butane pres- not pumping steam out of your boiler in waste.
sure and you may get more liquid than good gas for fir-
ing (there are numerous tricks to help solve this However with R/C comes the task of learning about
problem). your radio equipment, ensuring batteries are charged up
and ready to operate and having a few more things to
Coal: Also becoming popular, but since this is an ar- understand that are not totally related to making steam.
ticle series for the beginner, we will skip coal for now.
Coal firing is not for someone starting out in the hobby; The beginner’s choice
wait until you have better live-steam moxie in your veins So when it comes to choosing that first locomotive,
before you jump into this. Coal firing requires constant
attention, so a ground-level railway makes firing diffi- simple is better. Find something that will negotiate your
cult, especially if your physical abilities are limited. A railway. If you have tight radius curves, a little 0-4-0
coal-fired locomotive boils water at a high rate, requires might be the way to go. Here are a few of the locomotives
faster replenishment of water and the boiler design for that I think fit the bill for a beginner, listed alphabeti-
a coal-fired locomotive increases its cost greatly. cally by manufacturer.

Sterno: Also known as gelled fuel, this is used where accucraft: “Dora” 0-4-0, RTR, butane fired, 1:20.3-
scale freelance design, inspired by an English locomo-
tive. This locomotive generally retails in the $400-$500

5

Regners: Left, ‘Max,’ a kit-built 0-4-0; this builder
kept the gel burner rather than add the optional gas
burner (photo courtesy David Cracknell).
Above left, the horizontal boiler ‘Konrad,’ and above
right, the vertical boiler ‘Willi.’

range. http://www.accucraft.com/. Roundhouses: Above, ‘Billy,’ comes as a three-stage
accucraft: “Ruby” 0-4-0, available in kit form or kit allowing the hobbyist to make incremental pay-
ments. Below, ‘Sammie,’ an almost-American loco-
RTR, butane fired, 1:20.3 scale. Design is based loosely motive.
on Baldwin practice; with differing details is also mar-
keted as “Ida” and “Forney.” Price range is $500-$750. Regner: “Max” 0-4-0, kit, geared locomotive, single
http://www.accucraft.com/. cylinder, gel or butane fired, vertical boiler. Gauge is ad-
justable from 32mm to 45mm. Price range is $350-$500.
aster Hobby: Does not have anything in its current http://www.thetraindepartment.com/.
offerings that could be classified as a beginning locomo-
tive. A used “Old Faithful” 0-4-0, alcohol fired, double Roundhouse engineering: “Billy,” 0-4-0 kit, butane
acting oscillating cylinders makes a good starter engine. fired, freelance scale, two cylinders. Available as three dis-
However these are currently hard to find and are con- crete projects (boiler, chassis and cab and details), allow-
sidered “collectable.” http://www.asterhobbyusa.com/. ing modeler to avoid a single up-front payment. About

Basic Project engine: See above; average price for all
the bits and pieces to build $250-$325. See
http://www.panyo.com/project/ for parts list and plans.

Bellflower Locomotive Works: “Cricket” RTR, only
live steam locomotive made entirely in the United
States, geared locomotive, single vertical cylinder, bu-
tane fired. Price is around $850. http://www.crick-
etlivesteammotor.com/.

mamod: “Brunel” 0-4-0, RTR, geared locomotive, sin-
gle cylinder, horizontal boiler, butane fired, gear drive.
Price is around $650. http://www.mamod.co.uk/.

mamod: Mark II 0-4-0, freelance British outline. Older
engines are easy to find, but may need work to turn them
into a quality steamer. The newer Mamods now have bet-
ter boilers, are butane fired and are available in 32mm or
45mm gauge (not adjustable). About $550.
http://www.mamod.co.uk/.

Regner: “Konrad” or “Willi” 0-4-0, RTR, geared lo-
comotive, single cylinder, butane fired. “Konrad” is a
horizontal boiler; “Willi” is a vertical boiler. Gauge is ad-
justable from 32mm to 45mm. Price is around $700.
http://www.thetraindepartment.com/.

6

$1150. http://www.roundhouse-eng.com/. stand that small-scale live steam is a hobby that provides
Roundhouse engineering: “Sammie” 0-4-0 RTR, bu- the beginner with plenty of choices and if you break them
down, the answers become easy.
tane fired, two cylinders, freelance scale and an almost-
American profile. Available in 32mm or 45mm gauge Reprinted from the March/April 2013,
(not adjustable). Price is around $750. Issue No. 126 of Steam in the Garden
http://www.roundhouse-eng.com/.

Obviously, these are general guidelines, but under-

Steam Scene - East Coast Large Scale Train Show 2017

Photos by Scott E. McDonald

Left - Alan Redeker’s latest project
is to reverse-engineer the Accucraft
AC-12 into an AC-9 Yellowstone. A
mock up of Southern Pacific's only
modern coal-fired articulated, the
AC-9, is shown next to the AC-12.
Both are offspring of the earlier AC-
8 Cab Forward. The lower unit
shows a few of the over 80 custom
castings being created for this proj-
ect.

Right - Tom Bowdler’s Accucraft “Dora” conver-
sion into a 7/8’s scale passenger tram. Can you
spot the Dora tucked into the lead unit?. The
side tanks on either side are recycled pepper
spice tins with a copper pipe cap glued on top
with a small wire handle attached to the top of
the cap. Custon decals finish out the ensemble to
create a pleasant form of whimsey to grace the
rails. The custom figures are also by Tom.

Right - Nate Heffner of York, PA gives his
Roundhouse Engineering Sandy River a work-
out in his home town show.

Reprinted from the July/August 2017, Issue No. 150
of Steam in the Garden

7

Locomotive Review Reprinted from the September/October 2013,
Issue No. 129 of Steam in the Garden

‘Dora’
Text and photos by Dave Cole

It’s been almost 14 years since Accucraft Co. re- gested retail price of even the most basic “Ruby” is
leased its first entry-level, live steam locomotive,
the 1:20.3-scale, 0-4-0 “Ruby.” Over that time the north of $600 with tax and shipping (yes, deals can
company has consistently focused on larger and
even larger locomotives in a variety of scales, be found).
products aimed at the experienced steamer who
has quite a bit of cash that can be devoted to the So the announcement last year that the Union
hobby.
City, Calif.-based company, which does its manu-
While Accucraft has pro-
vided a number of variations facturing in Wuhu City, Anhui, China, would be
on the “Ruby” theme — the
“Ida,” the “Ruby” No. 2 (that’s creating a new entry-level locomotive was
the red one with a pressure
gauge), the “Ruby” No. 5 (with greeted with cheers. For those in-
pressure gauge and the spark-ar-
restor stack), not to mention the terested in the future of the
2-4-4 “Forney” and the 0-4-2
“Iuki” which use “Ruby” compo- hobby, a new, relatively inex-
nents — essentially the com-
pany had little to offer pensive locomotive could
those interested in
smaller locomotives. mean more converts to the

Or those on a limited cause.
budget who might be-
come interested in small- A development prototype of
scale live steam if there
were an inexpensive the locomotive was shown at
starter locomotive.
July 2012’s National Summer
Further, inflation
being what it is, the Steamup in Sacramento and
price of a “Ruby” in the
last decade has gone up while it received a generally
(along with everything
else). Today the sug- good response, since Accucraft

also brought along early

versions of locomotives

such as its first 1:13.7-scale

U.S.-profile engine,

“Emma” (see Steam in the

Garden, July/August 2013)

and the as-yet released,

1:32-scale Union Pacific 4-

8-8-4 “Big Boy,” the poor

little entry-level steamer

was almost ignored.

What was learned,

though, was that this new,

small steamer was based

on a design by Marc

8

‘Dora’s’ inspiration: Marc Horovitz’s ‘Indefatigable,’ left, next to the prototype of ‘Dora’ at July 2012’s Na-
tional Summer Steamup in Sacramento. Photo by Mike Martin.

Horovitz. Certainly one of the legends in small-scale hobby, but suffice it to say Marc’s “Indefatigable” caught

live steaming — not to mention garden railroading in the attention of the company and it decided to go for-

general (he is the founder and longtime editor of Gar- ward with its own version.

den Railways magazine) — Marc has designed and Accucraft named the new little beast “Dora” and lo-

built a number of interesting locomotives over the comotive deliveries began in early June.
years and keeps two of the great resources of the

hobby, the “Locomotive of the Month” and the “Loco- First impressions

motive Galley,” on his site, http://www.side

streetbannerworks.com/. Even though it is significantly shorter than “Ruby”

Marc’s original design, (6¼-inches long versus

which he ended up nam- accucraft ‘Dora’ nine-inches long), the new

ing “Indefatigable,” was a “Dora” has heft, which

freelance project based on • Loco type: Freelance, somewhat British- isn’t surprising, since the

United Kingdom practice, looking 0-4-0, saddle tanks, coal bunker. bane of little locomotives

“because I like British • Scale: 1:20.3, 45mm gauge. is a lack of weight over the

narrow gauge.” It was bu- • Length: 63⁄32 inches (155mm). driving wheels, which in

tane fired, and used a pair • Width: 3½ inches (89mm). turn prevents traction.

of offset oscillating cylin- • Height: 61⁄16 inches (180mm). “Dora” had to weigh as

ders and a geared drive • Boiler: Single-flue. Pressure: 60 psi. much as a “Ruby” in order

train, which offered both Capacity: 65ml (21⁄5 oz.). to pull anything besides

forward and reverse. • Fuel: Butane. herself.

The whys and hows of • Cylinders: Two oscillating. Like all Accucraft prod-

Accucraft’s locomotive • Fittings: Safety valve, throttle, filler plug, ucts, “Dora” appears to be

choices still remain opaque displacement lubricator. made from brass and

after all these years of cre- • available models: Black. stainless steel throughout.

ating products for the • mSRP: $435. Construction on the body

9

every angle: ‘Dora’ comes in a satin finish and is
black with the exception of the pin-stripes.

work seems to be sturdy and might even take a degree number plate that Accucraft has helpfully painted No.
of abuse without operational damage. 7. Hex-head bolts are used both for detailing and struc-
tural purposes throughout, though there is a Philips-
The saddle tanks on “Dora” are shorter than those on head screw that holds the brass cross beam in place
“Indefatigable,” revealing more of the boiler and giving about midway along both sides of the frame. Certainly
it a somewhat less British look. Rather than the gloss an ambitious hobbyist could find a hex-head bolt that
paint that Accucraft has traditionally used for “Ruby,” would still hold the cross beam but have a more proto-
“Dora” is painted in a satin-black finish and even in- typical look.
cludes a set of deep sienna pin-stripes around the saddle
tanks and on the rear piece of metalwork that repre- Maybe my favorite detail in “Dora” is the roof of the
sents a coal bunker. cab — it is hinged to lift off and away from the cab,
folding neatly down one side. The hinge is a simple
Another major difference from “Indefatigable” is heavy-gauge wire affair, meaning the wires can be
that the original has mocked-up side pistons, while pinched together and the roof then comes completely
“Dora’s” motive power remains an illustrated mys- off (the company has used similar designs in its more
tery. The nicety of Marc’s little pistons are certainly expensive locomotives). Having to remove the entire
missed on “Dora,” but making a set would be a great “Ruby” cab in order to work inside has always seemed
project. to me to be a problem waiting for a design solution.
And here it is.
All four wheels are drivers; the front two via the
gears and the rear two from the side-rods connected While “Dora’s” place in the firmament means that
to the front wheels. it had to dispense with frills, Accucraft is offering add-

The smoke box door has nice details and has a round

10

Inside ‘Dora’: Left, the cab controls of a ‘Dora.’ Right, the top engine, ‘Ruby’ is much longer than ‘Dora.’

ons such as a pressure gauge and a Goodall valve the wheels, to make sure the cylinders would move
(which combined will set you back more than $100). freely. She was a little stiff, but when I put her on the
A fitting near the boiler plug where the pressure gauge track and pushed, she moved without undue force.
can be attached was included.
I then tried out the steam throttle and gas control;
“Dora” is rigged for link-and-pin coupling, though I found both to be stiff, especially the gas, and worked
the coupler is higher than my existing 1:20.3 rolling them on and off trying to get them to loosen a bit.
stock, set up to be pulled by a “Ruby” (the “Ruby’s” They remained stiff.
link-and-pin is about one-inch off the rail head, while
“Dora’s” coupler is 11/8-inches above). On blocks in the workshop and following the in-
struction manual to the letter, I oiled around all the
“Dora” arrived in a red box (a sienna that almost moving parts with a light-weight, high-speed oil and
matches the pin-striping) and was taped and Styro- then filled the steam-cylinder oil reservoir. “Dora”
foam cocooned in the same manner as all Accucraft took 2.5ml of steam oil (about a half teaspoon).
products arrive these days. In addition to a well writ-
ten and illustrated instruction manual, “Dora” came I then filled the boiler with distilled water, using the
with a neat little kit of two syringes with plastic tubes, second recommended method of filling it to the top
a gas-filler pipe, two hex-head wrenches, two Allen and then extracting 20ml of water to leave steam
wrenches and a set of spare screws and bolts. space (for a total of about 65ml of water, or 21⁄5-
ounces).
Also in the kit, new for Accucraft, was a pair of cot-
ton gloves, a feature that makers such as Aster have Lastly, I filled the gas tank. The gas-filler valve is
always provided. Unfortunately, the gloves were de- about four inches inside the engine because of the
signed for someone with hands smaller than mine body work and most typical portable burner car-
(and I have pretty small hands). tridges or camping-gas cans can’t reach, so the exten-
sion tube is needed. Since my Berkeley Locomotive
Lastly in the box were two pressure-vessel certifi- Works’ “Cricket” requires an extension tube to fill its
cates, one for the boiler and one for the gas tank. tank, I was familiar with the trick of holding both the
While apparently there are small-scale live steam ven- gas cartridge and the tube at the same time.
ues overseas — and a few in the United States, fre-
quently those connected with ride-on clubs — that Then I opened the smoke box door and lit her.
require a boiler certificate, after close to 15 years in There was a “whoosh” and flame coursed out of the
the hobby I have never been asked for one. smoke box and I quickly closed down the gas control.
In doing so, I found the gas control definitely was
Boiling water finicky and began playing with it, listening to the
amount of gas that was escaping at each fractional
After admiring “Dora,” the first thing I did was to turn of the control.
grasp her in my right hand and roll my left palm across
I waited for this excess gas to dissipate, then refilled

11

On blocks: Left, ‘Dora’ on the bench. Right, ‘Dora’s’ connecting rod moves so fast it’s almost invisible.

the gas tank and tried lighting her again. This time she On the main line
lit correctly and with an adjustment the flame popped
back into the flue. Eight minutes later steam began to For her next performance, I took “Dora” out to the
escape from the safety valve and I opened the throt- backyard, where I have a 180-foot, elevated railroad
tle. that runs around a patio and a deck. I set “Dora” up
on the outside loop, oiled her and filled her with water
Nothing happened. I closed the throttle and re- and butane and lit her off. Like clockwork, eight min-
opened it. Nothing. I tried the process again and again, utes later, the safety began to weep and I opened the
and nothing. Finally with one more try a big slug of hot, throttle and gave her a nudge.
steamy, oily water launched into the atmosphere and
landed on the top of my balding pate. She ran a nice 10 minutes on the layout, so I re-wa-
tered and refueled her and brought out a small rake
But “Dora’s” wheels were turning, so I happily ig- of cars (it’s an ecumenical consist — two Northeast
nored the slimy water running into my eyes and onto Narrow Gauge 1:20.3-scale kit cars and an LGB
my glasses. 1:22.5-scale German caboose that looks right with the
other two). Eight minutes and a “Diamondhead cou-
“Dora” ran for almost exactly 10 minutes and then pler” (a bent paper clip) later, and she was off.
she stopped; the gas ran out and a quick jiggle showed
she still had water in the boiler to spare. I quickly re- “Dora” ran the small rake the same way she had run
watered and re-fueled, but despite the fact she was light — 10 minutes at a steady pace.
warm, it still took her eight minutes to raise enough
steam to weep the safety. Again, it was difficult to get This time “Dora” ended her run quite a ways away
her to turn on her own (this time I coaxed her to start from the steamup bay, so I uncoupled the cars, went
by nudging the push rod with my finger) and this time to pick her up and learned why gloves are included.
her flame went out after about 90 seconds of running.
Unlike “Ruby” or many other locomotives, there is
I re-lit her and it took a couple of minutes to get no wood on “Dora” — she’s heat-carrying metal
enough steam to start again and she ran fine, once through and through. Unless you have gloves or a rag,
again for almost exactly 10 minutes (and once again, she’s not about to be picked up immediately after a
no gas but still some water). firing.

“Dora” ran four times on blocks and with each suc- Also, I learned out on the layout that “Dora’s” throt-
cessive run she seemed to start smoother and run less tle and gas-control handles get hot during runs as well
roughly. But throughout this process I felt like the gas and to be careful when adjusting them. Again, gloves
control was a little too fiddly. aren’t optional with “Dora.”

I backed the control out and noticed the rubber O- I ran “Dora” three more times that day with no
ring seemed a little off; I re-seated it, screwed the con- problems.
trol back in and from then on the control worked
much better. I have subsequently fired her on blocks and on the
layout and she has performed admirably. There have
been a couple of occasions where I have allowed a little

12

too much gas in the smoke box before bringing in the ing the gas adjusted correctly — but overall it is a
lighter and “Dora” will do a flame “whoosh” at those spunky little loco that seems to work for most part
moments, but otherwise, there have been no prob- right out of the box.
lems.
For the neophyte unconcerned about fidelity to his-
Even after that tweak of the gas control, the valve torical railroads, “Dora” would make a great first-time
still seems to be a little tricky and I (and perhaps all locomotive. A $500-or-less investment gets a begin-
“Dora” operators) need to be careful when adjusting ner started in the hobby. For someone who wants a
it. locomotive that looks like it came out of a U.S. history
book or wants one that will run longer than 10 min-
after the firings utes at a filling, perhaps an incarnation of a “Ruby”
(and its attendant $65-$200 higher price) is more ap-
“Dora” will bring about much debate in our hobby: propriate.
there will be those who believe she is too small, too
underpowered and so far from the look of an Ameri- In conclusion
can locomotive as to be undesirable.
For me, “Dora” matches my other tiny locomotives,
Others will point to her low cost, quality manufac- such as my Berkeley “Cricket” and my first-generation
turing and her inherent ability to be kit-bashed into “Ruby.” As such, I have rolling stock that looks appro-
looking like any 0-4-0 with wheels inside the frame priate with “Dora” and a lot of experience running lo-
(four small hex-head screws are all that hold the body comotives much like “Dora.” I think “Dora” makes a
to the frame). great addition to my stable of engines and I’m happy
I bought her.
There are some aspects of “Dora” that are frustrat-
ing — in communicating with other “Dora” owners, it
appears that I’m not the only one having trouble keep-

Workshop Project - Shortening Dora’s Throttle Handle-

Text & Photos by Marc Horovitz

Accucraft Trains’ new “Dora” is out. It’s a unsightly. I prefer a more compact design.
locomotive ripe with possibilities for With that thought in mind, I removed the throttle
modification, innovation and fix up. In this
installment, which I hope will be the first of many, I’ll handle and unscrewed the throttle valve from its
tackle the throttle valve. A lathe is necessary to make housing.
this modification.
I carefully
Upon unpacking the engine, one of the first things measured the
I noticed was that valve and drew it Figure 1
the throttle valve
looked overly long up (Figure 1). I
also measured the housing, including the length of the
(Photo 1). smooth inside diameter before the thread started.
This revealed that a little over a quarter of an inch
Presumably, it was (0.275-inch) might be cut off of the housing without
altering the throttle’s performance. With that
made that way for removed, the valve itself could be shortened by nearly
an inch (0.900-inch).
convenience, as it
(Note: Accucraft has been known to make changes
extends well out of to its designs in mid-production, so I suggest that you
double-check these measurements.)
the back of the cab. The first thing is to remove the body from the rest of
the engine. This is easily accomplished by removing
However, with the

cab as open as it is,

this seems both

unnecessary and Photo 1

13

four hex-head screws — the ones at which the arrows point in Photo 2. A
hex wrench is supplied with the engine but I found this to be ineffective, so
I used my own.

With the four screws removed — make sure you take off the dome too —

the body slips right off (Photo 3). Unscrew and remove the throttle valve,
then remove the handle from the end of the valve by loosening the Allen

screw with the supplied wrench (Photo 4).

Photo 2 modifying the throttle housing
Photo 3
Photo 4 Set your caliper (digital or dial) to 0.275-inch and scribe a line around
the throttle housing (Photo 5). I’ll use a cut-off disc in my Dremel rotary
tool to remove the unwanted section; a jeweler’s saw could also be used.

It’s important not to get metal chips or dust in the throttle housing. To
prevent this, I stuffed a bit of rag that used to be part of a favorite shirt
into the open end of the housing with a pair of tweezers, making sure that
it was tightly packed far enough in not to foul my tool when I was cutting
(Photo 6). If using the Dremel, be sure to wear safety glasses. Cut very
close to the line (Photo 7).

The finished cut will be rough (Photo 8), so use a flat file to smooth it off.
Carefully go around the inside of the hole with a utility knife (X-Acto) with a
No. 11 blade to remove any burrs (Photo 9). Then remove the rag.

That completes the modification to the housing (Photo 10). You can touch
up the cut end of the housing with a little black paint if you want to (I didn’t).

modifying the throttle 1.393 Cut off .900

.280

Figure 2 shows the final

configuration of the throttle valve.

Using a felt-tip pen, blacken the .157Ø (4mm)

throttle body (Photo 11). Set your

caliper to 0.900-inch and scribe a line Figure 2

around the body, measuring from the

non-pointy end (Photo 12).

Chuck the throttle in your three-jaw chuck, pointy end inward, with the

scribed line close to the chuck. No need to remove the O-ring — it will be

fine. Part off the section to the right of the line (Photo 13). Then reposition
the work in the chuck and simply turn down the shaft to 0.157-inch (4mm)

diameter for a length of 0.280-inch (Photo 14).

Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7

14

Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10
Photo 11 Photo 12 Photo 13
Photo 14

Photo 15

Once that’s done, you can reattach the handle to the

throttle and replace the throttle in its housing (Photo

15). Compare Photo 16 with Photo 1. Much better, Photo 16

methinks. Reprinted from the September/October 2013,

Issue No. 129 of Steam in the Garden

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