While live steam is already wonderful, and has its own challenges and rewards, making the steam with coal (rather than gas, as on my other locos) has always been another ambition. So when I spotted a dealer offering this second hand Accucraft Ragleth, converted by the renowned DJB Engineering, I decided I couldn’t let it pass.
Two locos just months apart? In my defence: coal fired locos are rarer and pricier. There is a more limited choice of coal fired available. The dual challenges of money and time are always an issue: while there are excellent (conversion) kits around, they’re time consuming to build (and even then the kits are not cheap) and for many of the more attractive ‘ready to run’ options, you have to supply a suitable donor loco to be fitted with the coal boiler etc. and many of the suitable locos no longer being produced… And then this Ragleth (which unconverted was one of the original locos I had shortlisted when I bought my first steamer) popped up, almost within my current budget, and it was converted and ready to run on coal straight away. What was I to do?
This was just three weeks ago, but frustratingly, of course, when it arrived I couldn’t steam it up, as I didn’t have any of the appropriate equipment – it was like my first gas fired loco all over again. But this time the friends I have made in the hobby rallied around, not only generous with their advice but in giving me coal to fire it, and lending me an electric blower (required for making the draft as you get the fire up). Paul Bailey at DJB was hugely helpful providing excellent advice and a copy of the comprehensive and detailed original manual.
So this week, after oiling the motion and topping up the water and lubricator, I half filled the firebox with meths-soaked charcoal, popped the blower on the chimney, and then popped a lit lump of charcoal on top. I tried not to be impatient and open the firebox door too much, and when (relatively quickly, though it felt an age) I had enough pressure on the dial (around 20 psi) I opened the steam blower and took the electric blower off. The fire grew quickly, I started adding coal, and soon enough I was able to start running.
I actually kept the fire in for an hour, although much of the first part of that was fiddling with it rather than running, and I only let it out because I had run out of time myself. But running light, I was pleased with the way the loco ran, and the feeling of satisfaction in managing the fire as well as running is something else. There’s even a whiff of that coal smell of the real thing. And this loco also has a DJB whistle and a pop safety valve.
So yes, this is my fifth steamer, and while it’s another manual loco just like my first, the coal power makes it a whole new experience, and one which I am itching to repeat as soon as I have a moment.
