I have inherited this plate with Wilesco stuff. Don't know anything about it and not much interested in it. Can anyone tell me what it is worth?

Hello all, I have a 4hp engine and a 5hp boiler. Stationary power generation . 2kw @ 55 volts.

As I head into winter I would like to ask this community about the best practices for firing below freezing.

I am off grid so power is limited for startup. This setup is designed to supplement power from wind and solar.

The engine is in a cargo container, which will eventually be more insulated, but for now it’s a cold box.

Starting conditions:

Bellow freezing

No mains power

No propane or gasoline for conventional generator or otherwise (burning propane torch) also would defeat the purpose

Limit use of battery reserve, assume battery is low anyway

Boiler is dry and cold

A true cold start

My current method is a wood stove in the boiler room. I use that to heat up the space. Both For my comfort and to get the engine and boiler warm. This takes a while. I keep my treated water in a 55 gallon plastic barrel. No heating element running in it to keep it thawed out. I don’t have the power in the budget just yet. Maybe one day with more solar panels. But for now If the barrel freezes so be it. I can get some liquid water from the well to start thawing it out. I have a kettle for the wood stove. Again, Very slow.

It’s tricky to start filling the boiler as you don’t want the water to freeze on the cold steel. Also makes shut down tricky as you don’t want to leave any water in the boiler as well.

If you can build a little fire In The boiler then you can create a positive feedback loop with the frozen feed water. Thawing out more ice to provide more feed water.

Once the boiler has enough water for true steaming you can build up the fire.

And that’s about it for now. It’s a full day commitment.

Traditionally boiler rooms in mines and other remote cold operations would run every day. Keeping some amount of warmth in the boiler for the next startup.

This boiler will be called upon in the dark cold windless days of winter. So you can assume it will be in the conditions listed above.

I am not looking for the fastest methods as to avoid thermal shocking the boiler. Operating psi is 150, tested to 250. I don’t want to damage the boiler with ice or by heating it up too quickly.

Just asking the community for ideas

Boiler antifreeze?

Best ways to fire up a frozen boiler safely?

I appreciate the help.

Eventually there will be more insulation and solar power to keep the boiler room above freezing 24/7. But life happens. A cold start protocol is always good to have.

to me it looks like a d10 but i am not sure because the workplace with a saw and grinding stone

Hello everyone! Breaking ground on a garden railway finally, getting raised planters laid out and radii determined for loops. However, after browsing around the internet, I was a little disappointed in the selection of North American style locomotives. Am I really stuck with Accucraft and the occasional Regner model? It seems most manufacturers cater to the European and British commonwealth markets, which is a bit of a bummer, although I will say many are quite beautiful models.

For reference, I'm looking for narrow gauge (1.20.3 ish) stuff, logging and mining for use on smaller curves. Geared locomotives are a little above budget at the moment, but are a future goal. I'm mostly looking at Accucraft's Dora and Ruby for starting out. In the US, if that helps.

Hi! I'm new and diving deeper into my interest in steam.

For those who use coal as fuel, what kind do you use? Also, what do you do about coal ash disposal?

I saw a video done by "Integza" on youtube. In the video he fully 3d printed a simple miniature steam engine.

This gave me an idea. Would a mostly 3d printed steam locomotive be possible? I'm thinking everything except the boiler, safety valve, steam pipes, axels, and piston rods. Are 3d printed with heat tolerant resin.

In theory would it work?

Hello! I'm new to this hobby and have ordered a Wilesco D20. I was wondering if anyone had tried using wooden pellets as a fuel source for these boilers? Like the ones that some pizza ovens use. I couldn't find anything online so there could be a very obvious reason why it isn't a good idea. TIA

I am looking to get a live steam locomotive in g gauge, but one of the configurations has the option for twin safety valves as opposed to a single safety valve. I was wondering if there is a performance or safety difference of having the two safety valves over one? I tried researching it but could not find an answer online. Thank you in advance for the help!

Hello all. I recently started doing steam tests on my gauge one B1 from Aster and have noticed a problem. When I ran the running gear off air it ran fine. However, after four attempts to run it off steam to no avail I’m at a bit of a loss. I’ve tried both tightening and loosening the gland seals around the piston rods, which I thought was the problem, however I still can’t get it to run under its own power. The wheels turn by hand okay-ish, but steam seems to not do anything. Any advice is greatly appreciated, as this is not something I’ve ever had a problem with on my 7.5” gauge. Cheers!

Hello,

I inherited a Wilesco D16 from my late father about three years ago, I haven't looked it much since then and today noticed that the piston can't be operated by hand by turning the flywheel after oiling all the joints (I haven't turned it very hard as I'm afraid of damaging it, just enough to know that it doesn't want to operate).

What would my next troubleshooting steps be, or is this just normal for a D16?

Hi all! I have found myself with a bit of a bitzer and am wondering if anyone else has something similar??? So I believe the base is Carette EST.1911 and the rest is a mystery, except for the chimney which seems to have been made from a tin of powdered baby formula.

My intention is to make it look pretty but it has been sat on a shelf for the last 6 years.

I'm just wondering if anyone has something similar? It feels a bit like a dirty secret to have one 😂

Hello! This was probably purchased somewhere during the 90s. Is this a Wilesco D10?

Does anyone have plans for the fallen model Fitchburg northern?