February - IP Engineering Jane By David Williams

 

 

 

I will freely admit that for many years my interest in Mamod and Oscillator locomotives was somewhat limited. This can probably be mostly attributed to the total lack of any such locomotives running at the regular meetings held within my local 16mm Association Area Group. As such, my first real entry into live-steam was my much loved Roundhouse ‘Millie’, which my parents bought me for Christmas in 2003. This stalwart held the fort for the next five years, after which time my parents realised that this hobby really wasn’t going away. My Dad’s interest in 16mm had also grown exponentially during this time and so many of the more advanced acquisitions that followed had full parental support.

 

It was only when group founder and fellow Rhyl Miniature Railway volunteer Laurence Smith, brought Ofario along for a run on our Pear Tree Light Railway, that I got a taste of what these engines were capable of achieving. Apart from the meths burner, it was only sporting an uprated safety valve on the original boiler and acquitted itself very well on the level circuit. On another couple of occasions I met the (in) famous Britomart (Brit), which generally performed in an exemplary manner. However, when Brit and its stablemate Dolmur Goch visited for a run on the new PTLR extension we had our eyes opened. Size for size, weight for weight these little engines outperformed everything else running that day, taking the switchback grades and hefty trains in their stride ‒ both my Dad and I agreed that we were seriously missing out.

 

A couple of weeks ago I came across a secondhand IP Engineering Jane, on offer at a very reasonable price and especially attractive as it wouldn’t need any of the more serious engineering upgrades. A quick telephone call to the vendor secured it and a couple of days later it was delivered by courier. It had been well packed and an initial inspection revealed nothing to be amiss. The wheels, axles and bearings were sufficiently free of slop, the boiler and fittings appeared in good external condition and the green powder coat paintwork was also free from any noticeable marks.

 

Next, the short accompanying manual was read through to ensure there was nothing to trip me up during the run. It also highlighted the fact that this was quite an early model, having been manufactured for sale through Brandbright. Initially the loco was steamed on blocks over an old oven tray with promising results. The safety valve lifted (there is no pressure gauge) about five minutes after the wicks were lit and the loco easily turned over under its own steam.

 

Following replenishment of fuel, oil and water it was time to head out on to PTLR metals. Light engine it quite happily wandered around the undulating 180ft mainline, without running away downhill or stalling on the return climb. However, the addition of about five Binnie tippers utterly defeated it, even when restricted to the shorter, more or less level route. After a bit of head scratching it occurred to me that over the years the safety valve might be blowing light. With no pressure gauge the best option was to obtain a new valve calibrated to 40Psi. This was acquired along with some other cosmetic components from Roy Wood, who was most helpful and spent a great deal of time discussing the various possible problems and potential solutions. Fortunately, the new valve completely revitalised the loco, which upon its next steaming romped away with all 15 of our tippers.

 

So I now have a fully working loco, which performs admirably and is now crying out for some cosmetic work and a name. I don’t intend to go overboard, but even so that will be another story for another time…

 

You can see a short video of the loco in action here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drJyP1pHAvQ