The Burrell's Steamings 
22 April to ....

ModelWorks 4 inch Scale Burrell Agricultural Traction Engine 

Saturday 22/04/06: I have received numerous reports of the hornplates bolts coming lose.  Since fitting the brass bushes I have forgot about this problem.  After Colin's latest report I thought I had better check mine and I found them all to be tight.  

Locking back on it, the bushes were a tight fit in the hornplates and because I could not drill the holes at exactly the right offset the bolt cut into the brass bush as it was screwed home.  This has provided an extremely firm fixing.
30/4/05: not so

Wednesday 26: During the rally I noticed that one exhaust beat was louder than the other and prompted by Colin's latest report I decided to set the valve timing whilst in steam.  Colin found it necessary to adjust his by 3mm though he thinks some of this was down to movement of the hornplates. 

As usual it took me just over an hour to raise steam and I left the engine to warm for a further hour.  I opened the drain cocks and turned the engine over by hand to release all pressure from the valve chest.  As a further precaution I very gingerly loosened all the valve chest nuts so that I could move cover away from the cylinder.  Once I had daylight between the chest and cover I removed the nuts followed by the cover.

I decided to set the rod length for correct event timing in fully notched up forward gear.  To achieve this I had to lengthen the valve rod by turning it by about 1/3 of a turn which corresponds to an increase in length of around 0.8mm.  ModelWorks incorporation of opposing left and right hand threads made adjustment relatively easy.

It is now clear to me that Colin's adjustment of 3mm had more to do with movement of the hornplates than expansion of the boiler.  I would recommend that constructors who don't want to risk removing the cover whilst in steam to set the valve gear up cold and then lengthen the rod by turning it just over 1/4 of a turn.  While this is slight under "my setting" I think it is better to under compensate if it is not possible to set the valve spot on.

Today I fired the Burrell with Anthracite rather that the Burnel Steam coal I was given at the dockyard.  I expected this to burn hotter, but I was pleased to find I was able to manage the boiler to avoid excessive blowing off.  Steve has cautioned me against using a thin fire with Anthracite as it is very easy for a hole in the fire bed to appear around which there is an abundance of oxygen resulting in localized melting of the fire bars.  In light of this advice I made sure that I had a deep fire.

The avoidance of blowing the safeties is only in a small part  due to my improved experience as I increased the diameter of the blast pipe before the rally. 

I replaced the supplied 1/2 to 1/4 BSP reducing elbow with a 1/2 to 1/2 BSP regular elbow into which I could screw inserts.  The new elbow required considerable butchering to enable it to be screwed in place in the confines of the chimney.  As an initial guess I drilled out an insert to 31/64" which represent an increase in area of 25%.  So far I have been very pleased with the changes but I still need more trials to determine if I will stick with this size.  In particular I need to do road running with a variety of fuels.  I do not recommend altering the ModelWorks supplied elbow at this time.

I was also please to find that removing the blockage from the steam feed had fixed the injector however it remains a bit temperamental.  In my experience it is very steam hungry and in case of difficulty the steam supply should be the first suspect.  Some tips that may help.  When starting the injector I open the water valve and set the tap for maximum flow out of the overflow.  I allow the water to flow for a while to cool the injector and confirm that there are no blockages in the water feed.  I then quickly fully open the steam valve.  I then usually find I have to trim the water feed valve to stop the water gushing out of the overflow.  This needs continual adjustment as the steam pressure drops.  If steam threatens to come out of the overflow open the water cock slightly.  If water starts dribbling close the cock slightly.

Sunday 30: I took the Burrell to the park today so that I could give it a run.  On the whole the engine performed very well and it was nice to have the space to open the regulator.  I was pleased to hear a nice even beat which confirmed the valve adjustments I had made in the week.

Both water feed method performed satisfactorily.  The pump's inlet clack continues to bounce.  However despite this on a level run the pump is more than able to keep up with the rate of steam production.  The injector was able to quickly make up the water level when required but stopped working as the pressure dropped below 80 psi.

I fired the engine with Anthracite and found that the safeties lifted a little more than I would have liked.  The park is surprisingly hilly and the changes in level tended to catch me out.  Just prior to and going doing hill I used the pump to make up the water.  When I came to the next up slope I found I had plenty of water and in some cases over the top of the glass.  The engine has to work harder going up the slope which draws the fire and since the boiler is full, I cannot add water to utilize the excess heat.  The picture on the right shows me going down into a dip and this picture was taken near the top of the following rise.

Just as I was about to pack up I looked down at the water gauge and was disturbed to see it moving.  I had spoken too soon and just like everybody else my hornplate bolts were working lose.  Before putting the Burrell back onto the trailer I tighten as many of the bolts I could without removing the wheels. 

Friday 5 May: Over the last few weeks I have been going though the process of registering the Burrell.  Like many other novices the process was clouded in mystery but it really is quite simple. In fact there is not a lot to write about!

There is not much on the web but these two resources I found very useful.  Firstly this post on Traction-talk and secondly this article on Total Kit Car.  The DVLA website should also be consulted.

Two forms need to be filled in.  The main form is the V55/4 application form but I will deal with the V627/1 (built up vehicle form) first.  The object of filling in this form is to establish that the

Remember to save all your kit receipts

vehicle is new.   It is essential to have receipts for all components used in the construction of the vehicle.  Presumably where this is not possible a Q plate is issued.  One of the advantages of building a ModelWorks kit is that the set of kit receipts covers this.    Don't be put off by the forms use of the term "rebuilt" and use N/A as necessary.

The V55/4 appears daunting but again N/A is a good answer for most things.  The Total Kit Car article's has an example of a completed V55/4 which gives an idea as to where N/A can be used.  Burrell8nhp's Traction-Talk post provides vital clues for the Steam related questions.  While a fee of £38 is required for processing the application, the fee for the road fund license  for a steam vehicle is nil.

I recommend a visit to your local DVLA office where I found the staff very helpful.  When I went there were a few blanks on my forms and, perhaps unsurprisingly, I was advised to either leave them blank or mark N/A.  It is better to go in the middle of the month and avoid the busy period near the beginning and end of the month. 

My local DVLA asked to inspect the traction engine but this practice appears to vary between offices.  In Steve Traill case 6x4 photographs of the front and each side were accepted instead. The inspection did not take long and included a check of the boiler number.  While inspection itself was painless, finding a suitable parking space in the near by public car park was not.  The DVLA inspection should not be confused with the VOSA inspection required for kit cars.