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Subject: Another K28 water pump alternative

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llynrice

1st Class Member
Cornwall, Vermont
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09/21/2008 5:55 PM
When the Accucraft K-27 & K-28 were new in the marketplace, there were several posts about how difficult it is to pump water from the tender into the boiler. Several MLS readers demonstrated fixes which mostly involved replacing the one-way valve on the boiler backhead with an after-market ball valve or converting the existing valve by removing the poppet and substituting a ball valve. I gather that these were generally quite successful fixes. I chose to follow a different route. Since I had a goodall valve which I'd bought from Royce Brademan on hand, I installed it and used the squeeze pump bottle I'd bought from him. That worked, but my hand got pretty tired pumping in enough water. So, I borrowed the delivery tube from the pump bottle and connected it to the Accucraft tender pump through a quick disconnect fitting. I found that pumping water into the boiler became really easy and quick. The pump handle still bumped into the doghouse on my K28 and I kept bumping my knuckles. So, I decided to remove the pump from the tender. I took the pump out and filled the holes in the bottom of the tender with brass #3-48 nut, bolt & washer sets. This allows me to fill the tender with lukewarm tap water to keep the gas tank from chilling. I found an 800 ml capacity plastic food container and put the pump into it. I drilled through an aluminum plate and the bottom of the container and bolted through to hold the pump down. I also used a sparing smear of teflon pipe thread dope on the pump feet to ensure a good seal. Then, I screwed the aluminum plate down to a wood base. I can coil the tubing up and store it by putting the container lid on. All told, this arrangement is far easier to use than anything else I've tried - even when the boiler is at 60 psi. And, it will work with any loco which has a goodall valve. I realize that this is but one solution among several that work and think it is worth trying if you're tired of building huge arm muscles trying to use the stock pump arrangement. After I took these pictures, I emptied the container and filled it in 100 ml increments and made water level tick marks. I've learned that, when the Bill Ford WLDS turns red (bottom of the sight glass), I need only pump in 400 ml and the loco is ready to continue running. Llyn

Llyn Rice Cornwall, Vermont *Vermont Scenic Railway*

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