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gt240m

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I recently found a brand new factory built aster Stirling that sells for $2000,this little jewish has never been steamed ,so I purchased it. But when I took it to my home,opened the steam chest, I found that the stainless steel fastening screw of one of the slide valves had severely rusted with half of it turning into mud, so I can’t remove it easily ,which made me curious about how this happened and why stainless steel also rusted like this.
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I have certainly had some of the early 'stainless' valve screws, turn out to be not very good stainless and rust up.
I assume that it must have been 'test steamed' when built.
I also wasn't aware of their religion being Jewish, although maybe it is a 'jewel'.
I hope that you never have to adjust the valve if you need to.
Cheers,
David Leech, Canada
 
Hmm..very strange—water in the cylinders or a humid environment in general for storage may be to blame here..Brass can corrode and deform under the right conditions but regardless it looks like some work ahead on the “bargain-priced” engine. If you have the manuals and get id the parts, you might see if Aster has any. Perhaps not likely given the age of this loco but worth a swing before fabrication becomes necessary.

Sam
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
I have certainly had some of the early 'stainless' valve screws, turn out to be not very good stainless and rust up.
I assume that it must have been 'test steamed' when built.
I also wasn't aware of their religion being Jewish, although maybe it is a 'jewel'.
I hope that you never have to adjust the valve if you need to.
Cheers,
David Leech, Canada
thanks David ,forgive my poor English,it’s “jewel “, I try to remove it but it’s not an easy thing, so I give up, luckily it runs very well in both directions ,hope it can keep forever.
 
There are others in the hobby that can repair the problem if she gets out of time if its beyond your skils to deal with the rusted remains. Newer stainless grub screws can be gotten from Aster to replace those. Not sure when Aster transitioned to stainless screws. This problem is common in the early models from them. I had to deal with this on a Reno. Thankfully after getting things apart, I was able to spin the remains out of the valve spindle rod. Ryan B over at Triple R Steam Services or your local Aster dealer if your overseas can help
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
There are others in the hobby that can repair the problem if she gets out of time if its beyond your skils to deal with the rusted remains. Newer stainless grub screws can be gotten from Aster to replace those. Not sure when Aster transitioned to stainless screws. This problem is common in the early models from them. I had to deal with this on a Reno. Thankfully after getting things apart, I was able to spin the remains out of the valve spindle rod. Ryan B over at Triple R Steam Services or your local Aster dealer if your overseas can help
What surprised me was that Aster did not use stainless steel screws on its 1996 product. This little engine built perfectly,can run flawless,so I have decided not to deal with it for the time being. Perhaps I can wait until one day when the screws are completely rotten and then I will clean the threads and screw in a new stainless steel grub screw.
 
If necessary (which I hope it isn't) I have heard that dunking the valves in coca Cola for the night will eat the screww out leaving the brass untouched. I have never tried it myself though.Very nice loco but I wouldn't call that an early Aster. Although it is one of the last JVR designs.
 
Very nice loco but I wouldn't call that an early Aster. Although it is one of the last JVR designs.
You are (of course) right. From the 66 ASTER locomotives it is number 42 and it was introduced in 1996 which is exactly midway between the start of ASTER (1975) and the end (2016), not counting ASTER/Accucraft of course. See The ASTER Roster – Many different model trains in all scales & gauges or The Unauthorised History of ASTER – Many different model trains in all scales & gauges
Regards
Fred
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
You are (of course) right. From the 66 ASTER locomotives it is number 42 and it was introduced in 1996 which is exactly midway between the start of ASTER (1975) and the end (2016), not counting ASTER/Accucraft of course. See The ASTER Roster – Many different model trains in all scales & gauges or The Unauthorised History of ASTER – Many different model trains in all scales & gauges
Regards
Fred
hello,Fred ,I love your book,I read it almost everyday.
I found that the boiler of this engine is quite small and accidentally runs out of water. Fortunately, if there is no water in the boiler, the fire will go out. At first, I thought it was because the fuel was running out, so I used a suction fan to steam it again. I only added a little water with my hand pump and the safety valve popped up. Suddenly, I realized that I was burning it dry and quickly extinguished it. Fortunately, there was no damage. I read the instruction( Japanese version ) that its pressure gauge is very fragile. As long as it comes into contact with the boiler or boiler fittings a little bit, it will be damaged due to overheating.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
I have read back in the day in Steam in the Garden magazine, that many capped one of the wicks to tame the burner a bit and help with water consumption.
Thanks Mike,I think it's a good idea,the wicks in this engine are as big as a big engine but the boiler is so small ,only need 30 seconds to raise pressure,and 5min to run out of water.
 
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