Carrying on from a previous post the Aster C&S mogul is alive and well. After taking the engine down to the frame I have all but re-built her from the ground up. Han's had to order a few parts from Japan but the wait was well worth it. After re-assembly and all gaskets and o-rings and fittings properly sealed and tightened the only word in the difference is absolutly amazing. I re-set the timing and oiled her up and she ran on 7 psi in both directions. Since it is -33 this morning and we have about 4' of snow I won't know until next spring how well the engine will pull under steam pressure. Even at 7 psi trying to hold the center driver the increased power is noticeable. I can hardly wait to steam her. John Frank if you read this I'll bring her to Greg's open house in June and we can try those 3% grades and make you an Aster convert./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gifI want to thank all the people from the old post who gave me advice on getting this engine off the shelf and back on the tracks. I learned a number of new things especially about piston rings. Thanks to all of you.
Chuck K
Chuck K