Epilogue

Although the Regner 99.211 not completely a miniature is of the Henschel 99.211, for instance the longer stack of the model and the presence of flanges at the second axis. It is though a locomotive sturdy build and delivered with many detailing.

My intention was to use it without RC, live steam and electronics don't mix, I thought. Now a RC is built in and I am very happy with it, in some occasions I was glad to be able to control the speed.

The largest discomfort I can think of is the impossibility to visually check and adjust the slide valves without removing the whole superstructure (boiler, engineer’s house, and gas storagetank). Small refinements in the slide valves adjustment I did on-the-fly, that is when under steam adjusting the length of the slide valve spindle and immediately check the driving properties (self start forward and backward in all positions, slow speed, four beats per evolution evenly divided over one rotation of the wheels).

And then we come by the loosening of the screws. Luckily my other engine had trained me already so it wasn't a surprise to me. The Regner is powerful and heavy machine so the mechanics also are more heavily loaded. At two locations, I have added extra securing-nuts. Two at the slide valve spindle (see arrow F figure 4), and two at the hinge between the crossheads and the connecting rod. See arrow A figure 14.

Until now I only fired meths in my steam engines. I seriously have to get used to use butane/propane for firing the boiler. Okay, you have instant heat and the fire can be extinguished fast (safe). During the steam day in Leek (NL) a German fireman, who works on a real steamlocomotive for a tourist line, learned how to fill a Regner gas storagetank. It comes down that the gas storagetank must release some gas after the fluid gas no longer drips, than fill and vent again so long till fluid gas is coming out of the filling-nipple. Continuously burning if of one hour can be reached by this method. Combined with a feed water valve so that water can by added in the boiler while under pressure one hour of driving is possible. An other useful method to fill the gas storagetank is to add (liquid) gas until the sound stops, light the fire and as soon the boiler pressure starts raising kill the fire and refill the gas storagetank again. The gas storagetank is cooled down, and yet not warmed up by the boiler. By these second method of gas filling the gas intake permits 45-min steaming, but a good alternative.

Immediately behind the front bufferbeam weight is mounted (approx. 120 gram’s) to balance the engine. The most weight is located in the engineer’s house (gas storagetank, RC, batteries, burner, boiler manifold and fittings, super structure). If better riding properties are achieved by adding this weight?

The noise of the burner is reduce by sticking the burnertube less deep in the centre-flue, and additional a RVS pressure spring is pushed around the burnertube. When the burner is lit the spring starts to glow (orange/yellow) so the heat is transferred to the boiler by radiation. See arrow A figure 16. A (possible) advantage is less gas consume, less sound and a cooler exhaust temperature so that the steam plume is visibly better and not disappears by the hot gasses.

I would like to finish with the quote made by a British steam engine fitter from the time of the giant ocean steamliners;"...the engineer designs the machine, but the fitter permits her to work..."