RUBY Live Steam Instructions
Preparing the engine
A steam-locomotive engineer goes through a lighting-up ritual every time the
engine is to be run. It is good to follow the same routine each time so that
nothing is overlooked.
1. Oil all external moving parts of the engine with a high grade, lightweight
machine oil like 3-in-1.
2. Remove the cab roof. Drain any water from the displacement lubricator in
the cab and fi ll the lubricator to the top with proper steam cylinder oil. This
lubricator makes sure the cylinders and valves are lubricated inside. As the
steam passes through it, a small amount will condense into water. This water
will sink to the bottom of the lubricator, forcing a similar quantity of oil into the
steam line and thus to the cylinders.
3. Fill the boiler (make sure the throttle is closed). A properly fi lled boiler will
have 80ml of water in it. Do not fi ll the boiler full to the top. There must be
room for the steam above the water level. If there is water in the boiler already
and you don’t know how much, fi ll the boiler to the top, then remove 30ml.
Use only distilled water in your engine’s boiler. Tap water contains minerals
that will leach out and ultimately affect the performance of the engine.
4. Finally, add fuel. Butane gas can be purchased at the grocery store or at
a tobacconist’s as cigarette-lighter refi lls. These come with a nipple suitable
for the fi ller valve on the RUBY’s gas tank. Butane can also be purchased
in larger containers at camping-supply stores, but these cans will require a
special adapter for fi lling. Simply press the nozzle of the butane canister hard
onto the fi ller valve. You will hear the gas transferring and see a little gas
bleeding out of the valve. When the tank is full, the gas will begin to splutter
and much more gas will escape the valve. When the gas tank is full and the
cab roof 5has been replaced, you are ready to fi re up the engine.
5
Lubricator
Butane Filler Valve
Filler Plug
Burner
RUBY Live Steam Instructions
6
Firing up
RUBY’s burner resides at the back of the fl ue inside the boiler. Open the
hinged smokebox door at the front of the engine and you’ll be able to see the
fl ue. To light up, strike a match and hold it at the open smokebox door while
simultaneously opening the gas valve in the cab very slowly until the gas
ignites. You should hear the gas coming into the burner. Opening the valve
too wide or too fast may blow out the fl ame or cause the fi re to burn in the
smokebox.
The fi re should fl ash back into the back of the fl ue with a quiet “pop.” If it
wants to burn in the smokebox or in the forward part of the fl ue, slowly close
the gas valve until it fl ashes back to the burner. Don’t let the fi re burn in the
smokebox your engine will not run as it should and maybe damaged. The
fl ame should be bright blue and should burn steadily. The object is to run the
burner at the lowest setting possible to operate the engine, thereby increasing
the effi ciency of the engine and the duration of the run. You’ll get the hang of
this with practice
When the safety valve blows, you’ll know that pressure is up to working level.
This should take 5-8 minutes or so. The air temperature will have an effect on
this. It will take longer on cold days and less on hot days. Butane gas turns to
non-pressurized liquid at 32°F, so the engine may have diffi culty on very cold
days, unless it is fi red up indoors.
