Louis Banning left Pahrump Nevada at 4:30 a.m. and I left Las Vegas, Nevada at 4:30 a.m. We met in Baker, California on I-15 at the base of the World's Tallest Thermometer at 6:00 a.m. After putting Lou's things in my car we continued on to Riverside California. We arrived at the Riverside Live Seamers site at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning with a overcast sky and a bit cool. After unloading my vertical boilered Shay we cleaned flues, lubricated the engine and fired her up. I had high hopes for a great run. The last time we were here was at the Fall meet. I felt the need then for a second way of adding water to the boiler. So over Winter I built and installed a Worthington Steam pump. I used Coles Power Model's casting set for this pump.

Well the first time around I derailed several times. Most discouraging. Even after I had rebuilt the riding car trucks and made custom spacers to hold the gauge. Lou gave it a try with the same results. The few times I could use the new pump it worked but was stiff. By 5 p.m. and several attempts we did not have a successful run. Mostly derail, fool around with the blower/burner levels, wait for steam to build, go along for a few yards and derail again. The engine stayed on the track but the riding car came off. Both front truck, rear truck and sometimes both together.

At 5 p.m. the engine locked up and wouldn't move under steam. We had to kill the burner and push it around the track back to the steaming bay. I'm really scratching my head as to what caused that. Not only had the engine locked up under steam but just before that happened water was shooting out the stack when it tried to move and the water level would go down rapidly. Yes I know about draincocks. The water shooting out the stack would continue for as long as you had the throttle open. I had to stop when the water level got down to the bottom nut on the gauge glass.

Well the local Stephenson valve gear guru arrived and said it had lost its timing and proceeded to give me a hands on class on setting the valve gear. I thought that the eccentrics were pinned to the shaft but sure enough the set screw loosened and allowed the front eccentric to shift and that cylinder was now about 180 degrees out. He lead me through adjusting the eccentric using the draincocks as a way to sense the valve events. It worked slick. In no time I had the engine running smoothly. By now it's 6 p.m. and with the engine up on blocks so we could run it, water was still coming out the stack in gross amounts. Further when Lou tried the whistle, out came steam oil not steam. Really grim now. What to do? Where did the oil come from? I never had this happen before. By 7 p.m. it getting dark and we quit for the night.

Well as you can imagine I went to bed Saturday night discouraged but at least I had a handle on the valve events. Sunday arrived with bright sunshine and again high hopes for a fix. I decided to swap the trucks end for end and add a 1/16 washer under the center bolster to allow the truck to have more freedom. Now the bolster buffers were not touching the car and very tippy side to side but manageable. While eating a onsite cooked breakfast in the RLS roundhouse I figured out where the oil came from.

When we shut down the engine, it cooled and sucked the oil out of the lubricator for the steam pump. It probably did that twice Saturday. Finally the oil must have cause foaming in the boiler and which allowed water to reach the dry pipe and ultimately up the stack.

So I fired the boiler and then blew it down to clean it out. That did the trick for water up the stack. I took my time and re-timed both front and rear eccentrics and now the engine is running very smooth. John Noble suggested that I redo the eccentrics to include three 5-40 bolts as set screw so they will hold better. I may do that. Don't know yet. By now it's 1 p.m. and almost quitting time. With a big smile on my face I fired her up, and attacked the departure grade. With 110 lbs. on the clock, safety blowing, blower closed, throttle open, barking stack talk away we went. Got around the first broad curve and I'm still on the track, moving , 1/4 showing on the glass, safety still blowing. I start the new pump and within 30 seconds I'm up to « glass, pressure down to 80 and still attacking the hill. I crest the grade with 1/4 glass and I ease the throttle a bit and begin to enjoy the ride. I'm starting to grin now. I went along the next 1000 feet and approach the station where we have always stopped for water. Well I've still got water in the glass and steam on the gauge and a long down grade coming. So I decided to continue without stopping. I make the big turn at the far end of the layout and I'm still riding. Both Lou and I had derailed 3-4 times each trip on just that 500 foot stretch of track. I keep on going while balancing on the wobbling riding car. Now I can close the throttle, open the blower a bit, turn down the oil and start injecting. Works like a champ. I've got 70 pounds on the gauge, « glass of water and I still have not derailed. What's going on? At the bottom of the long grade I open the throttle a bit, close the blower, sneak up the oil and drive into the yard track triumphantly. I offer the train to Lou but he says go again. For the first time I went around the 2000 foot layout without stopping, with out having to put water in the front tank and still had water in the boiler when I arrived. After servicing the front tank with water, I made a second circuit again without difficulties. I'm really grinning now.

It's now 2 p.m. so we shut done and clean up and load the engine. By 3 p.m. we are ready to leave.

Lou and I visited a fellow home that had 3 new engines for sale. a Pacific, a Hudson and a Mogul. All new never fired. After that we left his house at 5 p.m. and started home to Nevada. I got home here at 11 p.m.. Not too bad a Sunday.

Here are a few final pump pictures. The pump got better and better as it broke in and at the last it would pump at anytime you turned it on. It was just the ticket for adding water when at high boiler pressures. I'm very pleased with it.