Just saw a live steam video of a C&O Allegheny live steamer in #1 Gauge.Wow! Does anybody here no anything about them?
I don't really don't know much about live steam engines. Live steam engines in G scale have their own followers and they are very few due to expense. There is a live steamers club every year at the East Coast Large Scale train show and it is neat to watch those things run. I do know that Aster is like the top of the line Cadillac for steam engines and you can pay up to $4,000 for one. Accucraft is the next manufacturer in line as far as quality and they are a little cheaper, running around $2,500 to $2,900 for your average locomotive. There are different fuel types of live steam engines also, butane and alcohol are the most common fuels. Aristocraft has entered the live steam engine market and already had to redesign some features on their locomotive, so I don't know how the new redesign one runs. By watching the live steamers club, these things do require alot of work. The cleaning, the oiling, geting the fire started, making sure the water level is full and most important watching the boiler pressure just like the real thing. Most of these live steamers have radio throttle control, much like what you would see with a model airplane. There is a couple that run manual throttle controls thru the cab. I gathered this much info by watching and asking questions at the liver steamers exhibit at the East Coast Large Scale Train show for the last 8 years. Other than that, I can't be any further help. I can say they are neat, but too much work and too expensive for me.
Flash Blackman Live Steamers use compressed air as a safe way to check operation of their steam engine to make sure it is running properly before firing it up for running.
