Our steam locomotive boilers are pressure vessels and need to be regularly tested to ensure that they are safe to operate. Miniature steam locomotives need to be built and meet the requirements of the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee boiler code.
When retesting a boiler the first test undertaken is a hydrostatic test which involves filling the boiler with water and pressurising to the specified test pressure. As water doesn’t compress if there is a leak the boiler inspector at worst risks getting wet.
Once the hydrostatic test has been passed a steam accumulation test is undertaken to ensure the safety valves lift at the correct pressure.
The Society’s hydrostatic test rig has recently been rebuilt ready for a round of testing locomotive boilers. We have six locomotives to test over the next year as we pull some engines out of storage and return them to service.
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Maidstone Model Engineering Society 