Chuff pipe for live-steam locomotives
Summerlands
Great Britain
Web site: www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk
Available in the USA from:
NGT Models
1816 Vermont Avenue
Lansing MI 48906
Price: $43 ea., postpaid
Web site: www.ngtmodels.com
Replacement exhaust pipe for Accucraft (and other) live-steam locomotives to enhance the locomotive’s chuff
Pros: Easy installation; no locomotive modification necessary; excellent results
Cons: None
Our review samples included a chuff pipe for the Accucraft Ruby and one for the Accucraft two-cylinder Shay (you have to order the pipe specific to your engine-they are not available for all locomotives at this time). The product is neatly made of brass and copper components, silver-soldered together. On the bottom end is a screw thread that matches the one in the specific locomotive. On the other is a small resonator that is concealed in the smokestack. To install the chuff pipe you must first unscrew the existing exhaust pipe. The chuffer then just screws into the hole, a matter of a minute or so. There is no modification to the locomotive necessary. Indeed, it can just as easily be restored to its original condition.
When each exhaust beat strikes the resonator, the chuff is acoustically amplified. There is no change in the actual performance of the engine, just in its sound.
I installed the chuffers in the Ruby and the Shay. There were no problems in installation. The chuffer for the Shay had a screwdriver slot cut into the top of it, which simplified matters a little. With the Shay, the spark arrestor had to be unscrewed-no problem. Once the chuffers were installed, I lit them up. I had previously run each engine pre-chuffer, just for comparative purposes.
This product really does what it is advertised to do. The difference in the engine’s sound was amazing in both cases and bordering on astonishing in the case of the Shay. With each engine, every exhaust beat was clear and loud at low speeds. The engine could be audibly tracked around my entire railway, two-thirds of which is out of sight from any given point. The Shay was really loud! The Ruby was much louder than it had been before, but not quite as loud as the Shay. Both engines were tested running light. When an engine is working harder, pulling a train, its exhaust beats will be even louder.
It should be noted that the Accucraft exhaust pipes that were removed already had rudimentary chuffers built into them. The Summerlands Chuffer put them to shame. This is a great device that adds a whole new dimension to running steam. Highly recommended.
