by Chris Bird Please scroll down to find your Accucraft loco. The contents cover: Most US and UK Locos Earl and Countess WD Baldwin 4-4-0 NGG16 Garratt Lynton & Barnstaple Locos I.O.M Mona BR 45 Cab Forward Most US and UK Locos All Accucraft locos have an opening smokebox door which gives some access to the exhaust. In most cases this is a simple 3mm tube fitted with a 3mm threaded end. The exhaust either scres into a boss on a reversing block between the frames, or into a cross tube between the cylinders. The following notes give the general idea and you can see Chuffers being fitted in the videos. 1. Open the smoke-box on your loco in order to see the exhaust pipe which runs from the brass reversing block between the cylinders, up into the chimney. This pipe is simply screwed into a 3mm threaded hole in the block.
2. Using a pair of long nosed pliers, unscrew the pipe gently. Do not bend or force it – it will be well oiled and should come out easily.
3. Push the freed pipe up and remove it via the chimney. If you now look downwards into the smoke-box, you will see the threaded hole it came from.
4. Taking the Chuffer, first ensure it is straight and has not been bent in transit. Then feed it down the chimney and screw it into the 3mm threaded hole in the reverser block. Do not over-tighten.
5. Check that the Chuffer's slot is clear of the chimney wall – the position is marked on the top of the Chuffer with a thin line. You can put a slight bend in the copper pipe if necessary.
6. Now steam up and enjoy the sound! Here is a little video of me fitting a Chuffer to an Accucraft Ruby: And here I fit one to a Ragleth Earl and Countess 1. The Earl and Countess exhausts share a common pipe which can be seen clearly when you open the smokebox door. Looking downwards, between the cylinders, you will see two pipes running across . The upper pipe is the steam feed from the super-heater and the lower one is the exhaust. In the centre of a brass sleeve on the exhaust, there is a 3mm threaded hole and the exhaust pipe runs from this up to the chimney
2. There is some variation between locos on the production. On some, the tapped hole for the single exhaust pipe is vertical, while on others, the hole is tilted forward at a slight angle. Your Summerlands Chuffer adapter has been designed in two parts to cope with this variation.
3. First unscrew the existing exhaust using a pair of long nosed pliers. Keep it vertical to avoid damaging the thread. It is not screwed in far and will easily be removed. Then screw the threaded end of the adapter into the hole – about two full turns. Do not screw it in too far or too tight. The adapter thread is steel to ensure it screws cleanly into the lightly cut thread in the brass cross tube. If in doubt, back it off and screw it a little at a time.
4. Now look at the angle of this pipe – if it points up the chimney then simply pass the Chuffer down the chimney so that the brass pipe sleeves over the copper. The top of the Chuffer needs to be about 5mm below the top of the chimney. Using long nosed pliers, turn the Chuffer so that the slot – marked on the top with a fine line – is clear of the chimney wall.
5. If the Chuffer feels loose on the adapter pipe, remove it and put a very slight bend in the copper pipe, just above the mark on the tube. This will hold it firm when the Chuffer is pushed into place. If the Chuffer assembly feels very loose in the chimney, you can put a slight bend in the copper below the mark on the copper tube, so that the back of the chuffer is pressed against the chimney wall.
6. If your adapter pipe leans forward when you try it in position (it did on both the locos I have fitted them to), then remove it and put a bend in the copper pipe below the mark so that the upper part of the tube points up the chimney. Replace it and proceed as in step 4 above. WD Baldwin Dave Mees has come up trumps again on the Accucraft W D Baldwin (well he is one of the official Service Agents). He has fitted a standard Accucraft Chuffer (as per Edrig etc.) and reports that it works very well. You can see a clip here. Dave reports that the smoke-box is not removeable as it forms part of the boiler barrel - but the chimney is fine at the minimum internal diameter of 9.5mm. Dave has supplied the following fitting notes:
1) Remove tanks -2 x M1.6 and 3 x M2 bolts. 2) Remove smokebox ring - 2 x M1.6 bolts. 3) Remove chimney with needle nose pliers. 4) Remove existing exhaust - ditto the pliers. 5) Fit standard Accucraft Chuffer after feeding chimney nut and washer onto Chuffer inside the smoke-box. 6) Bend chuffer to clear chimney. 7) Reverse steps 1 to 3.
Roy Wood and I have now fitted Chuffer to his WD Baldwin so here are a few additional notes.
1) We didn't have a nut spinner for the tiny M1.6 bolts, so we made one out of a piece of 1/8" K&S tube by just squeezing the end. It needed re-squeezing every now and then but worked OK. The one tight bolt was started with small pliers. 2) There are five bolts to each tank. Two holding straps to the boiler cladding and three underneath each. The pipes all pill out from the front of the cab - all except the big one which unplugs from the top of the tank (we found this out after!). 3) There are two bolts holding the front smoke-box ring - at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, but we found it was also held by the front two lamp bolts catching on the heat shield plate inside. Remove these bolts and ease it out. 4) The chimney is easy to remove - we used normal long nosed pliers and then fingers. 5) The old exhaust unscrews easily, but the hole is very difficult to find - it is there - honest! 6) Once screwed in, it is easy to bend the chuffer pipe to ensure it has the slot free to sound. 7) We found it difficult to re-fit the smoke-box front bolts. Leave the first loose to get the second one in. We started both with pliers and then used our home-made spinner. 8) Do the whole job on a tray - it is very easy to drop these bolts!!!! 9) The whole job sounds more difficult than it is - it took us less than an hour and that included tripping over each other and searching for dropped bolts!    4-4-0 (Fitting a Stack Liner) Larry Green in the US has fitted a Chuffer to his Accucraft 4-4-0 which is supplied with two different types of stack. The diamond stack (on Col. Boone) should work fine as the chuffer is inside the tube at the base of the stack. The full balloon stack (the Rushton?) requires a tube to be fitted inside to give the resonance. Here are Larry's notes from MyLargeScale.com and Llyn Rice's photos:
"With the temp here at 39 degrees and no sun, I steamed the 4-4-0 outside with a load today. The first run was disappointing, with some increase in volume, but no sharp beat like with my 2-6-2. The 4-4-0 has a hollow tapered stack (Rushton?), so I figured the sound was being lost as exhaust swirled around inside before exiting.
After taking measurements of the inside base of the stack, a 2 7/8" long piece of 1/2" OD X 7/16" ID brass tubing, pressed into a .785 dia. bushing with a milled notch to clear a stack assembly screw, was dropped in place. With another test run,that modifiction produced the nice exhaust beat and volume from the Chuffer.
When checking another similar stack from Accucraft, I found the internal design at the base to be quite different from the one installed on my engine, so the sleeve design will have to be determined for each engine.
I'm very satisfied with both installations of the Chuffer on my engines."
Larry added the following comments in a second post:
"I would expect the inside dimensions at the base of all of these to be different, as found with the two I have. The tubing I used was in my collection of materials, but a suitable tube should be available from K&S Metals at a hobby supplier.
One possible "universal" bushing for the base could be to pour JB Weld high-temp epoxy around the outside of the tube bottom, but this is semi-permanent and might turn off some owners. I can think of some other solutions easier than what I did, but the dimensions for each stack design must be determined first before deciding." 
 Stuart Timms is the first to successfully fit Chuffers to an Accucraft Garratt NGG16. This has required a fairly straightforward modification to divide the two exhausts in order to to feed the front one through a standard SCGP1 and the rear one through through a second exhaust pipe created in the smoke-box. This first installment covers this fitting which will produce half the correct number of chuffs. To get the correct number of beats, Stuart has added the option of disconnecting this new exhaust and substituting a prototype Chuffer/Resonator* mounted beneath the firebox. He has found that this works well and in the warm weather there is an acceptable amount of steam under the loco. In the Winter, however, when the visible exhaust steam from the resonator will be considerable, he can revert to the single one. He plans to fit a diverter valve to allow the him to switch between the Chuffer/resonator and the simple exhaust at will. So here is Stuart's first installment detailing the fitting of the front Chuffer: Photo 1 - Plugging the exhaust T This shows the T piece steam fitting for the exhaust under the smoke box. The rear end needs to be plugged up. I used a 3mm threaded allen head bolt after I had tapped a 3mm thread inside the t-piece. The other option is to put a small piece of silicone rubber tube with a bolt inside it to block it up. You would need clips to clamp the bolt inside the tube and the tube onto the t-piece.
Photo 2 - Making the second exhaust. For this exhaust to vent into the smoke-box, I used a 300mm long piece of 1/8th brass tube (brass because Stuart had it - you could use copper - ed)). The end has been squeezed up in a vice so approx 3mm of flat tube is left. A 1.6mm hole was then drilled in the tube part just below the flat section of the tube. This is for the steam to exhaust. (I don't have a picture of what the end looks like, but it's the same as the end of the original pipe that will be cut to fit the chuffer) . The photo shows how this tube it fitted under the loco. A 4mm hole was drilled between the two t-pieces (4mm to accomondate the flat section of the tube). With hindsight i would recomend that it is drilled either slightly behind or slightly in front of the t-pieces as it can make difficult work to unscrew and screw the original pipe with chuffer in place (unless the chuffer is fitted in place first). The 1/8th pipe was approx 300mm long and was bent (very carefully - it woud be easier with copper! ed) at 150mm fom the unsqueezed end. My garratt is radio controlled, so the forward and reverse shaft wasn't needed. The front mount that holds it in place just happens to have a 1/8th hole in it so the tube was slid into place and bolted up. i'm sure you will agree this makes it look a very tidy job. If the loco is manual it's still not a problem as there are a lot of areas the exhaust pipe could be cable tied to.
Photo 3 This picture is a close up of the two T-pieces - the lower one blanked off with the Allen bolt. Also note the brass heat deflector plate under that I have added under one side of the smoke box - this is because the exhaust pipes that accucraft supply melt very easily. The steam pipes don't as they are of a ptfe high temperature type so I have since changed my front exhaust pipe for this type of pipe as well as I got fed up changing it. And so far it has survived! The fitting of this chuffer has helped sort out the problem as I only have one pipe to melt now instead of two ;-)
Photo 4 - Fitting the Chuffer This picture took several attemps to get as it's very tight in front of the smoke box. You can see how tight it is to undo/do up the bolt on exhaust pipe. Once the exhaust is removed it needs to have the top section cut away in order to fit the Chuffer. Measure from the bottom of the pipe (nut end) 55mm and then saw it off. Slightly squeeze the pipe with some pliers and fit the exhaust in place without the chuffer. Just leave the nut hand tight. Now push the chuffer down the chimney and feed it over the pipe. Tap it gently into place until it is approx 4mm down from the top. Now tighten the nut that holds the exhaust into place (please try not to swear at this point). Please note these mesurements work for the chuffer you supplied the SCGP1 if i remember, but don't take my word on it. Also take care to position the chuffer away from the 1/8th exhaust pipe with the chuffer organ pipe hole away from the edge of the chimney so that the chuff isnt muffled.
Photo 5 - another picture of the two T-pieces, now connected up.
Photo 6 - Connecting up This shows the 1/8th exhaust pipe cable tied to the steam pipe under the boiler. It also shows a bigger pipe (5/32s in size) which is approx 80mm in length pushed over the 1/8th pipe - again the 1/8th pipe was slightly squeezed up with some pliers so the outer pipe got a good purchase. The reason for this is so it is the correct outside diammeter for the rubber tube to fit onto it.
Photo 7 This picture shows the whole exhaust fitting under the loco. also note the rear pony truck from the front power bogie has to be removed to do this work. it is only 2 screws. but be careful not to lose the spring and washers.
Photo 8 Sorry about the quality of this picture. This is the final pic of the complete underside of the loco with the pony truck back in place. Quite a tidy job I think!
 So that is the end of fitting a chuff pipe to the front power bogie and an exhaust to the rear power bogie. To fit a second resonator chuffer I just cable tied the chuffer into place and removed the rubber hose from the exhaust pipe and connected it to the second chuffer. I will fit an either/or valve so I can choose between a single chuffer/exhaust or twin chuffers I hope this helps - as I said this is part 1- I will send part two as I progress."
*The Chuffer/Resonator is an SCGP1 mounted in 50mm of 0.5" K&S brass tube. You can make one by turning a simple boss to mount the Chuffer centrally along the axis of the tube.
Lynton & Barnstaple Locos Here is a video of me fitting a Summerlands Chuffer to an Accucraft Lew
I.O.M Mona Thanks to Dave Mees, one of the Accucraft Service Agents, I have been able to offer the SCAC47 Chuffer, with the instructions below. You will see that this is not an easy fit as it needs a lathe to bore out the chimney which is supplied as standard with a 5,5mm bore. You will find a list of Accucraft Service Agents (who can do the work without affecting the warranty) here:
https://www.accucraft.uk.com/repairs-services/ 
BR 45 The Accucraft BR 45 has a wide, but short chimney and in order to fit a Summerlands Chuffer, the chimney need to have a simple extension fitted. You will need a piece of 11.8mm external diameter brass tube from K&S. Cut this to 40mm and clean up the cut ind with a fine file. This will be pushed into the lower part of the chimney to extend into the smokebox. Test it for fit and if too loose, then squeeze one end in the vice to make it a little bit oval. If too tight, make a saw cut using a razor saw, for the full length of the tube. The exhaust is off centre on this loco and so may be difficult to unscrew. If so, the chimney may be removed by unscrewing the nut inside the smokebox. You will need to shorten the exhaust and I suggest you do this in two stages. First cut the exhaust just below the standard chimney so that it can be easily removed. Then bend the exhaust as shown in the drawing below so that there is straight pipe entering the chimney. Then with the chimney in place and the extension fitted, mark the exhaust at the bottom of the extension. Remove the chimney to allow you to unscrew the pipe and then mark the pipe 3mm above your first mark. Cut the pipe here and clean up the end with a file. Now re-fit the exhaust and the chimney - then pish the SCGP9 chuffer into place. The top should be about 2mm down from the top of the chimney. Use black paint or chemical blackener to disguise it.  This large locomotive from Accucraft is so called because the the cab is at the front and the smokebox is at the rear. Thanks to the efforts of Rob Fern, I have been able to design a pair of Chuffers (SCAC46A & B) for this loco and he has successfully fitted them. The photos are his and the words are mine based on his notes. Please note that this is not a simple fit and some fettling is required - please consider these notes carefully with the locomotive to hand before ordering as the instructions will refer you to this page. Here is the loco - which is pretty huge! 
Here you can see the twin stacks and the smokebox door 
Each stack has its own exhaust - an simple, open pipe with a deflector above. 
With the smokebox door open, you can see the two exhausts. The rear one (right in photo) is fixed and will need to be cut. The front one (left in photo) is a standard screw in with a 3mm thread. There are two Summerlands Chuffers for this loco the SCAC46A which has a precision 3mm socket to push fit on to the rear exhaust and the SCAC46B which screws into the socket for the front exhaust.
It is necessary to source some 17/32" K&S brass tube to make two stack extensions down into the smokebox. I understand from Rob Fern that these will fit tightly with just a little filing inside the stacks. To fit these and the Chuffers, it is necessary to unbolt the deflector above the stacks.
Once you are happy that the stack extensions will be a firm fit, remove them for re-fitting after the Chuffers.
Dealing with the fixed, rear exhaust first, bend it carefully so that it rises centrally in the stack. Measure the push fit Chuffer and subtract 10mm for the socket depth. Then measure down from the top of the stack and mark the pipe with this measurement. That is the point where the pipe should be cut. I asked Rob how he did it and he replied "It was a bit if a fiddle but at the base it screws into the steam exhaust union that clamps up and holds everything in place on the smokebox floor, I unscrewed that and removed the exhaust pipe after marking where to cut it". If you deside to cut in situ - first remove the forward, screw in exhaust and cut, either with a hacksaw blade or cutting disk - very carefully- while supporting the tube (Do not do this unless you are confident in your abilities!). Then clean up the cut, inside and out with a fine file.
You can now screw in the screw fit chuffer and, supporting it at the bottom, carefully bend it to rise centrally in the stack. Take great care not to force and break the fine thread.
When that is in position, you can push the rear Chuffer on to the exhaust and ensure it is central.
You can now push the two stack extensions into place and replace the deflector. You can see Rob Ferns Chuffers in position below.
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