steamyman
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Favourite firing method - electric, meths, solid fuel, gashi , I like em all- except solid fuel- I won't use that  stuff.
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johnreid
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There is a time and a place for each method.
In an enclosed space on a cold winter night, an electrically fired Steamer just can be beat.
However, there is a bit of a pyromaniac in all of us and handling a flame does add a bit of a thrill.
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Nick
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I had to go for the solid fuel; it stinks, smokes, explodes, and flames up. 
My first engine was solid fuel, so I just like it.
But as John said, in the winter, I need to run them down in the basement.
I found my electric Jensens to be loads of fun to run, and it doesn't smell. I can also control a constant, slow speed with the electric Jensens. 
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TRAPPERKEEPER
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Had to go for the meths as it is cheap, hot, and makes my engines go faster 
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mogogear
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I will qualify my vote to have included (? but Steamy you did not give the "GAS" option..) .. no harm , no foul...
Meths and Gas. for me..... Electric is fine but in boats that would mean a really long, long - well insulated- power cord, or you get cooked ducks! 
It would of course make it easier to retrieve non RC boats 
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Wallace
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Meths for me. Cheap and easy to get. Works well too
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Stilldrillin
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Solid fuel.
Derbyshire meths is much too sooty/ stinky!
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tmuir
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I said gas but that is probably tainted by the fact my best engine is gas fired, otherwise it would be meths.
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Les Marsh
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I will have to go with Mo, gas and meths.
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madeinenglang
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I will have to go with meths 
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MamodFan
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where is the coal option? 
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pauly
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solid fuel for me cause Im always spilling meths. 
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MTA
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Meths for me.
It smells nice, burns well and is cheaper than solid fuel
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toxx
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... as John said: There is a a time for all options (... turn, turn, turn ... )
Depends on the size of the machine. Trying to run a Jensen #85 or a MM1 with electricity would be ridiculous. On the other hand, I wouldn't like to run my D24 (or imagine a D32!!!) on anything else than electricity.
Open fire - solid fule or meths - do have a very special place In my affection for these machines, though.
Fire, water - Steam!
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bessytractor
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meths and gas for me. I prefer meths over gas though. It is silent and doesn't sound like a banshee wailing, and it also doesn't explode as badly
I'm with mamodfan on the coal option! I always saw oil and gas firing in a miniature passenger hauling loco as cheating!
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MTA
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| bessytractor wrote: | meths and gas for me. I prefer meths over gas though. It is silent and doesn't sound like a banshee wailing, and it also doesn't explode as badly
I'm with mamodfan on the coal option! I always saw oil and gas firing in a miniature passenger hauling loco as cheating! |
Likewise! With coal you can keep an engine in steam forever (well, in a dream world where nothing failed) as well as oil, but with gas you can only get limited running times as you have to stop, refill the gas tank then raise steam again...
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johnreid
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| Quote: | | but with gas you can only get limited running times as you have to stop, refill the gas tank then raise steam again... |
Again, an overlooked advantage of the electrically fired ones, it runs till you run out of water.
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bessytractor
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| MTA wrote: | | bessytractor wrote: | meths and gas for me. I prefer meths over gas though. It is silent and doesn't sound like a banshee wailing, and it also doesn't explode as badly
I'm with mamodfan on the coal option! I always saw oil and gas firing in a miniature passenger hauling loco as cheating! |
Likewise! With coal you can keep an engine in steam forever (well, in a dream world where nothing failed) as well as oil, but with gas you can only get limited running times as you have to stop, refill the gas tank then raise steam again... |
theres also absolutely no skill required. With oil and gas you can just shut the supply down a bit if the engine is blowing off, or turn it up if you need more steam. With coal your engine management needs to be good. With the other two its akin to a dimming light switch, no fun.
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Roly Williams
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| MTA wrote: | | bessytractor wrote: | meths and gas for me. I prefer meths over gas though. It is silent and doesn't sound like a banshee wailing, and it also doesn't explode as badly
I'm with mamodfan on the coal option! I always saw oil and gas firing in a miniature passenger hauling loco as cheating! |
Likewise! With coal you can keep an engine in steam forever (well, in a dream world where nothing failed) as well as oil, but with gas you can only get limited running times as you have to stop, refill the gas tank then raise steam again... |
Well, it depends on where the gas comes from! If you were using piped mains gas it would last as long as you liked.
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igy569
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Well... i just completed my first meths burner. I fired the D21 with it. What an iprovement!! It does smell funny, but it wears off quick. Little hard to regulate, but I seem to have fixed that by capping 1 or 2 wicks to keep the heat down. Runs for over an our on half a tank!!
Going to make a small one for the D12.
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psantama
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I guess I am the only electric steamer here... in my school. without windows anything other than electric suffocates my students.
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Mister Occlusion
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Coal could be classed as solid fuel, too.
Me, ah, I like electric. I can just smell my brain cells frying when I run meths indoors.
It also lets me task differently. With meths I am tending the engine. With electric I am tending to what the engine is driving.
Of course now it's warm enough and light in the evenings long enough. Maybe I'll fix my leaky-line Jensen 75 and burn some alcohol.
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Roly Williams
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| Mister Occlusion wrote: |
...
It also lets me task differently. With meths I am tending the engine. With electric I am tending to what the engine is driving.
...
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I think I'd disagree there. Once lit, a meths burner will look after itself and put itself out before the water runs dry. With an electric heater, you must keep an eye on the water level.
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Mister Occlusion
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Well... Most of the meths burners I use need tending to every 6-8 minutes. I barely have enough time to run a proper experiment before I'm refilling the thing again 
...or watching them nervously when they decide to boil over, or flare up
And there's still the matter of my brain. It's not much, but I've gotten attached to it.
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johnreid
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Brains are overrated
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