Steam Oil
I have taken delivery this week of my first ever live steam (Mallard) and am starting to gain an understanding of how it works and how to run it, this despite the somewhat confusing Hornby instructions. My questions relate to the purpose of the steam oil. Does it act as a lubricant or is it there to provide the smoke coming from the chimney and is it dangerous to run without oil in the reservoir? There is also an excessive amount of oil being blown out of the chimney to the extent where it is gathering on top of the brass block between the oil reservoir and steam chest and dripping down over the running gear spreading over the inside of the body etc and onto the track. I think there may also be some water mixing with this excess oil.
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Hello and welcome from me as well.
I notice that we haven't answered the question about the purpose of the steam oil. It is there as a lubricant/seal for the moving parts within the steam system: the pistons/rods and the rotary valve at the front of the loco. It is a total loss lubrication system, so if the oil doesn't escape via the piston rods/stuffing box seal, it will be drawn out of the chimney with the steam. Ideally you would use a sufficiently small amount of oil that it is not detectable within the steam from the chimney.
There will be some water (condensation) with the oil from the chimney during warm up, but once properly hot that will disappear.
Have fun,
David