While I have the excellent GW Models wheel press and used it on #10, it has two failings from my point of view. First, it assumes a press fit for the wheels; that’s one thing with a plastic centre, but another for steel centres and axles where the two parts need to be machined to within about a thousandth of an inch, and even then … Continue reading Plan for quartering jig
When you simultaneously wreck a part and break your last drill bit of that size, it’s a good time to take a little rest. Actually, I’ve now pretty much committed to mulligans on two out of four drivers, which will teach me not to celebrate finishing some parts until I’ve finished working with them. Despite the success with the proof of concept crank pin hole, … Continue reading Bad crank pin holes
To line up the crank pin holes and get them the right distance from the axle, I have created a little jig out of 1/16 x 1/2 inch brass. Using relatively heavy material like this should keep wear to a minimum, at least long enough for two or three engines. The jig is pointed at the tyre end so I can point it at the … Continue reading Crank pin holes
The M0.6 screws and nuts arrived just before the Railway Modellers’ Meet, and now that most of the dust has settled, I’ve spent a part of a glorious spring morning trying out my idea for a crank pin. When the weather’s as nice as this, progress on the locomotive has to slow down. Vancouver winters are too long to miss a beautiful day like this. … Continue reading Crank pin proof of concept
Well, I didn’t quite make the audacious goal, and now I am almost out of time. The Railway Modellers’ Meet starts on Friday, and there isn’t a nanosecond of free time between now and then. So, I am unlikely to make much more progress. What we see is what we get. Having said that, it’s not so bad! Because I am still waiting on some … Continue reading 622 ready for the show
The plan for 622’s boiler is somewhat experimental. Because the engine is a split frame design, and the running boards are connected to the frame, the boiler needs to admit both polarities too. At the same time, these little engines are mostly air, and so, we need to fill the boiler with as much weight as possible. I considered casting a custom lead weight and … Continue reading 622’s boiler roughed in
I tell you what: this business of starting with etched parts is really a lot faster than forming parts yourself. I spent about an hour this morning laying out and forming the four key-holes that I use to screw the cab to the frame, and which somehow I forgot to include in the pattern. If I had etched those holes, I could have that hour … Continue reading 622’s Cab Takes Form
