Cylinder assembly

Getting the first cylinder right could have been luck. By the time I’d completed the second one, I think I knew what I was doing. So here, for future Rene, are the fixtures I came up with to get the cylinders together straight, with a minimum of fuss!

Cylinder parts and jig

When I tested the dry fit of the first cylinder parts, I still needed to get the guides straight. Little did I realize at the time how difficult that would be. I was even more surprised by how difficult it would be to hold the guides straight for soldering. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Indeed, […]

Once more unto the breach: oil cups

Thanks to comments from Rob and Richard, I re-examined my approach to the crosshead guide oil cups. Rob encouraged me to look again at the prototype while Richard suggested I think like a jeweller. So, despite my earlier capitulation, I launched back into battle with the oil cups. It took a few attempts. One was […]

Capitulating to oil cups

I don’t believe I’ve ever had so much difficulty drilling holes. Five #80 drill bits lined up like casualties of war (where are their flags?), and not one successful hole achieved. #622 had oil cups mounted mid-way down the crosshead guides. They are quite prominent in the photos, and I would love to model them. […]

Cylinder dry fit

Fitting the the crosshead guides into the first cylinder took a morning’s filing. Perhaps it would have been quick work with a milling machine, but I didn’t find that the drawing as designed enabled me to assemble the parts the way I wanted anyway. There is still finishing to complete in the corners so the […]

Crosshead guides

As with the crossheads themselves, I am surprised the guides folded up successfully. Each slide bar is made of two layers, with half-etched detail, and until their free ends are fixed to the yoke, they remain quite delicate. I completely mangled a set as I removed them from the fret, but fortunately, there were spares. […]

Crossheads for 622

When I drew them up, I seriously doubted the pattern for the crossheads would work. Indeed, I included an extra pair on the drawing in case the first didn’t turn out, at least I could try again. As it happens, the train spirits were watching out for me, and the patterns nearly worked as designed. […]