The Home Machinist!

This model does not have the 86" drivers of the original 999 when it made its record run in 1893. "Wikipedia" says the remainder of the class were built with 70" drivers, to which 999 was later also converted. "Railfan and Railroad" claimed in its 1-91 issue that the co...

Rev. David Queener from “Cumberland Model Engineering” in Knoxville TN does most of his exquisite work in F-scale, 1:20.32. He confirms that his freight truck (bogie) sideframes can indeed be bumped up to 1:16 scale. He wrote: “Yes, the drawings can be rescaled and the wall thicknesses tweaked to ma...

A correction: The price for the truck half on Safeways is approx. $95 US. The firm is Eight-Wheeler Models.

This is probably heretical, but why not reinvent ¾”-scale, 1:16, as a non-riding scale controlled mostly by RC? This would be a glorified version of Gauge 1 – just less toy-like and a lot more hefty. RC should be no problem: Youtube has an impressive video showing a 5”-guage live steam Black Five 4-...

A Swedish producer of 3D HO items, Hakan Nilsson, is selling me his 1:87 six-wheel passenger trucks blown up to 1:16. This will be happening via Shapeways; the price is around $120 US for a single truck frame (one side). I want to make a mold from this plastic casting and cast me enough for four pla...

On the question of any derailments, Andries responded: "Not once! It would have resulted in writing off the engine and driver if it had come off the rails at that speed."

Another correction: Andries says the top speed was 23.4 km/h, which works out to almost 14.5 mph. That's really fast for 7 1/4"-gauge.

Andries says there were only 10 drivers - not 11. Remember: 8.5 is an average speed including stops over 24 hrs. I understood they hit 20 kph, which is 12.4 mph.

Did any of you in North America other than Train Mountain notice that on 9 and 10 December a 7 ¼“ narrow-gauge 4-4-0 in South Africa set a new 24-hour distance record for a miniature steam locomotive? The old Guinness record set in 1994 had been 269 km; they upped that to just over 330 km (204+ mile...

Yes, Fred has done wonderful work on Romulus and we down in Sarasota thank him sincerely! We ran it for three days at the Parrish Florida Live Steam meet with a borrowed tender. Bill Yoder

We haven't met, but very sorry to hear this. My Dad in Florida, Enos Yoder, is 89.

Bill Yoder

Yes, as previously stated: Southern.