The Home Machinist!

Personally, I like the challange of coal firing. I started with my first live steam engine at 14 years old and learned that maintaining the correct fire in the box was paramount to keeping the pressure up. Too much, too little, too deep here and too shallow there were all part of having a good day o...

Procering (on the firebox end) was used to keep the tubes from moving in the tube sheet due to expansion and contraction. Especially when copper ferrules were used. The procered ring helped to keep the ferrule from sliding out towards the water side while the fire side was beaded. The copper ferrule...

Having worked on, trouble shooted (shot?), and adjusted full size Consolodated safety valves, here are some of my "learnings". Each valve is desiged to work within a 10 pound range of setting. (+- 5 pounds). Any more than 10 pounds, and a different spring is required. Once the popping pres...

They look great!! Nice simple design perfect for mass production in the home shop!!

"Keep on truckin'"....someone had to say it.

I may be able to fill in some of the missing blanks B: Looks like the nut for a right angle grinder or polisher to hold the wheel or disk to the shaft. G: These look like hardened dowel pins P: Sleeve for adapting different size shafts (boring bars, drills etc) in endmill adapters. The slot allows s...

If you're building track from scratch, a powered plate tamper is your best friend. Getting the subroadbed packed and relativly level first goes a long way later. I purchased my plate tamper from Harbor Freight when it was on sale at 30% off, it still cost over $300 but worth every penny. I also have...

Speaking from personal experience with building my home railroad: If your radius is 50 feet or less, I highly recommend using a rail bender with aluminum rail. Even though aluminum rail is generally a soft easy to bend alloy, once the rails are put in place in a track panel, they do not bend smoothl...

Power went out mid proof reading. Had to repost

With fewer younger folks in the hobby, I believe a lot of it has to do with the removal of trade skills teaching in the middle and high school curriculum where kids can get a taste of making something with their own two hands. Back in the 70's when I was in school, I had full access to a wood, metal...

Here's my version of the railbender I made, Mostly from odds and ends bits I had laying around. I just clamp it to the front bumber of my ATV and bring it to the work site. I can bend a 45 foot radius on aluminum rail just by pushing the rail through.

An oldie from 1975 -ish. In the forground is Ed Loomie's 4-4-0, myself on the center track with my newly finished LIttle Engines 0-4-0-T, and Ken Owens with his mostly scratch build Little Engines 0-6-0 on the far track. This was the first time I had my locomotive out at the Long Island Live Steamer...

It's very important to separate your hobby from family life. Once my wife and I were separated, I had a lot more time for my hobby