The Home Machinist!

Chris...ever consider wiping a little bit of silicone or Teflon grease across the face of the O-rings? Worth a try? I've used the silicone grease on the small O-rings in Clippard quick connectors. Makes it a lot easier to thread the female fitting on the male fitting. Can get a tube of either materi...

Greg...while others discuss the virtues of Loctite (good or bad), have you ever thought about tightening up your lathe spindle? There's a ring on the far left end of the spindle that is used to take up the slack between the bearings. If you're not sure, there are instructions about this on the net. ...

Thanks, Bill. Boy, those two motors have to be tuned so they pull the same. Greg...one motor forward, one motor reverse. 12 motors total...only half used at any time the G was in motion. Don't know how the motors were wired, but the cab stand had (3) large edgewise current meters mounted next to on...

Oh drats Dave...you're right again. The "G" had six hammers...and six hammer pockets.

Since your drawing is NOT a "G", I'm out of guesses...unless it was for some other electric type loco. Carl B.

Sure...wood dust is a problem, but you deal with it. Not about to have one mill for metal work...and another mill for wood work (we can dream though, can't we?). Sometimes it's not so much the cutter...it's being able to hold a work piece steady enough to perform the cutting operation. Clamped my cu...

Hi Dave...that wheel print looks an awful lot like something that was used on the GG-1's with the quill drive. The welded in "insets" look about right for the hammers on the quill. That would be my best guess. Carl B.

You might try contacting Tom Artzberger at: tac@nconnect.net. Tom used to get a set of 2.5" scale butterfly firebox doors from someone else, but that guy stopped casting. Tom might have replaced those castings with CNC machined parts. Best I can offer...hope that helps. Carl B.

Maybe 25 years ago Miles Snyder told me he was considering a bunch of small coal cars using a lot of plastic to pull behind his Yellowstone(?). I'm a little vague on the conversation, but I seem to remember that he was considering plastic for side frames/journals and maybe even wheels. I don't know...

David...I don't model in 1" scale...so, take this for what it's worth. It's kind of hard to know what you're working with...when there's no ruler with the photo you provided. Can't tell what the distance is between the back of your coupler and the edge of your center sill. In prototype RR practices,...

Don...while I don't have any info that I know of (unless there's something in a Car Builder's Cyclopedia), I would suggest contacting the guys at PSC...Precision Steel Car. Some of their rolling stock kits are based on Rock Island prototypes. They might have some info that can help you. Carl B.

Pontiac Guy...purchased my Kingston relief valves thru surpluscenter.com. These folks are located in NE. Checked their website, but no longer see the style relief valve I got. Perhaps they ran out of stock. Would suggest check places like McMaster-Carr, MSC, Zoro, Grainger or similar. Glenn is spot ...

Hello guys...looking for a source of larger-than-4.125" cast brake shoe rings. Something that can be whittled down for a 4.315" wheel. Don't have a full compliment of catalogs...can't get on-line catalogs to download (quickly). Any suggestions or leads? Thanks in advance. Carl B.