The Home Machinist!

I guess it would boil down to what it would look like using a researched or "historic" color, vs. what you think it should look like. Color is an elusive thing and each of us sees it a little differently. If it were me I think I'd take the Floquil swatches to a paint store to see how they compare wi...

Keith, given the locomotive and its age, and lacking any other information, that would be a reasonable assumption to make for the sake of discussion.

I agree with Dan. The age of your American suggests that it's boiler may be built using a phos-copper solder AND LE's cast bronze 1-pc firebox, which even in their best years were known to have solder-repelling inclusions and porosity. In fairness, far more of these firebox castings (also used on LE...

I'd say you've guessed right. The long narrow castings are Walscheart valve gear frames (in R & L halves) and I would assume the smaller castings close by are frame mounting brackets. I wouldn't know for what locomotive model.

All things considered, I think that while I was at it (and after 115 years) I'd go ahead and install new axles, and eliminate the worry I might break a wheel. If not, it would be imperative to bear the entire force of the press on the hubs.

I've used valve face "inserts" (my terminology) on two locomotives. In the first instance it was to save castings with poorly placed steam passage cores. In the second instance it was to enable better design and easier machining of steam passages where there was no coring. In both instances the valv...

A good mechanical/plumbing supply, or maybe the local Big Box.

To answer Harold's question of "How did either of them become a standard?", one needs to understand what things were back in say, 1880. There were commercial producers of designs and castings in 1880 and earlier, as well as lone hands beavering away in relative isolation with little or no communicat...

That's a beautiful model. I know there is 5" gauge in Canada, Ottawa Valley LS, Alberta MES, BCSME, Frontenac, Montreal LS, Saskatoon MES, and Vancouver Island LS to name several. In England (and Australia) 5"ga supplanted 3.5"ga as the most popular gauge a couple of decades ago, so this loco would ...

There are a couple of old-line suppliers I miss . . Special Shapes is one, and Northeastern Scale Models (milled wood shapes.)

I'll be interested to hear if you get a response from K&S. My guess is their angle will be brake metal (bent) rather than milled.

If this was a home foundry situation I could certainly understand, I'd be looking for rotors too, but one of the first things my first mentor (who spent his entire life in aero tool & die) told me was to avoid material of unknown origin and composition. It might be cheaper (or free) but it may not d...

Thanks . . . I like that logo on your shirt.