The Home Machinist!

Yes, thanks Marty for both the valve info and the test setup pointer. I'd kinda figured that after John replied as the piping didn't really look like it would clear the smokebox.

Beautiful work Andy. All that slotting, probably one of my least favorite activities!

We'll have to discuss this at the Triennial. Looking at your throttle are you using a low-temp ball valve all the way to the front of your smokebox to keep it out of the heat?

It takes a lot of brass to make a locomotive like that. The engine itself is a scaled-up original Shay (no crank bracket).

I have purchased all the expensive parts for my locomotive. I thought I had but then Anthony Duarte started coming out with things I have to have. For example, I was going to 'make do' with a Superscale economy injector I'd bought 20 years ago, but then the 2.5" monitor injectors come out and ...

Zoomed in close as I could, NYC 5287. Is that a speedometer on the third axle? Maybe some kind of ATC or signaling pickup?
Edit - fixed the engine number

Berkman wrote: ↑Tue Feb 08, 2022 1:45 pm I think the issue is if you aren't local it's harder to stop by his shop etc and take delivery of it.

I don't think that makes any difference, we were local and it took 30 months to get a pair of boilers. Never did get the paperwork.

he uses an airline through the blowdown valve while seeming to also fire it. Is this something that can be done without special modifications to the boiler? -Mike You need to thread the blowdown valve outlet to hold the air line but that's it. Because this is an oil burner you need to have air or s...

Another option is double containment. Put your pickling container inside a larger empty container. If the inner container fails, you still have everything captured by the outer container.

Our battery loco has a P8 and it doesn't have any connection to the controller at all. It has a connection to the motor leads to make the sound speed up and slow down, then connections to 12v power, the speaker, and pushbuttons for individual sounds (whistle and bell). Pretty simple. I need to add a...

Just dreaming of the next project - 2ft Garratt NG16 or K1 . NG16 might be a bit long as I get older , K1 might just be right and simple . I've thought about doing Victorian Railways G42 as preserved at Puffing Billy. That would be a 3" scale 2-6-0+0-6-2, so a little smaller than a NG16. I'll ...

"Steam Locomotive of the Santa Fe - A former shopman's scrapbook" by Frank M.Ellington is one source that has it.