The Home Machinist!

Mr. H.K. Vollrath is well known here in Germany, too!
Thanks a lot for his excellent photos published in various magazines and books, great!
He'll never die totally for his photos will meet us whenever we take in hand one of those numerous books telling the story of US steam.
RIP!
Asteamhead

Thank you Chris for posting! All those engines were in excelent condition, looking fine in the early morning sun. Two days full of steam, both passenger and freigh trains (for fun) and lots of visitors. Riding the trains with open vestibules, walking into the shed were allowed all the time. Lots of ...

Hello Jack, Didn't intend to go as far regarding details with my A projekt. But looking at you beautiful work, I'm forced to reconsider! Such details as your firebox side sheets are the 'cream' at real models, aren't they? Please let us held informed about further progress, thanks! Best regards Aste...

Hello Trainman, You're right! Your patterns look fine, no doubt. In coincidence the brake hangers for my A were just ready two weeks ago. And quite different for done by bending, welding and (a lot) of milling. Thinking of making paterns too by means of rapid prototyping I decided not to cast them d...

Do agree, there likely isn't any prototype similar to that of DR&H RR.
Some trucks showed leaf springs outside but had solid bars supporting the axles.

Asteamhead

Hello Donald
Admire the finish of your lots of fine details - and their clever making!

Asteamhead

Hello My Friends Here is something you may find useful. When setting up an engine it's always good to have an idea what the axle loadings are, and here is a simple way to do this. In the top photo we have your simple garden variety bathroom scale setting on a floor jack. Under the floor jack is a b...

GS14403 A casual comment one fine Friday evening led to a Saturday morning invitation to be driven to Pomona so I could get some detail shots and measurements to help finish up my GS-1. A one thousand mile, two day whirlwind trip resulted in about 500 photographs, mainly of the SP 5021 but the UP 90...

A questions for our German friends. Why was it standard practice to paint the running gear and bottom half of the locomotives red. Was this for aesthetic reasons or does it make cracks easier to see or something to that effect. Did Germany ever experiment with oil burners or was it coal right till ...

Jack, Building such engine would be a great pleasure to all who love steam! That NYC J3a with Timken lightweight running gear, streamlined in stainless (grey) outfit is regarded as the best looking steam locomotive of any time, everywhere! And of course one of the best performers, too. I'm looking f...

So that all understand, our purpose here is to create caring friendships with others, with whom we share a common interest, that being locomotives and railroading. To do so, we must not drag up less than acceptable behavior of those who went before us, as none of us are responsible for their behavi...

Nice workmanship, indeed! Please continue to post your progress to us modelers! Lasered parts, bent, welded together and milled then to the precise dimensions. Your's is the same methode I prefer to make those parts for my A 1239. Making patterns annd to cast just a few parts for one single engine m...