The Home Machinist!

Kevin,
Do you have the plans for your CP 173 pump? I made mine out of brass bar stock following the RR supply prints. Very simple design and easily fabricated from brass bar and tube.

I read in order of interest,
"7+ Railroader"
"Garden Railway's"
"Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazzette"
"Live Steam"

I just did some looking at my 4-4-0. They action I get when I simulate the locomotive going into a turn is that when the truck follows the curve and moves to the inside of the curve, it raises side of the locomotive on what would be the outside of the curve. Almost like a bicyclist would lean into a...

Will, Congratulations on the new job. We have relatives (lots of them) in NH and it really is nice there. On your way accross the country, especially if you head up I80 to I 81 on you way to NH, perhaps you could stop in to Steamtown, take the locomotive shop tour (takes about an hour) and say hello...

I really think we need to get more kids exposed to our hobby. The future of our hobby is out there, we just need to find them. We at Steamtown just finished up a week long session of "Rail Camp". It's purpose is to get younger people interested in restoring old railroad equipment, steam lo...

The AMBSC (Austrailian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee) has a very in depth manual on building steel boilers. Awhile back there was a supplier of these in the US. Perhaps sombody know's who it is or you can e-mail Russel Dunn who is a poster or reader of this board and a person on the committee.

Willy, Trouble with poison ivy is that every part of the plant contains an irritant. Even the roots. The poison in the sap can last for years in your clothes. If you go and weed wack the dreaded plants, you just spread that sap everywhere. (ask my wife, she learned the hard way and will never use th...

Tom,
For white number on a black background,
Get youself some translucent material (lucite,PVC, vinyl etc.) and paint one side black. Then, mill your numbers into the painted side.
For black numbers on white background.
Same material but use dry transfer numbers and clearcoat with laquer.

When I started laying my track, I thought I wouldn't need a rail bender either. I could just bend them by hand. But, when I started laying curves, it always seemed the corners weren't very "round". The curve had a slight "kink" in it at each joint. I made a railbender and was ver...

Fred,
They come in sizes right down to 000-120.

I have been pre slotting and pre drilling my plastic ties. The slots are milled so that when the screw is driven tight against the tie, the rail can still slinde under the head of the screw.

The reason I like gun taps is they have more "meat" to the body of the tap. They are stronger than 3 or 4 flute taps. Usually a small square block held up against the tap when starting is enough to get the tap straight. Or I can use my good eye. I don't know if he visits this board but Bud...