The Home Machinist!

My experance if the water glass looks like a lava lamp is there is oil in the boiler. It floats on top of the water mostly and it will collect in water glass and as steam condenses in the upper connection line it drblrs down and sinks thru the oil in the glass. Good practice is have shut off valves ...

One the Allen locos the axle box has flanges only on one side and they are allowed to float back and forth in the frame by about 1/16". So I think they probably tend to stay up against the washers held by snap rings. They also have grease passages thru the axles that feeds the bearing in the ce...

Above 5 inch diameter it becomes cost prohibitive to build a copper boiler. Below 5 inches it is very difficult to build water legs around the fire box and have very fire grate area left.. Neither copper or steel boilers will fare well if you let the crow sheet get dry.

They are very reasonably priced. Hope they end up nice homes.

I ran at Pioneer Valley Live Steamers (my home club), Washakum live steamers, New Jersey Live Steamers. Long Island Live Steamers and Montreal Live Steamers. I have also visited Northern Ohio Live Steamers. Which all have highlines. The two most interesting tracks to run on a MLS and WLS. The best m...

If it's 1" scale that scales to 9 ft wide, modern train cars are around 10 '-6". So that would probably be a b out right for an early American type to be 9 ft wide

Looking fore a rd to the day you can have an invitational meet.

Rob

I have read that paper gaskets work best if they are coated with shellac.

Rob

I use 5 or 10 thousands thick PTFE Teflon. Easy to cut with razor blade or exacto knife, and punch holes into.

They are reusable since they do not stick to the surface. Most paper gadgets delaminate when taken apart.

Rob

Obviously someone has spent too much time in Covid isolation. Wish we could have attended the meet.

Rob

Just get one more small sprocket and put a bronze beearing in it for the idler/tensioner. The small sprockets are cheap.

I believe the locomotive at 2:45 in the vedio is Joe Hilds B & O P7 Pacific. It may be his brother Herb operating it. I currently own it and run often at Pioneer Valley Live Steamers.