The Home Machinist!

I once read where a person had laid Groovy Track (flat Bar) and they rode a flatcar with a small generator and an angle grinder taking the sharp edge off the insides of the steel rail.
Maybe a few light passes at slightly different angles, won't take much. Don't forget eye protection.
BGBill

Great job Dave. I liked the prop used, nice touch. The engine is definitely square. I liked the slower runs to hear the chuffs.
BGBill

Do what some marina's do to support docks. Pour a concrete pyramid with a support post. It will just set on the bottom of the pond. No need to try and drive something into the earth five feet underwater. A pour of maybe two feet to three feet square. Just an idea.
BGBill

Just to satisfy your curiosity do it to a half inch nut and bolt and see what happens.
BGBill

Locktite 680. I used it on the drivers of the Mogul I built. Had to remove one wheel because of out of quarter and I had a h**l of a time. Had to heat it with the rosebud, it didn't want to come off easily. So I can personally vouch for Loctite. The fit works best with about 1-2 thou clearance. A li...

Very nice, something to be most proud of. I also like the cab picture. Looks as if you could just crawl in and get her moving. Oh, the experiences the engineers had with the full size ones.
Congratulations...

Alco S-4 serial #2.

Hello Pam, I have followed this one build project faithfully, as I did Trainman's. I built an Allen Mogul a couple years back so I understand whats going on. I have enjoyed your project very much and I understand the breaks that have to be taken during the build. Determination will get you thru even...

My Grandfather used to say "haulin' the pork chops to town".
He was licensed as Engineer in 1925, retired 1965, Wabash.
BGBill

If you are scribing a flat piece of plywood the best idea is the xacto saw or a broken hack saw blade. You are cutting a grove and actually removing wood. JMO
BGBill

With my Allen Mogul I had to run with a little blower on all the time, sometimes full blower until steam pressure would come back up.. Pulling a load using more steam will demand more fire in the firebox. Running blacksmith coal was tough, running Pocohontas was much better. So long story short, coa...

Thanks for the compliment. You probably won't believe that they are simulated 3/16" wood siding from Micro Mark. I sanded the ends to a 45 degree so to make them look more like louvers. Stand-off scale, stand back 10 feet. Worked for me.
BGBill