Who am I?

[Jerec]

Here in this thread, which I hope will be used to get to know each other better, we will talk about ourselves. I'll start off.
My name is Kevin O'Connor, and I'm Jim's kid. I'm a Sophomore in high school. I'm not the biggest railroad fan, but I like them fine. I like computer games a lot. What about the rest of you?

[Jim O'Connor]

I'm Jim O'Connor.
I run the discoverlivesteam.com web site and sell Kozo books.

I'm not building any Kozo locos at this time. I am building a 10 wheeler in 2.5" scale, 7.5" gauge.

I'm from the Chicago area. I saw a 3/4" Kozo Heisler running at my club here in Chicago this past weekend.

PS. Who are you?

[willjordan]

I'm Will Jordan, new to New England with a history in the hobby on the Left Coast. (I've been a member of British Columbia and Scaramento Valley clubs)

I'm working now on finishing up a partially completed Falk. www.willjordan.com/falk.

In addition, I'm moderator of the Live Steam forum at Chaski.com

[andypullen]

I'm Andy Pullen and am a member of the Chesapeake and Allegheny Live Steamers and the Independent Live Steamers. I've been into trains of some sort for 37 of my 38 years. 28 of which are live steam. I didn't start actively building until about 1982. That engine has been on hold for quite some time. But, I've nearly completed a Reading A-5-a in 1 1/2" scale from the old Nuskey/Mercer/Hickory Ridge castings. There is a photo of me running it at Railfest in Altoona in the November Issue of this website's magazine. That was the first time I ran with the ILS guys and I had a blast! They are all great guys!
I have 2 years of experience with full size steam power, also. I worked for Southern Railway in 1989/90 in the Steam Department as a machinist. In total, I have 20 years of experience as a machinist, mostly in industry and now for the gov't.

[Brian]

I'm Brian Ratliff, I've been around trains as a hobby all my life. The first steam engines that I remember being near were tourist lines in the west. California and Western, Roaring Camp, D&RGW in Colorado, White Mountain Senic(sic)
We as a family stumbled across Riverside Live Steamers when I was twelve, thirty years ago. My dad and my brother are still active in the hobby, just that we are more apt to be at the Joshua Tree and Southern digs or traveling to other layouts around the area.
My first Steam engine that I purchased was an one inch 2-6-2 which is somewhere deep in the shop. In 88' I acquired a fine built Allen 2-6-0 with Baker valve gear which I ran the wheeles off of. In 2001 I came across the Bill Esty built Heisler (1 1/2" three truck) that the third owner was selling.
Since that time the Heisler has been torn down to fix numerous signs of old age and building flaws, but the principle design has always shown through the haphazard repairs that have been applied to her in the past. And every time that she comes out of the shop, she runs better and longer than the last time. The frame has been welded instead of just riveted, keyways and set screws instead of rollpins in the drive, coal fired like it was first built(somewhere down the line it was propane fired) and she steams nicely. Most of the changes I've found to be necessary where from going away from Kozo's idea and trying something different. I'll look in the book and find the original method of building or material and rebuild that part and then have no problem at all with that again. She's a great engine to run, will pull till she stalls, steams well and definitly get the looks. No it's not a Climax, is the answer to most questions from the unknowing. And as the Heisler is the only geared locomotive originaly designed by a designer instead of designed by a logger its superiority shows even in a model.
I'm now in the early stages of building a Kozo inspired Heisler in 2 1/2" ng. No more stalling there.
Hope to meet you all sometime, Brian

[XGIHavoc]

My name is Chris and I am 12 years old, I also run xtremegamesinc.com. Jerec is a staffie there

I live in South Florida and was born there as well, that's basically all of my general information.

[scottymydog]

Hi,Im Dale Scott. I have been into trains for two years now in all scales,but I am totaly new to live steam. I am in the process of building an elevated rail road. ( Idont bend over so good any more. ) I have two live steam locos,and a Mogul on order. I am not a member of any clubs,as there are none in my area. I hope to have a long relationship with this site.

[Carl Helquist]

Hi,

Hello, my name is Carl Helquist and I am a trainaholic. I got my first dose of the railroad bug when my Aunt and cousin moved in for a time. She gave me a small collection of N scale model railroad equipment. Soon thereafter I subscribed to Model Railroader and it wasn't long before the Little Engines adds caught my eye. I ordered a Little Engines catalog which was soon dog eared from my many hours flipping through the pages. I pictured setting up a rail system on our farm and bringing in firewood from the woodlot to the house.

After a few years of college the idea of building a steam powered railroad got shoved to the back of my mind where it "matured" for the next 15 years or so. I got a job at Grand Canyon National Park where I took the time to check out the locomotive being run by Grand Canyon Railway once or twice, which is not much considering the fact that the train came into the village every day during the summer months. Was the train bug dead in me?

Then... a couple of years ago I moved to Flagstaff, AZ which has a rich railroad history and present. We get about 80 trains a day through town which drives most folks batty but doesn't bug me too much. I relized that I had been ignoring the railroad world long enough that I could no longer identify the locomotives dragging the trains through town. The city moved an old 2-8-0 logging locomotive downtown and a local musuem moved a 2-6-6-2 from one side of town to the other into a more visible location. Gradually my old lust for smelly, smoky, oily machines bubbled to the surface.

Which brings me to today. I am trying to learn some machining skills, pick up some machine tools, and eventually make something useful. Maybe even a locomotive. So I hope my machining ignorance doesn't show through too clearly in my posts on this board and I appreciate the motivation and advice available here.

This is Fun!

[Bill Holland]

My name is Bill, I am a full time college student, and I find time between classes to work in my small garage shop. I am a major steam buff, and love railroad history, and building things with my hands.
I sometimes think I was born 60 years too late.

[pkastagehand]

My name is Paul Anderson. I grew up on a farm and had a father with his own excavating business and have always been fascinated by machines. We used to ride the Santa Fe Chief (and Super Chief and one time the San Francisco Chief) from Streator Illinois to Union Station in KCMO and have enjoyed trains ever since. But not to play train, mainly from the machinery stand point. A neighbor near us when growing up introduced me to old iron in the form of tractors and early gas engines and I have a few of those. Then I built a gas engine from castings, then a Stewart (3/4" x 3/4" vert). And more recently a sort of freelance using the Stewart #9 cylinder and flywheel castings. Always check out steam engines whenever I run across them. Been machining metal on and off both as hobby and for few years as a job since 1975 or so. Have started the Kozo A3. Bogged down right now because I need materials and finances are tight. (college theatre doesn't pay enough I guess) I am the Technical Director for a college theatre dept.

[jwclarke]

Hello, Im james clarke in Houston Tx. Ever since I can remember I have been interested in trains from at least?8 years old . WIsh I had paid more atten to what I was riding between here and Mississippi in the 60's Ido remember the decks of cards were a dollar apiece for i lost quite a few $$$$ Have run the scales lionel-HO-N-Scale Lionel now getting interested in LARGE SCALE. Safe RR ! JWC

[Jim O'Connor]

Welcome James,
I hope we are just what you're looking for.
What scale are you thinking about doing or are doing?

[BruceMowbray]

I'm Bruce Mowbray and I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I work at Steamtown National Historic Site in the locomotive shop currently working on restoring the Boston and Maine 4-6-2 #3713. I got started in Livesteam back in 1973 at the age of 13. Built my first 1" scale 0-4-0 livesteamer when I was 15. Got interested in girls soon after that and returned to the hobby full time in 1983. Built the 4-4-0 CP #173 from scratch using only the wheels, cylinder castings and blueprints from RR Supply. I got married in 1991 and moved to my current location with my wife. I started building my own track but got sidetracked building my dream home. With the house nearing completion, I have been slowly getting back into building my track and lining up other livesteam projects. This summer looks like it will be full of railroad building fun.

Bruce

[Ironhorse]

Hi, My name is Daniel Stanley

I have just started in live steam and curently building a Kozo shay in "G" scale. My wife and I LOVE steam trains and go to train clubs here around Denver CO.
I have my workshop in my garage and still adding to it.

I will be building the Shay in 1 1/2" scale too and a few other ones like the climax, heisler and A3 (My wife bought all of Kozo's books for me) I hope to build these in "G" scale and 1 1/2" scale.

I am by no means a engineer. this is my first time attempting this and having a ton of fun.

I will be building a small 1 1/2" scale track in my back yard soon as well to test out my loco's. I am also busy with "G" scale track and small town in my yard.

Like Bill Holland I too was born 60 years too late...LOL

Daniel

[locodan5416]

im dan voelkerding, a third generation live steamer in my family, full time college student and collegiate swimmer, i'm interested in building 3/4" scale, currently i'm rebuilding a lbsc maise and i'm started on the a3, also working on the elevated track at my club

~dan