Why did you choose the engine you are building?

[locodan5416]

Well... what are you building? Why?

I'm building a Allen Mogul for 7.5" guage. Its simple, it runs, and there are plenty of resources for builders. Next is either the LE Atlantic(I have a lot of the castings), or a Allen American.

[patyoung]

Hello Dan,

I'm working on a 3/4" A3 because Kozo's book is so detailed, it instilled enough
confidence in me to try building it. If it works out, I would like a 1 1/2" version
of it.

I also cad'ed it in TurboCad to check out the fit and found out that there
weren't many errors that I would have to contend with when I built the actual
parts. I also have in mind that I would use the A3 chassis as a starting
point for a 0-6-0 switcher and eventually a 2-4-4-0 articulate like Skookums
or the Little River version.

I'm attempting to cad up Gene Allen's Fitchburg Northern 2-6-0 narrow
gauge locomotive from blueprints I purchased from him. Kozo really does
spoil you with his presentation if you compare models.

Happy Holidays,

Pat Young

[locodan5416]

I agree. Between Kozo and all my old ME's(altough they have plenty of errors in their own right). I can't look at the carbon copies or however they are done. Please excuse my lack of knowledge in that subject... I did a copy like that once in art class

[GoldenSpike53]

Well, as mentioned previously on another thread (or two or three), I'm building the Allen Consolidation 2-8-0. I picked it because it's the only Allen model with an outside valve gear (Baker). I prefer that over the Stephenson inside gear.

I had initially looked at buying from Little Engines, but with the trouble they've had in the past few years, I got scared off. I would have liked to have built a Pacific. Oh, well. But when I started asking around at our club, someone mentioned Allen Models, and I got a catalog from Gene and the rest is history....

You guys are lucky that you can autocad or turbocad your plans like that. You can also correct any errors you may find on the plans, whereas I just have to remember that it's an error. As an example (but at least one that was very obvious), on my Consolidation plans, the rear two axles have a rocker fitting atop the spring casting that the axle box rides on. It is made of brass, and is simply a ½" wide piece of brass rounded over on both ends and tapped through in the vertical direction so it can be attached to the top of the spring casting. On the drawing, it shows the side view with the hole going vertically through it; then it shows the top view, but with the hole now going side to side! Oops! That will be a minor thing as long as I remember to put the hole in the correct orientation....

Dale Dennis

[Harlock]

I chose the A3 as a way to learn manual machining and have something I've always wanted when I'm done. A win-win.

I'm proficient in Solidworks but I'm not going to dimension the A3 because as others have said the book is so good, and most of the small mistakes that are in there have been found and posted here.

The one exception will be modeling the drivers for output to a rapid prototyper that works with powdered steel.

--M

[jones]

Hi everyone,

I chose the Super Simplex design by Martin Evans because I wanted a loco with outside walschaerts valve gear. There are also a couple of Simplex loco's at my local club, and they seem to run very well.
I was looking at the Tich and the A3 but decided on the Simplex because I wanted to pull passengers and the Tich (apparently) cannot pull many people, especially when my local track has some steep grades. I also wanted something simple to learn to drive on, which again rules out the Tich.
The main reason I didn't choose the A3 was that my club track is 5" gauge, and I didn't want to go through the hassle of scaling up dimensions on my first loco.
Also, castings for the Simplex are readily available in my area, and not too pricey.

Andrew

[paul]

I started out wanting to build a Shay, 1 1/2 scale. My biggest problem was track gage, (7 1/2 ,or 7 1/4 ?)
Then there was the problem of the boiler. My wielding skills are nill, and this was the one part
I did not want deal with.
Two years ago I met a group who get togther once week to build and repair there own engines. Two of the group have track so the first problem was solved.(7 1/2)
Then one of the group offered to builed the boiler for me. I'm on cloud nine and ready to go!!
I had Kozo's books for the Shay, Hisler, and Climax. The next time we got together Iwas asked how bad Iwanted to build the Shay? My quistion was why?
Come to find out they had a boiler already made for someone else, but he was uable to finish it. Well, one geared engine is as good as another!!!
Been working on it for two years now, I'm not as far as I would like to be, but it's getting there one pice at time.


Paul

[liamlocomotive]

Dale,

There is going to be a 1" Pacific available soon.....Check www.friendsmodels.com . I have a Friends' 1" Atlantic that was poured back in the 1950's that is next on the list to build. It's mostly rough castings as I type this. I picked it up from an estate a couple of years ago and need to get my other projects done before starting on it....

Andy Pullen

[GoldenSpike53]

Thanks, Andy.

I checked the site and didn't see any 1" scale stuff on there yet. Maybe later.

But my other problem is, I have a 1½" scale Allen Consolidation to finish, and I don't want to get sidetracked just yet with another project.

Thanks for the link!

Dale

[gwrdriver]

I am building a modified double (2x) TICH for 7.5" gauge based upon the 2X design adaption of the LBSC original from Chas. Kennion & Son/UK. Although my beginnings were in 7.5"ga, in the last 15 years I'd become more actively involved in smaller gauges (Ga1 an 3.5"ga) and that almost exclusively in the British style. But my local club the Mid-South Live Steamers (of which I am a founder) is 7.5"ga only and will probably ever only be that so I decided I needed to do a see-how-fast-you-can-build-one 7.5"ga loco and get something on the track. Being strictly a British loco guy I decided on the TICH, partly because it came with good recommendations (given a couple of design adjustments) and because I already had basic castings that could be used.

Silly me, I should have known I can't do anything quick and dirty or leave anything well enough alone so almost immediately I began to make design "improvements" which have resulted in a slightly enlarged and almost completely redesigned locomotive. What was to have been an 18-month project is now in its sixth year and has included things like making my own patterns and having better cylinders cast, etc, lots of time-consuming extra work, but it's now at about 75% completion. Another big mistake was thinking I could build simultaneously a fine scale model of a Britsh 4-4-0 in 10mm scale (SECR D-class) and do justice to both. Wrong! . . . however self-employment (and wasting time on the internet) take large chunks out of building time and are conditions I continually struggle to correct.
Cheers,
GWRdriver
Nashville TN