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A modeler on another forum asked how I do boilers.  Nobody here has asked, so I won't go into much detail.  But I have a photo to share.  Boiler is done; straight courses are machined and tapers are tortured out of tube.  Most fastening is brass rivets and solder.  Domes need work, stack needs growth hormone - but hey, I already have three similar models, so not in a hurry.  Here you go:

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Bob,

I am totally awed by any of your engines that you have built.  I'm not ready to try forming a boiler, but I do have a question how you do the valve gear.  I bought a brass K4 some years ago that was taken apart and I'm trying to fix it back up just to play with working on brass.  I've found it is missing the eccentric rod and the reversing gear.  My question is how do you measure how long to make the rod between the crank and the piston?  What is the best way to make that rod?  I don't have a shop of tools but I'm willing to give it a try using hand tools and willing to have a trash can of mistakes.

I was going to send an email, but I feel others could use the information.

Thank you,

Gene Anstine

Rods: I use .032 brass, drilled to accept small brass pins as rivets. The length is trial and error, but there is room for errors.  You are not timing valves; you just want to not lock up during rotation.

I file the rods to shape by hand, and, using paper between rods, solder the pin.

As to actually forming the boiler, my techniques are ancient.  I do the same thing that Fred Icken did - using brass tube.  I have described it here in a Challenger thread, briefly in some old OGRs, and extensively in 48/ft O Scale News.

I can always repeat stuff - it is nice to know it gets read.

bob2 posted:

Rods: I use .032 brass, drilled to accept small brass pins as rivets. The length is trial and error, but there is room for errors.  You are not timing valves; you just want to not lock up during rotation.

I file the rods to shape by hand, and, using paper between rods, solder the pin.

As to actually forming the boiler, my techniques are ancient.  I do the same thing that Fred Icken did - using brass tube.  I have described it here in a Challenger thread, briefly in some old OGRs, and extensively in 48/ft O Scale News.

I can always repeat stuff - it is nice to know it gets read.

Thank you.  I'll give it a try and show it.

Gene Anstine

No - I have multiple copies of the actual magazines.  What I need to do is compile a list of dates and issue numbers.  For now, here are a couple photos.  All my locomotives follow the same general construction techniques.  The only dramatic changes are advanced tapers in boilers - like the ten wheeler - and whether sprung drivers or not.  Everything else follows the articles, from the lowly 0-6-0 through the 4-12-2 and giant cab forwards.  Herewith:  And thanks for the interest - always makes me feel good when somebody reads my articles.Rio YaquiScratch Pacific

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He definitely has a few.  Not sure he sells them.

Most of my detail parts pre-date Bob's acquisition of the Pearce and KD Castings masters - but if you buy side rods, maybe a dome or two, and one piece passenger truck side frames, they come from my masters.  The side rods on the ten-wheeler are nickel silver from my masters.

I am very proud of the masters.  One side is I beam, the other is flat.  All are full clevis articulated except the Challenger straight rod.    They fit most Lobaugh wheelbases.

Bob also did a mold and a few brass underframes for my ancient HO Varney metal box cars.  They replaced the badly deteriorating zamac castings, and saved my 70 year old collection.

I was looking for the “FrenchTrains” ten wheeler thread - pretty obvious I don’t know how to search.  So since this one is only a slight leap away from a Harriman T-31, I figured why not stick it here.

Lee sent me a Babbitt modified AN Atlantic awhile back.  Babbitt modified the casting to remove the running boards and add what looks like a seriously undersize smokebox, so after neglecting it for a couple months, I resolved to mess it up pretty good.  I cut the firebox, added a narrow mud ring, domed the steam dome, and added a smokebox wrapper.  Oh, and quickly added another driver, carefully aligning the axle holes so maybe I can make it operate some day.

The tender is from another project - Lee's package included the original AN tender with Lobaugh trucks.

This will never amount to more than a hundred dollar locomotive, but at least it kept me out of the singles' bars for a couple evenings.

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Truly a "high-stepping" ten-wheeler.  Running board and cab need slight straightening, and who knows what will happen with that tender?

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