random thoughts

As of late, most of what I've been working on has been laying out the main frames. This is a pretty time consuming process, but must be done correctly or the whole thing will suffer. Once the final bit of layout is finished, work will proceed with cutting out the frames.

I've also been spending time installing a couple of new machines in the shop that should help out from a time stand point down the road.

Things are moving a littler slower now than they will in the near future, as it would seem all the years I spent my time working on steam engines, I seem to have neglected my house, and it is currently keeping a lot of my attention.

The first earth has been moved for what will be a railroad around my back yard. Nothing huge, but simply big enough to keep up the interest.  A very convoluted oval with some interesting hills, hopefully there won't be any multi - car pile ups with me at the bottom of the pile.

Lastly, again I can't say enough about the castings I got from Gene Allen Models. Excellent quality and prompt shipping!

See you soon.......

The real 154

 Today, the castings arrived that I'd ordered some time back. The only castings being used, are for the cylinder assemblies and some of the valve gear parts as this will cut fabricating time by a good bit. My work thus far, has been centered on taking the blueprints I have and making the dimensions work.

 There are photos of the parts, my son's 0-4-0 I'm building, and the real 154 on the day we brought it out of the shop for the first time.

Change in gauge

When I was a small fellow in the mid to late 1970's I had a healthy obsession with steam locomotives. I remember my family taking me to the local fair and I would spend hours standing at the fence that housed one old steam relic in particular.....Southern 154. I remember thinking even then, that this engine was in horrible shape and needed rescuing. I would tell my family that I was going to buy this engine and restore it one day, to which they just replied, "o.k. honey".
Fast forward to 2008 and most of my adult has been spent around any steam engine I could get close to. Part of my income was made maintaining a 1925 Baldwin steam engine that operates on a tourist train on weekends. I spent my time learning bit by bit, every little part that makes these engines tick, and how to keep them running. I would immerse myself completely in overhauling every appliance, part and piece. Along the way, I became a proficient machinist, welder and fabricator.
In the middle of 2008 I became aware that engine 154 may be available for purchase, so I acted as a facilitator and went back and forth between buyer, seller, park manager,  and everyone else involved. By the end of August the engine was moved from the park, and safely stored in the shop in which the work would happen.
The work progressed slowly but steadily until on July 3rd 2010, Southern 154 made her first public move under steam since 1952.
After getting the engine completed and turning it over to the new owner, I decided that I had tired of all the politics involved in a steam operation. I had fulfilled half of what I said I would do by restoring 154, so it occurred to me, since I didn't have the resources to purchase the full sized engine, I would construct a 1/8th scale exact working replica.
So begins the story of the construction of the 1-1/2inch to the foot scale replica of the 1890 built engine Southern 154.
Stay tuned for the first construction photos and articles......