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Locomotive building?

 

Peter,
Could you recommend a good source of information on Loco scratch building?
I have the skills and would enjoy the challenge.
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Forgive me butting in but have you had a look here: https://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php ? ? you need to have a sign in account to interact with them but it has some very helpful pages on here and some helpful people.
?
This will keep you busy for a while?
?
Phill
 

You might check the 16mm groups. There's some Gauge One live steamers in their files section.
 

The Steammodelloco group on groups.io has a lot of info to support people building 16mm or G1 live steam locos.
?
One day I will get around to starting one... one day...
?
Regards, Andy
 

This site has information on all steam engines?
?
I do see Locomotive.
?
What size are thinking of building??
?
Dave?
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Gang:

Here is a magazine: Live Steam

Village Press also publish several books on building Live Steam, some without castings.

Carl.

(disclaimer: I've written for Village Press)

On 2/15/2025 11:44 AM, davesmith1800 wrote:

This site has information on all steam engines?
?
I do see Locomotive.
?
What size are thinking of building??
?
Dave?
 

I've never built a loco or any sort of motor, but I'm? a lurker there, and it's s a wonderful group.?

Bill in OKC?

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.



On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 08:50:26 AM CST, phill005 via groups.io <phill05@...> wrote:


Forgive me butting in but have you had a look here: https://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php ? ? you need to have a sign in account to interact with them but it has some very helpful pages on here and some helpful people.
?
This will keep you busy for a while?
?
Phill
 

Yes, you have. Just got the latest Machinist's Workshop. :)

Bill in OKC?

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.



On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 10:55:10 AM CST, Carl via groups.io <carl.blum@...> wrote:


Hi Gang:

Here is a magazine: Live Steam

Village Press also publish several books on building Live Steam, some without castings.

Carl.

(disclaimer: I've written for Village Press)

On 2/15/2025 11:44 AM, davesmith1800 wrote:
This site has information on all steam engines?
?
I do see Locomotive.
?
What size are thinking of building??
?
Dave?
 

I'm assuming you are talking about railroad locomotives.

Live Steam magazine (now renamed to Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading) as already mentioned is a premier magazine on the subject.? They have had a number of multi-issue (sometimes many issues) construction projects.? The most notable author of these is arguably Kozo Hiraoka.

Here is a little bit of info on him:



He has compiled some of his projects that were in Live Steam magazine into book form.? He tends to favor 3/4" scale which has very little popularity (in the U.S. anyway) but they can scaled up to other sizes.? You can see what is available at Amazon here:


The engines include:

Pennsylvania 0-4-0 switcher
Rio Grande K-27 narrow gauge 2-8-2
Climax
Shay
Heisler

He has many clever construction techniques so that he doesn't have to use castings.? But any of his books (or construction series in Live Steam magazine) will give you a very good idea of what is involved and will have drawings for everything.

There is also a sort of "oldie but a goodie" book "So You Want to Build a Live Steam Locomotive" by Joseph F. Nelson.? Some of the reviews say, "must have" and "must read" and I would agree.? It is long out of print and can be harder to find.??



Besides just designing and building one you will probably want to run it somewhere.? Of course, with enough property and effort, that could be at your home.? But most are involved with some sort of live steam club.? It is very good to find one in your area and join it and get to know people there.? This will also have a bearing on what gauge track you will plan to use.? Multiple scales use the same gauge track.? The most popular in the U.S. is 7 1/2 inch gauge, for example.? For standard gauge trains that is called 1.5" scale or 1/8 and many build to that scale.? Although 1.6" scale is a bit more correct and some build to that scale.? But there are many others.

Also, I have seen some good advice that it can be good to start out by buying an existing one.? Perhaps one that needs to be rebuilt.? And get that working.? Then you have something to run when building your own.? These can be long projects.? A local man I knew who retired from being a radiologist and had no machining experience whatsoever.? He started from scratch buying machines and a Railway Supply Corporation 2-8-2 kit and even modified and improved that kit.? Took him seven years.? And it was (and is - his son now has it) one of the best finished products I've seen.? But most don't take that long.

Another web site that is for buying and selling railroad live steam (and internal combustion and electric) is?

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer





On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 08:44:40 AM PST, davesmith1800 <davesmith1@...> wrote:


This site has information on all steam engines?
?
I do see Locomotive.
?
What size are thinking of building??
?
Dave?
 

What do they use for rail.
?
The last time I purchased rail the smallest was? purchase was 16 pound. That real big for back yard model rail road.
?
Dave?
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Gang:

The group I visited near Atlanta GA used extruded aluminum. The load dynamics are different at smaller scale, plus the usage is usually lower, so aluminum is OK. The aluminum extruder I dealt with had a die.

There was a rail and fittings dealer at Cabin Fever one year.

Carl.

On 2/15/2025 2:24 PM, davesmith1800 wrote:

What do they use for rail.
?
The last time I purchased rail the smallest was? purchase was 16 pound. That real big for back yard model rail road.
?
Dave?
 

They use rail road is 1060 steel.?
?
I found aluminum has a short life.
?
This size that will last a long time.
I had the other end but scrape makes nice bench Anvil?
?
?
Dave?
?
On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 12:14 PM, Carl wrote:

Hi Gang:

The group I visited near Atlanta GA used extruded aluminum. The load dynamics are different at smaller scale, plus the usage is usually lower, so aluminum is OK. The aluminum extruder I dealt with had a die.

There was a rail and fittings dealer at Cabin Fever one year.

Carl.

On 2/15/2025 2:24 PM, davesmith1800 wrote:
What do they use for rail.
?
The last time I purchased rail the smallest was? purchase was 16 pound. That real big for back yard model rail road.
?
Dave?
 

I thought people might like to see another example of a scratch-built steam locomotive built by a friend of mine who is also riding on it.? This is a 1 inch scale 0-4-0 running on the 1 inch track at the Illinois Live Steamers.? They have track for 3/4" scale (hardly ever used today), 1", and 1 1/2" scales (gauges).

The only parts he purchased were cylinder castings and driver castings from a company called "Little Engines."? He had been a tool and die maker by profession at the time with a well-equipped home shop.? So, this was easily within his existing skill level.

Inline image

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer

On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 01:08:01 PM PST, davesmith1800 <davesmith1@...> wrote:


They use rail road is 1060 steel.?
?
I found aluminum has a short life.
?
This size that will last a long time.
I had the other end but scrape makes nice bench Anvil?
?
?
Dave?
?
On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 12:14 PM, Carl wrote:

Hi Gang:

The group I visited near Atlanta GA used extruded aluminum. The load dynamics are different at smaller scale, plus the usage is usually lower, so aluminum is OK. The aluminum extruder I dealt with had a die.

There was a rail and fittings dealer at Cabin Fever one year.

Carl.

On 2/15/2025 2:24 PM, davesmith1800 wrote:
What do they use for rail.
?
The last time I purchased rail the smallest was? purchase was 16 pound. That real big for back yard model rail road.
?
Dave?
 

I am interested in N gage model railroading.
My main focus is on locomotive building.
Dick
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I guess at that gauge (N) you wouldn¡¯t be building live steam locos¡­ :-)
?
It¡¯s tiny! Real cute though, and compact.
 

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Actually . . .

In 1973~1974, I corresponded with Arthur Sherwood, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, in Sydney University, Australia, who had built live steam locomotives in 1/240th scale (Z scale).

U.S.A. N scale is 1/160th scale.

He built at least one electrically powered "outline" model steam locomotive that was to 1/480th scale. He made the motor and everything.

He wasn't very interested in the electrically powered models, but did share how to wind and fabricate the motors, etc.

I still have that correspondence somewhere.

For those who might be interested, see:

That is from the International Brotherhood of Live Steamers website.

So the answer is . . .? . . . most likely possible. An N scale live steam locomotive could probably be built using a Unimat.

Neal Lewis

On 2/17/25 12:43 AM, Peter Brooks via groups.io wrote:

I guess at that gauge (N) you wouldn¡¯t be building live steam locos¡­ :-)
?
It¡¯s tiny! Real cute though, and compact.
 

Wow...? I'm not a loco builder but (coincidentally) this plastic model of the 'Flying Scotsman' came as part of a recent auction lot. It says that it's 1:220 scale, which I guess is Z (or near).
?
I'm tempted to get some track and make a little diorama with it... it came with two (long) carriages.
?
(Sorry purists, plastic is pretty rubbish!)
?
 

Nice to see!
Dick
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Speaking of locomotives, I grew up along the Soo Line in Minnesota. We were very close to the tracks and the whistle was loud. In my early years the locomotives were steam. In later years diesel/electric. The depot and platform was a block from home. I spent a lot of time ads a kid watching trains.?
Dick
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Thank you, Neil, it is good to know.
Dick
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