Cylinder dry fit

Fitting the the crosshead guides into the first cylinder took a morning’s filing. Perhaps it would have been quick work with a milling machine, but I didn’t find that the drawing as designed enabled me to assemble the parts the way I wanted anyway. There is still finishing to complete in the corners so the […]

Brakes Re-revisited (again)

I’ve lost track: this may be the fourth time I’ve designed 622’s brakes. But this time, I have real data to go upon, rather than just conjecture. In 2018, we discovered that the Prairie Dog Central’s #3 has the same pattern of brakes, and despite being out of storage and battery, I did manage to […]

A little mock rhythm

A few weeks ago, as I was contemplating the composition of Pembroke, I noted that I want to pull the viewer through the space between the Pembroke Milling Company and the CA freight shed. The existing mockups had their roof ridges parallel to the backdrop to simplify hiding the join with the backdrop. However, in […]

Crosshead guides

As with the crossheads themselves, I am surprised the guides folded up successfully. Each slide bar is made of two layers, with half-etched detail, and until their free ends are fixed to the yoke, they remain quite delicate. I completely mangled a set as I removed them from the fret, but fortunately, there were spares. […]

Crossheads for 622

When I drew them up, I seriously doubted the pattern for the crossheads would work. Indeed, I included an extra pair on the drawing in case the first didn’t turn out, at least I could try again. As it happens, the train spirits were watching out for me, and the patterns nearly worked as designed. […]

Firebox weight

As with most other parts of 622, I wound up making the firebox weight twice. The first time was pretty bad due to an incomplete burnout of the wax or poor flow of the lead. The second one turned out passably well, and only took one attempt to carve the wax! As you can see, […]

622 under power

Honestly, I don’t know how America ever became great in the first place, having invented the Phillips head screw! The things strip too easily, and even when they’re not stripped, they don’t hold onto your screwdriver and you have to press down to make them work. The reassembly of 622 had to wait until I […]

Firebox weight patterns

Little eight wheelers like 622 are mostly air. So, I need to fill every nook and cranny with weight. The firebox looks like a good place for weight, but it is unfortunately rather full of gearbox and other mechanical or electrical gubbins. The forward end has a little space, and so, I carved these two […]

U-G-L-Y quartering tool

It could hardly have been less beautiful or elegant, but the Polymorph seems to have put me back in action. Indeed, it was so quick and effective, I’m hard-pressed to see why anyone would quarter drivers any other way! Having learned that the spokes would stick to the Polymorph, I masked off the front drivers. […]

Disaster on the rolling road

I was about to declare victory. 622’s chassis was finally rolling reasonably smoothly, or at least more smoothly than #10, and I was giving it a fast run on the rolling road. Suddenly, the left rear crankpin screw unwound and the connecting rod flew off. The chassis dropped off the rollers, and when I went […]