First driver is somewhat disappointing

After the engine truck wheels, you might think the drivers would be an assured success. But I tell you, the first little blighter was harder to settle than my kids on Christmas Eve. No sooner would I push it into the cavity than it would edge back up and ask for another glass of water. […]

Towards an audacious goal

The Railway Modellers’ Meet is coming up in less than two months. I’m actually the chair of the organizing committee, and I should know better than to set myself modelling goals before the meet. Especially if I am also delivering a 2-hour hands-on tutorial on 3D CAD. However, I’m going to put it in writing […]

Drivers on half-axles

Before mounting the drivers on their half-axles, I had to clean up their backs. This is a touchy task due to the Proto:87 flanges, which disappear in a heartbeat and a string of expletives if you’re not paying attention. The best approach was to face only up to the portion of the wheel formed by […]

Approach for spokes

I was beginning to despair this Wednesday as I worried away at a test wheel with files and Dremel. The 304 stainless is about as hard as the first batch of cookies I ever baked. As with those tooth-breakers, I felt I was probably wearing out my tools faster than I was shaping the spokes. […]

622 parts arriving

I arrived home to find a package from Shapeways sitting on the console table in the hall. This is always an exciting moment, so I quickly opened it up to see what the 3D printers had wrought. The boiler weight, truck flexure and ash pan were inside. These are the parts, along with the etching, […]

Split axle proof of concept

Months ago, I set out to look for a source of split axles. I think the ones in #10 came from the EM Gauge Society, but they require modification for the narrower track of Proto:87. As I was Googling, I came across a post on the Scalefour Forum about making them from thin-walled steel tube. […]

Driver blanks for 622

It has taken a week longer than I wanted to turn the drivers for 622. These are made from 303 stainless steel, which I’m fairly convinced is almost the limit for my little Sherline lathe. Certainly, all tools need to be sharp, and shallow cuts are de rigeur. Along the way, I have seen a […]

Ordering parts for 622

I’m all a-tingle! Today is the day when the designs for 622 start to get realized. I just uploaded the first files for 3D printing at Shapeways. I’ve broken the printing in orders parts – the first for the engineering parts required to make a working model, and the second will be for the details. […]

622 Etching Pattern

I believe I’ve just completed the patterns for 622’s etched parts, although I shall have to go back and check them for certain. It’s funny how time flies; I last worked on these files in July! Anyway, for those who are interested, here are the files. Go ahead, build it!

Soldering wheel centres

I dragged out the resistance soldering unit this morning to solder those centres into their tyres. On the first wheel, I experimented with solder paste and a torch, but ultimately settled on the RSU. So, with only twelve joins to make, I started work with the RSU again. This time, I found that after the […]