Christmas 2022

I have a few minutes to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I hope you have all found some time away from your modelling benches and with your family or friends in this dark month (dark for most people). My family happens to celebrate Christmas, with a tree and gifts and turkey and everything. I […]

To lock or not to lock

When it comes to turnout controls, one of the questions that has impeded progress is whether or not they should be locked. There were really two questions at play: are switches in yards locked, and if so, when did the practice start? Secretly, I was hoping that like headlights in daytime, this was one of […]

Percy and the Split Axles

We’re coming to the home stretch of Percy’s story. After months of experiments, I have finally landed on a plan for Percy’s wheels that should work more permanently than the plans I had for #622 or #10. It was time to put it to the test, and so, I turned up some tyres, assembled some […]

Steam chest details

For some reason, when I was drawing the steam chest and saddle, I left off some tiny details. So, I had an opportunity to make them. What fun!

Lighting test

With all the working from home, not to mention additional TV time in the space that Pembroke shares with other family activities, I decided I would add some lights into the sub-layout cubby that passes for an office and photo booth. I had to pick up some other items at Rona and found a set […]

Styrene tubes for 622’s boiler

One of the supposed benefits of writing and blogging about my projects is that I can go back and repeat a technique that was successful, and sometimes avoid the ones that weren’t. Unfortunately, when it comes to how to roll the plastic sheathing for the boiler, the book on #10 is like a nude by […]

The “big” package from Shapeways

The “big” package from Shapeways arrived this week and out rolled an array of details that should save a lot of modelling time for this engine and her sisters. They are all printed with Shapeways’s “Smoothest Fine Detail Plastic” and I have to admit I’m impressed. Except in a couple of places, like the equalizing […]

Once more unto the breach: oil cups

Thanks to comments from Rob and Richard, I re-examined my approach to the crosshead guide oil cups. Rob encouraged me to look again at the prototype while Richard suggested I think like a jeweller. So, despite my earlier capitulation, I launched back into battle with the oil cups. It took a few attempts. One was […]

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 […]

HO steampunk bead

My first design for the cylinders made the end caps too thick. Six inches felt good at the time, but when I finally dropped a cylinder to the Assembly view in OnShape, I found the steam chest would overlap the end caps. Sadly, I saved that little virtual test until after I had finished the […]