622: Backheads are harder to draft than make

It’s generally invisible except through the windows. So I don’t want to spend too much time on the cab interior and specifically the backhead. A modeller’s sketch is sufficient, I think. If I recall, the backhead for #10 took an enjoyable day of modelling. It was styrene plus a few pieces of lost wax jewelry representing […]

622’s pilot and the power of parametric CAD

I just finished drawing 622’s pilot. Actually, it is 623’s pilot as I don’t have any photograph showing 622 after she lost her link and pin. I think it’s a pretty good match to the photo. Perhaps the angle needs to be a little more acute. But here’s the thing: five minutes ago, it looked […]

Boiler fittings for 622

This week has seen me drawing the domes, stack and smokebox front for 622. These will all be 3D printed to start; depending on how they turn out, I will either use them as they are and fill them with lead, or cast them from Cerro-bend after cleaning up the castings. Again, OnShape amazed me […]

Drawing 622’s Stephenson gear

I just finished drawing up the valve gear for 622 in OnShape. This is certainly the most complex part I’ve drawn yet in the tool, and the idea is to have it 3D printed as a single piece. Sadly that means it won’t work, but in the interest of getting the locomotive running, I’m going […]

Obbekaer featured in Continental Modeller

A few weeks ago, Geraint Hughes responded to my little tantrum about the writing in North American model train magazines. He made the astute observation that people are sheep, and concluded that authors are merely following each others’ styles. Then he got me all excited because apparently his railway was featured in Continental Modeller. Sadly, he […]

Crazy plan for 622’s crosshead guides

Compared to #10, the crosshead and guides on #622 are going to be a bit of a nightmare. First of all, they follow the raised pattern, which is going to make them difficult to locate vertically. Secondly, they are not plain bars, but are shaped to provide strength where the thrust from the connecting rod is […]

First Scratchbuilt Model

The Boy has decided he would like to have a go at building some structures. Being a clever sort of fellow, he decided to first find out if he could make a small box out of wood. Myself, I was never so sensible: the first thing I ever launched myself at was an ore car, which […]

Remembering Ken Healy

As I was moving some books around today, a business card dropped out of one of them and fluttered to the floor. Ken Healy has been gone for some years, and I don’t think I ever saw him after I moved away from Ottawa over twenty five years ago. Yet, his card clicking softly to the floor […]

622 virtually roughed in

I’m starting to think seriously about the drive train for 622. On #10, I built my own gear box, which enabled me to model the full backhead and floor of the cab. That’s all very nice when you take the roof off, but most of the time you can’t see it. For 622, I’m considering […]

622 suffers do-overs in CAD too

If you’ve been reading my blog for any time at all, you know that I throw out about half the things I make. The first version is never good enough, but it does teach me how to make one that is. So, it should come as no surprise that I just deleted almost the whole CAD model […]