Ash pan test fit

I couldn’t think of any reason to keep the frame pan underneath the frame now that the bearing guides are in place. So, I took the jewellers saw and hacked it away. Now the frame begins to look like a locomotive frame. Inspired, I ferreted out the 3D printed ash pan and tested it for […]

Bearing guides installed

Between the extra-long jig axles and some clamping tabs that I etched into the frame pan, installation of the bearing guides was a walk in the park. I had been a little concerned that the jig axles would be a loose fit on the bearings. As it turned out they were a little snug, and […]

Extra-long jig axles

At least I think they should be called jig axles. These pieces of Aluminum rod are used with the coupling rods to ensure the bearings are exactly the right distance apart. Essentially, I will pass these rods through the bearings, fix the coupling rods to the outsides, and then solder the bearing guides to the […]

Bearing guides and kit design

I never know what to call these things. The Brits call them “hornblock guides,” but North American engines have no hornblocks and have no need to guide them. We unimaginative North Americans call the bearings, well, “bearings.” The parts on the engine that guide them are pedestals and their wedges. There is no room to […]

Frame for 622

The framigami idea paid off, and compared to #10, the frame for 622 went together very quickly. Of course, it didn’t go perfectly according to plan. There are a few things I will change if I re-draw the etching artwork, and a few things I would remember to do differently next time. Things for next […]

Infographic for Railway Modellers’ Meet

This weekend is the third annual Railway Modellers’ Meet up at Simon Fraser University. I always like to bring something to display, but this year, most everything is buried in Mt Flood. So, apart from a whole lot of computer drawings, all I have are the two proofs of concept for the frame. In other […]

To pivot or persevere…

Mark Dance made a great observation on the previous post: Pivot towards something that looks more promising when your existing path is not successful and your rate of learning on it is slowing down. Of course, you don’t know if your rate of learning is decreasing until you have three attempts. As my mother used […]

Equalization POC

We’re just two weeks away from the Railway Modellers’ Meet. As I’ve said before, I always like to bring something to display, and I think everyone else should too. What’s more, we committee members agreed to bring something to get the display rolling: I have a commitment to bring a display! So, I’m working to […]

Semi-believable coupler pocket

From a review of the 1906 Locomotive Builders Dictionary¹ it seems like the pilot, and also likely the tender couplers on 622 should not have draft gear per se, but would have been mounted in cast coupler pockets, without any springing at all. These were very narrow affairs, barely wider than the 6-inch shank of […]

Frame POC

I sure hope my tools really are somewhere in Mt Flood. This business of modelling by candlelight without a square, or even a straight edge is wearing thin after only one evening. At least I managed to find some syringes and a bottle of MEK that Kyle Gardiner kindly passed my way a few years […]