Not O-Scale and Not Narrow Gauge, But...

Looking good Dwight, Will you be posting a video of her running when the cab is finnished?
James

Yeah, I will. There's already videos on Youtube of her maiden run. That happened last summer when she still had the powder blue boiler jacket (ugh!).

Sweet job there Dwight. How about a link to your youtube video of her maiden run. Please.

Greg

Sure Greg.

Part 1 and Part 2. As this was my first time ever driving a coal fired locomotive, my buddy (an old hand) is riding behind me coaching me through it. He's also taking the video.

Dwight, thanks for the links. Sweet job on the engine and first time running. It sounded great coming out of the tunnel.

Greg

Glad you enjoyed 'em Greg. For me, it was a great day and it was a fun day!

Dwight,

Your engine looks very good in her new colors; nice job on the walnut cab. Were these photos taken at Train Mountain? Is she easy to fire and run?

Paul S

Most of the photos were taken a couple of weekends ago at the Golden Gate Live Steamers 75th Anniversary meet. A couple close-ups of the cab were taken in my garage. As for running, she runs real strong and has plenty of power. At the end of the second video you can see my buddy coasting downgrade after hauling himself and two other adults and three kids up a sustained 2% grade with power to spare.

She's probably as easy to run/fire as any coal fired steam loco. Managing a coal fire adds complications and additional duties to operations as compared to propane where one basically sets the gas level and forgets about it after that. You have to keep after a coal fire - stoking, raking, leveling, clearing the grate of clinkers and clogs so the fire can breathe, adjusting the blower during hard running and coasting as well as running and just sitting - all while still managing the throttle and Johnson bar and the water level/bypass valves and paying attention to track conditions. My first few runs I found it completely overwhelming, and I still find it moderately so. I have a long way to go before becoming an "old hand." hehehe

Looking very, very nice, old buddy! You are a man of many talents!

Thanks Allan. Come on out for a visit and I'll let you take the throttle.

I've been making good progress on the walnut cab. It's based upon the
restoration drawings for Sonoma's cab from the Sacramento Railroad Museum, but
scaled up and stretched a bit to fit a standard gauge locomotive.







She's starting to really look like a steam locomotive now.



The doors are hinged and the rear side windows open by sliding forward like the prototype. Just finished and installed the rear vertical walls...





There's around 200 individual pieces of walnut in it so far. Now on to the roof with its removable section and the removable section of the rear wall.

Dwight,

You've done some fine woodworking on that cab. Did you make the molding trim? How will the cab be finished?

Paul S

Thanks Paul. Yeah, I made everything, including the moulding, from 6" x 24" walnut sheets 1/16", 1/8", and 1/4" thick. The finish will be spar varnish.

I have the finishing done on the cab. I changed my mind on the spar varnish as it made the wood too dark for my taste and went with ployurethane instead...







All that remains to complete the cab is the locomotive name (decals are ordered) and the metal sheathing for the roof.

I also turned four new brass handrail stanchions...



Coming along, coming along...

It looks like to me that in addition to being a great metal master you are also a great wood worker as well! Very well done. I look forward to seeing you run it around our little ol' pike up here in rural old Oregon! Russ

Dwight,
We don't see this kind of model building over on the 3R forum.
Thank you,
Al

I'm in Vegas and was out at Boulder City last weekend to take part in a Christmas train exhibition there and play trains.











Here's a video made up from clips I took last Saturday. Includes a ride around part of the new FNS live Steamers track taken from my locomotive and a cab ride in Eureka.

Click to watch Video

She looks like she is very well behaved. Some of the views were a little hard to see because I think your great big GRIN was blocking the camera! Nicely done. Russ

Thanks Russ. She's a strong runner. She pulled five steel log cars weighing 100+ lbs each plus a riding car weighing 75-100 lbs plus my buddy who was running her... another 175-180 lbs - a total of 750 lbs minimum - up a fairly long 1.5% grade from a standing start at the foot of the grade. It was a struggle but she made it. The Little Engine That Could.

She's an absolute beauty, old buddy, and it's great to see you having such a wonderful time putting her through her paces. Congrats on a job not just well done, but superbly done!

Thanks Alan!

It's been immeasurably satisfying and the fulfillment of a life-long dream. I'm naming her after my father. Just wish he were still alive to see her and run her!! He'd have loved it!!!

Finished making the parts for - and assembling - the new pilot and pilot deck...

 

 

 

 

Craftsmanship extraordinaire, Be proud , Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Hey Dwight, that looks perfect for pine cones and pine needles, wanna' come up and try it out?    Great job, very nice loco.  Russ

Thanks Gents.  Russ - maybe this summer?  Heading back to Vegas next month for a week or so.  Less than ten months to work full time though... God willin' and the creek don't rise.  I'll have lots more free time after that. 

I finally have functioning cylinder drain cocks.    I bought a set from Reeves 2000 in the UK.  As the drain cocks are 1/4-40 threads and my cylinders are tapped for 1/8 NPT, I had to make four adaptors from 7/16 brass hex stock.

 

 

Found some small rectangular bar in a drawer so I made the connecting bar for each side.  Amazing what you can find floating around in drawers. 

 

 

 

What a beautiful little engine!  Well done!

Been in Vegas since Monday evening.  My buddy Jesse and I stripped her down and painted the frame, cylinders, saddle, newly-completed pilot, drain cock control arms, etc., then put her all back together.  Yesterday we took her out to the track in Boulder City for her first post-backshopping run...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gotta love coal smoke and steam!!!

 

 

 

You are having w-a-y too much fun, my friend!  That creation of yours is a true beauty, and I'm delighted to personally know someone with the skill and determination to see her through from a bunch of metal pieces to finished work of art.

Thank you Allan!  She's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and a labor of love to be sure!!    BTW, that little baby pulled over 800 lbs up a sustained 3-3.5% grade - and with bad coal and the valve timing off to boot!! 

Dwight a couple of the 'coalies' up here have switched over to 'char' and seem to be getting more heat and it leaves nothing but a light powdered ash when done.  As I understand it 'char' is the residue left over from some oil cracking process, so it is a manufactured product.  If you are interested I'll try and get you some more info.  Russ

 

Just 41 days until our big celebration, current count:

May 1, 2012: 569 people, and 233 trains 8827 feet long

Train Mountain 2012 Triennial

Thank you Russ.  Actually, that's what I generally use... and I get it from Train Mountain (I had a friend bring me back a few sacks).  Great stuff!!!  Unfortunately, this time I forgot to take some with me (along with a few other sorely missed things) when I left for Nevada. 

Here's some video we shot on Friday at her first run after reassembly at the "Friends of the Nevada Southern Live Steamers" track in Boulder City. One of the valves had slipped during reassembly so here her timing is a little off. That's fixed now.

 

 

 

 

BTW, when shown pulling the riding cars near the end, she was pulling over 800 lbs up a sustained 3% - 3.5% grade.