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Re: Steam Railroading in the Basement
Author: KRK
Date: 05-30-2012 - 09:28
Butler Wrote:
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> Ken
>
> All I can say is "wow"! 1/2" scale is large
> enough to have good detail on the models, and they
> all look very good. Obviously your Grandfather
> had a liking for the SP. I can understand how you
> became a railfan, growing up in that home. It
> shows that your Grandfather was a skilled
> Machinist. The video is really quite good
> quality.
>
> I loved the scene where he pressed the drivers on
> the axle with a vise! I'd bet the 1:1 scale boys
> wish it was this easy.
>
> How did he do the castings, like drivers and smoke
> box fronts? Also, whatever became of the locos?
> He did mention that one was stolen.
Thank you for your comments.. Regarding the "drivers".. He said that was a PRESS-FIT.. Try and get them apart.. Vic was a plumber by trade. He had a plumbing and tinsmithing business in Nanton, AB.. Came to Calif in 1923 and was hired by SP in their "Water Service Dept."--
Made his own castings.. He had a 6" Atlas lathe, Model 618 and an Atlas drill press, a couple of grinders, some soldering irons heated by open gas flame, a butane torch, and MANY hand tools.
Boilers were assembled and either brazed or silver-soldered.. When I lived with him, we would go down to West Oakland yard of the SP and use their Oxy-Acetelyne (sic) rig to do the silver soldering. While still hot, the finished boilers would be dipped in a vat of diluted Sulphuric Acid to clean them.. Then they looked pretty darn good and you could then continue with final assembly..
KRK
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ken
>
> All I can say is "wow"! 1/2" scale is large
> enough to have good detail on the models, and they
> all look very good. Obviously your Grandfather
> had a liking for the SP. I can understand how you
> became a railfan, growing up in that home. It
> shows that your Grandfather was a skilled
> Machinist. The video is really quite good
> quality.
>
> I loved the scene where he pressed the drivers on
> the axle with a vise! I'd bet the 1:1 scale boys
> wish it was this easy.
>
> How did he do the castings, like drivers and smoke
> box fronts? Also, whatever became of the locos?
> He did mention that one was stolen.
Thank you for your comments.. Regarding the "drivers".. He said that was a PRESS-FIT.. Try and get them apart.. Vic was a plumber by trade. He had a plumbing and tinsmithing business in Nanton, AB.. Came to Calif in 1923 and was hired by SP in their "Water Service Dept."--
Made his own castings.. He had a 6" Atlas lathe, Model 618 and an Atlas drill press, a couple of grinders, some soldering irons heated by open gas flame, a butane torch, and MANY hand tools.
Boilers were assembled and either brazed or silver-soldered.. When I lived with him, we would go down to West Oakland yard of the SP and use their Oxy-Acetelyne (sic) rig to do the silver soldering. While still hot, the finished boilers would be dipped in a vat of diluted Sulphuric Acid to clean them.. Then they looked pretty darn good and you could then continue with final assembly..
KRK
