Garden Railway Forum

Old Man Aaron wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 3:29 am Long as you've thoroughly cleaned the metal with meths (denatured alcohol) or any other paint prep solvent, you can't go wrong with engine enamel.

Agreed. I think that will look fine on your smokebox.

Ah-ha, I thought something was going on. I like "George". I have a "Billy" that I made, but have extensively modified to look a certain way. If they'd had "George" at the time, that's the one I WOULD have built. Don't worry, I am probably not the only one who reads ever...

This is very interesting. Are you building a "George" AND a "Billy"? Or are you building your own version incorporating parts of each? I see you have a "George" body there, and in your picture of the assembled chassis, the weigh shaft is curved, like on a "George&q...

Mike, I admire the job you did building that "Billy". I think it looks great, and it's clear that you've got the aftermarket boiler steaming well. I hope you won't mind if I suggest you take a look at the valve timing. You can tell by the "pulsating" sound of the exhaust that the...

Gas-fired Roundhouse locomotives usually have the smokebox door soldered on. However, I don't know if they have always done that, and it seems very unlikely they would have soldered it on like THAT. Maybe it's removeable. Have you tried getting a flat-bladed implement under it and gently prying it t...

Well, you've certainly managed to get the best that could be reasonably expected from this model. It seems to run quite nicely now. Everything I've read about the "Ruby" locomotive is that it's a basic little engine that really wants fettling before it will run well.

I certainly hope this doesn't sound rude, but I think you need to perhaps slow down a little and think things through a little more carefully before doing things you can't undo, such as grinding down the spectacle plate of your cab. There is no way this should have been necessary. I built this kit, ...

Did you say 16 miles long? Do you mean literally? You can't possibly have over four thousand feet of track....can you?

As for me, it's a way to enjoy live steam. I love seeing steam machines doing work. I appreciate stationary engines, but the work they do is not interesting unless one has some peripheral interest. Steam boats are lovely, but playing with them requires a large degree of meteorological co-operation, ...

It's "CPAP" water, (continuous positive airway pressure). I don't think there's much difference in the context of CPAP machines between de-ionized and distilled water. The thing is, there is a lot of misconception regarding the two, which I am too lazy to get into, and will only start a ro...

Do you bake your finishes in the oven? I too had trouble painting my locomotive at first: the finishes seemed rubbery, soft and easily damaged. Then I read Chris bird's article about painting locomotives and I tried putting painted metal parts in a low oven (like 170 of your American degrees) for ha...

A great success! It certainly didn't take you long to assemble that engine. It looks great and obviously you didn't find it too difficult to get a coal fire going. What kind of coal do you have where you live?

Isn't there a copyright on the design? I don't think it matters if you're just building one for yourself. Especially if you live in one of the countries to which the manufacturer obstinately refuses to sell. Anyway considering the boiler is designed to fit exactly within the dimensions of an existi...

Cool, the Roundhouse "Billy" is a fun engine. Even more so I'm sure with an aftermarket coal boiler. Looking forward to seeing you progress building your Billy!

Once in a while, a Roundhouse "Bertie" appears here and there which has had its slip-eccentric valve-gear replaced with something more complicated. I have seen one with the Roundhouse Hackworth gear, which seemed to work OK without the angled cylinders. I don't know if RH would have any Ha...

Ha ha I guess the £ symbol does look like a fancy cursive "L" now you mention it. What parts did you order? I went mad with my Roundhouse "Billy" kit and ordered every conceivable part (practically) from Locoworks, DJB, Swift 16, Brandbright, others I can't remember. I may have g...

Everybody's "Ellie" is going to be different. I love them. Tony Bird's is really good, and this one has some interesting different features. I really like your steam motor and the mechanism.

Mike, here is what I would like to do. I'd like to order a Riverdale boiler and post it to my family in England. If he's refusing to sell them in England now too I also have friends in Switzerland. Anyway, once the boiler arrives at my family's house, I could take very precise measurements of it, an...

You've done such nice work on this engine Tony. All the extra details make it a very appealing model. I especially like the dummy smokebox door on the side, and the lamp.

What a lovely model! I love everything about it- a masterpiece! You must make a longer video for us to watch, please. I find this engine very appealing indeed. It looks right in every respect. I love the little puffs of steam from the drain cocks under the front buffer. Really looks the part with th...