Garden Railway Forum

I know some folk have fitted working whistles to Millie... But what's the easiest way to get Millie to whistle? I've just ordered a Millie - my first live steam loco - and a working whistle is high on my wishlist. But I don't think anyone offers a whistle kit for Millie(?) and I don't really have a ...

Just to update this thread: in the end, I ordered a Millie. I found all the advice here really helpful and it convinced me I could build a Katie - and that I'd enjoy it. It's still something I'd like to do and I plan to someday (I doubt this Millie will be my last loco!) But I think a Millie is the ...

Very inspiring! And I have a serious case of shed envy now...

I shall be very interested in progress as I hope to build a Katie myself, sooner or later.

Excellent! As soon as I get round to building my first siding, and shunting becomes a possibility, I shall be ordering the necessary Deltang kit from you to RC my HGLW loco...

I love EVERYTHING about this. Fantastic!

"Exterminate"
"Affirmative"

That's brilliant! What a great idea. (I think it'd need some sort of battery back-up for use here in Wales, though...!)

A year ago I was new to garden railways, and wanted to find out as much as possible. I joined the 16mm Association - it was the best thing I could have done. Not only is the magazine brilliant, but the handbook contained better (simple, but comprehensive) explanations of many of the choices one is f...

Do you have a somewhere that is heated, powered and with lighting to build a kit with tools, bench vice, etc? How much time (and patience) do you have spare from work and family life? No, I don't (yet) have a workshop space - and the time I imagine using for this is mostly a couple of hours here an...

Then pull the gaz nozzle out, take the boiler off, again, usually only a few twists of a spanner, then you are left with a bare rolling chassis, take that apart if you want to, but make sure you have all the instructions and patience on how to re-time it if you go any further, thats where all the r...

Thanks for the Ragleth recommendations. It's certainly a contender. With regard to the body kit idea - I'm actually more interested in putting the mechanism together, and what I might learn from that. The body kits (though I've seen nice ones) still require painting, which is the bit I'm least keen ...

Thanks for the replies! I like the suggestion of making some brass kits robyholmes - sounds obvious now you say it! But I hadn't realised those Slaters kits were brass (I thought they must be plastic). Is this the one? https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?code=16W01 . They'd would indeed be ju...

I'm planning to buy my first live steam loco. I've been looking at the usual 'beginner' locos that my budget could stretch to. But I saw Chris Bird's video of Katie with a Slomo ( https://youtu.be/gnMEGah4cA0 ) and thought - that's what I'd really love to have, one day. Now, my budget doesn't stretc...