Since Christmas is right around the corner

[Don Baer]

as the count down clock indicate 7 months and 11 days... I decided to get started on making a new display for my front yard. I am gonna make a Train. I got started designing the engine and will do the cars next. The flat work will be done on the CNC and the round part will simply be made from PVC pipe. The engine will be about 36 inches long and 13 high to give you an example of the scale of this. The boiler will be 6 inch PVC and the smoke stake 2 ". If I still had my lalthe I would use it on the round part. (If I get over to California soon enough I got a line on a Lathe that I may get, we will see I am supposed to go over there for a memorial service in June if they get the stay at home recinded in that state)

The following picture is of and engine I found online to give me an example of the parts of the engine and the prospective size of the components.

The next picture if the Fusion drawing I will use to cut out the parts.



I doubt if I will have time to make it move but who knows it depends on how long it takes me to build it.

 

[Darren Wright]

I believe by designated the amount of time until this Xmas, you've blocked any use of the phrase "I didn't say which Xmas" excuse.

That will be a cool project though.

 

[Mike Stafford]

Back in the day I made a lot of wooden toys. At that time I had a Shopsmith and I subscribed to Hands On magazine which was the Shopsmith dedicated magazine. In the magazine they had a series of articles on how to build unique wooden toys using the Shopsmith. These toys were designed by a retired Navy pilot and engineer named Norm Marshall who compiled all of his toy projects in a book entitled the The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book. I spent many happy hours in my shop building wooden toys using my Shopsmith and this book as a guide. The hours were well worth the joy they provided to the children (my son and cousins) who received the toys at Christmas. I learned a lot about woodworking doing these projects.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to build wooden toys.

 

[Charles Lent]

Being as closely tied to a "wood Burner" replica as I am (see avatar) I have to comment that your photo choice for a wood burning steam locomotive is not very accurate. In today's World, when not many have even seen a real steam locomotive, this is not surprising, but if you are going to make something, it should look a little more accurate than the one in that photo, especially if it will be placed in the front yard for all to see.

The larger bulb shaped stack is for the smoke, and it belongs way forward, just behind the light. Where it is on that photo should be a small dome that is for the throttle valve and pressure relief. Between it and the smoke stack should be a second small dome, and this one is for the sander, to put sand on the rails when additional traction is needed. The bell, if you want to include one, is just behind the smoke stack.. The sander in your photo is almost 2X as high as it should be, in proportion to the one in the photo.

There are plenty of photos of old wood burning steam engines that would be a better choice. Many larger steam engines had more large driving wheels than the single driving wheel on each side of the C P Huntington, to get more power to the rails. In actuality, the design of the original C P Huntington was not popular, because it didn't have enough traction with only a pair of driving wheels, to climb even small hills or pull significant weight. In the one that I drive, it's the smaller wheels that do the driving, and the large one is just for show.

The one that I drive actually doesn't burn wood at all. It has a gas fork lift engine, but it was made to look like the C. P. Huntington, a real wood burning steam engine located in a railroad museum in California (see first photo link). The one in the second link video is like the one that I drive. Chance Rides is the amusement equipment company that makes them.

Charley

Southern Pacific C.P. Huntington Steam Locomotive

espee.railfan.net