Florence Locomotive Works

Andy that is looking very very good. Thank you so much. Would you like to set up a call some time tonight or tomorrow to discuss the lathe? Happy thanksgiving to all, Douglas

Best wishes to Dave and sympathy’s to the Essery family. Although I’ve never read a single book by him (I think), I had heard much about him. One of the greats indeed. Douglas

It’s a bit harder here, as the stuff is illegal. (I believe)

Afternoon all, Thanksgiving break begins Wednesday so it’s a short week for me. Most of our classes are doing nowt so I spent most of the afternoon reading about the ill fated Franklin Expedition to the Arctic during the 1840s. Very interesting. On a different note it has been commanded that I cook black pudding hash Wednesday night, without the black pudding. I will try to not make a hash of this. Douglas

Not if you try hard enough

Thank you all for your thoughts on lathes. At the moment, I do not have any direct need for a lathe. However, “in my line of work” the need often arises, and I was more going to be buying it as a preventative measure if that makes any sense. I am also not a complete novice on lathes. I use one almost everyday at work. Re the Bear and his supposed Armageddon: I think the young people still know how to make LDC so I expect that you will now have some faith. Re Andy’s lathes and Sherlines/Taigs: Dad is somewhat opposed to the idea of a lathe (not sure why he has more uses for it than me almost) and any purchase by me over $700 is strictly banned by higher powers, unless it’s a piece of tech. I will discuss the matter with him. Douglas ps; Jamie, sorry to hear about the situation although I don’t have any advice.

Gentlemen, (and ladies if any follow this thread) I am looking at a lathe. More specifically this lathe. http://www.lathes.co.uk/goodell-pratt/page2.html What do we think? The one I’m looking at is missing it’s motor and tool rest, but it is under $250 and the rest is in good condition. The tail stock is present and functioning, along with what looks like a watchmakers collet. I would not be using this lathe for watchmaking though, probably just ornamental turning until an affordable tool post/cross slide arrangement for one comes up. I know it is a small lathe, but it’s a lathe none the less. Douglas

As yee wish. Well, the general attitude towards anybody wishing to do anything with their hands in my part of the world is either; A: “attaboy” B: *expletive* off The positive reactions are much more rare than the other. I’ve for example had some very bad experiences when restoring the mogul. Several angry BL curmudgeons gave me no end of grief over how I was “destroying there heritage” or summatother, and then made various jokes about my age and how (in direct correlation) that I must be a drug addict and party constantly. I rarely frequent that forum now. But yes, I would say there is a culture in America that actively discourages the advancement of young people in doing anything with their hands. This is kept in place by those who formerly held these jobs.

Morning all, I am currently getting a rapid Covid test. The strep test was negative. That mostly explains the morning. On a lighter note the trees have begun changing color in full. Douglas

Well said, from a youngster. I won’t go into much detail on my experiences as a youngster with those in such trades as I would bore you all, unless you wish to be bored.

Afternoon all, Summary of the last few days. Cat blocked her GI tract, expensive surgery. Piping made for “Brunel.” Speech and Debate tournament tomorrow, I’m reading a prose. Humorous duet piece recorded today from memory. Fixed a teacher’s pocket watch. Oh and winter arrived properly. Douglas

Hello all, This is my latest of to many projects. To scratchbuild myself an engine. A wee bit of context. This engine does have a thread elsewhere, but I don't think it really fit that area of the forum. So here we are, and you probably have a fair few questions. The project began in may of this year. Basically, this engine is made in the style of the early model engineers, the ones who built models for Stephenson and Gooch etc. It is built to a gauge of 2 inches, a scale now almost extinct in the modern world but very popular from 1890 to about 1917. It was originally going to be live steam, and indeed the boiler is still capable of boiling water but the steam generation to consumption equation was done wrong, so it ended up being electric. The drive train is very crude by modern standards, and is made form what I had. Meccano gears and motor. And surprisingly, it works extremely well. Not the quietest though. The engine has an interesting story. It started off as an LNWR style 4-4-0, but one day I got a burst of inspiration and decided to model a Paris Lyon & Med Railway "coupe vent" engine instead. These were the first ever streamlined engines, also called windcutters. But then I decided that, as the NER is my preferred railway, it should have been bought by the NER for testing purposes, much like the GWR did with their De Glehn compound. So it will be painted in NER livery The engine is constructed in the standard model engineering way pioneered by LBSC (Curley Lawrence), in that the frames are cut from 3mm steel with a hack saw and just about everything else is brass plate or sheet. The boiler barrel is copper though. The wheels will be very interesting. The bogie and tender wheels have yet to be designed, but I designed the driving wheels and am working with @AndyID to produce them. More to come on that soon. A few notes. Yes, it can move under its own power and will have batteries in the tender, but it can't run on rails yet. It is named "Brunel" after Isembard Kingdom Brunel. Here is a timeline in photos: The last one is of the engine as it stands today., and here's pic of its basis. It has been anglicized somewhat. credit Douglas

I think the real important question is will it be habitable for panniers?

We have one of these, a 2006 Ford F-150, which we use to haul the kart. It has an 8 foot bed, but no crew cab so it’s under 20 feet in length. A great vehicle overall, reminds me of a Kirtley goods, even though I’ve never seen one. Douglas

Looks very nice Mike, both wagon and bogie. Douglas