Thanks for your comments, it’s interesting how people find steam engines of all kinds a pleasure to watch, I think it must be because you can see the various parts moving and working in conjunction with one another, also they are generally painted in attractive shades of colour.
Following on from the Bensons I have now got the ‘make it from what you have around bug’. I came across a set of drawings for a Clarkson 2 x 2 horizontal engine that I made some 35 years ago. I am now redesigning it to make it look more like a typical mill engine, I have some chunks of cast iron that will do for the cylinder and trunk guide all the rest should come out of the scrap box!!!
Much more fun that handing over several hundred pounds for castings (sorry Jo)
Mike