That would help a lot!      Hmmm, build another crane to move the first crane...     Then have the first one come back to move the second one...      I'm going to wind up with a LOT of cranes... 

Ya know.....  Since the drywall seams haven't been taped yet, it's not too late to rip off a few pieces of drywall and install the blocking for that bridge crane the elves have been wanting.  Heck, you wouldn't even have to build the stairs up to the control cab for them, you can 3D print the stairs.  As long as you only install ONE crane you don't have to worry about any crane drag races.  On the plus side, it would make unloading the Mann Steam truck after a beer run a lot easier.  They might even give you one or two cases.

Don

That's looking great, Chris!  A very nice milestone!

Are you going to put an overhead gantry in the Museum wing?  You might need it to move your models around! 

Kim

That would help a lot!      Hmmm, build another crane to move the first crane...     Then have the first one come back to move the second one...      I'm going to wind up with a LOT of cranes... 

Next up was the slide valve. In the kit Hemingway supply a great big chunk of gunmetal which is meant for you to carve bits out of to make various gunmetal parts in the model, I had a bit of square bronze however that was just a shade over 1/2" so I used this instead since the valve is 1/2" across.

I started on the recessed side, I milled the end, then the sides to size and finally the top face. I first cut the slot using an 8mm diameter slot drill before switching to a 1.5mm cutter to bring the corner radii down.

With that done I flipped it over in the vice and milled the height down to 9/32" before milling down the sides to 1/8" thickness. Next I milled the 1/8" slots using a 3mm slot drill. Before cutting from the bar I did run a file on the edges of the castellations as the draeing shows these as angled for clearance.

I then cut the valve off the bar and milled to length before hitting the ends with a file to make the angled surface shown in the drawing. I did have to open up the steam chest slightly with a smooth file but it all fits together quite nicely and smoothly moves up and down over the port face. Very satisfying part to make

Display room and the crane are both looking magnificent.

Thanks!

Got lots done today while the drywall guys were busy. First, an update on the new museum annex room:

The sheets of drywall are up, they will be back tomorrow or Wednesday to do the seams.

Now back to the model. Got the pivot blocks for the wheel trucks turned out of some bronze, with the top milled to fit the opening in the frame, and drilled/tapped for screws to clamp them in place with another steel bar above the I beam webs. The trial fit of the wheels and gearbox the other day showed me where the pivot rods will be, and it worked out such that one end of each bearing block needed to be notched in slightly to clear the cross beam:


Test fit in the frame:

and on the top of the truck:

Then made up the clamping bars. These are simple rectangles, bolted to the bearings then the bearing chucked in the lathe to let me bore out the hole in the bar so the rod on the truck can project through:

Here is a view from the top, looking down through the frame at the first block in place.


and looking in from underneath with the frame sitting on the trucks

With both blocks clamped in, and the frame on the trucks, I looked in at the mesh of the gears and adjusted the position of the bearings to get the mesh where I wanted it - the clamping arrangement lets the bearing slide back and forth in the frame till the screws are tightened down. Once that was good, now I, err, the elves, can turn the bevel gear on top of the frame and make the model roll back and forth smoothly on the rails!      Given the weight of the model so far, it does still take a bit of force to turn the shaft to make it roll. Good thing there is about an 8:1 gear reduction from the steam engine down to the wheels - thats a lot of gears to be going through. A little oil on the shafts will likely help too. As will letting the shoip elves race it up and down the driveway...   
And the gearbox is still visible between the wheels:

View of the model so far:

So, whats next? I can either do the big plate that holds the ring gear, along with the other plates at the ends of the frame on top, or the jack stands that hinge out from the sides and the handrails/steps at the ends. Hmmm...      Might make sense to do the top plates first, since they will likely require clamping/drilling work on the frame, and the other parts would be in the way.