Thanks Kim for the comments. It was particularly satisfying to see the enthusiasm of the local club members when they saw another live steam loco being built. It does not happen that often any more. At least not in these parts of the world.
Excellent! That's a major milestone.
Thanks Chris. I guess the next major milestone will be running on compressed air, prior to taking on the boiler...
I really need to update my post on my A3 progress...
Todd, please update your post! Your work is both inspiring and humbling!
I still had to drill small dimples in the rear axle for the grub screws of the pump and lubricator eccentrics. The quartering jig came in handy to hold the rear wheel assembly for drilling.
After a couple of mishaps, the side and main rods are now complete.
I am still waiting for an M2 die to arrive before I can complete the top half of the dummy cotter pins.
In the mean time I have noticed rust appearing on the tender wheels. The rods and valve gear motion are now also unpainted mild steel. This begs the question - what is the best way to prevent these parts from rusting? At the time, I sprayed the tender wheels with clear 2K paint, but this clearly worn off when running on the rusty club track. I am thinking of oiling everything and then store it (even the tender) in a sealed plastic bag with some silica gel.
