Is embarking on any 7 1/4″ loco other than madness ?

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I think it would depend on ones skill level and availability of large enough workshop machinery. Otherwise, I's much easier to work on large parts rather than 'watchmaking'.

Brian

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

The point is that it takes larger machinery and lots of time, smaller gauges take time but most parts can be made on a 3. 1/2" lathe. For me the boiler is the main problem, giving the cost and the time if made by a specialist firm.

Even now my 3.1/2" 9F is sitting there still not finished because of cost and time and I am now 81. Do I splurge my money? do I spend all day at it, no I cannot as life intervenes. Everything on the 9F is manageable with the machines and tools I have but I doubt I could do a 7.25" Loco using the same. In fact I would not want to.

Given that a 7.25" Loco could be used as a passenger carrying train and you could offer rides but it then becomes a full time job but still not pay it's way. Track, insurance and facilities all cost more. You would need a lot more space as a standard garage may not accommodate a 7.25" Loco. 2 meters long and weighing 200 kilo's. Then you have to have a method of transport, trailer, truck whatever. It will take a dedicated man to make one!

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Clive a 7.25" Black Five + tender is 2.4 meters long and the boiler alone weighs 80 kilo!

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Rationally all hobbies are madness!

But as my late friend and sometime boss Robin Bacon said "It doesn't matter what you do so long as you do something." Life is a journey not a destination. Who cares if you don't finish that 7 1/2" gauge loco so long as you enjoyed making what you did make.

Robins attitude was always that he'd do something for long enough to get half decent then move on to something else. Never that interested in becoming expert. He built a 25 ft (Ish) sailing yacht and learned to sail it.  Mostly before we met.  In the time I knew him he  designed and built two Hi-Fi systems from scratch, restored a Berkly T60, built a Tich and managed 20 or 30 laps of the local Model Engineering Society track. The unfinished project was a small pipe organ!

Clive.

Edited By Clive Foster on 15/06/2018 09:57:21

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

"is embarking on any 7 1/4" loco other than madness?". Yes, but a great achievement after you build one.

I am building a 6" scale traction engine which has a similar size boiler. (10" diameter). Most of the lathe work has been done on my 9" dia Southbend lathe and Seig SX3 mill, although I did push it to its limit. Some parts were too big and were done on other machines belonging to friends and club members. I machined all of the parts for my boiler but had a professional weld it.

Materials for a bigger engine cost a bit more but not unafordable. The biggest cost building an engine is labour and I have lost count of the hours spent building the engine over 5 years but it is free. There are just as many components in a big engine as there are in a little one. Little ones are often fiddly to make.

Paul.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

7.25 Pug is no bigger than a big 5"g model. Cost of buying/making a boiler will be the deciding factor I'd say

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I think the Traction engine boys would say that making ANY loco is madness even a tiddler like a 7.25" one.

Size done not seem to be the issue with the current trend for 6" or 1/2 scale engines.

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Each to their own;

Many in our club are making large 7-1/4 locomotives.

My wife and I sat back a couple of years ago, she, the Accountant by trade and I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation on the cost of making our house 7-1/4 compatible, which came out to about 5 years of my take-home pay, plus increased annual costs (insurance, property taxes, 2nd vehicle maintenance etc). The problems of living in a city with cold winters a house not designed for this hobby….

I enjoy building more than running. Lots of 3-1/2" gauge parts almost being given away, or with Kozo Hiraoka's designs, just from raw materials.

So, big models are not for me in my lifestyle; but if they suit you, great. They are all fun.

(one of the models I have started is a 7-1/4 Stourbridge Lion, which will weigh in about 20 lbs more than my 3-1/2" gauge Continental, large, 2-8-2 – to echo/support Duncan's thoughts)

Edited By John Alexander Stewart on 15/06/2018 12:17:34

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I am just beginning a 7 1/4 Tich and I suspect that it will be easier to build and drive than the original one.

A Hercules or similar is far easier to build and handle than a 5" mainline express engine.

Finally – a Highlander 7 1/4" Black Five was designed to be built on a Myford lathe

Is it sensible, of course not, but I suggest you start any conversation with someone outside our hobby with the phrase "I'm building a model steam locomotive …………….. " Their expression will say exactly what they think!

Nick

PS With the current availability of tracks, possibly a more interesting question would be 'Is embarking on any 2 1/2" loco other than madness?'

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'll post my response as posted on the other thread, noting that my comment does have a smiley after it – which in forum etiquette indicates it is not to be taken too seriously:

Tongue in cheek, but embarking on any steam loco is a big commitment in terms of time and effort and those not part of the hobby would probably consider it rash, if not madness!

The serious point is if you are going to take one on, I don't think the implications of the actual gauge would be my first consideration in terms of difficulty. Up to 7 1/4" you should be able to tackle most jobs on ordinary hobby equipment (aside from big single wheeler drivers or milling out large frames) and the larger size may even make the work easier.

I would say the main consideration has to be the much cost of materials and especially a boiler.

Neil

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