[modeleng] Re: [modeleng] Now Ga1 was 3½ versus 5
- From: "Jem Harrison" <Jem.Harrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2005 21:05:48 +0100
Harry,
I had not posted a picture, but if I can find the right buttons on this
machine I shall attach one.
Best wishes,
Jem
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Wade" <hww@xxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 4:19 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Now Ga1 was 3½ versus 5
> At 02:34 PM 10/4/05 +0100, you wrote:
>>On the other hand, the big stuff doesn't come cheap. There are the
>>machined parts for a 7=BD Romulus for sale in our club at =A32100.
>
> Jem,
> This is unfortunate but highly specialized technology, even 200 year
> old technology, isn't coming cheaply any more. I am surprised at the raw
> cost of the Romulus castings but then I haven't bought castings in a long
> while.
> When I was a kid I used to see an occasional piece in my father's
> D.I.Y. magazine about various old coots, usually out in Califiornia, who
> built "real working model steam locomotives" and as often as not there was
> some statement to the effect that it cost "$25,000 in materials alone" and
> one I recall was even higher, and this in 1950's dollars. Now I recognize
> these were inflated claims, because I still hear the same claims today.
> My first locomotive attempt, a Little Engines 4-4-0 (7.5"ga), begun
> around 1967, remains unfinished for various reasons, although all major
> components are complete. Although eventually I had a mentor and
> occasional
> use of machine tools, I had no machine tools of my own for years after I
> began it and acquired those bit at a time along the way, But even so I
> don't think I invested more than about $600, $100 of which at the time was
> the price of my first lathe. But then once upon a time a new Myford could
> be had for 69UKP!
> I'm keeping an accounting of both the time and the material costs of
> the 7.5"ga TICH I have under construction and I'll be very surprised if I
> have more than $1k in it at the end. The time investment is another
> matter.=
> =20
> It should go without saying that many things affect the investment
> one must lay out in order to have or build a larger scale loco, but mostly
> it's a function of your available tools/machines and the availability of
> material resources. If you have sufficient tooling, and sympathetic (or
> at
> least not antagonistic) local materials sources, and a bit of skip-diver
> in
> you, it can be made a great deal less expensive than if you don't.
> I was unable to find a picture posting of the Scottie but I'll keep
> looking.
>
> Regards,
> Harry
>
> MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST.
>
> To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to,
> modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject
> line.
-- Binary/unsupported file stripped by Ecartis --
-- Type: image/jpeg
-- File: 027_Matt_50686_RWG.jpg
MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST.
To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to,
modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
Other related posts:
