Calling all steam railway fanatics!

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

One of my customers is building this. The photos were taken in 2005. It is now almost finished. It is a South Australian Railways main line loco and the builder says it was the biggest one they used. He was apprenticed to SAR as a toolmaker in the 1930's. He is but a boy of 94.

Workmanship is immaculate. He did full scale drawings before starting and these are works of art.

Another customer had two 7.25" gauge locos but had a busy job and a young family then and not enough time to play with the locos. He sold them and I was quite staggered at the price obtained.

He then commenced building a 15" gauge loco like your "General", an American Wild West woodburner.

Twenty-five years later he is retired and lives on 40 acres near Beaudesert. The loco is almost finished. He has acquired a big heap of ex sugar mill tramline and is going to have his own track to run his loco on. No worries about club officials and infighting.

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When I was in the Queensland Fire & Rescue Service I was a platoon commander in the station in the station that had in its area the Redbank Railway Workshops.In that precinct was the the Old QGR Pattern Shop. I had many alarm there thankfully only false ones but we still had to go.One night while going through the shop with the Security Guard I asked if the patterns were ever used ,he said not to his knowledge as all the tradesmen now were retired and young apprentices were not taught steam engines.That's a shame maybe something is being passed down at the Old Ipswich Workshops which is now a rail museum as they have a string of restored Old Locos.

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Originally Posted by zedcars

Brian
I like his workmanship and the boiler?? WOW!
Very nice!
These skills are disappearing, and most of the young guys I employ don't even have an iota of an idea what is involved in learning skills like this.
Love to meet that bloke, I admire old school skill and endeavor.
Thanks for posting that.
Really nice!

For more relevant info as I have a "remaining foot" in South America there has been a bit of a revival of steam down there.
Equador not short of an idea to generate tourist revenue, has revived its old Yankee locomotives for trips up the Andean Cordillera. The President re-inaugurate one such system recently and so did Morales of Bolivia.
I rode the one in Equador up the Devils Nose not so long ago.

Now I read that Peru is doing the same to get to the Matchu Pitchu. So is Costa Rica from San Jose to the Pacific Coast.
(Note the ingenious way of stair stepping up to the summit of the Nariz de Diablo .)
Tren al Cielo 2010 (ECUADOR) - YouTube

Dennis

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Thanks Dennis what a bloody great tape.

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Originally Posted by robbotd5

VK3UTE.
That is a great looking loco Simon, very envious!!! Very similar to the engine that I am going to build first. From the book " Steam trains in your garden". Now all I have to do is convince the minister for war and finance to let me buy a lathe and a mill/drill!!!!
Regards
Robbo

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You are just a wee bit late Robbo.When they closed the Old Ipswich Railway Workshops a few years back they DE-commissioned the Tool and Machine Shop and sold off all the old English built lathes etc.They went for a song .My mate bought a monstrous lathe made in Birmingham for a song , Two Grand. in perfect working order. All the stuff went that cheap crazy wasn't it.
John.

Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club opens on the weekends, and has a running day on the last Sunday of each month. The September running day (the one you have photos of) is usually pretty good as the club tends to run it as an inter-club event rather than for just for general public.

At the moment, most engines are being prepared and pulled down for their annual inspection so they won't be run again until the new year (December is pretty quiet, and fire restrictions can limit the engines that can be used, so its a good time to get this work done)

The MSTEC Rally (Steamfest) on the March long weekend in 2013 should be a fantastic event - it's the club's 50th birthday, so a special effort is being made, and engines seem to be coming from near and far!

If there's a bit of interest, I'm sure I could organise a bit of a "drive-it/steam training" day, but numbers would have to be a bit limited depending on whether you just want a bit of a drive, or learn how to run these old engines. Either way, I'm sure we could work it out! Sunday February 24 might be a good day...the rally gets a bit too busy to do this sort of stuff.

Cheers

Neil
President, MSTEC
...& Series 3 owner....

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Originally Posted by alien

Missed the big one they had recently:(
We also gave up on the Lake Goldsmith 100th rally due to the que and time:mad:
But few of us got over there for a day out 2 years ago:)
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/victorian-...ighlight=gully

There is talk of Lake Goldsmith in May next year as a forum trip.

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Damn it Neil!!! Why can't it be in Newcastle!!! Would love to take you up on your offer.
Regards
Robbo

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Originally Posted by Disco44

You are just a wee bit late Robbo.When they closed the Old Ipswich Railway Workshops a few years back they DE-commissioned the Tool and Machine Shop and sold off all the old English built lathes etc.They went for a song .My mate bought a monstrous lathe made in Birmingham for a song , Two Grand. in perfect working order. All the stuff went that cheap crazy wasn't it.
John.

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The workshops actually made a lot of their own machine tools. The biggest lathe in Qld. was made there during WW2. I saw it in use at English Electric works Evans Rd. Salisbury, 1960's. 40' between centres, 7' centre height. I inspected one for private sale that likewise had been made at the shops. Obviously for a special purpose, maybe long shafts or gun barrels, it was about 15' between centres but only had a 12" centre height. It was installed under a small house at Ebbw Vale and the house would need to be jacked up and a couple of stumps taken out to remove the lathe.

Old Pacific Steamer (1079 ) went past my place two days ago and back yesterday.What a sound when it is opened up...magically sound of yesteryear.This is a recently taken photo of her, She was too quick for me yesterday.

John.

Some familiar scenes here Brian, a real trip down memory lane. Don't you love the accent and pronounciation (Mareeba). :D

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D46SV-Igcw]Beyer Garratt Locomotives Round The World - Queensland. - YouTube[/ame]

Well, if you're ever down this way, look us up!

You should also realise that MSTEC is not only steam, but oil engines/tractors/ earthmoving/digging as well - which are all excellent things specially when you can see them all in one place and see how oil engines developed from earlier steam technology.

My preference is steam - and you can usually find me either fixing, servicing or driving tractions, rollers or steam trucks. If you think Landrovers are overgrown mecchano sets, you should work on an a 100+ year old Burrell or a Field Marshall tractor!

Cheers

Neil

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Originally Posted by robbotd5

Damn it Neil!!! Why can't it be in Newcastle!!! Would love to take you up on your offer.
Regards
Robbo

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Originally Posted by zedcars

Simon

Locomotive General Civil War Museum Interactive Tour – Frequently Asked Questions!

My missus of course just shook her head as if to say I'm married to a crazy Limey waddah yah expect!:D
Nah luv steam power its infectious!;)
Dennis
zedcars

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I've been to the museum referenced in the link, that loco has an interesting history having been part of a chase across Georgia and Tennesee during the civil war
Regards,

Tote

(part time train nutter....)