Member postings for Nick Stock

Truth be told, I already think I'm verging on biting off more than I can chew right now but acknowledging that, I appreciate this sort of activity naturally falls in to a hefty course of learning on the job, researching and pre-planning, and when all else fails, hard-core trial and error!

In fact what I'm thinking of doing is to convert as best I can both the simplex and the pansy to metric. I will then do something like the following: choose a mix of manual and cnc machining to suit the accuracy and complexity required of each aspect of the locos, with cash flow ultimately governing how I proceed. Speed ends up being a resultant effect though I'm expecting a start to finish time between 3-5 years.

Who knows, this could actually go to more or less to plan or if I'm not so 'lucky' it will just be a complete and utter disaster. Either way fun times ahead!

Nick

Thanks for all your inputs guys which I helped me make up my mind and earlier today I placed my order for a set of Pansy drawings from Blackgates.

To anyone who's willing to advise me here,

For about the last 3 years I've been intending to get serious about building my first loco.

Back then I came into position of a full set of darings, gun metal castings from Norman Spinks and frames in 3mm steel for a 5" Simplex by Martin Evans.

However, I was not circumstantially ready to really get going with my build.

I now work in a school as a design technician and have ideal access to the lathes and mill etc.

Forgetting the Simplex for now, which id prefer to shelve because I have had a rethink and have got it in my head that really, a pansy is for me mainly due to the fact it's more prototypical of a loco that actually existed and, given the choice if I'm going to spend the next 3-5 years in fabrication..

I'm aware there are a number of suppliers who can sell me drawings but -

Challenge a) I am aware there are dimensional errors that unless I'm aware of, will melt my brain when further down the build I can't work out why 'one bit doesn't fit in another bit' and when I come to finish the full motion and air test, why 'it don't work right'!

Challenge b) Being only 26 years old and not the sharpest thinking in fractions, and from first hand experience of just trying to get my head around it, what i plan to do is convert as much of the drawings to metric and CAD up all the parts in stages in Creo or solidworks.

So..

Can anyone perhaps advise me on where to get drawings from, what modifications are crucial to the original drawings, what actual features I ought to change or add to address any issues that I'd kick myself for not including in retrospect and anything else you'd recommend perhaps from your own experience of building and/or running this particular loco?

Appreciated, this is a lot to ask potentially.

Look forward to hopefully hearing from someone.

Nick