What essential tools do in need for building a live steam loco?

Hi

Im a complete beginner to model engineering and have always wanted to build a small 3.5" gauge steam loco.

What are the essential machine tools I need? I know a lathe and milling machine is essential but what else do I need? and what are the cheapest metal working lathes and milling machines for model engineering?

Btw I already have an arc welder.

thanks

I would add a pillar drill to that line up. Ok you can drill in the mill but you don't want to disturb a set up in the mill just to drill the odd hole.

Cheapest mill & lathe ?  I wouldn't like to hazard a guess. My experience in life generally is that cheapest is usually not best. The old criteria of " Fit for purpose" is better .

Norman

Edited By NJH on 30/03/2016 20:58:39

You could actually do it without a mill, most of the old designs that everyone seems to still build were originally done on just a lathe with a vertical slide for the milling operations. Mill is just easier not essential.

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I would say that a lathe and a mill are not that expensive. - It's the required tooling and accessories that go with them that become expensive when you add them all up.

Please don't think I am belittling the considerable cost of the machine tools. I am just being realistic. I have certainly spent far more on tooling etc than I have on the machines themselves.

Nick

Hi Simon,

I would agree with Jason that most milling operations can be done on the lathe with a vertical slide.

You can do quite a bit on the initial stages with just a bench vice, hacksaw, and files. You really need a pillar drill for drilling the frames plus a decent set of number or close metric drills. Decent set square and centre punch etc. By the time you get to the hornblocks a vertical slide for the lathe is required or a vertical mill plus endmills.

Then it's the axles and axleboxes which is probably the first turning in the lathe. Then the wheels which is first turning of cast iron... and I could go on.

There are some excellent descriptions of building locos in 3.5"g and 5"g for beginners. Read as much as you can from old editions of model engineer. My favourite is Don Young's description of building the Railmotors in 1968/9 in ME, but I may be biased as this was my first loco in 1983, plus was a close friend of Don.

Join a local club which may have workshop facilities plus lots of experienced members and help. I didnt have a workshop of my own till 1985 with a pillar drill and lathe, yet had a rolling chassis by 1984 thanks to the use of other club member's workshops.

Cheers,

Julian