Super Simplex & First Time Builder's Website

Post by builder01 on May 3, 2018 at 7:17pm

https://supersimplex.yolasite.com/

Edited By David Wasson on 06/05/2018 14:04:54

That is a nice looking loco, thanks for sharing.

Thor

Hi Thor,

Thanks so much!

David

Nice work!

Russell

Hi David,

Very good and informative text and photos, exelent work.

Jan

Hi Jan and Russell, thank you so much! I hope the information will be useful. It is the type of site I was looking for when I first got started, I found none, so, I made a site myself!

David

Hi David,

well done, you have produced a fine locomotive.

try & paint it this winter, it's a great temptation to "run & not paint".

regards

Brian

Beautiful job. And a great website you have built there. It should be a boon to future builders. The question of oft raised of what can be done to attract new and younger people into the hobby. I think your website answers that.

Hi ​David , as others have said, that is a fine piece of work presented in a very well thought out web-site and I agree with you that this method of presentation can be much more useful to a first-time onlooker than the more usual forum build log, which as you rightly note, frequently strays off topic. Your excellent photo sequence on the boiler construction shows just how much work there is in this component, maybe commercial items aren't so expensive after all!! Trevor.

David,

Excellent description and photographs. Very helpful. I also like your approach i.e., considering the project as a miniature steam locomotive rather than trying to replicate every nut bolt and rivet. I understand that Simplex is freelance/ semi scale anyway but you know what I mean.

Phil H

Thanks to everyone for your kind words.

Brian, yes, the goal is to tear everything down this winter, 2018/2019 to do the painting. The winter in the North East of the United States closes our club track for about 6 months. That should be time enough! Meanwhile, I'm running with no paint! (Oh the shame!)

Hopper, I hope my site will attract a few potential new builders. Most of what I know, I read on the internet and in books. Hopefully the small amount of text and the many photos on my site will inspire others.

Trevor, yes, the boiler can take an amazing amount of time to construct, especially for a first time builder. It is also not impossible to successfully build your own first boiler with little or no help.

Phil, yes, much better for a first time build, to think of it as simply a "miniature locomotive" rather than a scale model. Not spending enormous amounts of time on details will get you onto the track much faster. For a second build, a more "scale approach" might be something to consider. With the first locomotive, in steam, the more detailed build will not seem nearly as long, and the time taken to get the second in steam, will not be as important.

David

G'day Dave just like to take this opportunity in congratulating you in building a very fine Super Simplex it's turned out a real credit to you, I can only hope that mine turns out like yours. Kind regards John Kinnane

Hi John,

Thank you so much! I am having a lot of fun with this locomotive. It is not quite done yet, it mostly needs to have the painting and lining finished. That will happen this coming winter.

Today was the Fall Open House for my club, The Finger Lakes Live Steamers. I hauled many many little kids at the event and we'll do it again tomorrow. Everything worked well on the loco, (fingers crossed for tomorrow!).

David