7/8n2 Garden Railway Video

Here's another find for a nice 7/8n2 outdoor line...

Flatcar Update

My milled wheels and casted couplers came in. I'm trying to figure out the axleboxes/journals now...

(the pieces are just free-sitting)

Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino 50cm Railway

Rob Bennett posted a couple links to a very nifty 50cm (19") gauge railway in Argentina [LINK] about the Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino (FCAF) "Prison Train". After doing some more googling I found some additional material on it, including a log of engine No.2 rebuild and a listing of engines and wagon/vans on the railway.

The best part? They have a 'mini' Garratt based on the Tasmanian K1.

Here are the links:

• Official Site (in english)
  
• Some info about the line itself
  
• Engine/car listing
• Rebuild of mini-garratt

Australian Railways

Apparently Australia had quite a number of notable 2ft gauge railways. The good news is an organization named Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) seems to be dedicated to preserving what is left of them, and to publishing or making available books about the railways. Here are a few good ones I found (all 2ft gauge)...

• The Anatomy of a Garratt
• The Mapleton Tramway
• The Innisfail Tramway
• Shays, Crabs, and Phosphate
• The Goondah-Burrinjuck Railway

Inexpensive Live Steam 45mm

I found an interesting website this afternoon, the Basic Project Engine which includes plans to build a live steam locomotive for 45mm gauge out of more or less easily available pieces and without the requirement of machining tools (lathe or mill). I'm studying the plans to see if it can be fitted for R/C control, as this would make a nice beginner's project for a 7/8n2 logging locomotive.

Building Small Steam Locomotives

Well while I'm waiting around for my SVE parts to come in, I ordered Building Small Steam Locomotives by Peter Jones. I've been eyeing it for over a month, and it was highly recommended by the guys at SE Lounge. The book covers how to build large scale locomotives that run on actual steam, including turning or milling your own parts. I'm defiantly looking forward to it.




On the table saw I mentioned earlier, I think I might shop the garage sale or craigslist market to find a good condition used one. Seems as though the price can easily get out of control for features that are nice, but that I probably don't need.

Minor Flatcar Update

No progress on the flatcar in the past few days. I'm waiting on Sierra Valley Enterprises to ship me the wheels...

In the mean time I've been thinking about picking up a table saw. Home Depot has a Ryobi 10" for only $115, which isn't a bad deal at all. I'm trying to decide if a budget-line table saw will be 'good enough' for the use I'll put it through (I don't really need contractor grade tools as I'm not going to use it that much).