Hey Friends!
Thanks for sticking with me through the cold months here! Excited to get back to lighting fires once the weather warms up - but until then, here's a bit more of the progress I've made on 311 this winter. 311 is my one inch Scale (1:12, or 1 inch to the foot, hence 1" scale) Little Engines Pacific locomotive built from an original bronze batch of LE castings. The loco was lettered for "Indiana Western" in gold when I found her, so thought the NKP road name was only appropriate as it's also my favorite full-scale line throughout history.
As always, my goal with this locomotive is not to exactly replicate a NKP Pacific at a certain point in time. Instead, my "end goal" is to have a classy-looking, easily maintainable and extremely reliable locomotive in 1:12 scale that should roughly pay tribute to my favorite USRA modifications adopted by the Nickel Plate Road.
I started the fall season with the construction of a sturdy new engine stand for 311 here in Nashville, TN. Since garage/shop space is limited, I was luckily able to roll her right into my music studio! Once inside, I began the familiar methodical tear-down of the plumbing and running boards for cleaning and reconfiguration for this upcoming season.
After the old plumbing was stripped back, I measured, cut, bent, threaded, and assembled all brand new straight brass pipe on the fireman's side of the locomotive. I also made some easy temporary brass support brackets, so everything will stay in line and in place. I think once painted, this will all look the part and not cause me too much of a headache... although definitely still room for bracket improvement.
I was also able to dive in and learn a lot about CAD in OnShape in order to design some CAD drawings Pyle National Number Boards, both "Flying" and standard mount types. I've chosen the "Flying" mount-type on 311, but both types are in 1" scale and are now available for purchase on www.foxislandrailroad.com. I'm also currently working on scaling these to 3/4" and 1.6" scale due to popular demand. Feel free to check out the website and subscribe to the email list to be notified when new parts are available!
I've also been working on several detail projects: steam-powered bell ringer cylinder, blessings bell mount & bell, handrails, turbogenerator wiring, toggle switches, cab lights, running & water feed lights, new lubricator, second injector, etc. I've got way more footage logged than I could fit in this Part 2 video, so be sure to check back for a third update soon! I've also been working on repainting VB 31's cab, building a new 3/4" scale American coach, a batch of new 3/4" scale VB hopper cars, and a Titan 1.6" reefer - so keep your eye out for other projects that will soon get their own project videos!
As always, thanks so much for watching! Feel free to drop a like or a comment to let me know what you think, and be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay tuned! Lastly, follow us on instagram for daily updates from the shop, adventures with my flagship loco NKP 311, and photos of locomotives submitted by rail fans and owners all over the country:
@FoxIslandLocomotiveWorks
@NickelPlateRoad
@LiveSteamNation
Cheers, See you down the line!
-Jimmy
**I do not own or claim rights to this background music, and I am using it under a current royalty-free production website license.
30 мар 2022
