Hi Ron,
I think if you are new to model engineering you would be better to
stick to a fairly simple 4-4-0 to begin with (I recommend a 4-4-0
rather than an 0-6-0 as there are no fiddly coupling rod joints to
make!). Possibly Annie Boddie or the new Ayesha which has been
designed by members of the association as an uptodate version of the
original LBSC loco. Castings and drawings for Ayesha are readily
available as well as laser cut frames etc. which would make
construction a bit quicker and easier. She also has simple slip
eccentric valve gear which is easy to make. The only problem is that a
detailed write up re construction is not available. The Association is
apparently going to produce an updated version of Annie Boddie but I
don't know when that will be complete.

Another important factor I think is the length of time taken to
build - as a beginner you will want to get something finished and
running asap. A big mistake to make is to choose a design that is very
complex and will takes years to complete. (You can build one of those
when you've already got one to play with!)

Choosing 2.5" gauge as a first loco is a bit of a mixed blessing
really. The advantage is that castings and materials are relatively
cheap so if you make a cock-up the monetary loss is not great. Also,
obviously, you do not need such big equipment to machine the bits
on.The downside (to me) is that some of the work can be quite fiddly
due to the size. The 3.5" gauge Tich was described as a beginners loco
but it's basically only a 2.5" gauge loco on 3.5" gauge track. It
certainly is not a beginners loco when it comes to driving and
maintaining steam!

Unfortunately the 2.5" Rally season is now over for this year. It's
well worth going along to them to have a look at other peoples locos
and have a chat with the owners.

I can't help much with the lathe advice as I still use my trusty ML7
which I bought new in 1973. There are numerous foreign imports
available now for quite reasonable prices which are quite suitable for
'amateur' use and will give good service. It all depends on how deep
your pocket is and the space available. Although most of my work at
the moment is for 2.5" gauge I find some machining jobs a bit of a
challenge even on the ML7, usually due to lack of centre height or
travel on the slides.It often means devising some weird set-up to hold
the component!

The largest wheel diameter you will need to turn (for 2.5")is about
3.5" diameter so you will obviously need a lathe which will handle
this without chatter. You will also need to be able to machine
cylinder blocks either in a 4 jaw chuck or mounted on the lathe
faceplate. Unless you are going to buy a seperate milling machine
(another story!) you will also need to do some milling in the lathe
using a vertical slide so you will have to take that into account as well.

If you want to see some of my locos under construction along with
methods I use for machining etc. have a look at my website which I've
done to help other people see what building a loco etc involves:

http://www.baggo.copperstream.co.uk/me/meindex.html

Hope that might be of some help,

John

--- In halfinchlivesteamforum@..., "roconnor1956"
<mroconnor@e...> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
> I would very much like to get in to the construction of 2.5 inch steam
> locomotives.
> However,I have no model engineering expertise but would be obliged if
> any members can suggest the following:
>
> 1) A simple design that I can attempt to build as a first project.
> 2) Recommendations for a lathe (which I will have to learn to use).
> Space in my garage is at an absolute premium, so I would like to look
> for the smallest lathe possible.
> Any advice would be much appreciated
> I look forward to hearing from you all,
> Many Thanks,
> Ron
>