Building Small Steam Locomotives: A Practical Guide to Making Engines for the Garden Gauges

Building Small Steam Locomotives: A Practical Guide to Making Engines for the Garden Gauges
by Peter Jones
Crowood Press
United Kingdom
Web site: www.crowoodpress.co.uk

Available in the US from:
MBI Publishing
400 1st Avenue North
Suite 300 Minneapolis MN 55401
224 pages, hardbound, all drawings
and illustrations in color
Price: $44.95
Web site: www.mbipublishing.com

Peter Jones, whose prose adorns every issue of GR, has written a book aimed at those who have a hankering to build a live-steam locomotive but who lack the necessary skills and experience. The book begins with an introduction that touches on scale and gauge, costs, your work space, and more. This is followed by an important chapter on the names of the parts of a steam engine, and also covers some of the workings of the machines. Then comes a chapter on basic metal working with hand tools, then another on converting an Accucraft Ruby into a small, open cab, industrial locomotive, using the techniques discussed in the previous section. A discussion of building a locomotive using commercially available components follows.

We then come to a chaper on machine work, primarily the use of the lathe. After machining is basic boiler making, then a description of the construction of a 21/2″-gauge locomotive designed by the author, followed by a chapter on building a locomotive completely from scratch, from drawings by Harold Denyer, which are included (albeit small). The book is rounded out with a chapter on painting and lining, and some pertinent appendices.

Scattered throughout the book are useful sidebars, many (called “Case notes”) describing possibilities for locomotive designs. Others address in greater detail subjects mentioned in the text.

The book is well written. Peter’s unmistakable prose keeps things moving along. I would like to have seen more descriptive photos and drawings to supplement Peter’s excellent verbal descriptions of various parts and processes, but this is a relatively minor point. Tons of useful information are contained in this volume, including interesting and unorthodox-but perfectly workable-ways of accomplishing certain tasks.

The book is beautifully produced. It is loaded with high-quality photographs and drawings and is printed on heavy, bright white, satin paper. If you’ve ever had the desire to build a steam locomotive, or were just curious about what building one might entail, this book is for you.