Keith Black

Thank you, Eric. Other than being a bit larger than 1:120, there are many more PE and 3D printed pieces parts available in HO scale but I'll need to buy a HO scale ruler first off.

Thank you very much, Kurt. At some point my fingertips aren't going to be able to continue working at this scale and I'll have to go to a larger scale. I'm seriously looking to move up to HO scale on my next build. Thank you very much, Bob. I'm a couple of months away from finishing this boat but I want to build an accompanying barge under the same build log which should take another couple of months, so we're looking at being done with this log about Christmas time. I then need to get back to the Tennessee and finish her while I'm still able.

Roel, I love the way you've kept everything to the same scale. It keeps everything realistic and believable. Always a pleasure seeing each new post.

James, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard.

Thank you very much, Jacques and John. I hit the post button before adding my text (danged old people!) so you may want to go back and view again.

Thank you to each of you for the comments and the likes. I'm calling the steam engine is done. I could add the reversing leavers but they would be on the starboard side and wouldn't be visible with the engine room attached. The engine can only be really viewed from the port side and with the reversing levers on the starboard, it's work that to me is somewhat pointless. The crank is straight, there was no way I could make journals and get the nine eye pins (rods and bearings) to align. That task was tough enough with the crank being straight! I get a real kick taking my boxes of bits and making something mechanical. The engine's final dimensions are engine body, 0.90 L x 0.41 H X 0.31 W inches. Flywheel to tail shaft is 1.15 inches. It took 64 individual pieces to make the engine. There's no mistaking it's an engine even though little can be see when surrounded by the engine room. It seems it's like this is becoming my signature, build an engine and bury it. Thank you for your support and for being part of the journey. Keith

Russ, welcome to MSW. Good to see you becoming active in the hobby again. Glad to have you aboard.

SH, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard.

I don't see any work surface mess, all I see is a gorgeous model.

Beautiful work, Jacques.

If so that's incredible, Keith. If I get more than two deep I pretty much come to full stop.

While I'm marking up photos...... The only view to the port side is through the engine room's bow window. The arrow points to what I thought was a jack pump but there's no line to what would be a unseen pump. I don't have a clue, anyone what to hazard a guess?

Thank you, Eberhard. I don't think so, Phil. If it the engine had been a condensing/compound engine there wouldn't have been the need for an exhaust stack at all, just a pipe over the side. Note the exhaust pipe coming off the engine as seen through the engine room bow window.

Beautiful micro work, Ilhan.

BB, welcome to MSW. Hoping your Bluenose goes well. Glad to have you aboard.

Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Steve. Those photos in my last post were bugging me so I took what look a little better. I had also wanted to include a top down photo of the three cylinder model. When the engine is completed I'm going to ploy coat it due to machinery paint gloss, oil, and moisture. I think it will look more natural with poly coat than flat black.

Thank you to everyone for the comments and likes. There should be a steam engine in there somewhere. In the heat of battle. All that mess working on a piece less that an inch long. Cylinder heads and steam chest glued to plywood backing. I have a large work surface but invariably I work at the bottom edge of the table, that's why I have so many escapees. The top end is done. Horrible photo, no more taking photos on a white background. I'm pleased with the top end, hopefully I can get the bottom end to match. It took 31 pieces to make the top end. I was trying to hold the top end length to 0.70 inches but it came out to be 0.90 inches. This means the completed engine will be about 1.1 inches, to scale that makes the engine 11 feet in length. What a monster! Thank you for your support and for following along. Keith

Great recovery, Vaddoc. Hercules is coming along nicely.

Dan, I assume you have an X-Acto knife. If you don't, get one because they are great tools. Using an X-Acto knife with a #11 blade practice on scraping away material by practicing on the spure. Those four outside legs would be perfect practice pieces.

Thank you, Roel The below photo is the best for showing the exhaust. As much as I tried talking myself into the engine being a triple expansion I couldn't because of this photo. Thank you, Phil. I have enough engine photos to move forward as they all look close to being the same. Finding mention of a special four cylinder marine non condensing engine allowed me to consider and make that engine. Good news, the engine build is going well. Hopefully I'll be able to post photos this evening.

To me that sounds the easiest and most accurate way to do it, Jacques.

I wish you were too!

Regarding the steam engine. We know it was a non condensing steam engine because we see the exhaust being emitted directly into the atmosphere. We know it was vertical steam engine and not a horizontal engine. We know the height was no more than four feet high as the exhaust pipe from the engine can be seen through the engine room window viewed from the bow. If it was an expansion steam engine the exhaust would be water. The idea of a non condensing expanding engine is not a possibility according to what I've read and I've done a bunch of reading/research over the past two days trying to come up with an engine design I can make. The power of a two cylinder expanding engine was only suitable for a launch, so that eliminates a vertical two cylinder non condensing engine because of the lack of power and a vertical three cylinder non condensing engine also sounds like it wouldn't have also had the power to push barges. I did find a photo of a model of a vertical three cylinder non condensing reversing engine, see photo. They did make a special marine vertical four cylinder reversing non condensing steam engine but I can't find a model or better yet, historical photo of one.I did find a photo of a vertical four cylinder reciprocating (V-4) but that wouldn't work because there would have two exhaust pipes coming off the engine, not one. The vertical marine four cylinder reversing non condensing steam engine was powerful and smooth running engine. Because of the length of the drive shaft and the wheels being gear driven, minimizing the amount of vibration would have been a huge factor. What's a guy to do? The only thing I know to do is get creative and add a cylinder to the three cylinder engine shown. "Houston, disregard that last transmission" ....

Those are great looking figures, Steve.

Craig, John, thank you both so much for your kind comments. It's high praise coming from the builders of the beautiful Twilight and Klondike models.