03-10-2011, 06:42 PM
Wasn't going to post, and don't want to take us off topic, but I have to after what just happened. I followed the link to the old forum and couldn't see the pictures. No problem, methinks, I'll just log in. Nope. I log in, it says we're logging you in, then when the page reappears, there's that big fat banner with a 'you're seeing this because we don't know who you are' bulletin sandwiched between two Target ads about diapers. Un-freakin-believable. THIS is exactly why I'm glad Big Blue is back and better than ever. No diaper ads. No unrecognized logins.
Whew. Rant over. Anyway, to bring it back on topic again, I'd say you need to get on ebay or Amazon and find a copy of the Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia from Kalmbach. The opening chapters are all about steam locomotive plumbing and appliances and piping diameters, etc. More than you'd ever need to know. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but I have found that the 'why' behind the 'how', about these parts, their placement and connections, has always been missing. Understanding the basics behind steamer functioning can be so very helpful in detail work. Otherwise you're just duplicating what you see without any understanding of what's actually going on...part A goes in slot B, and wire C goes from X to Z, etc.
Galen
Whew. Rant over. Anyway, to bring it back on topic again, I'd say you need to get on ebay or Amazon and find a copy of the Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia from Kalmbach. The opening chapters are all about steam locomotive plumbing and appliances and piping diameters, etc. More than you'd ever need to know. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but I have found that the 'why' behind the 'how', about these parts, their placement and connections, has always been missing. Understanding the basics behind steamer functioning can be so very helpful in detail work. Otherwise you're just duplicating what you see without any understanding of what's actually going on...part A goes in slot B, and wire C goes from X to Z, etc.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!