Well, in answer to your question, I haven't got a clue. I am sure somebody will be along in a minute with some options but you are going to need a workshop with some tooling for the venture. Do you have a workshop at home or are you perhaps going to do this "at work" as it were?

graham.

hi paul,

yes, suggest you join your local club. there are some excellent clubs in your area.

as to what loco if you ask a group of model engineers you will get 20+ different answers!

i dont think there is any need to build a stationary engine first. i certainly didnt when i started my first 5"g loco at the age of 16 with no engineering training or background.

size and type of loco is rather determined by cost and size of available lathe to turn the wheels, and complexity of the boiler. i would avoid anything wih a tapered barrel and belpaire firebox and piston valves for a first attempt. that still leaves a huge variety of available well known designs. there are some to avoid unless you want to do a lot of research and corrections. also depends what type of loco you fancy… something Victorian with lots of shiny brass, something with a tender, something freelance or something based on an actual fullsize type.

when you go to a preserved railway what are the locos that you particularly like?

there is also something to be said for choosing a loco that has a construction series available either in book form or don young's magazines LLAS or ME etc. have a look at the Reeves online catalogue as a starter.

cheers,

julian

Brace yourself, Paul. Loco drawings won't be the same level of detail you are used to

My suggestion would be to visit a couple of clubs and see some models in action. This will give you a real idea of the size and capabilities of different locos. Even a modest 0-6-0 tank engine is a hefty beast at 7 1/4" scale.

Neil