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Post by Jo on May 17, 2021 10:41:02 GMT
Lots of random castings turn up on eBay. and they ask silly prices. Cheapest way to acquire casting is Club sales: You will probably be able to pick up a 2 1/2" or 3 1/2" loco cylinder for next to nothing and odds and ends of bar stock in the same sales. Most of it will have been acquired for model making so while you won't know exactly its parentage it is unlikely to be the B*****d stuff the building trade uses. Be careful planning to do a bar stock engine the individual prices ramps up surprisingly fast. Best price it before you get too far. I am planning on a Large scale Williamson and the piece of metal for the column was two arms and three legs, then I found a offcut for a better price so I am scaling around that Jo
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jasonb
Elder Statesman
Posts: 1,206
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Post by jasonb on May 17, 2021 12:20:13 GMT
Yes secondhand loco cylinders can soon be repurposed with a bit of work and if you can pick them up at about a fiver each then that's a good saving over hollow bronze and material for flanges and port faces. However I have generally found the cost of fabricated engines to be a lot less that buying kits, for example that Thompstone engine I posted on the previous page, if built as a twin would cost £200-225, that's allowing for 300mm/1ft lengths of the smaller stock sizes and 25/1" increments for the larger stuff plus flywheel casting and fixings assuming the builder had no previous stock of materials. Don't think that compares too badly to a Twin Victoria kit at £670 Or that red Vertical posted this morning would give you change out of £100 which compares well with the similar sized Stuart 7A at £335
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Post by Jo on May 17, 2021 17:48:31 GMT
However I have generally found the cost of fabricated engines to be a lot less that buying kits, for example that Thompstone engine I posted on the previous page, if built as a twin would cost £200-225, that's allowing for 300mm/1ft lengths of the smaller stock sizes and 25/1" increments for the larger stuff plus flywheel casting and fixings assuming the builder had no previous stock of materials. Don't think that compares too badly to a Twin Victoria kit at £670 I paid £50 for the castings for my Double Tangye, the two sets of Twin Victoria for £100 (for Both Princess Royal and the second for the reversing version Goliath) and £20 for a set of Westbury's Double diagonal and £50 for one set of my Stuart Triples, all club purchases. Orphaned Casting Sets are cheap, you just have to be prepared to repair any "features". I think the only really expensive set of castings was my Throp Corliss Cross Compound at a whopping £420 (paid for by my company as my 25 long service award so that was actually free )... Actually no I lied the Stuart Swan and the 5A combined cost me £500 My Stuart No 1 casting set from Station Road steam was £160 (piston was missing ). Jo
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Post by andyhigham on May 17, 2021 18:42:34 GMT
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