Author Archives: Justin

Rebuilding the Shay (part 1 of many)

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Justin

April 2022 Progress on rebuilding the Steamlines Shay kit Continue reading →

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A list of preserved railways in Britain

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Justin

Whilst on holiday we visited the North York Moors railway near Whitby. I wondered what the longest length of preserved railway line is in Britain, and does someone have a handy list. The answer seems to be no. So here … Continue reading →

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Small Tool Caddy

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Justin

How often have I been working on a project somewhere around the house or garden, and needed a box of screws, a few bolts and washers and some small tools. During the project I invariably need a few smaller tools, … Continue reading →

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Wooden loco

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Justin

This is the result of my attempt to “3D print in plywood” – converting the 3D printer file to 2D, printing it onto paper and gluing it onto plywood. It’s not meant to be glamorous – it’s a first attempt. … Continue reading →

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3D printing on a 2D printer

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Justin

One of the great things about having a 3D printer is the vast online library of things that one can print. Sites such as thingiverse contain everything you never knew you needed – from an airbrush stand to Lego bricks … Continue reading →

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How to fail at painting something to look like steel.

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Justin

The short version: don’t use car touch-up paints for large flat areas. I bought a wagon for my garden railway a few years ago. I thought it was an oil wagon but it turns out to be a model of … Continue reading →

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A 3D Printer diary – Slicer settings

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Justin

I was getting poor quality prints on my 3D printer. There are a number of possible factors: The surface texture of my prints is not as good as I would like. That’s the subject of this post. Sometimes the first … Continue reading →

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Running on air

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Justin

I am building a steam locomotive from a kit. Last week, I tried steaming up for the first time, and it was a very exciting success. The instructions discuss correcting the timing, and then running in. To do the timing, … Continue reading →

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First run of my loco

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Justin

I am building a live steam loco. It’s a kit from Roundhouse Engineering, and it’s relatively straightforward to build. Last weekend I lit the burner for the first time, raised steam and tested to see if it would run. The … Continue reading →

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Help me understand the British Political System

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Justin

An American friend asked me today, the day after the 2019 UK General Election: I think it might be useful to explain some background to our archaic system of Government. Great Britain traces its system of legislature back to William … Continue reading →

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