Maybe five or even six years ago, I found a company that sells plans for very detailed model toys. I was especially captivated by the plans for an old steam engine and tender, and so I immediately bought the plans. However, as with many of the things that attract my attention and interest, I failed to actually get around to using the plans to build one of the models. This past January, though, after getting a number of other things out of the way, I finally got around to starting the project. I finished just yesterday, and here is the result.
The entire model is wood. Except for glue, there are absolutely no other kinds of materials involved. Most of the parts I made from walnut, but I also used hard maple for accent pieces, the wheels, and selected other components. I even made the track, using maple for the rails and walnut for the ties. The section of track is about 30" long, so the engine and tender together are nearly that long. Because of a number of fairly delicate assemblies, the model really won't hold up well as a toy.
The only problem now is to figure out where to display it. Maybe it will just end up in a box somewhere, or maybe I'll end up giving it to one of my grandkids someday. For me, the fun was in building it. I keep wondering if I should come up with a railroad name to stencil onto the sides of the tender and/or engine. I could maybe even use my wood burner to do that. Or maybe, given my wood burning skills, I'll leave well enough alone.
3 comments:
Wow! Bill, what a fantastic model you've created! Ruth called me over to see it on the computer and I'm very impressed. And I bet you thoroughly enjoyed building it too. Did you keep track of the time involved in putting this together? This should become a family heirloom for generations to come. I hope that some day I'll be able to see and enjoy it firsthand. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful work. Do NOT put it away in a box. You must have some special spot to display it.
That's awesome! You have an incredible talent!
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