A Climax Class A Live Steam Locomotive Model

Live steamers and metalworking hobbyists will be delighted with this comprehensive work covering the design, construction, painting, and commissioning of a working steam locomotive model. The Climax Class A locomotive was the original Climax model with a two-cylinder upright motor combined with a two-speed transmission and skew bevel gears. This model for Gauge 1 track comes to life as 661 drawings, 358 color photographs, and detailed fabrication guidance all meld and resonate in the mind. But wait! This book is not just about building a locomotive model. Here is a source book of current shop techniques where CNC machining one-off parts is a paragraph and a photo away from old school soldering, bending and filing. Makers and doers will find the fabrication tips and advice to be invaluable. Detailed plans are also included for a carrier and case, test rollers, a stack blower, and an E-clip grooving tool for the lathe. Do not overlook the computer files that accompany the book on the publisher’s download site. Where else will you find software program code to cut skew bevel gears and mill parabolic headlight dishes?

Author Biography

Ed Hume is well known in the Live Steam hobby from his magazine articles and his postings on the photo-sharing site flickr where he has documented no less than five locomotive builds. There have been more than five million views of his photos. As Ed has built modified versions of the geared locomotives designed by Kozo Hiraoka, he has introduced his own spin on the original designs; they have been reduced in size to run on Gauge 1 track, they have been re-proportioned as models of 3-foot narrow-gauge prototypes, and they have been fitted with butane burner systems for clean, convenient running. His background uniquely qualifies him to author a book on the Climax A model which is a fascinating hybrid of features seen in other geared locomotive models. Ed earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT and did his undergraduate work at Harvard with a degree in Chemistry. Professionally, Ed has deep experience as a software developer. He has applied his software skills to the workshop for the benefit of the reader. In the book there are crisp, detailed workflows for making the bevel gears and universal coupler heads using CNC, enough for a reader to develop his own software, or to have a thorough understanding of Ed’s G-code programs obtained by download. The detailed directions can also be applied for manual machining. When beautifully curved parts such as the Sand Dome and Smokebox Door are wanted, Ed has an app for that. The book contains tables of coordinate data for replicating precise curves by manually moving the lathe cutter along a specified path. Ed’s success as the founder of Hume Integration Software has enabled his devoted Live Steam lifestyle.