# Weyerhaeuser 108 build log



## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

The 108 was a saddle tank Mallett loco originally built for Potlatch Lumber Co. and later sold to Weyerhaeuser








It went through several changes while owned by Weyerhaeuser























I don't think I will be modeling from the last photo
While I was making the cylinders, Dennis was making the frame rails and axle boxes on the CNC mill









The cylinders are made in similar fashion to my other builds. The high pressure cylinders have a .625" bore and the Low pressure are .813 the stroke is .900". I am using slide valves with cross port plates to give it a piston valve look.

I make crossmembers for the frames, assemble and bead blast them and then paint them black








I will post more photos as I go along. If anyone wants any photos of things before I assemble things, let me know


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## GN_Pete (May 29, 2021)

That's a very unique looking loco! High and low pressure cylinders - how do you determine cylinder size? Looks Fantastic so far!!


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Pete
I usually scale down the bore of the prototype and make mine as close as practical. I tend to go with larger bores than normally used by the manufactures which I feel are mostly undersized. A misconception is that a cylinder with twice the cross section will use twice the steam. I have found this not to be true at all, as the larger cylinder will do the same work with half the pressure. My ceramic burner boilers produce a lot of steam so consumption isn't really a problem.

On this one, the high pressure cylinder scales down to almost exactly 5/8" so that is what I am using. The low pressure cylinder can't be scaled down as the original compound engines ran on 200 psi to 300 psi and at our low pressures, the ratios of 3 to 1 cross section won't work. I was able to get a copy of an article by JVR who helped design the Aster compounds. Through his experimenting, he determined that the ratio between the cross sections of the HP & LP cylinders should be 1:1.7 so that is what I have been successfully using.

Taking a closer look at some parts, you can see the steam ports on the LP cylinder. They are oval shaped to get a free breathing cylinder.









The cross port plate transfers the front port to the rear and vise versa









I get the rough wheel castings from Walsall in GB
I use several lathe settings to get the wheels turned to just over spec. Then on Dennis' 36" lathe we do the plunge cut to get the proper tread profile. The next thing is to drill the holes for the crank pins. These have to be all perfectly matched so I use this jig I made up which just has a piece of the axle material set in a block of brass. It is then mounted in the mill vice. the mill is centered on the axle shaft and the mill is moved over 1/2 the cylinder stroke.








Then each wheel is set in place and drilled and tapped









Counterweights are milled out of steel flat stock and attached with JB Weld








And they are primed ready for painting









The side rods consist of two sections which are joined together with a tongue and groove pivot joint. The groove is cut out on the mill with a 1/16" slitting saw. The stainless needs to be cut at only 350 rpm to keep the blade from overheating.








The tongue part is done with an end mill and a stainless pin is tuened from 3/16" stock to 1/8" with a .025" wide x .016" deep groove to accommodate an e-clip


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## GN_Pete (May 29, 2021)

Thanks for the sizing ratio information, I wasn't aware it existed. That cylinder arrangement looks similar to that used on the G1MRA "Project" I built. Interesting that you are using stainless, what grade? How does it machine?


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I only use 303 stainless
It machines very freely
I have ruined too many end mills on the other grades of stainless
It isn't available in all shapes but enough for most applications

On my crosshead guides which are 1/8 square stock, I use tool steal as 303 isn't available in that size. It polishes up nicely and is fairly rust resistant


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Fortunately the real 108 is looking much happier these days than she did in that last picture. She has been restored to steam on the Black Hills Central Railroad in South Dakota, along with sister engine 110.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I made the slide valves this morning and lapped them and the cross plate valve port side.
I start the plate on the bench belt sander to get it flat and then lay sand paper on a glass pane and sand un one direction with various grits starting with 220 and then 320, 400, 600, 800, 1500, and 2000

Here is the 220 pass. I go at different directions each time so i know that I have removed all of the scratches from the prior pass








Then 320









Here is the 1500 pass










And the 2000 ones with the slide valves. The final pass is done so the scratches are parallel to the slots


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I quarter the wheels on my home made jig








The screws for the crank pins need to be home made also, I use 1/4" 303 stainless Hex and thread it to 4-40









Here is the crank pin with the screw in it,








And the frames with the wheels and side rods installed.









dennis cut the crosshead brackets on the CNC mill and I bead blasted them. They still have some brackets to be silver soldered and some to be bolted on.









The cylinder head covers are turned from aluminum stock. They are 1/16" larger than the head


















you can see where the front cylinder cover covers the head but the rear cylinder just covers the head bolts









I use hardwood strips which are shaped on the belt sander to get the outside shape I want to get the cast piston valve look









The faux piston valve covers are installed and the cylinder is painted


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Well
It has been two months since my last post. A lot has been going on at home so I haven't been building at my regular speed but here is my progress to date. It will probably take more than one post because of the ten photo rule.

This photo shows how I mount my cylinders. I turn the spacers from stainless rod and mount them with 4-40 stainless screws. The Stainless slows the heat loss from the cylinders to the frame.









And here they are mounted.









1/8" square strips are drilled out and silver soldered to the crosshead bracket for mounting on the frame. A block of foundry brick is cut for this purpose.









This makes the strips square and perpendicular to the bracket but to get them 100% correct, they are finish milled on the mill.









1/16 x 1/8" tool steel strips are silver soldered into the slots for the crosshead guide mounts.









The crossheads are milled from 1/4" brass stock and later will be tin plated. The front and rear engines have different size crossheads.










The valve stem and combination lever take some extra care. A 1/8" square piece is soldered on to the 3/32" stainless rod. It is then slit with a 1/16" slitting saw on the mill to form a fork.









Because of the close proximity of the valve stem and radius rod holes on the combination lever, the fork needs to be trimmed on the 1" belt sander.









Here is the expansion link with its double ball bearing pivot shaft and the radius rod connected. You can see where the radius rod is trimmed down matching the valve stem fork.










This shows the valve gear with all of the pieces in place.


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## ferroequinologist (May 8, 2016)

Nice to see more progress Bill and I never thought of minimising heat loss to the frames from the cylinders by using stainless steel on the spacers, another good idea from you. 
Russell


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Russell
This is kind of a 2 0f 2 so the prior post should lead up to this one.
Here is how I trim the valve rods









The lifting lever for reverse needs to go around the expansion link. To do this. I solver solder a pin onto the reverse arm.









It then works like this









Here is a shot of the underside of the axle pump. It is also used as the mount for the rear truck. The two banjo fittings which are not fitted with the piping yet keep the truck from rotating too far, left or right. There is a spring washer under the truck tongue which keeps the wheels on the track.









here is the top view of the pump with the ball bearing eccentric and scotch yoke follower









Here are the automatic cylinder drains I use









A top view of the piping. On the left side is the lubricator line and adjusting valve, The compound starting valve and adjuster are on the right side.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

The while series of images is astounding. I'm left in awe of the skill displayed in the previous eleven posts.


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## steamermeister (Feb 20, 2013)

What size socket hex screw do you use for the die block in your expansion link? Do you use the screw “as is” or do you re-machine the head diameter?


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Sean
It is a socket head SS 2-56 x 1/8" screw The head diameter is .136" and I design the slot for this size. I screw it into the radius rod and then sand off the back where it protrudes till it is flush before assembly to get the right length.


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## livesteam5629 (Jan 2, 2008)

bille1906 said:


> Sean
> It is a socket head SS 2-56 x 1/8" screw The head diameter is .136" and I design the slot for this size. I screw it into the radius rod and then sand off the back where it protrudes till it is flush before assembly to get the right length.


Beautiful work as always Bill. What is the status on my request for the CB&Q 0-5 riveted tender? Please email me at [email protected]
Thanks


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

the boiler mounts are one at the rear under the firebox and one above the front driver of the rear engine. These provide a fixed attachment of the boiler to the rear chassis. The front chassis needs to sway left to right as it goes around curves. To do this, we need a slotted mounting plate with a curved slot. The radius of the slot is the measurement from the front driver of the rear chassis and the plate. This slot can be milled with a jig made for that purpose but a simpler way is to draw out the curve and on CAD measure the deflection every .050". Plunge cuts are then done with a 1/4" end mill and the ridges left are easily removed with a needle file.









Mounts are made the same height about 1/2" lower that the boiler mount will be and and spacers will be use to get the proper front/rear balance.









The outer boiler shell is cut to length and the firebox sides are cut out. the bronze boiler bushings are turned out and the corresponding holes are drilled in the boiler shell.









This shows the filler plug, the upper sight glass fitting and the auxiliary steam fitting. Below that is the steam dome fitting. 









On the bottom side are the two boiler mounts and the lower sight glass fitting.









Here is a photo of the underneath of the two chassis,









And a closeup of the coupler between the two chassis. Not shown id the silicone rubber spacer cut from tubing which gives it a little give for minute changes when going around curves and through switches.









Here is a look at the axle springs and journals. The ball bearing does not show as it is on the wheel side of the journal


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I am waiting for the flue tubes to arrive, Here I am turning the front tube sheet on the lathe. I center pop a hole and then use a compass to draw a circle 1/16" larger than the plate will be. I cut the shape on the band saw and drill out the center hole to 5/32" for my arbor. The copper tends to flatten out where it is turned but it is cleaned up with a file before removing from the lathe









From my CAD drawing I center pop the flue holes and then center drill them. i hold the piece with a vice grip to prevent it frpm being spun by the drill.









I then drill out the holes with a step drill and clean them up with a reamer









Here is the throat sheet and front tube sheet ready for soldering. you can see where the center hole has been closed by silver soldering a copper peg in place.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

The tubes are silver soldered to the throat sheet first. The tubes are held in place by setting them in the front tube sheet and the throat sheet. Ithen wrap 1/32" solder around a 5/16" rod to get 3/8" rings which I place around each tube in the inside and then heat the outside till the solder comes through.









This assembly is then soldered into the boiler shell









And then pickled in citric acid.

















The front tube sheet is then soldered in place









The crown sheet is cut to size and the fit is checked.









The baxkhead is cut and the holes are drilled. The three at the top are for the throttle. The one on the right is for th clack valve and the one on the left is the superheater one. The square one is for the mica window.


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## justme igor (Aug 9, 2020)

**** Bill, again a work of art, cant wait for it to see it driving.
Marvellous job so far again, you leave me losing speech again!!!

Details as far you want to know and you post them.
Thanks again for the tread about the cylinders.

With best regards Igor


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## yellow_cad (Oct 30, 2020)

Not to take away from this beautiful build, but I Grandfather was the first Potlatch stationmaster for the W, I & M Railroad until he retired in about 1963. The local railroad lovers have totally restored the depot.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

It has been a while since my last post but I am still working on the engine.
I started on the ceramic burner yesterday and finished it this morning
I use the digital calipers to get the inside firebox dimensions and then I cut some 1" strips of .080" brass to length on the table saw cutoff sled.


















The strips are silver soldered together to make the box sides and then the bottom is soldered on
The rear of the box is drilled out for the gas tubes which are turned on the lathe from 3/8" stock









I make my own jets. These are .010" . The roughness on the drill bit here is just the cutting oil which shows up because of the magnification.









The gas tubes are soldered on and the standoffs are placed to keep the gas from being higher in the front. This is an estimate of the placement which worked out. If not, I could have moved them.









The ceramic material is sealed wit high temp RTV









The burner is tested on the bench









And then in the boiler first on low and then on high. You can see how the window really helps for adjusting the gas setting.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I finished the boiler wrap and saddle tank this week. Because of the ten photo limit, i will post in two threads
I first fit the smokebox to the boiler and make the front. It is turned from 1/4" plate which is roughed out on the band saw and finished on the lathe.









Dennis milled the door on the CNC mill. I will finish it up later.









I cut the boiler wrap from .020" sheet from a large sheet I got at the metal yard. I use the table saw with a wood fence face which keeps the thin metal from sliding under the fence.









Then I cut it to length on my cross cut slide









The fiberfrax insulation is fut to shape with scissors and an exacto knife and then used as a pattern to shape the brass wrap









The wrap is then cut and strips of 1/8" brass square stock are cut to the same length and then drilled and tapped to clamp it in place









The stack is turned on the lathe and the smokebox is set in place to check the fits.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

This is a follow-up to my thread of yesterday which is above
The saddle tank I will be using will be a water reservoir and thus needs to be water tight. There is a dome which I will be using to fill it and a slot for the safety and whistle
I start by cutting, annealing and bending the inner tube to shape. As you can see, it is a snug fit over the boiler wrap I formed on the prior post.









Then the two bottoms are cut to shape and soldered on to either side.









The front piece is cut out on the band saw and finished with the spindle sander. The inside measurements are taking from the existing pieces and the outside from the HO model.









The rear is a little trucky because of the slot. Rather than trying to make both sides, I decided to make the full horseshoe piece and cut out the slot later









A horseshoe shaped piece is soldered on. it is a little long to allow for trimming to the radius later on. It is made open ended by cutting the rear piece with the band saw.









Now for the tricky part. So far all of my stay brite solder joints have been inside which makes for easy joints but on the outer wrap, the joints will be harder and there can be no gaps so the piece must be perfect. I made the pieces a little longer as that could be sanded down. this gives a little ledge to solder on to. I use card stock to make a pattern and use 1/4" and 1/8" masking tape to get the slot perfect.









Rivet embossment is done on the mill. A strip of brass is held in place with mini vice grips as a guide.









Before annealing, the final fit is checked









Finally, it is annealed, bent and soldered on and then checked for leaks which were not there


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I finished the smokebox door adding 00-90 hex screws and turning a domed center









Grab handle stanchions are turned out of 1/8" stock








A brass block with a round indent is glued to the mill vice for holding the stanchions during the drilling process




















A fly cutter is used to cut the bottom radius of the domes and they are then turned to shape on the lathe









The domes and a hatch are fitted to the saddle tank and the grab handles are attached









The tank is painted semi gloss for the decals to go on easily and will get a low sheen clear later









The box in front of the cab will be used as a lubricator. This shows the pipe routing,









The top is soldered on with the filler hole in the center


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi Bill :
I just stumbled upon your fantastic coverage on this Potlacht RR mallet. Which is fascinating as can be with your detailed coverage of how you do it. 
I just wanted to add a few words about your beggining post concearning the HP to LP cylinder ratios With a little anecdote that explains why some post JVR compound Asters have had some problems.

Once after one of my early GTG at my former home in the Paris suburb to which John attended I offered to drive him back to the gare de Lyon so he could take his TGV back to Avignon to get back home. He accepted at the express condition that he invite me to that beautiful art nouveau restaurant in the gare de Lyon called te Train Bleu. When we got there he ushered me to a specific table and seat, then proceeded to explain to me that the last time he had had lunch with Monsieur Chapelon he was sitting in the exact same seat he had set me in! Imagine the thrill I was in, being like John a fervent admirer of Chapelons works. Indeed he studied quite closely Chapelons writings and defense of the compound system at a late time in the game (of steam locomotive design history): IE compounding not only was compatible with superheating and saved fuel and water (meaning longer runs as we all can apreciate even in gauge one), but held many other advantages: less blow by due to to less difference in pressure between one side of the cylinder and the other, and less condensation which had disastrous results in efficiency. John devised a simplified diagram adapted to gauge one cylinder performance, and worked very seriously at the detailed design of his compounds for Aster. And he calculated as much as he could that ratio. The results are that his compounds work extremly well in good hands and are both powerful and economical (Compare the length of run you would get with the same amount of water with a PLM pacific and a Chapelon, it will blow your mind you can get three extra laps on a medium sized pike, even if you link up). Unfortunatlythese callculations were forgotten after his death. So I wanted to congratulate you for researching them and making them live again. 

I have his NORD Atlantic which he built and which I have restored to good wortking order and it now can haul the Etoile du Nord or Oiseau Bleu pullman on my billiard flat layout with large radius curves, a thing he had strived to do, but never could because his curves were probably too tight. I hope that wherever he is he can see it from up above. This engine although not real compound does have four single acting cylinders (a trick he devised so that he could model properly the tiny HP cylinders) fed by two inside slide valves). This was the first engine built with a type B boiler, and one of his first multi cylinder engines, the other was a Dutch 4-4-0.


















I really apreciate all the care you put into your detailed construction descriptions. Congratulations and Cheers, 
Simon


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Going through your build Bill I wanted to suggest a very easy set up for the cylinder head covers which I devised, being lazy as usual. Which was to use plumbing copper caps mass produced for plumbers.
Here is what the result looked like on my NORD De Caso mikado tank which I started a few years ago and whose construction has slipped behind schedule on account of having to build my new layout in Ardeche.

















As it turned out a good British friend of mine who had one of these very locos which fascinated me with their Cossart valve gear when I saw them at gare du Nord as a teen ager, buitl for him by Roger Marsh offered it to me for sale.
So this working chassis (tested on air) will probably be converted into a PRR H8 or Hyppo in due course. This engine has a very fascinating "cosmetic" Cossart valve gear (the real one is slip excentric inside) it can be seen in the following videos.YouTube
and YouTube
and YouTube
Hope you enjoy.
Simon


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Thanks Simon
I have been working on the front of the boiler this week.
The running boards were soldered to the water tank and the assembly is bolted to the boiler wrap.
Hand rails are added to the smokebox area and an Accucraft bell is modified to fit the boiler. The headlight is Trackside Details and the generator is scratch built as well as the air pumps.
The generator will emit steam as on most of my builds.

























Faux steam pipes are 1/4" od and the elbows are from McMaster-Carr. They are 1/8" but are for 1/4" pipe They are a little long so I cut about .200" off to make them match the prototype.
The actual steam pipe is the 5/32" pipe between the cylinders.
You can also see the generator pipe which will be extended to a valve in the cab.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Finished the cab this week and made the dome which goes into the slot in the saddle tank
I turn it to shape and then core out the to to make it hollow I make a ledge 1/8" deep to sliver solder the top in.


















Here it is with the top soldered in









The doors and windows are cut out on the mill using coordinates from my CAD drawings









Soldering the four sides together can be tricky. Here, I have three sided held together with masking tape and set square by pinning a true square sheet of copper in place, The fourth side id then soldered with Staybrite.









The cab is checked for fit









The roof is made from .040" brass sheet that is annealed. I found that the curvature is almost exactly that of a gallon paint can. The older cans were quite thick so I used this one as a form to bend the roof.









The roof hatch and light are attached and it is painted


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## ferroequinologist (May 8, 2016)

That's coming along nicely Bill, I can't wait to see images of the finished engine.
Russell


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

The steam dome is installed with two working safeties and a faux whistle. The lubricator is hooked up behind it









The rear bunker was for oil storage. I have my butane tank inside. You can see the axle pump bypass below the
cab









The hatch on the left is the gas valve. The filler valve is on the right. The knob in the rear is the throttle valve. The shaft goes through the bunker and into the cab.






















Air tank and power reverser are added to the right side








Finished except for the decals which are in transit and the sand pipes which will go on after the decals and mat clear coat


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

I received and installed the decals and mounted the sand pipes.
I also made the carrying case and will post that later.


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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

Spectacular build, Bill. Thanks for sharing this with us. Beautiful.

Jerry


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## Stoker (Sep 18, 2016)

Spectacular is absolutely correct, even if it is a serious understatement!
Do we get to see it run?


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)




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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)




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## ferroequinologist (May 8, 2016)

Excellent built Bill, I learnt a little more as I do with all your build posts, and yes post a video of running when you can.
Russell


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Another great build Bill.Very admirative for your tallent.
By the way check out my NORD De Caso mikodo tank built for a friend who sold it to me by Roger Marsh which features a complete representation of that Cossart gear on you Algerian garrat, which is cosmetic but functions completly which is like watch making. Here is the link : 



and




 and




 As its hauling only two cars (I am looking for some more) its going too fast of course. I will try to make a close up of the Cossart gear when the weather improves.
Merry Christmas, Simon


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

thanks for your replies. I will be track testing it after Christmas weather permitting and will take some video's.


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## bille1906 (May 2, 2009)

Here is a video taken a couple of days ago


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## ferroequinologist (May 8, 2016)

Thanks for the video Bill, looks fantastic and runs very well with a good steam plume, a great and interesting loco build.
Russell


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## RioGrandeFan (1 mo ago)

WOW! That is beautiful work and look how nice it runs truly a great job.


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