# Fire-up this Porter tomorrow!



## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

We have finally finished our 3 3/4" per foot Porter and will fire it up in the morning at Los Angeles Live Steamers. This photo was taken about three years ago, but there is still some painting and finish work to do. I'm going to take some photos and (hopefully) some videos of the Maiden Run. It's been six long years and none of the builders are getting any younger!


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow Gary! Very cool! I didn't know you were even working on something like this. I look forward to the video(s). What does she burn?


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

Congrats Gary!

I share the feeling of wanting to fire it up, ours has been under construction for many years now as well. The person finishing it for us is going to be taking it down to Florida for its first steam in February hopefully.

I am guessing from the photo 7.5" gauge, 3.75" scale?

get someone to take some video of you running it!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dwight Ennis on 23 Sep 2011 08:04 PM 
Wow Gary! Very cool! I didn't know you were even working on something like this. I look forward to the video(s). What does she burn? 
Actually this Porter was started by three of us before I retired in 2003. It was completed by two other folks who I used to work with in business. I have been out of the project for about five years, but it will be nice to see it steam for the first time, ON A TRACK!! It has been fired twice in the shop and the bugs have been worked out. We hope! She is a coal burner NATURALLY. We wouldn't have it any other way.









Wish us luck. 10 AM tomorrow morning.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By ChaoticRambo on 23 Sep 2011 08:17 PM 
Congrats Gary!

I share the feeling of wanting to fire it up, ours has been under construction for many years now as well. The person finishing it for us is going to be taking it down to Florida for its first steam in February hopefully.

I am guessing from the photo 7.5" gauge, 3.75" scale?

get someone to take some video of you running it! 




It IS a 3.75 scale running on 7.5 gauge. But she is a TWO-FOOTER so she is pretty small. It would match-up just fine with another engine we have out here. Matt Swain's 0-4-4 Sandy River.

I'm going to get some stills AND some video using my Droid. Then I have to figure out how to get the video on here.




























All of these photos were taken three years ago.


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

I know you said that these photos are three years ago, does this engine have more controls, or is it really just the basics?

I see in the last photo the Reverser, Regulator, and obviously firebox doors.

That engine must have been incredible small in real life, typically when you SCALE things up on the same gauge, even though they are smaller in real life, they are larger in scale. I guess once you get to modeling 2' gauge though, they were so dang small in real life, even oversized compared to standard gauge engines in 7.5" scale they are still relatively small.


I have never had the opportunity to visit any of the huge tracks out there in the west, primarily because of how long of a drive with a trailer it would be - and I don't think we could come all that way without our trains


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

This was mainly a mining Porter. I know the guy that's leading this project is still working on the mine cars. I was told tonight that all the accessories and appliances have been added. I'll see tomorrow.


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2011)

Wow. That was great! I like it.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By cassandraB on 24 Sep 2011 02:05 AM 
Wow. That was great! I like it. 

Okay, cassandraB, I'll bite... what is it that you found great and what about it did you like?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

See his other two posts... old threads dredged up..


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 24 Sep 2011 10:39 AM 
See his other two posts... old threads dredged up.. 

Precisely my point.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 24 Sep 2011 11:01 AM 
Posted By Greg Elmassian on 24 Sep 2011 10:39 AM 
See his other two posts... old threads dredged up.. 

Precisely my point.








Wow! Dredged-up old threads. Did I miss somethin' here???


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Gary Armitstead on 24 Sep 2011 11:09 AM 
Posted By Semper Vaporo on 24 Sep 2011 11:01 AM 
Posted By Greg Elmassian on 24 Sep 2011 10:39 AM 
See his other two posts... old threads dredged up.. 

Precisely my point.








Wow! Dredged-up old threads. Did I miss somethin' here???










Miss? Nah, you didn't really miss anything... I just get the distinct impression that cassandraB is not REALLY interested in Large Scale Railroading, but rather is more into fooling any automatic system of weeding out spammers by posting a fake post first and then starting to advertise in subsequent postings. I don't mean to dispairage anyone (unless they really need to be dispairaged!) so if cassandraB can reply coherantly about what they liked about the Porter, I will just ask the question first and then let the moderators decide. The other postings did add some interesting info to the other two threads about the subjects there and that is just fine... but I suspect we will soon start to see links to websites concerned with those other two threads and they will really be just spam.

While I really do like Spam, I prefer it fried, in a sandwich with cheese and pickle. But of course, that is the Hormel brand of canned ham so despised by those that ate too much of it during WW-II and not the bane of e-mail and forums.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Right on Semp! I noticed the other 2 posts first, since I check ALL unread messages. 

Greg


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 24 Sep 2011 11:28 AM 
Posted By Gary Armitstead on 24 Sep 2011 11:09 AM 
Posted By Semper Vaporo on 24 Sep 2011 11:01 AM 
Posted By Greg Elmassian on 24 Sep 2011 10:39 AM 
See his other two posts... old threads dredged up.. 

Precisely my point.








Wow! Dredged-up old threads. Did I miss somethin' here???










Miss? Nah, you didn't really miss anything... I just get the distinct impression that cassandraB is not REALLY interested in Large Scale Railroading, but rather is more into fooling any automatic system of weeding out spammers by posting a fake post first and then starting to advertise in subsequent postings. I don't mean to dispairage anyone (unless they really need to be dispairaged!) so if cassandraB can reply coherantly about what they liked about the Porter, I will just ask the question first and then let the moderators decide. The other postings did add some interesting info to the other two threads about the subjects there and that is just fine... but I suspect we will soon start to see links to websites concerned with those other two threads and they will really be just spam.

While I really do like Spam, I prefer it fried, in a sandwich with cheese and pickle. But of course, that is the Hormel brand of canned ham so despised by those that ate too much of it during WW-II and not the bane of e-mail and forums.


Semper when you said HIS, I thought you were talking about me. BIG misunderstanding. Sorry. I'm on my way out the door to steam-up our NEW Porter! Yeah!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Well we just returned from the LALS track after the inaugural first steam-up of our 3.75", 2 ft. gauge Porter. Had a couple of "bugs" in the mechanical cylinder cocks AND the taper on the throttle sleeve in the steam dome throttle. This engine is quite a difference from the 1.5" Mogul in how she runs. Goes through water and coal BIG TIME! Much larger firebox!

I got a few shots, but no video. A friend got a great video shot and she said she would send it later to me. All in all, a good day.


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

looking good!

I am going to imagine I will be used to the coal issue soon enough. Our engine that is under construction has a 4.25"x17" fire box.

Do you guys have any plans to build a tender for her? I know she has a saddle tank, but where would they store the coal?

I must say, watching other people run their locomotives makes me want ours so bad!!! I have gotten to operate maybe 4-5 different locomotives at our track, and our diesel cant compare to how much fun operating a steam locomotive is.

Be sure to post that video when you get it  


I also noticed the size of your bell, isn't scaling great - are you able to actually ring it like a proper bell (I know most bells in 1.5" scale don't have the weight to carry through)?


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By ChaoticRambo on 24 Sep 2011 05:34 PM 
looking good!

I am going to imagine I will be used to the coal issue soon enough. Our engine that is under construction has a 4.25"x17" fire box.

Do you guys have any plans to build a tender for her? I know she has a saddle tank, but where would they store the coal?

I must say, watching other people run their locomotives makes me want ours so bad!!! I have gotten to operate maybe 4-5 different locomotives at our track, and our diesel cant compare to how much fun operating a steam locomotive is.

 Be sure to post that video when you get it  


I also noticed the size of your bell, isn't scaling great - are you able to actually ring it like a proper bell (I know most bells in 1.5" scale don't have the weight to carry through)?




The bell has a beautiful ring to it because of it's size. The whistle sounds pretty nice too. The fellas building this engine thought about putting a coal bin in the cab much like the prototype. We actually went throught one box of coal (the gray box in the riding car) for every trip around the club track (about a mile and a half plus). It consumes water a lot faster than the Allen Mogul OR the ten-wheeler. So we will be building an ore car to be behind the engine equipped with a small electrical water pump to feed the saddle tank. When you scale these things up, its a whole new world. And we have been running coal fired locos since 1980!


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Very cool Gary. Congrats!! As for the video, it seems most cell phones I've had use a form of Quicktime. There are free downloadable converters out there, or you could probably upload it to Youtube as is.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Great looking locomotive Gary. Building NG locos on 7.25/7.5 gauge is impressive, here is an operation I got a chance to see back in '03 with a friend of the owner. 

http://www.srclry.com/


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Great show Gary!!







Looks like you can fit about half inside the cab.

Wife's got me on a bathroom re-model job







Can't wait to get back on the Climax!!


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## Russell Rutalj (Dec 7, 2010)

This is the side view of the valve gear and cylinder.










View of the fire box and back head.










First smoke.










West Virginia Pocohantus cool and shovel.










Owner backing up his engine for the first time on the main line. Notice the cylinder cocks are open.










Out on the main line for the first time, ready to go through the tunnel.Notice the double slip switch that has been removed and is no longer in use.










Going past the new station which is under construction.


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## Ray Cadd (Dec 30, 2008)

That is beautiful- reminds me of the Coronado engines.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks like great fun. 

Question tho, what is the story on the wall-mounted double slip points?


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Spule 4 on 27 Sep 2011 08:31 PM 
Looks like great fun. 

Question tho, what is the story on the wall-mounted double slip points? 
That switch is a relic the crew removed to install a new steel rail switch. I guess they decided to mount it to that tunnel portal wall as a memento of another time-could not bear to dismantle and throw away. I always "hated" that thing in the freight yard! AND at night, it was always a problem looking at the switch lights to get the points exactly where you wanted to go!


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