# Your first livesteam engine



## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

What was your first livesteam engine and how did you become involved in the hobby?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

How and why I got involved in this hobby is a rather long and complicated journey... it began when at the age of just 3 and a half, I was "scared airborne" (screaming "MOMMY!" and landing in Granddad's lap) by a steam locomotive that "jumped out from behind a building", blowing the whistle and belching steam all over (and UNDER) the car I was in!

I found later in life that if I wanted an adrenaline rush all I had to do was get near a steam locomotive (running or cold, dead and stuffed in a park).

It was not until later in life when the bride of my youth decided I was not needed anymore and I had finally dug my self out of the hole she had put me in, that I discovered I had more money than brains and at about the same time I discoverd the "grand scale" trains of the 7.5/7.25 inch gauges. I considered the purchase of one of those but the extreme cost of what would satisfy my esthetic sense of what a steam locomotive MUST look like, combined with the very narrow property I live on, I decided I could not afford the hobby nor the space to have more than a place to run an engine forward and backward in a roughly straight line.

Then I heard of Large Scale Live Steam, which in the other scales is refered to as Small Scale Live Steam... At that time the only things I could find to purchase were in MY view, poor representations of the real thing. Wobbler cylinders, models of backwoodsy kludge engines, or what "I" consider ugly European outline engines, so I at first dispaired of ever getting something that "I" could enjoy.

Then on one of the old forums where I had been asking questions, someone told me to wait about 6 months and there would be a good American outline locomotive available that I might like. They were RIGHT! That was when Aster came out with the USRA Light Mikado and, having more money than sense, I bought one. AFTER I had purchased it, but BEFORE I had actually received it, I read the review of the kit in Garden Railways magazine, where Mr. Horowitz said he thought the kit was good, but not for the 1st time beginner.

It was then I realized I had never, as a kid, been able to assemble a car or airplane model without gross frustration and failure. This left me thinking I would probably have to hire someone to assemble it for me. But when it came I set out to assemble it and found it an utter pleasure to do. I have very little trouble with it; the only trouble I had was mainly because I got ahead of myself and did not fully read the instructions in places (especially when it came time to set the valve gear... I had just the chassis assembled with wheels and cylinders and applied compressed air from a bicycle pump... if it weren't for the stack of empty plastic bags the stuff came in, stacked on the end of the table BEHIND the engine, it would have crashed through the glass front of my china cabinet! I "thought" it was in Forward gear, but I had one adjustement backward! Oops!)

It was so much fun assembling it, I decided that double-heading would be twice as much fun, so I bought a 2nd Mike. Had a lot more trouble assembing that one! Both because of my original problem of getting ahead of myself and not reading the instructions (hey! I had already assembled one, surely I could remember when to attach what!) and because this one had 4 bolt holes that they forgot to put threads in... and those bolt holes were buried deep down inside the chassis at the step when the bolts were inserted so I kept thinking that I just didn't have the bolt in straight.

Double heading is twice as much fun, but somehow more than twice the work to get started and monitor while running, so I don't do it much anymore.

I also bought a Live Diesel engine (Hydeout Mountain), but it has only been run a couple of times to demonstrate that it exists. Just doesn't get the adrenaline flowing like the steamers do.


Police 1987: What got you started in this hobby?


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

Do you have a pic of the live diesel? I was always into trains and at a train show there was a love steam set up with 7 1/4 gauge. I joined a club and after a few years bought a 7 1/4. Bought and sold a couple different engines and cars then I was at a meet over in buffalo and a guy had a ruby. That's the first time I found out about gauge one live steam. It really interested me because the ride on ones are a hassle to move and store. That's how I got into Gauge one. I like it. I like the ride ones also. I do with the gauge ones were a little cheaper. I bought a 7 1/4 2-8-0 coal fired for 12,000 a few years ago and it is expensive but of you have a couple gauge ones the cost is the same


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Nope, no photos... (Who'd ever want a photo of a Dismal... errr... Diseasel... ummm... Diesel? bleah!) 

Anyway, take a look at: 

http://hydeoutmountainlivesteam.com/ 

for photos from the manufacturer and a link to a youtube video of the 1st one he made. 

It has been quite some time since I last ran it, so I don't even know its condition now.


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

That's pretty cool, id fire it up and make sure it still runs. Is it in a box or on display?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

It is in the box, somewhere around here. I just found the fuel bottle the other day and it had fallen over... I am glad it was in a paper bag in a plastic bag in a paper bag. The paper soaked up what the plastic didn't contain. Dunno why the bottle leaked.


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

I'll run it for you. It seems pretty cool. Not like live steam but more exciting then electric


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

Jason- been to njls before? Me too. Not very impressed with ther 7 1/4 track but the gauge one is ok.


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess you could say I got bitten by the live steam bug at an early age... 











That's me and my dad on my first birthday, with my birthday cake done up as a merry-go-round "powered" by a Mamod steamroller. (And no, it wasn't under steam at the time!)


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

My first live steamer, along with at least a half dozen other persons I know of, is the Frank-S...


http://www.youtube.com/v/SR...ram> name="allowFullScreen" value="true">


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

Richard- I once had a wilesco stationary engine. When I was young I wanted a roller like yours but never got one. They seem pretty fun. Tom-- I've seen quite a few of them. They look nice and for the price you can't beat it


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Been into trains all my life brought up in a RR family plus I also worked for them. When AC decided to bring out there Mike LS and being R/C I decided to try it. Well from that point on LS was another way for me to run trains and now I have 4 LS. Later RJD


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## Hiawatha Gent (May 6, 2011)

My dad worked on the Milwaukee. I would go down and meet him as he came into the station in Minneapolis. I remember the smell and sounds of the passenger trains. I grew up with lionel then ho. My first live steam is the accucraft sp 2-10-2 purchased last year. The smell of oil and steam connects me with my dad and past. It is great to see my 95 year old dad run the engine. I look forward to years of enjoyment in the hobby. My layout will be finished when I move on to the next level of existence. Thanks for asking.


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## Police1987 (Jun 16, 2012)

Nice. What do you plan on getting for your next engine?


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

My first live steam engine ,also was an Aster-LGB Frank-s. It was a used engine and needed a good cleaning job before running her. She sure has cost me a lot of money, because I got hooked into the hobby and become addicted to it. Caused me to invest way too much into the hobby. Cannot complain though because I really like the "Smell Of Oil and Butane in the morning" Also alcohol and coal


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

It wasn't "mine", and still isn't. At age 10 I was told, "Sit! Stay! Keep the water up and the fire going.... Holler if you have problems."... 









At age 16 I bought a PM Research #2AM mechanic's kit. Yes, I still have it. 
At age 18 I bought a Mamod traction engine. I still have MOST of it It's being converted to a roller with a Wilesco cylinder and Allen straight link reverse.


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