3" Burrell Traction Engine build.

 Penultimate Post this year. Reversing Lever                                                             Regulator Lever < Left reverser working progress hand modelled by me.  Not a huge amount to show for this month, but I did make a solid start on the reversing bracket and lever. I’ve had the metal for this part for well over 12 months, so it’s satisfying to finally see it taking shape. The plan is for it to eventually be mounted on the tender, but for now—once finished—it can sit on the shelf and look decorative. The regulator lever was part started but is now fully completed.  In my next post I’ll try to put together an end-of-year photo, Year-6 round-up: all the current progress assembled or balanced together for a group photo, similar to last year’s. It’s a useful reminder of how far things have come over the ...

 Bridgnorth Mini-Gala Featuring Steam Road Miniatures. (Pictures from Saturday 1/11/25)  Bridgnorth Mini Gala: End of Season Steam Inspiration Bridgnorth once again marked the close of the running season with its Miniature Steam Gala , a compact but characterful gathering of miniature road vehicles, steam lorries, and traction engines . The event has become a highlight for enthusiasts, and this year’s display was every bit as enjoyable as before. My attendance was unplanned — much like the previous year — but that seems to be part of the charm. What began as an impromptu visit quickly turned into another opportunity to watch a fine collection of engines in steam. The station car park was once again transformed into a working yard of miniature traction engines, all hissing, chuffing, and radiating warmth against the chill of early November. It’s a real credit to the owners and crews who take the trouble to bring their engines out at this time of year. Keeping steam up in unp...

Missed Model Engineers Show. Workshop Notes I was hoping to be writing a show report from last week’s Model Engineers Show, since we regularly attend and usually take the opportunity to acquire a few parts and tools for the coming winter’s work. However, I managed to double-book myself with a weekend away, so the advance tickets I’d bought went to a friend instead — not a complete loss, but still a lesson learned. Next year’s reminder to self: check the calendar before buying tickets! With no show to report on, and the usual post-show enthusiasm somewhat absent, progress in the workshop has been slow. A little simple machining of the oil connectors has been done, and a few bits re-machined to achieve a better fit — steady but unremarkable progress. Items id like to start on in the coming months. Water Pump Oil lines Regulator lever to complete. Feel free to leave a comment  If you have any questions while reading these blog updates—I'm always happy to reply. Whether you have a su...

 Manifold Casting... "This elaborate bracket started as scrap from work, reappropriated and welded into a 30-degree angle clamping jig." You can see from the side view I forgot to even clean the weld up with a brass brush. First pass with the cutter all looks good, this low setup allows me to drill and tap the holes for the fountain valves and drill the horizontal connecting channel. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions while reading these blog updates—I'm always happy to reply. Whether you have a suggestion for a future post, a question about something specific, or simply want to say you’ve found the blog interesting, your feedback is always welcome. It helps guide the direction of future content and is genuinely appreciated. Until next time, stay safe in the workshop, make plenty of swarf, and keep building! Stephen.

 Stoke Prior steam rally 2025 📣 Show Report ✅ Strong Attendance – Rain or Shine! The show, as usual, was well attended, and we’re pleased to report that paying numbers held up strongly —despite a soggy Saturday. Fortunately, Sunday brought sunshine all day , which made up for it! A big thank you to everyone who braved the elements. This year’s weather was a definite improvement on last year’s continuous showers—and a far cry from the scorcher we had the year before that (we still remember those sunburns!). 😎 🚜 715 Exhibits on Display! We were welcome a whopping 715 individual exhibits this year, offering a fantastic variety for visitors to enjoy. This included: 25 Miniatures 7 Full-Size Engines 2 Steam Cars A huge number of commercial vehicles , classic cars , motorbikes , military vehicles , and stationary engine displays From the tiniest model to the largest working machine, there was something for everyone to marvel at.  <---This is us on the Su...

 Big end bearing part 3 The big end bearing has taken a while to reach this stage, but it’s finally starting to come together. The remaining tasks are fairly straightforward now—just making the taper wedge pin and shortening the con rod to its final length. It’s been a really satisfying piece to produce, and I’m very pleased with the results so far.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions while reading these blog updates—I'm always happy to reply. Whether you have a suggestion for a future post, a question about something specific, or simply want to say you’ve found the blog interesting, your feedback is always welcome. It helps guide the direction of future content and is genuinely appreciated. These posts do take time to write, edit, and gather photos for, so knowing they’re helpful makes it all worthwhile. A big thank you as well to those who are following the blog—it's encouraging to know these pages are proving useful, especially to fellow builders. As ...