At 12:00 AM 3/7/01 -0800, you wrote:
>From: Royce Woodbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Royce's driver pattern
>I know this process sounds labor intensive, but not more so than what is
>being considered by Mike, Harry, and others.
Royce,
In this business (master making) there's a limit to the amount of
hand work that can be side-stepped by mechanical means and from there on in
it's pure handwork, 'Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice' as to how
it gets done. A method similar to yours has been used by Kozo Hiraoka for
building drivers for his 3/4" scale loco projects, although not for
patterns but for the actual wheels. Using the material at hand,as you've
done, is what most of us would do. But you've made a suggestion that I
believe bears more discussion, that of donating the pattern. The question
would be to, donate to who or what?
Years ago in the large scales someone came up with the idea of
organizing a pattern pool. Back in those days (1950's), when there were
foundries in every town and patternmakers had not become extinct, folks
were much more likely to make the patterns for anything they wanted. (The
same was true in the UK where a builder might make all his own patterns as
a matter of course even if they were available commercially.)
It was known as the Live Steam Pattern Pool and I can't be certain
but the idea probably originated with Pershing G. Scott, who published the
"Live Steam Newsletter" (which eventually became Live Steam Magazine). The
idea was to donate your patterns to the Pool where they would be available
on loan, like a lending library, to anyone in the live steam fraternity.
Those who wanted use of the patterns would apply, sending a nominal
security deposit, and would be responsible for the shipping both ways. The
notion took hold and over the years quite a library of patterns was
collected, including patterns from Walt Disney's original Lille Belle and
several of the Henry Coventry engines. The contents of the Pool were held
by several people over the years but tragically for the world of live steam
the building in which the patterns were stored by their last custodian
burned to the ground and all the patterns, at least those in storage at the
time, were lost.
So based upon your offer of the donation of your pattern, I propose
that we create the Garden Gauge or Small Scale Pattern Pool. Comments?
Nominations for first custodian?
Regards,
Harry Wade
Nashville, Tn
