How much am i looking at.....

Hi all,

id like to apologise for the silly questions in advance as im very new to this.
been looking into getting a 2" scale traction engine for a while now. i dont know why ive set my heart on 2" but id like sometihng that can pull me along with a trailer ect ect.

How much am i looking at for something like that?
hunderds or thousands?

what sort of machinery will i need to construct one myself?

thanks

Matt

Hi Matt,

In answer to your question on price you are actually correct on both counts.....A 2" Burrell does cost thousands but can be delivered and paid for on a monthly basis over two years meaning the initial monthly outlay is hundreds.

All the machining on our kits should be done for you, so nothing like a mill or lathe should be required. General hand tool, like files, spanners, pliers, allen keys, soft mallet etc should be enough with the odd dremel or hand grinder always coming in handy.

Send me an email to dean@steamtractionworld.co.uk and i will forward you further pricing information, an example of the instructions and Isometric drawings plus the latest flyer.

All the best

Dean

Howdy Do Matt,

As you have probably seen from STW's reply, the price is around £7kish.
What's it like to build? Well from personal experience it's $^%%"£ fiddly a lot of the time BUT, believe me when I say this, it's also very rewarding when it starts going together section by section. The tender will make you laugh swear and cry all at the same time I kid you not and there'll be the ODD hiccup here and there as you bolt something on n think eff it gotta take that off again now but as I said, as it starts going together, you do actually think "yup, this is worth it, time for a beer or ten".

As for tools for the build, if you just want to stick it together straight from the box, few screwdrivers,pliers assortment,small hammer, decent vice,file selection including needle files,Allen keys, a small spanner set (we're talking 4.5mm upwards (Halfords make a "POINTS SET" which'll sort this out, nice n cheap too). Spraying it's down to personal preference, lots here have the luxury of a compressor and spray gun, I do not, therefore I opted for cans of basecoat and top coat spray and lining tapes.

Few little odds n sods along the way as you build which are no way expensive or unobtainable ie :B&Q,Halfords etc etc and there's plenty of comments on this forum to assist if you're stuck at any point.

Hope this is of some help chap.

Regards

LilyJack

ps: It might only be 2", but it WILL pull you and you can just stick it in the back of the motor too

Wow, didnt expect a reply this quick

also i didnt think it cost that much money....or took that long, bit of an eye opener

i have a friend who has a 3" showmans engine and a 2" steam wagon so the build shouldnt be too bad if i have him helping

as for tools im over equipped as far as i can see... with a grandad who has lathes and milling machines just around the corner and myself being a mechanic i should be able to get by

ah... now the scary bit... the money...... :s

is it worth it? do they hold their value? are they easy to shift if i do decide to sell it?

correct me if im wrong but i believe the finished complete model is worth more than the cost of the kits

With regard to worth it that is only something that you will appreciate once in steam and being pulled around, but from most peoples experience on here it is certainly worth it. As to holding their value without question, I had a 3" 4 years ago that I sold last year for what I paid for it. Certainly a better investment than any car you'll ever shell out twice as much on. People are always commenting to me about how much thet cost and yet my mate lost over 9K on a car he sold after owning it for 18 months. I have a 4" now which I know will sell without loss at any point.

Time scale...... Have you asked a model engineer how long it took him to build his engine?, unless they are retired and really dedicated the usual response is close to 10 years so a two year build time wihtout having to learn how to master all the various skills needed is not a bad compromise. You should also be aware that once bitten usually your engine is never big enough I started with a 1" then 3" then 4" and now doing the 4" road loco.

Hi

Well I am sorry not to here this a bit sooner but I have now just completed my 2" ....As for the work well how can I put this .......IS THAT THE TIME ?? As you have seen help is here and at STW.......
It is well worth it ..I had my heart on the 2" as HE will fit in the car {Ijust pic him up and put him in}.
Storage and ho yes he may pull me along ??


GOOD LUCK

Hi everyone..... just joined this site and looking at the posts on here, it sounds like the whole experience will be very rewarding building one of these. I blame my visit to this year's Dorset Steam Fair for getting my mind fixed on this. Looking to get building a 2" Burrell Scenic.... ooooo, i can smell the smoke already

Hi guys

Good luck on the engine .Do let us know and a lot of INFO on here as you may have seen.