Thanks Tom and Fred.

I mentioned that the floor of the pump room was made in two layers. Because they can be taken apart, the subfloor or the top floor can be cut to different dimensions.

Here is the raceway for the tank pipe and drain pipe that will run under the top layer of the floor.

And here is the slot in the subfloor that will carry the air pipe from the quick disconnect to the engine.

Here's the plan for the air supply to the engine. The quick disconnect fitting on the left will introduce air which will pass under the floor of the room.

Then, fittings will allow it to come up in front of the engine's intake pipe.

The pipe as seen from below...

Determining equal spacing of vertical bars or muntins in a window can be a head scratcher.

I don't know where I learned this trick or who taught it to me, but it is one of the neatest tricks I've learned in drafting.

You determine how many muntins you want across the window. With this method you haven't got a clue how wide the spacing will be and you don't care! You simply draw a diagonal from one side of the window to the other adding one unit to the number of bars.

Here I want four divisions, so I put 5 at the edge of the window.

Now you just mark off the units, 1,2,3 and 4. Here I'm marking 2 and 3.

That's it! Four equally spaced divisions.

P.S. I've just shown this roughly done on the window paper pattern. Greater care will be taken when the window material is scribed for the bars. The window plastic is sandwiched between two pieces of MDF to prevent shattering while being cut and ease profiling.

I think I have anticipated all the plumbing raceways and access points that will be needed when the engine is mounted onto the floor of the pump room. The feet for the diorama are made from Polylastomer®, a durable non-staining, non-marring plastic, superior to rubber in all respects.

The planking is again Southern Pine, a nice softwood with interesting grain patterns when stained. It comes bonded to a paper backing.

Each plank was cut out of the sheet and individually placed. A more 'hands on' look will show when the floor is sanded and restrained.

Yes Adam, quite a neat little technique.

By the way, do you know the difference between a muntin and a mullion?

I didn't until I looked it up.

John

A rabbet doesn't have any hair.

The floor of the pump room is finished.

It's time to return to some metal fabrication.

Now we need a step to get up onto that platform. It's not a great rise, but one step will make it easier, especially if we are carrying something.

The step will be made of brass - soft soldered, primed and painted.

We had a little campfire in the shop with the soldering of the brass stair.

Two lugs were glued to the sides of the stringers for mounting...

The project is now one step up...

Hi Hagen,

Thanks. The project is much smaller than the last one, but it's keeping me out of mischief.

Here's the exhaust piping leading down to the copper oil pan...

Hi Fred,
Interesting observation, but I am quite firm on where this model will end.

I have my eye on an engine in England that I really wish to acquire in kit form. If I can, it will propel me into another major construction diorama very similar to the two year project with the 19th Century Steam Driven Machine Shop.

This little diorama should be completed in May. Then we will see what's up - health permitting.

John

Here we are with the build at this point:

Hi Adam,
Yes, the stairs will be painted when the railings are installed.

Hello Gerhard. Thank you for your kind words.

Martin, I'm touching wood that all will remain stable this summer.

I have been over on the model engine site for awhile. Here is a photo of the results...

Now it's time to finish that window in the west wall of the diorama. I showed earlier how to divide up the window for the muntins and mullions. Now is the time to do it in earnest.

Thanks Udo!

Hi Adam,
Yes, the governor will be the icing on the cake.

Today, I am starting to use a product I did not use on the industrial windows of the machine shop. Evergreen Scale Models out of Des Plaines, Illinois, sell a lot of model styrene. They have quite a website.

Here I am using white styrene. strips 0.75 x 1.5 mm.

The muntins and mullions are going well. The outside of the window is done.

Ricardo has asked a very good question regarding the hole in the wall below the window.

Today, the use of live steam is not permitted in most public places. Compressed air has replaced this method of propulsion on model steam engines. But hooking up the air has often been an afterthought.

Here, hooking up an airline has been designed into the diorama. Air tools have an attachment on them that allows them to be connected to the air supply hose with a 'quick disconnect' device as seen here...

So, the hole will allow a connector to exit the diorama.


Thanks for asking Ricardo.

John

Yes Ricardo,at many of the model engineering exhibitions open to the public, the organizers set up the tables so that an air line pipe runs down the centre of the tables with spigot takeoffs for each exhibitor. No steam allowed indoors at all.

Perhaps in England, they still have outdoor steam demonstrations open to the public. I'm sure the events are heavily insured.

Of course, there are still fully functioning stationary steam engines in factories and museums all over the world that have been running for hundreds of years and are open to the public with an excellent track record for safety.

On our diorama, today, the air line is in! As mentioned, it runs under the floor.

Here are the two brass ends of the line...

The union end is held in place with a split floor plate...

The other end is held in place with a collar...

It is almost impossible to rotate and adjust pipes and valves through 360 degree on the job. They foul on anything in their way as you attempt to turn them. Everything has to be assembled in an open area and brought to the site.

Here is the air intake assembly...


Back in the day, gaskets were used between rounds flat flanges to bring the assembled parts together.

Here, brown paper is being used as a gasket...


But today, plumbers use compression unions to accomplish this task. You can easily assemble and disassemble pipes quickly.

Here, half of a union is sticking out of the floor.

The south wall is finished. This means that the air line can be installed. The wall is temporarily held in place with the threaded disconnect spigot. This will allow it to be later removed to install railings around the engine.

Thanks Tom.
Hi Adam,
Yes, running the line under the floor was a good challenge. It turned out well.

The engine is now finished. Completing it involved making the steel governor.




Very small nuts and bolts (#0-80) were used to assemble the parts...


And here is the governor installed on the engine.