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Be advised that I designed the 9000 class siderods in two versions: one (short version) with uniform axle spacing to more easily accommodate the Kato mechanism as-is, the other (long version) with the No. 1 axle spaced an additional 18 scale inches away from the No. 2 axle as found on the prototype. This was done to provide enough working clearance for the center cylinder's piston rod. For those interested, the prototype's No. 1 and No. 2 driver sets both had cranked axles. No. 1 was cranked to allow clearance for the oscillating action of the center piston rod that was actually connected to the No. 2 axle crank. Because the drivers were linked by siderods, the cranks always remained synchronized. Jason believes (as do I) that most modelers will take the easy way out and use the shorter version, but I had enough space to include the closer-to-scale rods for those among us who are really into pain and suffering. There's a bunch of each on the nickel-silver sheet.
The costs my etcher charge me are not the cheapest because they work on an industrial scale. Some of their customers include NASA and other aerospace conglomerates. I happen to get along very well with the owners and we've worked together for almost 20 years now. Small jobs like this one tend to "gum up the works" when they are running hundreds of sheets at a time. Economy of scale works when I can order ten or more 12" by 24" sheets per order, and that brings the cost way down. To do that, I need to be certain I can sell hundreds, maybe thousands of sets over the following year or two to recoup my investment. A small job shop can work cheaper with less overhead and maybe match the quality of what I'm getting. My etchers will give me a break now and then for my own personal projects, but not often. They have their own bills to pay and working with acids in California is not conducive to an inexpensive regulation-free business climate if you know what I mean.
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Topic: Steam Builders!! (Read 4724 times)
