The new steaming bays are nearing completion ● Mal Whittle's Watco Lima ● More progress on the new track

The new steaming bays are nearing completion

Photos by John Heald

The new steaming bays are nearing completion ● Mal Whittle's Watco Lima ● More progress on the new track

Mal Whittle's Watco Lima

Time is ripe for another locomotive to come out of the Rotorua stables.

Mal Whittle has been building a 2-4-0 Watco Lima engine over the last couple of years and is now close to a steam test.

The Lima is a good beginners engine for anyone wanting to build a narrow gauge type engine, although it has some pitfalls one needs to be aware of in its 2-4-0 variation. The design seems to produce a heavy back end, especially with a steel boiler. To counter this Mal moved the cylinders forward 50 mm to reduce this effect. He has also fitted 9" drivers wheels which I think may have come from the same pattern used on Rankin Kennedy's Rogers 'Q'. The Pony truck wheels have been enhanced by making them 125 mm in diameter, cut from solid material; they look the part too.

Clupet rings have been fitted to the pistons (53 mm bore). These rings seem to have taken off in Rotorua for steam engines, as both Paul Newton, self and Mal have fitted them. Mal has actually made a set up for a Norton motorcycle and Ian Welch's 10.25" 'K' class engine.

The valve gear has mostly been made on a milling CNC machine in Auckland and needs very little clean up, if any. The cab has been made wider to get out of that dunny look and extended to 600mm and engine length of 1680mm.

A good old American style spark arrester chimney is to be made up as per the originals. Plenty of rivets!!

The boiler is a carbon steel type 200mm in diameter.

The tender is now in sight!!

As Mal progress over the next few months we will up date.

Words and photos by John Heald

The new steaming bays are nearing completion ● Mal Whittle's Watco Lima ● More progress on the new track

More progress on the new track

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our members & volunteers that turned up last Saturday; what an absolutely awesome turn out and much was achieved.

The steaming bays now have running water and the cobbles are nearly finished. (Sunday had a small working Bee & concreted edges & more cobbles.)

We excavated approx. 170 meters of track and base course has been placed and compacted. Most of this has now been properly pegged and has heights ready for topping up to correct levels. This is the most difficult and time consuming part of the track being worked on, so it will get easier as we start progressing around the domain.

All the excavated material has been stockpiled neatly out of the way.

We had 4 excavators, 3 trucks, numerous compactors and I hear at one stage we had over 30 people helping out; including the local girl guides. A few locals even turned up to help out during the day. What a way to go!!!!

We will be having another working Bee this coming Saturday 3rd March. Our aim is to complete all the prep the base course to the 170m track excavated ready for our concreting contractor to install the concrete trough for track to sit in. Your help is much needed once again, so please do come along & bring any able bodied helpers along. Wheel barrows, rakes & shovels also required. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers.

8:00 am on site. Remember to bring a sun hat as it gets pretty hot in the middle of the day.

Words and photos by Colin Batt

The new steaming bays are nearing completion ● Mal Whittle's Watco Lima ● More progress on the new track

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Website developed and maintained by John Oxlade of john2consulting who is a member of the Cambridge-Rotorua Live Steamers Inc.