Constructing "Old 99" #1: Starting the journey.

A while ago someone requested a blog on the construction of my toys.
I’ll start by warning you that writing composition is not one of my strong suits. Also I build everything from plans even if I have to draw my own. This project was actually started 6 months ago, then other higher priority projects or life got in the way. It is now complete and will be posted once all the blog parts are posted.
I’ll try for one a day.
TIME: I often get asked “How many hours did it take?”
I believe a hobby is something you do to feed your creative side and escape from time constraints. My entire working life, I had to punch a clock and keep track of time, sometimes by the minute. I have never kept track of my hobby time. Now that I’m retired time is even less important, but for those people that think it’s important: I never run power tools before 9:00 am or after 6:00 pm. I could run them from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm, I just don’t.

I’m building the Toys and Joys Old 99 locomotive. It consists of 8 (18” X24”) pages of full sized drawings with most of the dimensions that you will need. Be prepared for a lot of hand sanding. When you look at the plans they look overwhelming with all the intricate parts. Don’t get discouraged. I treat each and every one of these parts as a project unto itself. Did I mention? Be prepared for a lot of hand sanding.

The first thing that I do is check the plans. I’m looking for any pieces that I will have to glue to get the size I need. Also I look to see what thicknesses I’ll need and try to get that done first.
The first page of this plan is a full sized picture of the finished project, a material, and a parts list.(Wheels etc.) I tried making my own wheels once, never again!
Note: If you check the website, they offer a kit of the parts. The parts are things like wheels, head and taillights, and dowels. Usually I just go to my toy parts store (link). However I couldn’t find the small train wheels, so I just ordered both the plans and parts kit. The link shows the locomotive done in maple with black walnut accents, I’ve reversed this.
These pictures show where I was when I sat it aside. The first picture shows pieces that were glued up and the corners cut off ready for the lathe. The partially turned piece was where I stopped.

The 2 parts on page 2 ready for sanding. All the cuts and holes are clearly marked on the plan.
The piece with the holes is actually the second one. I started cutting the 45’s on the edge rather than the bottom.
The thin piece needs the 2 front corners cut off.

The corners are cut

-- If we learn from our mistakes, I'm getting a fantastic education.