Books
Building the Rio Grande K-27 (Volume 2)
Kozo Hiraoka
The second volume of the book mentioned below has been released about a
year later than originally planned. Kozo Hiraoka’s books are known for
their in-depth articles not only on the construction of locomotives but
also for their extensive supplementary content. This particular volume
is no exception, with nearly half of its pages dedicated to various technical
resources. It covers a wide range of tools and equipment related to locomotive
operation. And a standout feature in this volume is the detailed guide
on painting procedures using two-component polyurethane paint. Furthermore,
the book includes a wealth of theoretical formulas concerning locomotive
traction, adhesion, braking force, cylinder design, and boiler design.
These details make it an exceptional reference for live steam enthusiasts.
Even those who have no interest in the K-27 locomotive specifically will
find this book to be an essential read.
Building the Rio Grande K-27 (Volume 1)
Kozo Hiraoka
The Rio Grande K-27 is the author's newest project serialized in the Live
Steam & Outdoor Railroading magazine in the USA for around ten years.
This book covers the first half of the K-27 building. K-27 is a narrow
gauge but well-designed Mikado-type (2-8-2) locomotive. The model traces
the prototype's complicated design, such as bar-type frames, piston valves,
full equalizers, brake system, etc. From the articles, I got a lot of excellent
hints for designing and constructing of my C53 locomotive, especially the
boiler design and construction. Volume 1 covers almost all of the engine's
construction, except additional detailed equipment and the tender. The
past five geared-type models which the author presented are, if anything,
eccentric and interesting. However, this model has a universal and sophisticated
design that could be applied to a lot of world principal locomotive models.
I recommend the book, especially to those who wish to build large scaled
models.
Building the New Shay (A 1920s Shay in 3/4" Scale)
Kozo Hiraoka
This is Kozo Hiraoka's latest model steam locomotive construction guidebook
which was issued a few weeks ago. Apart from the fact that the author is
Japanese as I am, I think this is the world's number one book in this field!
The main content is a construction manual of 3/4" scale 1920s Shay
which was published serially in Live Steam magazine. If you had already
read the magazine, you will agree with me that Kozo's serial far surpassed
other articles in the magazine. From the serial, I learned a lot of techniques
in both construction and design of model locomotives. Moreover, the author
presents many appendixes for the book, e.g. the redesigning of the New
Shay for 1-1/2" scale, how to design a copper boiler and safety valve,
how to utilize o-rings, etc. You can get new and powerful technology of
model engineering from the book. I am proud that such an excellent book
was written by a Japanese.