Welcome to my Super Simplex Site!

Purpose

First, I need to say this website is a work in progress. I am slowly filling out each page of the site with photos and text.
The purpose of this site is to document in one place on the internet, the build of my 0-6-0, 4-3/4" gauge, miniature live steam locomotive, Super Simplex. Also, to be a textual and pictorial assistant for any one building a Simplex, Super Simplex, or, any first time miniature live steam locomotive. For me, getting a working locomotive onto the track as quickly as possible was very important. Hopefully, I can pass on things to consider to help a first time builder to get onto the tracks quickly. Locomotive building is quite tedious and sometimes quite dull and boring. It is truly an exercise in time management.  The destination is much more important than the journey. If you are simply looking for a project that will take many years, because the journey is more important than the destination, then this is not the project for you. If you are interested in operating a miniature live steam locomotive, keep reading!

What is a Super Simplex?

The Super Simplex is a miniature live steam locomotive designed by Martin Evans in 1967 and published as a series or articles in the publication, "Model Engineer". When it was first published, is was called "Simplex". It was a popular design and many, many were built. As is usual with these kinds of things, there were several details in the design that could be improved and changed. Recognizing this, Martin made the needed changes and re-published his popular design in 1989. The "improved" design was called, "Super Simplex".  I will try to document the differences between the Simplex, and the Super as I go along. Needless to say, the Super Simplex should be the one to build of the two.
As a miniature locomotive, it works pretty much exactly as a full size locomotive and has all of the features and potential problems of a full size. This locomotive burns coal to boil water and create steam within a pressure vessel. The steam pushes the pistons in the cylinders, and the rods connected to the pistons turn the wheels. This is a bit of a simplification of the workings, but, is essentially correct.
The Simplex is a free lance design and is not a scale model of a full size locomotive. As such, it can be detailed and finished in any way the builder chooses. If it were a scale model, it is roughly built to 1 inch scale, that is to say, 1 inch on the miniature,  would equal 12 inches on the full size. It can also be thought of as 1/12 scale.