Hello my name is Harold and I am from West Yorkshire and have been a model engineer for the past 30 years or more and I have built a number of steam locomotives from from 3 1/2" gauge,to 71/4" gauge" gauge..I served an Engineering Apprenticeship in the early 60's in the general and textile engineering, after which I specialized in toolmaking.I worked for a number of precision tool making and gauge making companies until I was made redundant at the last compny having worked there for 33 years, I took early retirement and now I can concentrate on my hobbies full time. I am at the moment building a large seven and a quarter gauge live steam locomotive called Romulus, a designed by R Marsh, this is my second Romulus type engine, one of which I built some years ago. I have also built various 3 1/2"gauge  loco's such as Maisie a Great Northern Atlantic, Evening Star, and Tich.I have also built 5"gauge loco's such as Narrow gauge Sweet Pea, Great Northern, Nigel Gresley. In 7-1/4"gauge I have built a Derby 4f,Tich,and a Romulus.My other interests are varied but I have an interest in all aspects of engineering, artillery is another of my interests as well as milataria My workshop is my second one, the result of a house move 5 years ago and was one of the hardest thing's to set up after being used to my old set up which was in a large basement, with all the home comfort's.This meant a new workshop had to be built and everything uprooted and moved, I think it took me over a year to even get my benches setup, at least it's got central heating so up to press I have had no problems with rust. I am currently a member of the Bradford Model Engineering Society which is one of the oldest Societies in Britain and was founded in 1908 and this year it celebrates it's Centenery.The society sport's a large 71/4"ground level track at Northcliffe Woods as well as a raised 31/2"and 5" track, set in beautiful surrounding's with a nature trail, it is one of the best sited track's you could want. There is also a boating lake at the Bradford Moor Park where the boating members sail on Sunday morning's. There are plan's for a boating lake to be built at Northcliffe to bring all the members together.
I also spent several years on the Keighley&Worth Valley Railway helping to restore 78022 BR Standard Tender Engine, I was evolved with quite a number off fitting and machining jobs including boring out the new big end brasses for the connecting and coupling rod's, and refurbishing the die blocks. One of the most difficult and taxing jobs was the scraping in of the wet header flange on the smoke box tubeplate,this had to be a very good joint as no gasket is allowed on the face, only a special jointing compound. Some of the job's are done in the most difficult condition's which the public never see and working in the shed pit on a bitter winters day with a gale force wind blowing through is no fun ,though I think now thing's are a little better with the fully enclosed shed now at Howorth.The one bonus was that on completion off the engine I was rewarded with a few round trips on the footplate with the occasional firing turn, happy days!