When these fittings are all complete holes must be drilled in rear plate for each piece; they must be firmly screwed in place with white lead. The glass tube of the water gauge, the stuffing-box, and the gland of the starting lever should be closely packed with tallow and cotton wick.
Next paint the entire model over again and let it dry. We give no directions as to colors; use your own taste. After the paint is thoroughly dry varnish with the best clear, hard varnish and let it dry again.
While it is drying you can be making the rails.
Get some square bar iron, cut it into six-foot lengths, if you wish the rails to be portable, and drill a hole in each end half an inch deep.
The rails can be joined together at each end by means of a piece of wire and kept at a proper distance apart by being fastened to pieces of wood placed like sleepers, fastened by screws passing through holes drilled in the rails every six inches. These sections can be laid end to end, and your line be made as long as you wish. If you want a circular line, each section must be bent to a portion of a circle; one about 30 feet in diameter is suitable for this model.
When finished place your locomotive on the track and get up steam. Fill the boiler with water by means of a funnel until you see it rise up three parts of the way in the glass water-gauge. Then see that all taps are turned off and start the fire. Charcoal is the best fuel, as it gives a clear, hot fire without much smoke once you start it right.
Try the safety-valve occasionally to see how your steam is getting on, and when it begins to form turn on the blast-tap, which will soon draw up the fire, and you will presently see the pressure rise and show itself in the pressure-gauge.
When the gauge shows 30 lbs. of steam you might start the model by turning on the cocks on cylinders until no more condensed steam issues from them.
Then shut them off and turn on steam full power and watch the engine travel, gradually increasing its speed.
Let us now bear the conclusion of the whole matter, which takes us straight back to where we started, and we again repeat if you want to become an engineer make up your mind that you will be a good one or none at all.