This chassis appeared in "Building the Climax" by Kozo Hiraoka on Page 90. I acquired this chassis and copper boiler with the intention of getting it to run on air very quickly. However, I believed that the cylinders were undersized and since they followed the Kozo design, which used a fake exhaust connection to the smokebox saddle, I decided to replace them.

I had always admired the 3 truck Climax design by Bob Reedy in Live Steam magazine which used a sleeved cylinder to create the steam passageways that would permit the correct modeling of the exhaust passage. The original cylinders were put aside and new cylinders were made per Bob Reedy's design.

I then decided to replace the Climax engine mount, crosshead guides, flywheel and complete valve gear with those from the Bob Reedy design. That is what you see in the above photo. This arrangement has been proven on the Charles Dockstader valve gear simulator and successfully tested on air.

The latest revision to my plan has been to sell the original cylinders, engine frames, skew bevel gears, crankcase and universal joints and replace them with Precision Locomotive Castings skew bevel gears. I will also build Bob Reedy universal joints and crankcase supports. This will result in a more rugged driveline to go along with the increased cylinder size. It also means I do not have to manufacture the additional skew bevel gears needed for the third truck.