A lathe is of course desirable. Curves for bending metal you can easily make from pieces of bar-iron, holding them in the vise while working on them.
When you have your tools ready get the material for your model.
Several sheets of brass and copper, the castings and various sized screws and bolts are what will be required.
All being thus prepared the time has arrived to take the
First Step.
The first step toward building a model locomotive is to be posted on the action of steam in the cylinder.
Go to encyclopedia and read up on that point.
If you have no encyclopedia go and look one up in some library. You can't build your engine until you understand this.
Next draw an accurate plan of your model.
Figure 2 is the idea. It is a side view of our locomotive. Let us describe.