Jack Fesco

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JackFesco SP Mountain.jpg
Jack Fesco 4-8-2.jpg

Shown in Jack M. Fesco and his 3/4 inch scale Southern Pacific Mountain type locomotive. She is a coal burner and runs on 100 pounds of steam that is super-heated.

There are Torrington needle point bearings on the drivers and rods. Other bearings used are Fafner ball bearings Nathan mechanical Lubricator and Boiler Check are used and 2 Consolidated saftey valves.

The dynamo is of the Otha Hege design. She has a front end throttle, and a multiple type cooper boiler, smoke box and jacket monel.

The other pictures shown are of a booster feed water pump, built by Jack.

The pump has an axle gear of 3/4 inch diameter and the eccentric gear is 1 inch in diameter. The cylinder has a 1/4 inch bore and a 1-1/4 inch stroke and is enclosed in a housing packed with a lubricant.

The water enters at the left manifold and discharges via the right manifold through the ball joints and then under the right running board to the boiler check.

A by-pass valve is installed, which is not shown in picture, in order to by-pass the water to the tank in case it floods the boiler.

The ball joints are real, and provide for flexibility such as when rounding a curve.

Throttle

1.5 inch scale Throttle lever

The North American Live Steamer, Volume 1 Number 11

I am enclosing pictures of a throttle lever 1-1/2 inch scale designed by Victor Sparks. These throttles were used on the early American type Central Pacific No. 173 built about 1872. Advantages were it could be feathered and locked in any desired position. As you will note by the pictures it has fine detail as follows:

  • Length of lever: 4-1/2 inches
  • Index wheel: 5/8 inch diameter, fifty-two 60 degree "V" teeth
  • Pinion: 12 teeth, pitch diameter 1/4 inch
  • Quadrant pitch diameter: 1-3/16 inch
  • Latch has four 60 degree "V" teeth to mesh with index wheel

Moving the lever one tooth of the index wheel moves the quadrant 1/6 of a tooth.

Thought you could use this in your magazine. It's not only unused but historical as well. Happy steaming!

Jack M. Fesco
4309 Edenhurst Ave
Los Angeles 39, California

GS-4

From Chaski.org

Jack Fesco was building a Southern Pacific GS-4 Daylight in 1" scale. A member of Riverside Live Steamers bought the unfinished loco from Fecso's estate/family not long after his death. Jack Sessums did what work was required to complete the engine and it's tender. During the early-mid 1980's, Fesco's Daylight was bought by Ron Mason, who owned Jack's 3/4 inch scale Southern Pacific MT-class 4-8-2. I believe Ron later sold the Daylight some years later.
Jack Sessums owned the Fesco GS-4, and it is the loco used in the movie Tough Guys, part of which was filmed at Jack Sessums' place.

From Chaski.org:

The late Jack Fesco built a beautiful 1 inch scale GS-4 which required many different patterns to be constructed if he was to complete the project. I got to visit with him in his shop during 1976 one afternoon. He showed me many of his patterns including the driver patterns he had made for his beautiful engine then in progress.