Friends "Yankee Shop" Models

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Yankee Shop: 1938-1972

H.J. Coventry, 1920-1979

Friends Models: 1972-1980

The Lost Years: 1980-2007

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Stationary Engines

5/8" x 3/4" Vertical

1/3 HP Compound Marine

Locomotives

2-1/2" gauge 2-8-4

2-1/2" gauge P7 4-6-2

Kozo Wheels & Drivers

3-1/2" gauge Tom Thumb

3-1/2" gauge DINKY 0-4-0

3-1/2" gauge B & M 4-4-2

3-1/2" gauge B & A 4-6-6T

3-1/2" gauge 0-6-0

3-1/2" gauge P7 4-6-2

3-1/2" gauge K4 Pacific

3-1/2" gauge NYC Hudson

4-3/4" gauge 4-4-0

4-3/4" gauge 4-6-0

4-3/4" gauge 4-4-2

4-3/4" gauge GNR "Single"

4-3/4" GWR City of Truro

7-1/4" gauge 4-2-0

7-1/4" ga. 4-4-0 "TIGER"

7-1/4" ga. 4-4-0 "TOPSY"

7-1/4" Gauge ROYAL SCOT

Locomotive Accessories

Hand Pumps

Working Steam Pumps

Trucks

Books & Catalogs

Building a Locomotive

Machinery/Tools Required

A Loco Under Construction

Building my Raritan

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YouTube Videos

Classic Live Steam of Yesteryear

Friends Models' founder Lester Friend, with his son Joe Friend, at the New England Live Steamers track in Danvers, Massachusetts in 1938.
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Traditional Live Steam Castings Kits

~Castings & Drawings~

"Rough Castings" kits, and Hand-Drawn Blueprints 
for Small-Scale, Coal-Fired Live Steam Locomotive Designs
From the 1920-1960 era

-All castings made in New England, USA at traditional sand foundries-

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New, March, 2025....The "Building My Raritan" page, which documents my building of the popular 3/4" scale 2-4-0 by William Morewood, has been updated. Click HERE to see recent video updates. 

 
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Tender "Hand Pumps"

 
live steam boiler hand pump castings
Hand pump for 3/4" and 1" scale boiler feed
 
 
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Stationary/Marine Engines

Little Kathy live steam engine castings Tiny Power
5/8" x 3/4" Vertical Stationary Engine, "Little Kathy"
 
H.J. Coventry live steam vertical engine castings
1/3 Horsepower "Compound Marine" Engine
 
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Steam-Powered Water & Air Pumps

 
Steam-Powered Water and Air Pumps
 
 
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Freight Car Trucks

 
Live Steam truck castings
3/4" scale Freight Car Trucks
 
 
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1/2" scale Locomotives

Harry Sait live steam 2-8-4
Harry Sait 2-8-4 Boston & Maine "Berkshire"
 
H.J. Coventry P7 live steam castings
H.J. Coventry P7 "President Washington" Pacific 4-6-2
 
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3/4" scale Locomotives

Tom Thumb live steam castings
Tom Thumb, geared 0-4-0
Castings for Hiraoka locomotives
Karl Friedrich live steam Dinky 0-4-0
"DINKY" shifter, 1" scale narrow gauge for 3-1/2" gauge track
 
Lester Friend Yankee Shop live steam
B & M Atlantic 4-4-2
 
Boston and Albany live steam
B & A Tank Locomotive 4-6-6T
 
 
H.J. Coventry K4 live steam
Pennsylvania Railroad K4 "Pacific" 4-6-2
 
   
USRA 0-6-0 Switcher
Baltimore & Ohio RR 4-6-2 "President Washington"
New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson
 
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1" scale Locomotives

H.J. Coventry live steam
B & O American 4-4-0
H.J. Coventry live steam
B & O Ten Wheeler 4-6-0
Little Engines 1" scale Live Steam castings
SP (Southern Pacific) Atlantic 4-4-2
 
H.J. Coventry GNR live steam single
1" scale GNR "Single"
 
H.J. Coventry GWR live steam City of Truro
1" scale GWR "City of Truro"
 
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1-1/2" scale Locomotives

 
 
B & O Lafayette model live steam kit
Baltimore and Ohio 4-2-0 "Lafayette".
 
 
Lester Friend Tiger live steam
TIGER, early American 4-4-0
 
Royal Scot live steam engine castings
L.M.S. (British) "Royal Scot" 4-6-0
 
 
Bill Van Brocklin live steam drawings
4-4-0 "TOPSY" by Bill VanBrocklin
 
 
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Thirty-Four Years Ago.....

Summer, 1991: I snapped this photo of Mr. Charles A. "Carl" Purinton running a 7-1/4" gauge Pennsylvania E-6 "Atlantic" at a private track in Danvers, Massachusetts. I was about 19 years of age, and Mr. Purinton was about 93 years of age, at the time of the photo.

Carl Purinton Brotherhood of Live Steamers
Mr. Charles Purinton runs an 1-1/2" scale 4-4-2 at Danvers, Mass. in 1991. Photo by John Kurdzionak.
Back in 1932, on a suggestion from "LBSC" in Britain, Mr. Purinton founded the "Brotherhood of Live Steamers". He died in 1999 at age 101.

The scene captured in the above photo is rare. Mr. Purinton did not run locomotives in 1-1/2" scale often, he most often ran 3/4" scale on a "highline". Nor did he wear his "wide brimmed" hat often. And, the date of 1991 is significant. By the 1990s, seeing Mr. Purinton run ANYTHING was a special treat not witnessed too often.

Mr. Purinton was in the U.S. Armed Services and flew a primitive type of "seaplane" in the World War I era. He was based out of Pensacola, Florida. Later on, he became a fireman on the Boston and Maine Railroad, most often firing the 4-4-2 "Atlantics" that traveled to and from his hometown of Marblehead, Mass. When promoted to "engineer", he did it for one day only, and quit his position at the end of that very same day. He just wanted to say that he had "done it", and once he
had
, he felt it was time to "quit" and to move on. So, he did. 

The private railroad in the above photo was abandoned some 25 years ago due to the health of the owner, and was later removed entirely. The property was sold, the owner passed away, and nature quickly reclaimed the site. Today, it is difficult for those of us who visited this location 30, 40, and even 50 years ago....to find ANY trace of the former railroad today. It is mostly "woods" and "swamp". There are no more steamers running through here.

Enjoy this photo, folks, as there are not many like it. Thank you for looking.


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John F. Kurdzionak Stoneham MA Friends Models Yankee Shop Boston and Albany 4-6-6T tanker 3/4" scale 3-1/2" gauge
It's June of 1987, and all is well. I have just finished the 10th grade, and am tending to my 3/4" scale "Friends Models" 4-6-6 Tanker at the Bass River Railroad in Litchfield, NH. It was my love for this locomotive that began everything you see on this website today. Thanks for visiting www.friendsmodels.com.
 
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Classic Live Steam of Yesteryear



Rough Castings                                  Old-Fashioned Drawings & Blueprints
 
 
 
Friends Yankee Shop Models
100 Cummings Center
Suite 159-D
Beverly, MA 01915
 

Contact:
 
1-(978)-922-4400 
(Phone, at my business "JFK Clock Repair")
 

sales@friendsmodels.com



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