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A Johnson 1P 0-4-4T for the S&DJR

buffalo

Entry posted by buffalo

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As we all know, the best way to ensure that the RTR manufacturers will release something we want is to build a kit version. So it was that on the thread about the new Bachmann 7F, when thoughts turned to what might appear next, I jokingly suggested that I should get on with building my Craftsman 1P kit that has been languishing on the shelf for some time. Then, after Xmas I felt that I needed a break from scenery and ballasting on Nowhere, I thought about it a bit more and decided to give it a go. What follows is the first part of the story of building this now quite ancient kit.

 

The first photo shows a representative sample of the brass and nickel silver parts in the kit (only one of each duplicated part). As can be seen, the cab roof and boiler are roughly pre-rolled and a few parts that need right-angle bends are half-etched to aid bending. There are also a few slots and tabs to help get things in the right place. All of these are a good fit with the slots etched to just the right size for the tabs. From comments elsewhere, this is not always the case with this style of construction. Other half-etching provided for rivet/bolt embossing in the smokebox wrapper and buffer beams, but there is no other rivet/bolt detail on the brass parts.

 

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The first problem for a modern builder is the chassis. This was designed to take an XO4 type motor sitting at an angle to the footplate and filling most of the cab. Indeed, there is also a cutout in the bunker top/front panel to accommodate the motor. I will probably be using a Mashima motor with a High Level gearbox so, on the one hand there is scope for some modification to enable the cab interior to be modelled, but on the other it is unlikely that the chassis frames with their sloping motor support will be of much use in this build. For now, I'll leave that problem aside and get on with the body.

 

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The main parts went together quite well and soon I had a footplate with buffer beams, valances and steps supporting a bunker and side tanks. In the next photo it should be clear that I've filled in the motor gap in the front of the bunker and added inside faces to the side tanks within the cab area -- spot the 'deliberate' mistake, of which more later :rolleyes:

 

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As I mentioned above, the boiler came roughly rolled to shape, but needed some tweaking. The brass was quite hard, so needed annealing first. I added a fillet of brass strip along the inside of the joint at the bottom of the boiler just to add a bit of strength. I then added the boiler bands using some phospher bronze strip included in the kit. Perhaps there was just enough strip to do all of the bands, but by the time I had cut off a bit that acquired a nasty kink, there was not enough to do all of the bands. Since the photo was taken, I've noticed that two of the bands were not as straight as they could be and have corrected this. The final band just in front of the cab was also added from some strip in my stock.

 

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The boiler was then attached and it was beginning to look a little like a Johnson loco. Next, I fitted the cab, but not the roof, and my thoughts turned to internal details. I have a fairly plain white metal backhead that could be turned into something approximating to one of the photos in Essery & Jenkinson, "An Illustrated Review of Midland Locomotives, Volume Three". However, looking at these photos and the drawings in this volume and in James, Hunt and Essery, "Midland Locomotives", No. 1, I realised the error mentioned earlier sad.gif Inside the cab, the side tanks only extend back about half the length of the outside sheeting. So, the brake standard which is clearly visible in many photos of the left-hand side is almost at the rear of the tank. I had blindly followed the lead given by the tank rear/top/front piece in the kit which extended almost to the door opening, about 5mm too far. Studying the drawings, I realised that this space was filled with a couple of what appear to be toolboxes or seats that are only about half of the height of the tanks.

 

So, out with the blowtorch (gas soldering iron) to remove the cab sides/rear and my tank infill. Then some careful cutting at the correct place with a razor saw and further application of the gas flame saw the unwanted metal removed. The tank backs and inner sides were re-instated in the correct position.

 

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The dome, Salter valves and whistle are Gibson brass castings rather than the white metal parts provided in the kit. Now all it needs is to clean up the mess created by the 'adjustments' and I can get on with the next stage.

 

Oh, by the way, I mentioned the S&DJR at the start and this engine is intended to be 58047, the longest surviving 1P with round-top firebox and Salter valves, as Ivo Peters reminded us on many occasions biggrin.gif

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halfwit

If you did use the original frames perhaps some .005" or .0010" plasticard overlays could be used to hide that horrendous motor cut out?

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buffalo

That's certainly an option, but I'll also need to consider whether to fill in and strengthen the cut-out section. Other options include getting a Gibson milled frame set, or just cutting them myself. I still need to check on how well these frames follow the outline of the original and whether they are worth staying with. Originally, I'd thought that I would do an all-sprung chassis, much like that on ullypug's O2, but no real decision has been made yet. In the meantime, I'm open to any and all suggestions about the chassis.

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multivac

I've seen a set of replacement (00,EM, S4) frames in etched nickel silver for this kit. I have just emailed the supplier and I'll let you know if they have any stock.

 

It's a shame that this kit has not been upgraded during the years it has been available. I hope someone does not make a RTR version as I have three to build. All the best with your build.

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Captain Kernow
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I've got one of these myself, and have always considered that something needed to be done to strengthen the frames where that awful motor cut-out is located. Will watch this one with interest - perhaps the R-T-R manufacturers are waiting for me to start on mine?!

 

Will it be Em or P4, btw?

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buffalo

Thanks, multivac, another chassis option sounds interesting.

 

CK: apart from the cut-out there are other problems with the frames. For example, the slots for some of the cross members are in just the wrong places if you want to improve the shape of the frames.

 

Maybe if you start yours we'll get a movement going then they'll have to produce an RTR one. Then, once it's announced we could all start frothing over whether it should be round-top or Belpaire, condensing, auto-fitted...

 

I should have mentioned it above, this one will be P4.

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Chris Nevard

This looks a cracking job!

I built one of these 29 years ago and the frames are still fine after all this time. I did get a professional chassis rebuild (by Phil Hall) keeping the original frames but replacing the old 3 pole with a Mashima and some snazzy 60/1 modern gearbox and sorting out the bogie/pony truck thingamygig. It runs a dream and is far more sure footed that say the Hornby M7. I'll grab a snap if you like. The wheel base is so short, is there any real need for compensation if the track is good?

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buffalo

Thanks, Chris. I remember seeing photos of your's, 58086 if I remember correctly. I'm not entirely convinced that the fully-sprung approach is necessary but the received wisdom suggests that something more than a simple rigid chassis is necessary for P4. At the moment I only have a very short straight section of P4 track, so will have to build something a little more complex to test this on. I'd certainly be interested to learn what Phil Hall did with the bogie on yours.

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