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GWR Small Mero Tank (3)

Ian Smith

Entry posted by Ian Smith

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Some significant progress has been made with my first scratch built 2FS loco - It works!!!

 

Following on from the last instalment, I had determined that I needed to construct some of the body work in order that I could determine how well or otherwise my dog clutch arrangement would be successful in transferring drive from the motor to the gearbox. A dog clutch is used in engineering when turning between centres so I had some conviction that it would work, but I was a little worried that if the centre line of the motor and that of the gear box were too far adrift that the final drive at the wheels would be erratic.

 

Because I was mounting the motor in the boiler/smokebox, effectively I had to mount the boiler on the footplate to judge the centre height of the motor shaft compared with the centre height of the gearbox. In order that I could do that I had to make the tanks so that I could fit the boiler on top of them, and to ensure that the wheels and gearbox would not encroach into the cab space I had to make the cab too. In addition, because I needed a way to anchor this top assembly to the footplate, I decided that the best way was to make the sandboxes ahead of the tanks and drill and tap them 12BA so that the tank/boiler cab assembly could be held together. in the end I also needed to make the bunker/cab floor too so that I could screw the chassis into something!!

 

Below is a photo showing all of these separate assemblies (the gearbox is held on the main chassis block with a peg at one end and a 12BA bolt at the other (from underneath) :

blogentry-12089-0-95792000-1410270226_thumb.jpg

 

Once I could actually put all of this lot together, I found that I could fit a slightly larger flywheel, so a new one was made with a 0.5mm peg protruding to provide the drive to the gearbox :

blogentry-12089-0-05907100-1410270268_thumb.jpg

 

This peg acts on a bar which extends across the gearbox drive shaft (another turning in stainless steel, the end of which filed to provide bearing surfaces for the peg on the flywheel - The Dog Clutch :

blogentry-12089-0-22139100-1410270245_thumb.jpg

 

In order that the motor could be fitted in the boiler, the original wires from the Nigel Lawton motor were cut short, and replacements of enamelled wire soldered in place - the enamelling preventing shorting. The new wires can just be seen in the photo below before they run along the top of the motor through the boiler. Because of these wires, the motor is now an interference fit within the boiler so there is no need to glue or otherwise secure it in place :

blogentry-12089-0-91240300-1410270302_thumb.jpg

 

With the boiler bright work just plonked on top, this how she looks now :

blogentry-12089-0-88863400-1410270323_thumb.jpg

 

And to prove that (after much fettling) she works :

 

To get this far has been a bit of a trial - getting the thing moving without binding has proved much more difficult than my saddle tank did. That in itself is particularly frustrating because the original chassis that I built in traditional 2mm ways of phosphor bronze frames held apart/together with PCB still has the wheels (with coupling rods) in it and rolls happily without issue, it just lacks weight which is why I went down this route of a solid chassis.

 

The next stage is to start making and adding the details to bring her to life as it were (buffers are already done). Will she be ready for the AGM? Highly unlikely!! Hopefully, I will get her completed for Warley so she can share a turn hauling my 4 wheel coaches up and down St. Ruth's branch line. :sungum:

 

Regards,

 

Ian

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Donw
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It would be interesting to see it at the AGM. It did seem to run quite smoothly and it is quite a small loco.

Don

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Ian Smith

It would be interesting to see it at the AGM. It did seem to run quite smoothly and it is quite a small loco.

Don

 

Don,

I will probably bring it along to the AGM anyway.  I thought about entering my saddle tank in one of the competitions (don't know whether it counts as an RTR conversion or a scratch build) :-) and I intended entering my 4 wheelers in the Dreadnought trophy too.  

 

I'm quite pleased with the way it's running at the minute - I still have to put some lead in the tanks and bunker (but that won't be done until pretty well complete).  It should be obvious from some of the photos, but I have put some top wiper pickups on the drivers that are hidden by the tanks and hopefully help to keep the drivers pressed down onto the track - It's pretty thick phosphor bronze wire as the 0.0044" stuff I have I thought wouldn't be thick enough, but since taking the video I've put some 0.0044" "Simpson springs" acting on the axles of the leading wheels too.  I'll have a chat to the boys at the Midland Area Group tonight to see if any of them have anything a bit thinner than what I've used.

 

Regards,

 

Ian

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queensquare
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Brilliant Ian. Some really ingenious solutions to the problems raised by a tricky loco.

Do bring it along to the AGM, finished or not.

 

Jerry

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wenlock
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Looks fantastic Ian, really glad you managed to get it sorted!:-). Clever mechanicals aside, you've done a really good job on the boiler fittings, that dome "sits" beautifully.

 

Dave

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Ian Smith

Brilliant Ian. Some really ingenious solutions to the problems raised by a tricky loco.

Do bring it along to the AGM, finished or not.

 

Jerry

 

Fantastic. Really inspirational.

 

Looks fantastic Ian, really glad you managed to get it sorted!:-). Clever mechanicals aside, you've done a really good job on the boiler fittings, that dome "sits" beautifully.

 

Dave

 

Nice work and very original, just love it.

 

More please..

Guys,

 

Thank you for all of the positive comments!!

 

Dave,

I may re-do the boiler fittings at some point - I don't feel that I've got the flare at the foot of the dome or safety valve quite right (but they will do for now). 

 

Ian

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Mikkel
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Hi Ian, just had a chance to watch the video. Rolls along really nicely now. Lots of drama too - bit of a cliff-hanger towards the end :-)

 

I'm full of admiration for your work with this loco. As always, you're not letting anything hold you back in getting the stock you want. A real inspiration for the rest of us.

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Ian Smith

I'll second what Jerry said. If it has some couplings by then we could put it to work on Lambourn if you'd like?

Richard,

Thank you.  Is Lambourn DC then?

 

 

Hi Ian, just had a chance to watch the video. Rolls along really nicely now. Lots of drama too - bit of a cliff-hanger towards the end :-)

 

I'm full of admiration for your work with this loco. As always, you're not letting anything hold you back in getting the stock you want. A real inspiration for the rest of us.

Mikkel,

 

Thank you.

 

In 2mm, if you want to model the Edwardian era, then you have to be prepared to do pretty much everything from scratch :-)  As a taster of what might be to come (if I live long enough), I've dipped my toe in the production of artwork for chemical etching :

First Attempt at Etching

 
On here, there are plates for both the 1854 Saddle Tank (1752) and the Metro (615), but also for a 1076 Buffalo (1601), a Dean Goods, an Armstrong Goods and a Duke (Fowey).  There are also some plates for some of the other members of the Midland Area Group of the 2mm Association too.  I've also produced the windows for my signal box and also some GWR station seats with the curly monogram ends (oh and of course some Shunt Ahead signal arms and "S" plates for them).  That lot should ensure that my retirement is a busy place :-)
 
Ian
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richbrummitt

Is Lambourn DC then?

 

Yes. I believe the wiring has been 'warmed through' to maintain reliability in the last three decades but it remains DC.

 

If you mean DCC then no.

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D869

Hi Ian,

 

I finally got round to watching your movie. I think you need to work on the plot development a bit more but the loco runs very well.

 

Regards, Andy

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Mikkel
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That's a nice etch. And the plates maybe an indication of future locos! A 2mm Armstrong Goods, now that would be a rare sight.

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Ian Smith

That's a nice etch. And the plates maybe an indication of future locos! A 2mm Armstrong Goods, now that would be a rare sight.

Mikkel,

Hopefully, the plates do provide an indication of some future locos.  They will be some way off yet though :-)  I have started on the artwork for the Buffalo - it is my intention to make myself an etched kit for both the Buffalo and Armstrong Goods (lots of lovely rivet detail on the outside frames that will be difficult to do in 2mm otherwise, and will I think be obvious if missing if I don't include it).  Clearly that is going to take me quite some time, but then i'm not in a rush I've got plenty of other projects on the go!!

 

Regards,

 

Ian

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