Millwall Extension Railway

[hartleymartin]

Feeling stupid once again, I realised that I ordered the rods for the 4mm version, so I've just cancelled that order.

[hartleymartin]

I wonder if I could get Premier Components to do up a set of appropriate rods for this Manning Wardle. I've been pestering the proprietor for some custom rods for my NSWGR Z18 class 0-6-0 (I made a complete mess of the etched components!)

[Dava]

You can ask, Bill is 'old school' and may not respond to emails but should be at Guildex nextweekend. Rods for this loco should not be too hard to make?

 

Dava

[Poggy1165]

Another potential source for custom coupling rods is JPL models of Tyldesley. They did some J11 rods for me and they were quite reasonably priced for something one-off.

[hartleymartin]

You can ask, Bill is 'old school' and may not respond to emails but should be at Guildex nextweekend. Rods for this loco should not be too hard to make?

 

Dava

 

I know that you've got some machine tools. I might start pestering you for some custom components!

[Dava]

My 'machine tools' consist of an Expo drill with a stand and the kind of plastic toy lathe people are rude about. Seriously, I do most things by hand. For those rods I'd get a copy of the plan and make a plasticard template with the crank hole dimensions absolutely accurate.

 

Then mark out 6 of the rods on 20thou nickel silver as blanks, say 35 x 3mm each and use the template to drill the crank holes, start with a small drill in a pin chuck. I don't know if you'd need 3 thicknesses of the rods but they are quite slender and best to have a couple spare in case of errors.

 

Use a fretsaw to cut out the blanks, take a session to do each side, don't rush. Tidy them up with a file but don't overdo it. Clamp 2 together and check the hole alignment carefully. Clean and tin the inner faces, clamp with small metal clamps. I'd use a gas ring to heat the whole rod gently and fuse them together, then quench. Check the holes which may have solder in them. Do the other one.

 

Stick a copy of the rod drawing onto each rod. Take your time filing them to size. From the drawing they have a slight fish belly profile in the Centre, and rectangular bearings at each end. Thin brass overlays can be used for detail here.

 

I've been using those diamond-coated needle files which are not expensive but work faster on metal.

 

By the way do you know Kerry Viney who is in Queensland? He models steam rail cars and is very ingeniious?

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dava

[hartleymartin]

Just got word from Shapeways that the printed parts are on their way. I'm wonder where my order from Slaters for the wheel has gotten to. I bought the wheelsets - need to figure out what motor and wheelbox is needed.

[wagonman]

Just got word from Shapeways that the printed parts are on their way. I'm wonder where my order from Slaters for the wheel has gotten to. I bought the wheelsets - need to figure out what motor and wheelbox is needed.

 

 

Something really rather tiny. My print arrived from Shapeways a couple of days ago but I've not had time to photograph it yet. It will need the chimney drilling out, new or modified buffers, and a new (scratchbuilt) chassis...

[hartleymartin]

My plan is to attempt to make use of the 3D printed chassis, but I may very well end up making my own in brass or styrene.

[hartleymartin]

I might ask if they would do the chimney and dome in polished brass. Expensive, I know, but I do think it would look good.

[wagonman]

My plan is to attempt to make use of the 3D printed chassis, but I may very well end up making my own in brass or styrene.

 

 

Mine will be in Scale7 hence the need for a new chassis. For 0F the printed chassis may suffice.

[hartleymartin]

In S7, I am sure that you will need to build your own sprung/compensated chassis. I have been chatting with a few people who have been doing 3D-printed locomotive kits. The printed chassis generally work well in HO/OO scale, but they are interested to know how well they work in O scale.

I have built a couple of my own loco chassis in O scale fine-standard, and I appreciate that there does reach a stage when suspension or compensation is necessary, I can imagine that an S7 locomotive can't be built rigid.

[hartleymartin]

Just got confirmation that both my orders from Shapeways and Slatersplastikard have been shipped. It is now a race between the Royal Mail and the United Parcels Service.

[hartleymartin]

The big question now is what sort of gearbox/motor combination I should use. I am starting to wish that there was a 1/8" axle option, as I then could use any number of the gearboxes marketed for 4mm scale. I seriously doubt that my usual Mashima 1833 with flywheel and 40:1 gearset is going to fit inside such a tiny loco.

[hartleymartin]

First place goes to Slaters with the Royal Mail! Shapeways with UPS has no signs of arriving just yet.

[MarcD]

First place goes to Slaters with the Royal Mail! Shapeways with UPS has no signs of arriving just yet.

for a small motor  try Taff vale models (ex Dragon models) they have a 12xx motor which fits all of the high level kits. I'm designing the Ravenglass and Eskdale 0-6-0T using their motor.

 

Marc

[hartleymartin]

Does the gearbox fit a 3/16" axle? I am assembling the 7mm scale version.

[MarcD]

High levels gearboxes at 1/8th only but they do their own boxes for 3/16th. We are using 1/8th axles as the R&ER loco has slaters 3ft6 NG wheels

 

Marc

[hartleymartin]

And 24 hours later, the Shapeways order turns up. I have sent the designer a list of suggestions as to the improvement of this model.

Aside from a few minor niggles, (nothing which could not be easily fixed by the modeller) the main issue I have is that the Dome, Chimney and cab are all integral to the body moldings. This will make painting the model very tricky.

 

As I am free-lacing with this model, I may choose to cut down the cab into a spectacle plate and run some bracing rods down to the insides of the side tanks.

 

The only "serious" error in the body is the boiler backhead is too far back by about a scale foot, and has a gaping hole in the bottom. I imagine that this must have been a necessity in the 4mm scale version to fit the motor/gearbox, but it will need to be corrected in the 7mm model. It is probably not too difficult to cut the part out, fettle it down and re-fit it in the correct place.

 

I need to try a few configurations for motor and gearbox, but I am pleasantly surprised that the chassis printing looks like it will actually build up into a reasonable runner, though it will be a real light-weight!

 

And yes, it is a tiny prototype. The 7mm body is hardly much bigger than a 4mm Jinty!

Edited September 13, 2017 by hartleymartin

[hartleymartin]

Since I am not intending to model the Millwall Extension Railway Manning Wardle, I am thinking of cutting down the bunker extension and the cab roof to something like this:

 

Image from Flickr: © Austin7nut, 2009 Bluebell Railway Album

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/austin7nut/4332697350/

[hartleymartin]

Just in case that last post runs into any copyright issues, here are a few historic pictures which shows the kind of spectacle plate which I am thinking of:

 

 

 

Or perhaps this style:

 

 

 

Or perhaps a spectacle plate and roof like 394X "Pioneer" of the NSWGR:

 

[MarcD]

the top two photos are MW class H 0-4-0ST which there is no kits but there was a ready to run. the third photo is available from slaters.

 

Marc 

[hartleymartin]

Well, I've done a preliminary assembly where I've put the wheels into the chassis and then mounted the body on top. Is it just me, or does the model seem to sit a bit high?

 

 

I am pretty sure that the chassis is a direct up-scale of the 4mm version. It is too narrow.

 

 

 

Post-Scriptum:

 

I have checked it against my other, Ixion, Manning Wardle. Indeed, the body sits too high, I estimate by about 3-4mm. The two drive axles are not parallel, and the frames are too close together. Looks like I might be making my own chassis the old-fashioned way in brass.

Edited September 14, 2017 by hartleymartin

[sir douglas]

"Sharpthorn" is a K class No 641 of 1877 originally Samuel Williams no 4 "solomon"

 

"Mawddy" is an M class No 104 of 1864 originally worked at Brancepath Colliery

 

"Aberdeen" is an F class No 1014 of 1887

 

the H class is No 343 of 1873

 

another pic of "Mawddy"

 

a different style of MW 2-4-0, this one is No 299 of 1870 for the Thetford & Watton railway

[hartleymartin]

I have decided to freelance this model somewhat. The Westinghouse air compressor will go, and a "home-made" cab will replace the original. I am looking at the possibilities with regards to motor/gearbox. I had decided I'll make use of slaters' rods, which are 4'9" which will mean a scratch-built chassis and part of the gearbox will protrude into the cab from the firebox - this will hopefully be well-hidden with a couple of crew figurines on the footplate. The supplied chassis is too narrow, and the front axle does not line up with the front springs - these will also be replaced when I manage to find some suitable castings in my big box of bits or I'll scratch-build them in plastikard. 

I have a Mashima 1833 and 40:1 gearbox from another half-finished locomotive. This won't fit, certainly it can't fit with a flywheel attached, and I do like flywheels, I am looking at perhaps an 1824 with a turned-down flywheel. I have two of these somewhere in my garage, probably still in a big box of train stuff from my last house move 2 years ago. This really is quite a tiny prototype - hardly bigger than a OO scale Jinty, and it is the same length over headstocks as my Manning Wardle H class, but with small side tanks, it has a considerably smaller body!

 

My thoughts now turn to "Australianising" it a little bit to resemble Bulli Colliery No.2 It is in fact a Hudswell Clarke, and somewhat larger, but as I am free-lacing, I see it is as a might-have-been. If I had known that I was going to scratch-built a new chassis, I would have bought different wheels.

 

http://www.australiansteam.com/South%20Bulli%20No2.htm

 

Edited September 16, 2017 by hartleymartin