Jazz 7mm Workbench

[jazz]

Decided to weather it before settling down for the evening yesterday.  How I think most locos looked just prior to withdrawal, unloved and mucky.

 

 

[jazz]

Now for something completely different. The Scorpio (Ex Jim Harris) BR Standard Class 3 2-6-0.  Starting as usual with the tender.

 

[mikemeg]

Ken,

 

I hope you don't think me impertinent if I make a few comments on the J71 kit, shown above :-

 

By British Railways days, in fact well before then, all ex North Eastern tank locomotives had their open bunker coal rails plated up.

 

Again, by the time of this model the clack valves, on the boiler sides, had been removed and replaced by live steam injectors.

 

By British Railways days, the front bufferbeam would have been replaced by a steel/wood/steel  'sandwich' buffer beam.

 

All ex-North Eastern locomotives had a blow down valve located on the left side of the smokebox (looking forward) which was driven by a rod from the cab which passed through the handrail.

 

As this loco is vacuum fitted, there would have been a vacuum pipe from the rhs of the smokebox (on the chimney centre line and between the handrail and the chimney) to the cab.

 

The loco would also have had a pipe under the valance between the two vacuum pipes on the buffer beams. Vacuum fitted locos, which served as station pilots, also often had train heating pipes fitted to the buffer beams with another pipe connecting them located under the other side valance from the vacuum pipe.

 

Sand pipes were fitted on the front amd rear driving wheelsets.

 

The attached photo, taken in 1952, might help.

 

Regards

 

Mike

Edited November 22, 2018 by mikemeg

[Marshall5]

Hi Mike, whilst I agree with the majority of your post may I offer a couple of corrections/bits of additional info?    All J71's always had 2 live steam injectors, it was only the position of the clacks (where feed water from the injectors entered the boiler) that changed.   As regards the "blowdown valve" - this was positioned low down on the firebox just above the foundation ring.  I think you meant blower valve which was, indeed, mounted on the side of the smokebox and worked by an exterior rod from the cab.

Cheers,

Ray.

[Simond]

I failed to make the blower/blowdown leap - but for sure, the blowdown would be very near the foundation ring, and the blower would be in the smokebox!

 

best

Simon

[jazz]

Hi guys. Thanks for all that info on the J71.   As it is for my layout and I do not have any reference books on them, (not being a LNER region fan), I just followed the kits instructions.  SO, it looks like it's going the have to revisit the WB to sort out some discrepancies I think.

 

That will have to wait until the current build is completed though.

 

Speaking of which here is the tender so far.  I am not able to complete the chassis for that as I'm waiting and hoping Scorpio send the missing white metal castings.

 

 

 

[Is Line Clear]

Nice choice of loco to build and I shall follow this build with interest, I do think that Scorpio will post you those missing parts because I'm doing their Britannia at the moment and that arrived missing the smokebox door, when I rang Mr Ennis he told me his local post office where he would send kits from had closed up so he has to go into town now which he only does once a week. Anyway I've just bought the 2-6-2 tank version and am promised the missing casting will be included... I'll let you know what happens when the kit arrives. Are you building the later modified BR2A tender with short cab handrails? I think the diagram instructions on this are not so clear and just make note of refer to history, sorry not being at all critical just interested.

 

regards, York Paul

[jazz]

Hi Paul. This is not a build for myself. The tender is the BR Standard BR2.

[Is Line Clear]

Hi Paul. This is not a build for myself. The tender is the BR Standard BR2.

Hi Jazz, Thanks it's looking to be great build, I know Standards are not everyone's cup of tea but I like them.

[jazz]

Ok. The tender is all but finished except for the brakes and associated rods (waiting for missing parts from Scorpio).  This has so far proved to be unlike all the many Scorpio kits I have built over the years.  some iffy castings excepted they have all gone together with very little trouble. This Standard class, being an ex Jim Harris kit, is another matter altogether.   There is a lot of extra work to get it together. Started with the chassis and it's frame spacers. These will require some careful modifications to match up with the running plate.

 

There is quite a bit of snipping and filing to get the body together too.  At the end of the day there is a reasonable resemblance to the prototype.

 

The loco is going to be a very interesting build experience I think.

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2018 by jazz

[jazz]

Broke off the Scorpio build this morning to do the alterations to the J71. It's now just a 3 link shunt loco with the BR modifications to the buffer beam etc.

 

[65179]

Sorry to highjack the thread Ken, but can any NER experts tell me what 68255 has attached to the valance in this RCTS collection photograph:

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/steam-lner/j-0-6-0/j71/hA104C20F#ha104c20f

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[Simond]

Simon,

 

Not an expert in anything, but would be fairly confident that it’s a pole shunting pole, based on the chunky great hinge by which it is attached to the loco.

 

It enabled a loco to push a wagon in (or into) an adjacent siding. The opposite of chain shunting, in which the loco pulls a wagon in an adjacent siding.

 

And an alternative to the ‘orse.

 

Best

Simon

[jazz]

Simon,

 

Not an expert in anything, but would be fairly confident that it’s a pole shunting pole, based on the chunky great hinge by which it is attached to the loco.

 

It enabled a loco to push a wagon in (or into) an adjacent siding. The opposite of chain shunting, in which the loco pulls a wagon in an adjacent siding.

 

And an alternative to the ‘orse.

 

Best

Simon

 

Sounds about right. Hells bells I hope I don't have to change the number as well. I hope someone can throw a light on when this thing was fitted.

[ArthurK]

Simon,

 

Not an expert in anything, but would be fairly confident that it’s a pole shunting pole, based on the chunky great hinge by which it is attached to the loco.

 

It enabled a loco to push a wagon in (or into) an adjacent siding. The opposite of chain shunting, in which the loco pulls a wagon in an adjacent siding.

 

And an alternative to the ‘orse.

 

Best

Simon

 

Exactly right, that's what it is.

Engines so fiited were mostly shedded at Shildon. There were a few mishaps when the poles splintered. They were never popular with the higher authorities/

 

ArthurK

[jazz]

Hi. Laying the J71 to one side, back to the BR Standard Class again.    Now this is a surprise after the rocky start with the tender.  The chassis actually went together well. I hope it continues like this.

 

It may be the case that the updating mentioned in the introduction sheet only applies to the loco and not the tender. We will see how it goes.

 

You have the choice of rigid build or compensation on the rear two axles, I have elected the latter choice.

 

[Simond]

Ken,

 

Fit a pole!

 

I bet there aren’t many pole shunting locos modelled!

 

Best

Simon

[jazz]

Ken,

 

Fit a pole!

 

I bet there aren’t many pole shunting locos modelled!

 

Best

Simon

 

Simon, I think it's the most stupid thing to fit to a loco and look ridiculous, not to mention potentially dangerous.  In my days as a shunter/driver I had never the the like of that.

 

Regards, Ken

Edited November 24, 2018 by jazz

[ArthurK]

Hi Ken 

 

It was unfortunate that you chose that particular number. The vast majority did not have those poles.

 

Whether or not you change the number it is still a very nice model.

 

ArthurK

[Simond]

Ken,

 

I’m sure they were horribly dangerous, but much of industry was in those days. It’s much safer at work nowadays.

 

I’m not so sure about “stupid”; it was a practical solution to a real problem, and probably more sensible than the short-cuts that the lads would have come up with, most likely a loose bulk of timber tied to a loco buffer at one end, and able to drop onto the track when the wagons jerked - that would certainly lead to damage to track, and maybe to the shunters too.

 

As to it’s attractiveness & interest, that’s absolutely your call, but as I said, you’d have a unique model.

 

In any case, your models are great, and I enjoy watching your builds.

Best

Simon

[jazz]

Thanks for all the kind comments and compliments guys, all very appreciated.   I think I will leave the model as is for the time being. I may change the number to 68258. Unless someone knows better of course. I doubt very much I will attach that pole though. (I would if the layout was on the show circuit, just as a talking point.)

Edited November 25, 2018 by jazz

[jazz]

Well, after the promising start on the chassis, things soon came to a halt.  Looking at the valve gear etches and seeing the huge etched holes for the pins, I thought ho heck.

 

To matters worse the hole in the cross head was minuscule.  So some thought had to be given here.  I had to use 12BA nuts an bolts all all the valve gear and very careful drilling for the link on the crosshead for 14BA nut and bolt. This meant the the link is a bit sloppy at the crosshead end.  Fortunately it runs OK.

 

So onwards tomorrow.

 

Showing the huge holes. (I normally expect to use 14BA for these)

 

 

 

 

[65179]

As I now feel rather guilty pointing out the oddity on the real 68255, how about making your lovely J71 68260? I can't find a view of 68258 online, but there's a nice colour view of 68260 in essentially the same condition (smokebox numberplate aside) in the Colour Rail collection:

 

https://colourrail.co.uk/gallery/steam

 

I can't work out how to link to the thumbnail directly unfortunately.

 

Regards,

 

Simon

[jazz]

Hi Simon. P 

 

As I now feel rather guilty pointing out the oddity on the real 68255, how about making your lovely J71 68260? I can't find a view of 68258 online, but there's a nice colour view of 68260 in essentially the same condition (smokebox numberplate aside) in the Colour Rail collection:

https://colourrail.co.uk/gallery/steam

I can't work out how to link to the thumbnail directly unfortunately.

Regards,

Simon

Please do not feel bad. Always happy to to have inaccuracies pointed out. I'm not an expert in all types of locos and sometime do make the wrong choice of numbering for my own locos.

 

That is a vey nice link you sent and thanks for that. I will be looking at all the J71's on it.

 

It is very easy to add one of the photos to the post. I click on the photo, from the drop down box add photo to 'photos ' and on my Macpro PC export it to documents and then add to post as attachment.  I assume Microsoft PC's are similar.

[jazz]

After repairing the wife's newest umbrella due to the storm today, got the body under way. What a royal pain in the butt to get the cab right. Front cab plate too wide and a lot of alterations to match it up to the rear cab plate. Now just got to get the assembly to sit correctly on the chassis.

 

Edited November 28, 2018 by jazz