LNER 462 Pacific

[bertiedog]

Again from Ebay, cheap, a Pacific LNER body in brass, appears all handmade parts, or an unusual kit from long ago. It is well detailed but has over sized handrails, the fitting of which has dented each handrail position slightly.

The body appears accurate, all brass, of a thinner grade than Jamieson used. The smoke box door is a cast whitemetal part, commercial chimney, and a most unusual perspex clear banjo steam dome.

The splashers are die cast whitemetal. The Ebay picture was most off putting and I nearly did not bid!

 

 

The soldering is fairly neat, especially the boiler bands, which at first glance appeared to be etched on the boiler barrel, but on very close examination are soldered on.

 

 

Needs a chassis, I have valve gear to suit, and a tender to match.

From the use of thick handrails and split pins for handrail knobs I would date it to the 1950's period.

It is accurate enough to make up to a fine standard.

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

Does anybody do an etched tender for an A3, it would save a lot of work. Brass only, no plastic. If no kits, are there current makers and sources of the axleboxes and springs units in cast metal?

I have a valve gear set for LNER in etched Nickel Silver, and a pair of cast cylinders. The front bogie and the trailing box are all right to make.

 

Stephen

[MikeTrice]

Martin Finney tenders are available separately: http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/martin_finney_4mm_kits.htm

[bertiedog]

I think the heavy handed denting around each split pin handrail knob can be dealt with by sawing each side and using the split pin and thick hand rail wire to pull on, as with a panel dent puller. This should pull it to flush or outwards, which is easy to deal with, and then fit modern handrail knobs, and scale size wire in nickel silver. Other minor dents can be pushed out with burnishing tools on the inside.

The Cab is perfect, no dents, as is the footplate, one dent on top of the firebox.

What looked like soldered on boiler bands do again look like they are etched into the boiler, which resulted in the thin metal left. What appeared to be solder on the edges was just dirt.

I know of no 1950's etched parts apart from Sayer Chaplin, and I have no record of them doing an A3. It was not until the 1970's that kits in etched brass appeared, and this is not all etched, it has sawn and smoothed edges to the parts.

Stephen

[bertiedog]

Yes, the Brassmaster 1928 8 wheeler would do fine, £60, about £50 quid more than the loco body!! but many times more detailed. Not aiming at a particular loco at present.

[bertiedog]

Jamieson springs to mind as a make of kit, but this one has thinner brass than Jamieson, especially the boiler parts. The valance strip on Jamieson was usually brass strip formed to match the curves of the foot plate, this on uses Bull head rail on it's side. It is the etched boiler bands and the cab roof edging etched as well that says it was a kit, but who's?

Does anybody remember a kit with a plastic perspex banjo dome, which looks moulded rather than sawn and filled?

The cab front is cut away to take the rear of a motor, again placing it in the pre-etched kit days.

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

The solder on the boiler bands is due to the boiler being three pieces, joined at the bands, which are etched into the metal. From the look of the pattern of solder marks, it was soldered together with Fry's solder paste, which leaves a characteristic appearance from the painted on solder and flux mixture. It explains the neat joint's with no surplus solder.

 

Stephen.

[bertiedog]

Very close examination under magnification shows the whole loco to be scratchbuilt, you can just see the faint marking out lines around the cab windows and other parts. Quite how the boiler bands are so tightly fitted without any trace of solder is a mystery, as etching must be ruled out.

I have managed to de-dent most of the body, and decided to leave the thicker handrails as a vintage feature. One or two minor dent cannot be removed totally as I cannot get a tool behind all the sections to push outwards.

 

So there will be a little car resin body filler used at the pre painting stage to get rid on the remaining marks.

 

With the cost of the tender I think a scratch built one will be better, does anybody know of axlebox castings for an LNER 1930's 8 wheeled tender as separate items? I will check Alan Gibson and Markit first.

[t-b-g]

An interesting model. When I first saw your picture I couldn't decide if it was a kit or from scratch. I wonder if the builder used some commercial castings as it would be unusual for somebody who can build a taper boiler from brass sheet to not use the same material for the splashers?

[Steamport Southport]

 

 

With the cost of the tender I think a scratch built one will be better, does anybody know of axlebox castings for an LNER 1930's 8 wheeled tender as separate items? I will check Alan Gibson and Markit first.

 

Comet/ Wizard 51L do LNER axlebox castings.

TS6 LNER spring axlebox x8

 

 

 

Jason

[micklner]

With the cost of the tender I think a scratch built one will be better, does anybody know of axlebox castings for an LNER 1930's 8 wheeled tender as separate items? I will check Alan Gibson and Markit first.

 

 

 

 

 

Some on ebay at the moment.    

 

Graeme King may be able to assist with resin detail parts for the Loco.

[Golden Fleece 30]

It certainly was not a Jamieson kit as such, as their valances were 1mm (maybe 1.6) square brass shaped to suit, splashers were each 2 piece brass and brass single chimney.  I am just guessing but could the owner have had the Jamieson boiler parts etched which would make them thinner?  If it was their kit he could have used rail to give a thinner valance?  The raised footplate section at the front under the saddle etc was whitemetal in the Jamieson kit as was the dome (or it could have been a turned brass one as per an A1).  Mine has long gone so I cannot say for sure.

 

Garry