sej Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Some of my non-railway friends, (some of my best friends are non-railway friends) have admired my Spinner on FaceBook and were interested in its actual size. The nearest equvalent I could come up with was a pork chipolata. It's now known as the Chipolata Express... Cheers Simon 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted March 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2018 Hi Nig. H, an array of Johnson tenders would be very useful. I'm looking at producing an etch for a Johnson class 1400 2-4-0 and they appeared to have had a selection of 2950 and 3250 tenders...so I might do the 2950! Cheers Simon s Fantastic news Simon, I'd build a pair of 1400s, one with round top firebox, the other with belpaire. They were really common at Bath in the inter-war period being the mainstay of the Bath, Bristol service. Regarding tenders, the more the merrier as they seemed to have been regularly switched around, how about one of the early Johnson or a Kirtley tender with springs above the footplate. Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Hi Jerry, we've made a start on the 1400 etch. I'm going to try drawing without first scratch-building an example which I did for the Spinner and see what happens! Here we're checking the wheel clearances in the footplate, which is where I like to start. Somewhere or other on my postings are some pictures of a 4mm tender that I scratch-built for an MSWJR Galloping Alice, so I do have a bit of previous with outside sprung tenders. I'll have a think... Cheers Simon 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blandford1969 Posted March 10, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2018 Hi Jerry, we've made a start on the 1400 etch. I'm going to try drawing without first scratch-building an example which I did for the Spinner and see what happens! Here we're checking the wheel clearances in the footplate, which is where I like to start. Somewhere or other on my postings are some pictures of a 4mm tender that I scratch-built for an MSWJR Galloping Alice, so I do have a bit of previous with outside sprung tenders. I'll have a think... P1100902 (1024x545).jpg Cheers Simon What a fascinating post I would never have thought about doing that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 Thankyou. Here's the next hour's work. We find it does your head in after that! I'm checking clearances for wheels, both N gauge and 2mm and also that the splashers still have the correct curve as they're rather beautiful. Cheers Simon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGN Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Amazing modelling Simon ... as ever Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 Nearly done painting the Spinner body; just sorting out the chassis, so here are some sand boxes and brake gear... Cheers Simon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 That's done then. Next up, finishing off a Bradwell J27... Cheers Simon 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 A fine looking model! How you manage to achieve such a high level of detail and accuracy in something so small, I can only wonder! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted April 6, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 6, 2018 That's done then. P1100985 (1024x706).jpg P1100986 (1024x623) (2).jpg P1100987 (759x1024).jpg Next up, finishing off a Bradwell J27... Cheers Simon Always nice to see your work. I'll look forward to seeing the Bradwell J27. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 Nearly completed J27 as promised. Lagging slightly behind the real one...it'll catch up shortly! Next up; 7mm scratch-built BR Tilbury Tank. Here are the machined spacers, I'm very keen on live chassis at the moment... Cheers Simon 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark axlecounter Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Hi Simon, You have done some superb modelling. I have shown your thread to a mom (mobile operations manager) who has N gauge and he is amazed on how much detail you have done on such a small gauge, I can just about do it in 4mm. I have got one of your books and I will be reading it whilst on holiday. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted May 26, 2018 Author Share Posted May 26, 2018 Thanks Mark, I hope you enjoy your holiday and the book! It could be that having started scratch-building in 7mm that I can't resist trying to put as much detail as possible into the 2mm stuff as well? Both can be just as fiddly! Cheers Simon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 Here are my 7mm Tilbury frames, ready for drilling. Cheers Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 OK, more on the Tilbury coming up soon, but first, off to the etchers for the 2mm/N Midland 1400 and then some more tweaking of the Spinner. Oh and we won the football! Cheers Simon 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted July 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) Fantastic news Simon, Johnson 2-4-0s were the mainstay of local passenger services on the Midland line out of Bath in my 1920s period - 155 and 157 were regulars. They also had regular outings over the S&D particularly as the older, non-standard 4-4-0s were withdrawn through the 1920s. They're not 1400s but are all but identical, the main difference being they have 6'6" wheels as opposed to 6'81/2" but in 2mm I would be inclined to use 13mm drivers anyway. With Nigel Hunts's 483 and 7F and your spinner and 1400 modelling the MR/SDJR in the pre-group period is becoming a whole lot easier. The only thing I still lack is enough hours in the day! Both pictures taken at Bath, 155 is outside the Midland shed. 157 is on the SDJR shed Jerry Edited July 8, 2018 by queensquare 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 Thanks Jerry, they're lovely photos! They were fine looking engines and I particularly like the Belpaire version (I think they remind me of the GWR!). We've drawn both firebox versions and designed it to fit 13mm wheels in 2mm or the nearest equivalent in N gauge. The tender is a 2950 gallon version, very slightly smaller than the one on the back of the Spinner. Just waiting for the test etch to come back and then I'll build some. We're hoping for finished etches of both the Spinner and 1400 to show off at the Leamington N Gauge show on the 8th September. Cheers Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold queensquare Posted July 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 8, 2018 Thanks Jerry, they're lovely photos! They were fine looking engines and I particularly like the Belpaire version (I think they remind me of the GWR!). We've drawn both firebox versions and designed it to fit 13mm wheels in 2mm or the nearest equivalent in N gauge. The tender is a 2950 gallon version, very slightly smaller than the one on the back of the Spinner. Just waiting for the test etch to come back and then I'll build some. We're hoping for finished etches of both the Spinner and 1400 to show off at the Leamington N Gauge show on the 8th September. Cheers Simon I will look forward to seeing the etches although I wont be at Leamington as I always do the 2mm area at Swindon Steam which is the same weekend Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 Woohoo, here they are, lovely etches! Looking forward to the test build. Cheers Simon 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 Couldn't resist having a little go.... Not fiddly exactly but you do have to be very careful not to bend or distort things when cutting out and filing off the etch tabs, which are as few and as small as possible to help. I folded the ornate cut-out coupling rod splashers very carefully one at a time using the flat nose of my pliers and the tiny vice, ensuring everything was properly folded and square each time. It helps to hold your breath and concentrate...a bit of jazz is good. Cheers Simon 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 Bit more etch construction: the valances (side frames?) made easier with tabs and slots, actually tiny pips and slots... Cheers Simon 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 20, 2018 Author Share Posted July 20, 2018 This is where a test etch becomes interesting and little glitches start to show up... The front buffer beam is a great thick old thing on the real thing, with a sort of wooden sandwich construction, very retro, so I designed a concertina-like frame with four thicknesses of metal and a location flap,(bottom left hand on the photo). The frame folds up keeping all the thicknesses of the beam in line so everything can be soldered up in one go. Then the frame is cut off. There should have been three reverse folds on the frame, just wide enough to fold back on themselves, but only one fold showed up on the etch, we'll have to check the drawings. I sorted this one out in the old fashioned way with cocktail sticks holding everything together. I find it essential to make lots of detailed notes and drawings when I'm doing a test build otherwise I forget things very quickly when it comes to modifying the drawings. And I forgot to take photos as I built it but here it is attached to the frames. The pips and slots are in pleasing alignment, the back of the buffer beam fits neatly between the frames, the holes and coupling slot go all the way through and the front is half etched with the buffer bases. Cheers Simon 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 After the buffer beams, on went the rather beautifully ornate splasher sides. I've designed them to be soldered onto the small fold-ups that provide the smaller cut out parts. That went OK but I hadn't quite got the slots for the locating pips in the right place and need to look at the drawing to see how to line them up properly...also the folds on the little splashers could do with some relieving to make them easier to fold! Hind-sight is a wonderful thing. A bit of a fiddle to widen the slots and I got the splashers on. The cab front for the belpair version went in very nicely, I think I'll add some locating pips for that too on the re-drawn etch. Next time, my first 2mm belpair fire-box! Cheers Simon 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share Posted August 8, 2018 Belpair firebox! Cheers Simon 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 And now the boiler. The round firebox part needs removing for the belpair version by cutting along the boiler band. The boiler is rolled around the same dowelling former as I use for the Spinner and the back and front etched formers are soldered in. These are then used to bolt it to the firebox assembly and the saddle/smokebox front to check for fitting. Next, the splasher tops! Cheers Simon 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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