Bath Queen Square

[queensquare]

Have a look at Burton on Trent, by RBE (Cav) - he's using his own standard, which he calls N2, which seems to equate to something like N-SF

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/100029-burton-on-trent-in-n2/&do=findComment&comment=1916132

 

Yes Cav's standards would work. Using modern, low profile N wheels the standards can be tightened up quite a lot

There's fs160 if it is continental modelling you are interested in.

fs160 isnt really suitable if you dont want to change/re profile the wheels. Its essentially 2FS standards with the gauge reduced to 9mm

 

Jerry

[IanStock]

I'm building a model using 2mm assn code 40/copperclads and running French N scale stock. Standards similar to Cav's. Can be done if you're careful about flange depth. See my blog (link in footer)

 

Regards

Ian

 

Lovely stuff Jerry.

 

A question.....! Has an 'N' version of 00-SF, l guess N-SF ever been tried?

 

The reason for the question is that l'm looking for a finer 'N' 9mm 1:160 scale track with finer looking crossings that could take the modern later and finer continental stock without having to wheel change. When l was a member of the 2MM Society some years ago there was a continental section in the society but l never managed to progress with anything.

Edited December 11, 2016 by IanStock

[queensquare]

Each New Year I have the same resolution, to finish some of the many projects I have on the go before starting any more - this is usually preceded by starting something new over the Christmas break. This year looks liken being no exception!

 

Guy Williams used to build what he called portrait locos, a specific loco based on a photograph that was as accurate as possible for a specific date and time. The little loco I have just started can best be described as a sketch loco, numerous liberties but hopefully capturing the feel.

In amongst the late Steve Sykes bits and pieces was a Worsley Works etch, with various  bits missing, for a Great North of Scotland 4-4-0. The prototype was designed by the son of the Midlands  S W Johnson and bore all the hallmarks of his fathers style. It was essentially a smaller wheeled version of a MR 4-4-0. What immediately struck me was that it had the look of the small SDJR 4-4-0s. Measurements showed it to be close - the cab side sheets are about .8mm too deep, the coupled wheelbase is a couple of inches over (ignored),   and the footplate too long - easily sorted by making a new one. Essentially, I've used the cab sides and splashers and whittled the rest from brass and NS.

 

The snaps below show the results of a couple of evenings hacking away. There is a lot of cleaning up to be done but I'm sufficiently pleased to feel its worth continuing. The boiler fittings are N Brass just plonked in place and I'm in two minds whether to use them. The dome and safety valve cover will probably suffice with some fettleing and  refining, the chimney looks a bit short and fat to me eye. We shall see.

 

 

 

Overall, despite the known dimensional issues, I'm happy that it will capture the spirit. These were small locos, smaller than any 4-4-0s the Midland had, the second shot alongside a recently completed SDJR 2P shows just how small.

 

Merry Christmas all,

 

Jerry

[Yorkshire Square]

Very nice, Jerry. Are there etches for the splasher tops or will you have to fabricate those too?

 

It's very laudable to have a get things finished session; I've been working to clear some of the partly finished items too. At the same time it's exciting to start something new. I've just commenced Hull Bridge and this will need three or four scratch built H&BR locos. These were designed by Matthew Stirling, son of Patrick of "Stirling Single" fame. 2017 should be interesting!

[The Stationmaster]

Merry Christmas to you to Jerry (and herself of course).

[queensquare]

Very nice, Jerry. Are there etches for the splasher tops or will you have to fabricate those too?

 

It's very laudable to have a get things finished session; I've been working to clear some of the partly finished items too. At the same time it's exciting to start something new. I've just commenced Hull Bridge and this will need three or four scratch built H&BR locos. These were designed by Matthew Stirling, son of Patrick of "Stirling Single" fame. 2017 should be interesting!

 

Thanks Tony, I do regularly get stuff finished (although not necessarily painted!), but rarely in the same order it was started! I've been following your new project, pre-group H&BR sounds great. Alan Doherty of Worsley does a Stirling 0-6-0 tender loco, I've seen one converted to a very convincing SECR loco and the SDJR had five locos built by Fowler of Leeds with a Stirling cab which were very similar. Any use for the Hull and Barnsley?

 

The boiler on my SDJR 4-4-0 is smaller than the GNSR  prototype so the etched splasher tops were too narrow so I used some etched waste filed to the correct width. The tricky bit is bending them to shape and soldering in place but an evening of cutting, filing, tweaking and cursing got the job done.

 

 

 

Jerry

Edited December 22, 2016 by queensquare

[queensquare]

Bit more progress today. The loco body has been tidied up a little and bearings popped in the chassis sideframes that come with the Worsley etch - the lot being precariously balanced for the photo! I wont do any more to the body now until I have a rolling chassis. I like to build the two halves of the loco side by side so I can be sure everything will fit. 

The chassis will have a straight 38:1 gear on the leading axle. This is nice and simple and with the 11mm drivers will give smooth, controllable running. The other advantage is that with the worm and drive shaft above frame level and no intermediate gears between the frames I can make the ashpan out of a solid lump, preferably a bit of copper tungsten which will give much useful weight exactly where its needed, low down between the drivers. The boiler will be full of lead which will be balanced  by the  weighted front to the tender bearing on the rear of the loco. The firebox will also be crammed with as much as I can get in there.

 

The tender is more sketching, its an old etch for a Johnson 2950 type. I've taken  1mm off the height, reduced the width so the springs can be mounted above the footplate and its now pretty close to the SDJR tender. The lower beading will have to be reinstated but most of the other significant differences revolve around the coal plate, tool boxes and water filler and these are all fairly basic fabrications. Its only loosely tacked together at the moment and sat on a lump of bluetack so looks a bit rough but does give an idea.

 

 

 

All the kids and their various partners descend on the house tomorrow - the first glass of bubbly is liable to be shoved in my hand before lunch so I suspect little progress will be made until at least Boxing day. Its a tough job but somebodies got to do it!!

 

Jerry

 

 

[queensquare]

Bit more progress on the small 4-4-0.

 

 

I got the wheels prepped. Crank pins fitted, cleaned up then the treads masked ready for spraying. 

 

 

The coupling rods are based on those supplied on the etch with their thickness doubled and shape refined with filing. I also did a bit more work on the tender including building the chassis,  reinstating the lower beading cut off when the body was lowered and generally cleaning it up. 

The tender body pivots on the single fixing screw at the rear. The front of the chassis is lowered by about .5mm (the filed section), the ride height will be maintained by the fall plate being soldered to the tender and resting on the rear of the loco footplate, transfering weight in the process. The front third or so of the tender body will be crammed with as much weight as I can get in which will counterbalance the weight of the lead in the front section of the boiler. The end result should be a reasonably heavy loco whose centre of gravity falls within the coupled wheelbase.

 

Jerry

[garethashenden]

It all looks very good Jerry! I do have one question though. You said this will have a 38:1 worm and gear and I'm wondering how you hold the worm? I've seen the etched fold up boxes on chassis kits from the Association (and I've built one) but I'm not sure that that translates to a homebrewed one-off chassis.

When you get around to doing it I would appreciate some extra details and pictures, I'm quite a visual learner...

[queensquare]

Thank Gareth. The worm shaft will be in a shallow U shaped bracket with two bearings bolted to the chassis spacer. I will post pictures when I get round to doing it but essentially it will be similar to the picture Nigel Hunt posted of his 3P over on the 2mm chassis thread - if somebody could post a link that would be useful, i haven't worked out how to do it on Kim's iplod

 

Jerry

[Valentin]

[...]

I will post pictures when I get round to doing it but essentially it will be similar to the picture Nigel Hunt posted of his 3P over on the 2mm chassis thread - if somebody could post a link that would be useful, i haven't worked out how to do it on Kim's iplod

 

 

You mean this one? (The third picture in the post)

[queensquare]

Final post of the year sees the basic chassis frames soldered up and I'm pleased to say it looks as though everything fits so far. Back to earning a crust on Monday so progress will slow dramatically but very pleased so far.

 

 

 

Happy New Year all, Jerry

 

 

[CF MRC]

Not wishing to steal Jerry's thread, but for mounting a worm, I drill a 1.5 mm hole down a block of brass (square pin plugs are a useful source if you don't have tons of the stuff laying around). This is filed to fit tightly between the frames, broadly where the firebox would go, with the worm shaft hole in the midline (oil hole on top). The frames have a couple of 14BA clearance holes drilled in them where the block sits. The worm (mounted in the block) is rested on the worm wheel, with two dummy axles locating it either side. The two holes are marked through to the block and these are then drilled and tapped for 14 BA. The front hole is countersunk for an appropriate bolt. The back hole takes a cheese head bolt and the whole can be stretched a bit if the worm needs adjusting. Once everything is set up correctly, then the non screwed side of the block is filed back to give electrical clearance from the other live frame. When the loco is really run in then a spot of superglue will lock the gear housing in place (glue joint easily broken with a scalpel if required. This block gives a decent amount of weight in the chassis.

 

 

 

Tim

[queensquare]

A really useful post Tim, a simple, elegant solution. Like all good ideas I shall steal it! My little 4-4-0 uses the thin etched frames from the Worsley etch so I don't think I would have got away with just a spacer at each end but it's perfect for the heavier frames you use. What is the frame material and what do you use for spacers?

Thinking about it, I may try out a variation on your idea. Instead of my usual U shaped frame to hold the worm shaft I could make a smaller block than yours which bolts to the central spacer. As you say it adds some useful weight just where you want it.

 

Jerry

[CF MRC]

The frames are phosphor bronze strip from the 2 mm SA with double sided pcb spacer strip, also from the Association Jerry.

 

See you in St Evenage.

 

Tim

Edited January 1, 2017 by CF MRC

[Valentin]

A really useful post Tim, a simple, elegant solution. Like all good ideas I shall steal it! My little 4-4-0 uses the thin etched frames from the Worsley etch so I don't think I would have got away with just a spacer at each end but it's perfect for the heavier frames you use. What is the frame material and what do you use for spacers?

Thinking about it, I may try out a variation on your idea. Instead of my usual U shaped frame to hold the worm shaft I could make a smaller block than yours which bolts to the central spacer. As you say it adds some useful weight just where you want it.

 

Jerry

 

 

Another variation of the same idea:

 

 

Ultrascale 38:1 gear set, P/B bearings soldered to the brass block, 12BA steel bolt from underneath. Still to add 0.05" styrene between the spacer and the brass block.

[queensquare]

Another variation of the same idea:

 

Ultrascale 38:1 gear set, P/B bearings soldered to the brass block, 12BA steel bolt from underneath. Still to add 0.05" styrene between the spacer and the brass block.

That's just the sort of thing I had in mind Valentin

 

Jerry

[queensquare]

Alongside building yet more engines I have also been progressing the mainline, and in particular the transformation of Highbury into Foxcote New pit. The not particularly good phone snaps attached show that the down line has progressed across the front of the colliery and the up line has reached the points for the colliery connection - slip and link line just temporarily laid in place for the picture.

 

 

 

 

I will have some of the locos featured in this thread with me at the Stevenage show this weekend, come and say hello.

 

Jerry

[The Great Bear]

Very nice; I am particularly taken with the sweeping curves in the track alignment

[phil_sutters]

As usual I have been flitting from project to project in the evenings and this week I have returned to another loco that was started some while ago, MR 1F 0-6-0T No. 1676 which was a long standing resident of Bath. The late Reverend Alan Newman recalls a cab ride in her in the Midland yard when he was a lad in the late 1920s and I have a rather grainy picture of her in the same yard in the early 1930s.

The basic body has been done for a while but I built the chassis this week and I'm pleased to say it runs very well with its Lawton 8mm motor and 60:1 gearing. It should get even better when I add some weight and I'm encouraged to finish it off. It will then join the growing stud of locos in the queue for the printshop!

 

image.jpg

 

Jerry

 

Edited to correct number

This looks very similar to S&DJR No.8. I haven't looked at dimensions. The bunker is the main difference,

[queensquare]

Very nice; I am particularly taken with the sweeping curves in the track alignment

 

Thanks, the section of the S&D between Midford and Radstock largely followed the alignment of the old SCC tramway and was characterised by a succession of reverse curves.

 

This looks very similar to S&DJR No.8. I haven't looked at dimensions. The bunker is the main difference,

 

The SDJR No8 you are thinking of was slightly smaller being a Fox Walker saddle tank rebuilt with side tanks although the standard Midland boiler fittings do result in a definite family likeness. For some reason No 8 also had a spell as an 0-6-0 tender loco. The complexities of SDJR rebuilding and renumbering are legendary!

I will build a pair of Fox Walkers at some point as they were very long term residents of Bath.

 

Jerry 

[Re6/6]

Lovely 'sweepy' stuff Jerry and looks superb.

 

Is it going to go 'on the road'?

[Donw]

It is lovely you have made the space to place the colliery alongside a decent length of mainline a chance for those lovely locos to stretch their legs or a bit of shunting if you wish. 

 

Don

[queensquare]

Lovely 'sweepy' stuff Jerry and looks superb.

 

Is it going to go 'on the road'?

Thanks John. I'm hoping to work out a way to take the colliery out in its new format but the bits either side are definitely home only.

 

Jerry

[Stephen 28]

Hi Jerry, not sure if it will contain anything you don't already know, but the March 2017 edition of Steam Days magazine has a fourteen page article on Bath "Green Park" as they call it. Half a dozen pictures are from MR/S&D days, including a very nice one of a Johnson Single awaiting departure from Bath.

 

Stephen