LNER B15 (NER Class S2) 4-6-0 -

[mikemeg]

Well, here we go again. Arthur has been developing this kit for some time, but has faced some quite difficult design challenges because of the nature of the prototype.

 

As always, let's begin the thread with a photograph (quite rare of this type) of the prototype, probably taken at York - if this assumption is wrong, someone please correct.

 

The NER Class S2 was the first 4-6-0 design by Vincent Raven after he acceded to the post of Chief Mechanical Engineer of the North Eastern Railway, in 1910, and followed the earlier Class S and S1 of his predecessor. These two classes became LNER Class B13 and B14, with the Class S2 becoming LNER Class B15.

 

A first batch of ten was built in 1911/12 all of which were allocated to Heaton (Newcastle). A further batch of ten was built in 1912/13 which were allocated to Hull Dairycoates, Leeds Neville Hill and York. At the grouping, in 1923, these allocations remained virtually unchanged.

 

Designed as mixed traffic 4-6-0's, during LNER days these locomotives were used on the Yorkshire coast route and on the Great Central route from Hull to Sheffield. They also saw use hauling fast goods services over the Woodhead route.

 

Withdrawals began in 1937, when five were withdrawn, however further withdrawals were interrupted by the war and the next was not withdrawn until 1944. The last example of the class was withdrawn in 1947, none seeing BR service and, like so many ex-NER classes, none were preserved.

 

So, here we go with Arthur's most challenging kit, yet, the LNER B15.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[jwealleans]

Hurrah! Been waiting for this one.

[mikemeg]

Hurrah! Been waiting for this one.

 

You know what they say; 'everything comes to he who waits'.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, Jonathan, I may need it as I progress through this build.

 

Regards

 

Mike

[sej]

That's an elegant looking loco Mike. There are some beautiful NER locomotive types and I look forward to watching your build.

 

Simon

[Guest Tom F]

As soon as I saw the thread name, I knew who the author would be..... Very naughty of you Mike!

You should know how this makes a 1950 North Eastern modeller feel!

[A Murphy]

That is the downside at York station. If you can find a copy, Locomotives Illustrated 57 has a few potentially useful shots of B15s in it. I have one, so if you can't and it would be useful, maybe we could arrange a loan? Excellent looking loco, and I'm really looking forward to this. No pressure then!

 

Best wishes

 

Alastair M

[ArthurK]

Good luck with this one Mike. I has taken me far too many attempts to get it this far. However I do think that it is just about ready to go - unless you can prove me wrong! Not the easiest of my range and certainly not recommended for a beginner starting out in etched brass. As one of my favourite NER locos I couldn't let this one pass by. Like many the older NER locos they ended their days around Hull where I did manage to see some of the last survivors.

 

ArthurK

[mikemeg]

Good luck with this one Mike. I has taken me far too many attempts to get it this far. However I do think that it is just about ready to go - unless you can prove me wrong! Not the easiest of my range and certainly not recommended for a beginner starting out in etched brass. As one of my favourite NER locos I couldn't let this one pass by. Like many the older NER locos they ended their days around Hull where I did manage to see some of the last survivors.

 

ArthurK

 

I shall do my utmost to do justice to this kit, Arthur. I'm fairly confident that it will work out pretty well. All of the rest have worked out just fine.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

As soon as I saw the thread name, I knew who the author would be..... Very naughty of you Mike!

You should know how this makes a 1950 North Eastern modeller feel!

 

Tom,

 

I'm afraid that these missed your 1950 setting by around three years. Like my own 1950 layout, you're going to have to find a loco shed (in your case York) where examples of classes, thought to be extinct, mysteriously turn up in the inner recesses of some ex-NER straight shed or, perhaps, long forgotten in an abandoned NER square roundhouse.

 

Hey, Arthur designs 'em and I trial build 'em. Only afterwards do I think up a rationale to run 'em. And these were another Edwardian locomotive design classic; just intrinsically right.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[ArthurK]

Just to show just how long this has been under development this is the very first actual build and this was the second set of etches. The first set was useless. Believe it or not this was 2007.

 

At least the tender was nearly OK. A few minor changes and it went behind the Q5.

 

 

 

ArthurK

[mikemeg]

Just to show just how long this has been under development this is the very first actual build and this was the second set of etches. The first set was useless. Believe it or not this was 2007.

 

 

ArthurK

 

So let's see whether we can get this one out for 2013!

 

It'll be around a hundred years since the prototypes first saw the light of day.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So to the build.

 

One of the problems with this prototype is that the footplate is extremely narrow between the splashers and footplate angle and the side valances. With a conventional design this would be almost impossible to assemble so Arthur needed to find a method of supporting this very fragile and delicate footplate during its assembly.

 

So the lower footplate etch (Arthur's footplates are almost always etched in two layers) includes a cradle, which is folded up with the footplate and then strengthened with lateral stiffeners. The intention is that this cradle is then removed and discarded once the loco superstructure is strong enough to support the footplate assembly.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[JeffP]

Similar to what Martin Finney does. Makes it a lot easier to build, and keep square.

[mikemeg]

This photo probably illustrates the nature of Arthur's design challenge. This is one part of the upper footplate assembly - on this prototype the cylinders actually protrude through the footplate, effectively splitting the footplate into two parts.

 

The small splashers, on this part, were bent up with the etch still in the fret; this to avoid any distortion. Once parted, the etching tabs were very carefully cleaned off using a worn needle file; one with a minimum of drag. This process took around half an hour with the part held as close to the filing action as possible.

 

Now this has to be sweated to the lower footplate assembly ensuring that all slots, in each layer, exactly correspond.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[ArthurK]

Mike

 

I always leave cleaning up the tags until after it is soldered to the under layer. It is less easily damaged then.

 

ArthurK

[Wizard of the Moor]

Using a slip stone, instead of a file, to remove the tags reduces the risk of snagging on and distorting the metal. They also cut in any direction, which can be useful for getting into tight spots.

 

Irrespective of technique, this is looking like another quality loco. I'm really enjoying these builds and learning a lot. Many thanks for sharing your progress.

[mikemeg]

The footplate assembly is now complete, with both parts of the upper layer securely soldered to the lower layer. All slots have been checked for correspondence, between the two layers, and seem ok.

 

Now to start adding more of the superstructure to this footplate assembly. The light in my conservatory, where I do my soldering work, is very bright today; we have some sun. Makes the photography much easier, also; the blue background actually looks blue!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

Using a slip stone, instead of a file, to remove the tags reduces the risk of snagging on and distorting the metal. They also cut in any direction, which can be useful for getting into tight spots.

 

Irrespective of technique, this is looking like another quality loco. I'm really enjoying these builds and learning a lot. Many thanks for sharing your progress.

 

Thanks for the posting and the kind comments. I have to confess that I both enjoy building these 'test runs' and equally, I enjoy writing them up, on here; it's part of the 'deal' with Arthur, though a very pleasurable part. Must be the latent 'journalist' in me!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

Before the cab side detailing is done, which will be done while this is in the flat, just a quick check to ensure that the tabs and slots all line up on this quite large piece. All of the tabs slide into their slots, quite easily, so now onto checking the other side. Once the beading and internal cab window slides are done, then each of the sides can be folded into their final configuration.

 

I'm now onto page 2 of the instructions, though I do have only four pages.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

With the light now beginning to fade (and it's only 3.30 pm) time to call it a day, for the first day of this build. Both sides have had the cab beading attached and the .6 mm bottom angle overlay along the entire length of each side. This has to be fitted very carefully indeed and must be flush with the bottom edge of the side. I still have to add the cab window beading and the cab window slides inside each cab side, after which these sides can be folded to their correct configuration.

 

So a quick photo, with the two sides just propped in their slots, to record the progress on day 1.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[MarkC]

Another 'must follow' thread - and what a good-looking locomotive to model too. Good luck with the build, Mike, and well done to Arthur for the design - those etches look incredibly delicate.

 

Mark

[ArthurK]

Another 'must follow' thread - and what a good-looking locomotive to model too. Good luck with the build, Mike, and well done to Arthur for the design - those etches look incredibly delicate.

 

Mark

 

Yes some bits are very delicate. I have probably done eight test etches to get to this point but (unless Mike proves me wrong) I think that I am there at last. Each test has used a different way of doing the footplate construction but I am sure the the cradle is the way to go. If it works then it opens up the design of other NER classes including the Atlantics. The easiest 'next' would be to back engineer it to its predecessor the B13 which had an identical footplate but smaller boiler, low cab roof and different frame lower profile. All the internal gubbins was virtually the same.

 

ArthurK

 

[mikemeg]

From the very start of assembly it is clear that the cradle is the way to go. It would be impossible to assemble that footplate and the continuous and non-continuous splashers without some form of support, especially as the footplate is split into two sections by the cylinders protruding up above it.

 

Many of these etches are very delicate and must be parted very carefully, on a hard surface with a very sharp craft knife, and then very carefully dressed. But all of this can be done, however it does require a lot of care in treatment and in handling.

 

With classes such as these, if the models are to be 'true to prototype' then the kit will be necessarily more complex and challenging than simpler prototypes but Arthur has made quite clear that this is not one for beginners. To compromise on that complexity and/or challenge would result in a kit and a model which wasn't a B15 or NER Class S2.

 

And just to put this into context, prior to building Arthur's Q5/2, last year, I had never built an etched kit. Yes, I'd done a bit of scratch building but very little in brass. So, I've got to here (wherever here is) in less than two years. If I can do it, lots more can do it.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

Having completed the external detailing of one cab side/raised footplate, with the various beadings and angle overlay, along the bottom, then this component was folded. This folding operation is quite complex and care must be taken to keep everything flat and to achieve 90 degree bends on the raised footplate and then the splasher fronts.

 

The front frames have been folded up though not yet fixed, just to check the fit against the raised footplate. All seems to line up ok, so now onto the second cab/side detailing.

 

All of the folding, on the raised footplate, splasher fronts and on the front frames was done on a block of wood using two steel rules as bending bars.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

Both sides have now been externally detailed, with the various beadings and with the bottom angle overlay and then folded. The front frame assembly has been drilled for the lifting holes, which were added by the LNER, and then soldered into the footplate assembly, after fitting the cylinder flange plates.

 

Both sides can now be checked for fit into their slots in the footplate and the front frames to ensure that they sit properly. It is much easier to make adjustments, at this early stage, than later when much more would need to be adjusted.

 

Cheers

 

Mike