RM web/BRM challenge; kitbuild 0 gauge class 02 diesel

[ColinK]

While I think I could manage to build a kit of a loco body, I have never managed to make a chassis.  Neither have I ever built anything in O gauge.  Inspired by the article in February 2015 BRM, I went out and bought myself a Tower Models 02 diesel shunter kit.  Phil Parker thought even I would be able to build it, so it is my entry to the challenge.  Why 0 gauge when I model in 4mm?  Well I am a member of the Romiley Club and we have an 0 gauge layout, so could I build a loco good enough to run on it?

 

This is what the postman delivered.

 

 

 

Opening the box reveals that everything is there, including wheels and motor, even the allen key to secure the wheels to the axles.  All it needs are paint, plus basic tools  and glue or solder to assemble it.

 

 

ColinK

[ColinK]

Last Wednesday I took the kit down to the model railway club to start building it.  Building it there, rather than at home, was a good move, as you will see several times in this post.

 

I decided to start on the chassis first.  The main part is a brass channel section, cut to size and with all the necessary holes already drilled.  It just needed a minute amount of work with a file to remove some burrs from a couple of holes, then I was ready to build it.

 

The first step was to try assembling the bearings, wheels and axles.  This involved first fitting the crankpins into the wheels, all this needs is a small screwdriver.  I then fitted the bushes and washers onto the crankpins to see how they went together.  i then fitted one wheel onto each axle, a simple push fit then a bolt into the axle tightened with the supplied Allen key.  All surprisingly easy!  The four axle buses were then pushed into the holes in the chassis block, the two axles slid through them, then the other two wheels fitted.  The picture below shows the result.  Note the gap between wheels and frame.

 

 

The axles went round freely, so I undid two wheels and removed the axles from the frame.  I then superglued the wheel bearings in place and had a brew while the glue set.

 

With tea drunk and glue set, I put the axles back through the bushes; one axle rotated freely, the other one turned, but not very freely.  At this point I was not sure what to do.  At home I would probably have got a round file out of my toolbox and enlarged the holes in the bearings - that would have been a big mistake.  Fortunately other club members were on hand to advise.  They suggested first swapping the axles, to see if I still had the problem, yes I did - which suggested it was a problem with the bearings, rather than the axles - perhaps one bearing was fractionally out of line? Unlikely, unless the chassis block had been drilled incorrectly.  The answer was to be patient and try turning the stiff axle by hand for a few minutes, letting 'natural friction do its work'.  It did, after a couple of minutes turning by hand, the stiff axle was rotating freely.  

 

I then found the white metal bushes that fitted between wheel and frame and fitted the axle without gearwheel - this required a bit of care to avoid the bushes catching on the crankpin bolt. Once done, the axle rotated freely.  Next the axle with the gearwheel; second problem, the gearwheel would not go onto the axle.  I resisted the urge to enlarge it with a round file.  One suggestion was to put the gearwheel in a mug of boiling water to expand it slightly, then quickly fit it on the axle.  I wasn't sure I could manage to do that and get the gearwheel in the right place.  More advice was sought and the answer was to put a small round file through the hole in the gearwheel, hold each end of the file and run the gearwheel up and down the modelling table a few times.  This I did, and after three goes the gearwheel fitted perfectly. So on went the second axle.

 

 

Time now to fit the coupling rods. I have to admit I cheated here. On a previous attempt at building a 4mm scale loco kit, it was necessary to fabricate the coupling rods from a couple of bits of metal soldered together and I made a complete hash of it - indeed I never got the chassis completed nor working.  The 02 kit required a second layer soldering to the ends of the coupling rods and given my previous attempt, I did not feel competent to do this. So I had taken the coupling rod bits to the Chapel-en-le-Frith exhibition earlier in the year and one of the demonstrators soldered them up for me - thanks Neil.  So I undid the nuts from the crankpins along with the associated washers and slid on the rods.  When reassembling them I discovered that a washer had vanished - it took a long time to find it.  It would be very helpful if Slaters included a spare washer and nut with each whilst. Rods on and the wheels still went round freely. 

 

 

Next job, fit the motor. Simply put the shaft through the hole in the chassis, fit the worm and secure it with the grubscrew, then attach motor to chassis with two small screws.  All very simple, but quite fiddly. It took a little bit of sliding the motor to and fro before the gears meshed properly. But I managed it. 

 

 

So after just an hours work, I had the chassis built.  I hadn't expected to get that far, so I hadn't brought a soldering iron with me, so I couldn't attach wires to the motor to see if it worked.  However, one of the club members went home to get me a soldering iron, once I had the wires attached - amazing, the chassis actually worked and worked well.

 

The next job on the chassis will be to take it all apart, paint it, reassemble and add pick ups. One for another day.

 

[Kenton]

 

The main part is a brass channel section, cut to size and with all the necessary holes already drilled.

Just about the thickest lump of metal I have ever seen purporting to be a chassis!

 

Hardly appropriate for the job, resulting in so much side play on the axles?

[ColinK]

So solid even I couldn't wreck it - hopefully. Odd that is so much narrower than it needs to be, but there are whitemetal spacers to stop any sideplay. They look as if they will work, but I've not got any O gauge track to run it on.

[ColinK]

Since my last post I've taken the chassis apart and painted it.  Last Wednesday, I took it to my model railway club and reassembled it. It still worked!  I then added pickups, using the copper clad paxolin and bronze wipers.  Soldering the wipers required three hands, so I was grateful from the assistance of a club member - thanks Doug.  Below is the completed chassis which works fine on the workbench, but I have no 0 gauge track to try it on.

 

[Catweasel]

I'm thinking about moving into 7 mm and this loco is on my short list. I  think I'd ditch the "chassis" though. Maybe cut the sides off and fit spacers with a proper gearbox. Nice build though.

[ColinK]

More progress on the 02.  The body and footplate/bufferbeams are separate assemblies, each consisting of a handful of components.  These had very little flash and it took only about an hour to clean up the castings and assemble them.   I didn't fancy soldering them together, nor did I want to use 5 minute epoxy, instead I used superglue.  Earlier in the year I went to the Festival of Railway Modelling at Ally Pally and I discussed glueing the large castings together with the very helpful chap on the Delux Materials stand.  He said superglue would be fine. I also asked about filling any gaps; he opened a container of Roket powder and demonstrated how this could be poured into a small gap, superglue dripped on and the gap was magically filled. I bought both the superglue and Roket powder.

 

The castings went together in a matter of minutes, and there were no gaps to fill with the superglue/Roket Powder, just a few blemishes which were filled with modelling putty.  But I hadn't wasted my money on the Roket powder.  I was concerned that the joint between the engine cover and one piece cab could easily come adrift, especially as these were heavy castings with a small joint area.  I did consider putting fillets of epoxy on the inside of the joints where they would be out of sight.  However, I found an easier solution, pour some Roket powder along the inside of the joint, then dribble onto it some superglue, hey presto, a reinforced joint.  This seems rock solid and I can't envisage it coming apart. 

 

Here are the two completed assemblies, they simply screw together when detailed and painted.

 

 

 

As you will see from the photos, the holes for the handrails have been made too. This took longer than assembling the castings.  I did drill them after assembling the body, it would have been slightly easier to do this before assembly (yes, read the instructions).  The castings are quite thick and the whitemetal seems much harder than when I last built anything out of it.  I did have a problem with drills breaking, leaving part in the hole and impossible to remove.  I did start a separate topic on this, many thanks to everyone for their advice. If you look at the top photo, you will see two closely spaced holes on the top front corner of the bonnet, one has a broken drill bit stuck in it, hence the second hole! 

 

I also drilled the four holes in the buffer beam for the veranda handrail.  If you look at the second photo, you'll see that I drilled them in the front buffer beam instead of the rear one, oops.  So I had to drill them at the correct end (it was all so simple I hadn't read the instructions). The holes at the front will be filled with putty!

[N15class]

I use talc or baking powder much cheaper and just as good.

[Dava]

This is a straightforward build, the rear handrails require care. The hardest bits I found were flush glazing the windows & the black Chevrons on yellow ends.

 

Dava

[ColinK]

Making the rear handrails proved far easier than I expected.  All I had to do was drill holes in the cast metal uprights, bend wire to the shape shown full size in the instructions, then glue them together.  Took about 30 minutes.

 

Fitting the many handrails took much longer, but was quite straightforward.  Just bend wire to size, shove in the hole, superglue from inside.  For the engine cover doors I needed several identical handrails. I made a simple jig for them, just two pieces of thick plasticard glued together to make a small square about 2mm thick.  I then made a notch in one side, measured the length of the handrail and drilled  hole that distance from the notch. I then bent a piece of wire through 90 degrees, put it in the hole in the jig, then using two pairs of small pliers, bent the other end into the notch. 

 

 

 

 

So now we have the body completed, it is in two sections, footplate and cab/bonnet.  Plus the chassis fits inside it fine, although I've noticed that some of the pick-ups may touch the footplate leading to a short circuit. That can easily be solved with insulation tape. A better solution could be heat shrink, but its too late for that.

 

Next job, the paint shop.

[ColinK]

The summer was a very busy, with little time for modelling. So very little progress on my 02.  However, the completed chassis did manage a brief run on the Romiley Club's Gillan & Brown layout when it was being prepared for the Telford show, the layout not my 02! Success, the chassis did actually run.  So I can now say I have managed to build my first loco chassis that actually works.  However, I have to say that the pick-ups are not very good and really need improving. 

 

[ColinK]

Some progress on the body, first step was to give it a good clean.  I thought it wise not to wash a white metal model in the kitchen sink, but found a more suitable utensil in the bathroom!

 

 

 

 

[ColinK]

Now a start has been made on the painting.  First a spray with primer from a rattle can.

 

 

 

I've decided that rather than be in British Rail livery, my 02 will be an industrial loco.  This will enable it to be run on the Romiley Club's 'Gillan & Brown' exhibition layout, but only if it looks good and runs well.  So I've chosen to paint it yellow for safety when its shunting the industrial complex.  The basic colour is BR yellow, again from a spray can. Note the coffee stirrers raising the body off the wood to give better paint coverage.

 

 

For some unknown reason this was far more difficult than applying the primer.  The finished result is far from even, with too much in some places (removed as best as I could with kitchen towel) and too little in others.  I'm not too worried by this as I am aiming to end up with a well used looking loco, but not sure if I will get the result I'm after.

 

 

 

 

 

[ColinK]

There have been several  references to pre-shading. Basically painting a dark colour where  shadows would appear on the model, before applying a thin final coat of paint.  I haven't used this technique before, so in my aim to have a loco that looks well used, decided to have a go.  All I did was apply weathered black with a small paintbrush around the edges of panels, round the cab window frames, in the grooves of the radiator etc.  This is the result.

 

 

It looks a bit overdone, but hopefully, the top coat of paint will cover the black, leaving just a shadow effect.

[ColinK]

So far, all the painting has been done by rattle can and brush.  However, many people say airbrushing is best.  Hence, over the year I've got an airbrush and compressor from a helpful trader at Ally Pally who let me try one; spray booth, face mask, cleaning jar from Telford O gauge show;  thinners, cleaners and some Vallejo paint from Boyes supermarket in Skipton.

 

I took all the airbrushing stuff down to one of my club's (Romiley Methodist Railway Modellers) and had a go at weathering some old wagons with acrylic paint.  With a bit of help I seemed to be doing OK.

 

So one day when I had the house to myself, I set up the airbrushing kit in my railway room, thinned some Railmatch 'faded yellow' enamel and with some trepidation, started airbrushing my 02. I know its best to avoid airbrushing enamels indoors, but when you live by the sea and a gale is blowing salt air into garage, indoors was the only place to do it, but I did use a proper face mask, fan driven spray booth and have the windows open (they are on the opposite side to the sea).  

 

 

The aim was to apply several thin coats of paint, with the pre-shading just showing through. I think it went OK, but judge for yourselves. It only took a few minutes, but cleaning the airbrush was a real pain.

 

 

 

That's the basic colour done, but there is much more painting to be done, steps, buffer beams, cab roof etc. Just over a month to get the loco finished.

 

[ColinK]

At last, the painting is just about complete, just need some 'burnt black' paint for the exhaust marks on the cab roof, then a final layer of grime. 

 

 

 

All the detail was brush painted, light brick red for the buffer beams for a faded effect, grey for the cab roof, white for the handrails.  The basic weathering consists of various matt enamels and enamel washes, all brushed on, but with much dry brushing. For example, the grey walkway on the footplate was first painted grey (actually a mix of black and white, not stirred too well to try and give a patchy effect); when that was dry I dry brushed with gunmetal to give the wear effect.    I did have a surprise though; when painting on plastic it is easy to apply some weathering paint and then wipe it off if too much has been applied, however, the metal body acted differently and once the paint was on, it could not be rubbed off. 

 

The airbrush will be needed for the final layers of grime which I'm hoping will bring it all together.

 

[N15class]

Looks good.

 

I think you need something more pink for the buffer beams, I feel that red always goes more powdery pink than brown.

[ColinK]

More progress, I've given the loco a coat of frame dirt and general dirt to complete the weathering.  The green in the windows is just a piece of card to prevent any 'dirt' getting inside the cab.  Any ideas on how I can improve on future projects welcome.

 

 

 

The acrylic dirt seems to be easy to rub off, so it looks like I'll have to give it a coat of enamel varnish to protect it.

 

Then it will be the fun job of adding the glazing.

 

[Dava]

Good luck with the glazing, fitting it flush is not easy with this kit & thick cab sides!

 

Dava

[ColinK]

Yesterday afternoon I took the 02 along to the (Romiley) model railway club. As I was on brew duty, I didn't get much modelling time, but I did manage to glaze four windows. As we had 'Gillan & Brown' up in preperation for its appearance at the Manchester Show, I took the opportunity to get a picture of the incomplete loco on the layout.

 

[Dava]

Looks good, I'm sure you'll close up the footplate-hood gap. Weathered yellow has turned out well, so has flush glazing so far!

 

Dava

[ColinK]

Many thanks for the kind words Dava. Once I've finished the windows and cab interior, it all should screw together and the gaps hopefully will vanish.

[Dava]

Your flush glazed windows are better than mine! I aim to re-do them one day.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/50652-02-diesel-shunter-coney-hill-1/

 

Dava

[ColinK]

Challenge completed, my loco finished. Some very close up photos below.

 

I know the loco is not perfect, the gap between body and footplate needs closing up and the flush glazing could be neater.   However, I have managed to build a loco which looks reasonable and runs.  If you look carefully you will see it even has a driver.  I was confident that I could build the body, but wasn't sure about the chassis, it is the first chassis that I have successfully built. So I am happy with that.

 

I'm not really happy with the pickups which came with the kit.  I had planned to attend the recent Manchester exhibition and purchase some plunger pickups to replace them, but due to the floods I could't get there. 

 

The loco could really do with some name or number plates on the cab sides, plus items like an oil drum, wheel chocks and a shunters pole on the footplate.  Perhaps I'll have time to add these when work quietens down in the New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge thank you to everyone at RMweb and BRM for encouraging me to have a go, the challenge has pushed my skills much further.

 

 

[N15class]

Challenge completed, my loco finished. Some very close up photos below.

 

I know the loco is not perfect, the gap between body and footplate needs closing up and the flush glazing could be neater.   However, I have managed to build a loco which looks reasonable and runs.  If you look carefully you will see it even has a driver.  I was confident that I could build the body, but wasn't sure about the chassis, it is the first chassis that I have successfully built. So I am happy with that.

 

I'm not really happy with the pickups which came with the kit.  I had planned to attend the recent Manchester exhibition and purchase some plunger pickups to replace them, but due to the floods I could't get there. 

 

The loco could really do with some name or number plates on the cab sides, plus items like an oil drum, wheel chocks and a shunters pole on the footplate.  Perhaps I'll have time to add these when work quietens down in the New Year.

 

 

 

IMG_0442.jpg

 

IMG_0445.jpg

 

IMG_0446.jpg

 

IMG_0449.jpg

 

IMG_0450.jpg

 

A huge thank you to everyone at RMweb and BRM for encouraging me to have a go, the challenge has pushed my skills much further.

Great job. I was unsure of your method of painting, but it sure looks good.

 

As for the fit to the footplate, sand the bottom of the body on a large sheet of grit paper on a flat surface. You will then know if it's not better it is the footplate that's not level.