Some real progress today -& then a 'let down' at the end!
A few chapters back I discussed the problem of the brake rigging - not enough room between the inner & outer frames - and then I spotted that (on the prototype) the hangers are bolted to the outside frames.
So today, having competed the tank top (coal backplate, side rails) and the rear detailing (lamp irons, grab rails & buffer bases) it was time to start 'bodging'.
Basically all I did was to transfer the hanger
A little progress tonight - the front end of the tender is taking shape (roughly) following the instructions... The toolbox section states 'fold up the toolobx and solder to the front plate' - the impression is that it is soldered to the *footplate* side - but the section is *before* adding the footplate. I suddenly realised it goes inside the coal hopper! There is also a 'front door' which should (in the MSWJR period) be sweated to the front of the front plate. Apparently in the GWR period
Well, after a few days earning the mortgage & keeping the Chancellor in his acustomed luxury, it was back to the workbench.
Job for today - get as far forward with the watertank as possible (more work tommorrow )(Overtime - ).
As can be seen, the sides & ends are in six separate pieces. Ok, it looks like three but I've already soldered the flare units in place!. Nice little job for the RSU. Note, there are no tabs to locate the sides in the footplate... Normal procedure
First, an update on the RSU saga. Thanks to pointers from Kenton, I experimented with the paper insulation suggestion. The only difference was - I use asbestos sheet.
Using the magnet as the 'return' path, the joints were made using the contacts shown. A-D was really fierce - even made the asbestos smoke! B-D was good - but C-D did the job without an excess of heat - you can see unmelted solder past round the join.
Continuing on with the MSWJR 4-4-0, this is one of the tender st
After a week of work it would have been nice to get in a ful days modelling - but family life predicated otherwise! Still, I managed 3 hours this evening - but re-working a '57' pannier body (the ex-Palitoy/Mainline/Bachmann one) into something more suitable for the mid-1920's. If you're intested the story is here - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/17831-grasshopper-minded/page__gopid__318687.
I'll spend tommorrow working on that, & then return to the MSWJR on Wednesday
Faced with mounting the brake gear the next step was to add axle journals, wheels etc so clearances could be fixed. In true 'Perseverance' style the journals have to be retained in the guides by short lengths of wire -
That done I then set about the brake gear. I menytioned in the earlier post that I thought the hangers were mounted too far back -
so I re-drilled them 1.5mm further forward -
which seemed to work. So then it was time to tie it all together - bearin
Having dallied with a new piece of kit (and, as I thought, got the hang of it ) its time to get on with the kit. As you will recall, I'm building this tender-first and in the last entry had completed one side-frame. Time for the spacers and complete the other side-frame!
The kit comes with spacers for OO/EM/18.83 - and no indication as to which one goes where... That said its reasonably obvious from the positions of the folds/tabs. And that was the next point. All the tab slots are too
First - my thanks to Kenton for the comment on the 'Soldering Station' entry - sounds like someone who has used the same unit!
The unit has four ports - the top three (red) marked A-C, and the final port (Black) marked D. The instructions show power combinations using combinations of all four. I'll admit now I 'bottled' on settings like A/B or B/C - the power leads are red & black, and that seemed to me to be a clue! I will say now that the instructions give very little in the way of
Actually only took a couple of hours... Longest job was trimming the length of the fence with a blunt hacksaw blade!
Here's the unit -
Although at least three years old, the 'plug protector' indicates the lack of use!
The 'bits' involved -
The pink sheet is asbestos - I thought about using it between the ply base and the steel plate 'just in case', but
Here's the complete table -
and I didnt hold the thought ! The clipped lead is the 'return' to the uni
'Black Rat' reckoned I should try an RSU - which reminded me that I actually have one... Been meaning to try it for years, having bought one of Dick Ganderton's 'Graskop' units several years ago.. Last year at ExpoEM South I saw a demonstrator using one, so now it's crunch time...
Having seen the demo I'm spending tommorrow setting up what I'd describe as a 'soldering station' using a piece of steel plate as a base, with steel angle bolted to it for 'rightangle' work. The steel angle will
A few days ago, I posted a query as to whether anyone else had constructed the 'Albion' kit for the GWR re-build of the MSWJR 4-4-0. The silence was deafening (and perhaps now I see why!) The kit is now marketted by 'Roxey Mouldings' but (from the date on the etches) started life in 1986. Which probably explains a few things in the 'etched kit technology' department, as we shall see...
The cat wonders 'Wots in the box?' (& knowing my cat - 'can I eat it?'). Opened up it reveals
