The problems I mentioned in part 4 just compounded, I'd test run the motor at each stage of the build to check everything was free running, when I fitted the gearbox into the chassis I put 2 brass washers as spacers either side of the gearbox to keep it central within the frames.

I noticed that things had got a little tighter but put this down to a tight fit of the axle in the frame bearings so I ran the motor for half an hour or so to bed in the components a bit.

As I don't have a proper wheel press the quartering had to be by eye, I drilled a coin 1.5mm to accept the crankpin, using this to press on the wheels. I had previously created a small chamfer on the ends of the axles as recommended in the Gibson catalogue, despite this I still couldn't get the wheels on dead straight.

I'd previously measured the axle centres with calipers using the eighth axles entered through the bearings, I then commenced making the coupling rods using the crankpins with bushes fitted as a template. The rods I was using was the Gibson universal ones. I tacked the first one with a touch of solder and then soldered them together, which in my inexperienced hands was a real trial and took several attempts to get right [as I thought].

The holes through the flanges were only 1mm and had to be opened up to 1.5mm to take the bushes.

I then fitted these and powered up the motor to test the running. This I think was my big mistake with hindsight I should have removed the motor and tried it out by hand first because as it turned out the rods were too tight on the crankpin bushes and the resulting seizure must have caused the axles to turn within the plastic hubs loosening two of the wheels to the point that it was impossible to do anything with the assembly. Disaster!

The next day I had cooled down a bit and after a long search of the bushes at the bottom of the garden I found the bloody thing and luckily, despite being full of soil, wasn't bent.

I've now stripped it down, removing the gearbox from the chassis, first breaking the superglue holding the final drive gear onto the axle by putting it in the freezer for a few hours and then punching it through. I cleaned up the spacing washers and soldered them together and reamed them out a little so they wouldn't bind on the axle. I put the axle in my Dremel and run it through the frame bearings and again with the gearbox in place to free up the fit.

I'm getting on to Mainly trains tomorrow to order a set of Romford wheels and axles, maybe they're twice the price but hopefully there will be no issues with the quartering due to the square ended axles.

I'm not too happy with the Gibson coupling rods, being etched brass they're too thin, I will need to thicken them up by soldering washers over the end flanges.

As you know I had no experience of chassis building before commencing this project and I've certainly learned a few things along the way.

Hopefully we're nearer the end of the learning curve now.