Back then to two C13s

Sorry folks, the original version of this page lacked logical layout. I have now edited it and I hope it is a more sensible read.

Since showing you the mainframes I’ve been playing with the lathes and produced some all-metal driving wheels and also some trailing wheels.

C13s were actually 4-4-2 tank engines but my two chassis will actually be 4-6-0s, but only the front two of the “6” will be coupled and the rear axle will be free. Perhaps that’s still 4-4-2, I’m not sure, but the rear pair of wheels will be carried in the mainframes rather than being part of a pony truck.

Those members of Manchester MRS who became wheelwrights under the guidance of Sid Stubbs are now few and far between and as one of the survivors much stock has come my way as the estates of members who have past away have been cleared. Among these gifts are quite a large number of brass wheel blanks.

I think the castings I used for the C13s were originally part of Ross Pochin’s stocks, left in his will to the Cumbrian Railway Society. As they could not see a sensible use for them within their Society, Mike Peascod gave as his opinion that I could put them to good use and they were gifted to me. As a lifetime student of the Cumbrian Railway I’m not sure that Ross would approve of their use on Great Central locos!

They have now been machined to Manchester profile which, with correct relevant back-back, is good for any of the 4mm gauges.

The HighLevel gearboxes have both been assembled and the following pictures show that process:-

Here are two pics of the same subject but a different posing. One clearly shows the gears and the quartering marks on the wheel tyres. So too does the second, but here we can see where the motor will go.

The next two two pics show the various parts used for the driven axle. The axle has a double split to ensure that the gearbox itself is never electrically energised; in picture number 3, one wheel is on the axle and has been trued to run square. It is just possible to make out a fine black line on top of the wheel’s coned section; this is to aid quartering later. The correct axlebox is in its position on the axle as is one of the insulated washer that sits between axlebox and gearbox frame. Its opposite partner lies aback the second wheel with the final drive gear to its left and the second axlebox above all.

Colour coding abounds in this picture: light green on the balance weight of the mounted wheel, dark green on the rear of its partner. You may just make out a touch of orange against the light green; orange indicating that this is for 7439, gold denoting 7402. The bright red on the box indicates the right hand side of the loco, and the dark green on the axlebox (bearing) ensures that it will end up in the dark green hornblock.

If there is a weakness in the HighLevel gearbox design then it is the problem of ensuring that the idler gear’s fixed shaft stays fixed! I’ve had a couple come loose in the past, resulting in a collapsed gearbox and a need for a ‘Heavy’. On these two I’m relying on a good blob of 24 hour Araldite stopping this shaft falling from the frames (Sorry Mr Gibbon). The blob can be seen in this 3rd. picture

The last picture is really the same but in a different pose and camera flash has caused colour destortion.

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Next jobs are first to add the wheel sets to the chassis, fit the crank pins and coupling rods and tweak for free running. The final drive gear will be left free on the axle for this process but will be Loctited when I’m happy. Then the gearbox wheel set will be removed, the motor added, and the gearbox run-in – about half an hour in each direction at high speed then at low.

C13 progress will now slow because I'm off to a Manchester MRS mutual improvement course to learn how to produce drawings for etching. Will my edification ever stop?