The target for the weekend was to get the chassis painted and that was achieved, eventually ......
here's the chassis all cleaned and prepped for primer
So, Sunday morning after the storms the sun came out and so did the paint - far too early as it was way too humid still and the primer went on like talcum powder. After an hour in Superstrip and another good go with the Cillit Bang! I was back to stage one ...
Fortunately mid afternoon a breeze was evident and the pool of water
It was far too flippin' hot to work in the loft/workshop/man cave today, so this evening I decamped to the patio to get the last three footboards folded up for the Slater's coach
And jolly successful it was too, all folded up, but I ran out of light before the axlebox cut-aways were filed in the final lower board. A job for tomrrow
Well, a huge thanks to David at Slater's as a package with a replacement sprue was waiting for me when I got home - I only posted off the stamps yesterday, so he must have trusted me
So the truss rod, support, axleboxes, springs and footboard hangers fitted tonight on the other side
also here's a shot of the gas cylinder and vacuum cylinder work from last night
buffer shanks and footboards next, then finish off the delicate bits underneath before (hopefully) a coat of pai
Just a quick update, the truss rod, axleboxes, springs and footboard hangers fitted to one side
I have hit a bit of a stop now as the truss rod support for the other side was broken - I've contacted Slaters and David is sending me a new casting in exchange for a couple of stamps
I'll find something else to do on it I'm sure while I am waiting for Postman Pat
After another couple of sessions we have a rolling chassis (well it would roll if I free off the bearings - a job for when they are removed for chassis painting)
I'm deviating from the order of things now as I will be making as start on the springs, axleboxes and footboards next. Save the delicate underpinnings until all the heaver engineering is done
The job is much easier with the brake third handy as a reference
OK, so as I have hinted in SUs etc I have decided to take a break from the layout to get the second coach built in time for RMweb Live! Last night I spent a productive hour getting the basic frames together.
This is an old kit I have had for some time - bought second hand off Ian Morton, so the etches are quite tarnished. I will need to clean the parts that are soldered but for now the cyano sticks to tarnished brass just as well as shiny
This kit did not come with the later m
Spent some time this weekend sorting out and unpacking in the man cave.
So around the room from left to right we have the workbench and storage
Clear area for setting up layout boards for work with layout storage behind
Finally tool storage and bookshelves
Again, ahead of the Mansfield Show I've finished off the T34 that I built last year. The buffers were oil finished and fitted according to the instructions and two JLTRT screw-link couplings were put together and chemically blackened.
So here we have the first coach for Fourgig ready for the show.
It will have to run with a green Lima MKI for Mansfield, it's matching all third will be done in time for RMweb Live! in September ......
So here it is again, I've just painted the motor and it blends in pretty well. I still might make some fill panels sometime if the small amount of daylight visible bugs me too much ....
Here's the underside showing the "gearbox"
I've also refreshed the couplings, a few have commented in the past that the 3 links were out of scale so I had a few links left over from the Ivor build which have been put to good use
I did a test run yesterday of just the chassis on a bit of
OK, took a bit of time with the rotary tool to hack away the underside of the boiler to make room for the new motor, but it's back together
As you can see, the motor is pretty visible, I'm going to paint it matt black first to see how it looks, failing that some new thin false sides can be fitted to hide it above footplate level at least.
Old Lenz Standard decoder has been found and pressed into service. Hopefully now a mainstay of the Fourgig East operating fleet. Just not ve
The Mansfield Show is fast approaching and Ivor needs another engine to play with as well as the sentinel. So the motor I fitted the last time was unscrewed from the mount/gearbox and the bracket unsoldered. The face of the gearbox was made flat and the new larger motor bonded to it.
After a bit of tweaking to get the mesh right we have a pretty smooth running chassis.
I did say this last time.....
I need to find a spare decoder as the last one is toast, the magic smoke escap
Took a few snaps last night of my new 93001 next to the original one I built six years ago. Thought they would be of interest
Shows how short 93000 was with the Stanier boiler rather than the BR3 from the 73xxx
It's finished! All detailing added and I've even risked my own hands with an airbrush to give it a basic weathering ahead of the Peterborough BRM show
Here's a few snaps
Pretty pleased, just got to clean the wheels and sort out the chuff frequency on the sound chip. Note cut down Bachmann coupling to allow for the vac pipe on the front buffer beam.
The original 93000 will be prepared for sale at the show (or after). I will be including a copy of the Hornby mag th
In between fitting window sill and skirting to the bathroom I managed to get some satin black on the body
Buffer beam to repaint and get the methfix numbers on next methinks
All the detailing done, bits missing from the second hand chassis fabricated and so, good weather permitting, some paint should fall on the loco body this weekend.
Plates are on the way from Narrow Planet (thanks Steve!) so hopefully next week I should have some pics of the loco in ex-works condition before I try to weather it
So the Paul Chetter sound chip was duly wired in and a whopping 2200uF capacitor hooked up and lo it did chuff
I know the chuff rate is not right, that's a job for tomorrow
At long last the eBay seller has come back on line and I was able to order the sofas for the living room. I've not had to wait that long for the real thing
anyhoo, a couple of snaps of them in place in front of the TV ready for occupants
Just waiting now for Black Cat Tech to finish getting married/moving house (bless) and then I'll fit one of his lovely universal lighting kits to the roof
sad I know, but I made a list of things to do to finish the loco - 14 things, so that's two weeks if I only do one a day - eeeek!
so here was the kitchen table workbench last night
The chassis is ready for primer, as is the front bogie having cut off the front section of the Hornby lump and drilling to take a self tapper to hold a Bachmann small coupling in place.
The bodyshell is almost done, I still need to add the screen/window that does behind the driver's seat. I
Had a pretty peaceful weekend so in between my Dad's 80th and one of my oldest friends getting wed I managed to get some details done on the Eight.
The tender is done, speaker wired up and installed, coal in the bunker and ladder refitted. Just needs a coat or two of varnish to blend it in with the loco.
The Comet lubricators have been fitted and the holes above in the footplate filled with Squadron White. I've also stripped the lining and cabside numbers ready for painting.
After getting the body and chassis together the next step was to sort out the tender coupling/drag box area. I filed 1mm off the sides of the chassis at the rear and then cyano'd a 1mm piece of plastikard over the top. A suitable hole drilled in this allowed a shoulder screw to hold the chassis in place and also provide the pivot for the Britannia tender coupling.
frame extensions were then fabricated to fill the gaps and a new plate was cut from 10 'thou brass as the Bachmann one did n
I received the Bachmann class 5 bodyshell from Invicta on Monday so last night I set about persuading it to sit on the Hornby 8F chassis. First obstacle was the lower section of the smokebox which fouled the cylinder block. So out came the hacksaw and slitting wheel!
I cut a slot in the rear of the chassis block to accept the mounting pillar under the cab and fitted the two together, or so I thought .... The terminal block on the motor fouled the extreme back edge of the boiler - s
Way back in the mists of time (2007) I built my first BR Standard "neverwazza" the 8F 2-8-0 that was in the 1956 build programme but never made it into metal
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8690&hilit=+93xxx
It has run successfully on Summat Colliery ever since and always provokes a reaction when folks clock the number and count the wheels etc. However, it's tender drive makes it tricky to add sound to and as the only remaining tender drive loco in the operating
A coat of varnish or two found it's way onto the coach over the weekend sealing the transfers kindly donated by Larry (Coachmann). So in my world some of the Vintage Trains stock has been sold on to the heritage railway and one FK converted to a camping coach
The remaining Lima coach might end up as W3125 of Riviera Trains and become part of the operating fleet for Fourgig East, although I would rather build a Slater's C10 Clerestory and flog the Lima one on. We shall see.
Anyway here's
Armed with nothing more than a few paperclips, scraps of card and Post-It notes two bunk beds have been fabricated for the other two bedrooms
and here they are in place
a couple of ladders might be an idea, wonder if OO Britannia tender ladders will fit .....
Keen eyes will also spot the livery change to choc and cream, if I have the transfers I'll brand it as a BR FK W13227
