Thought I'd check the tender to loco coupling as the extra 4mm length at the back was concerning me. Glad I did before going any further. For those who do not know, the current spec Brit chassis connects to the tender via a pin under the cab fixed to the chassis not the pony as in earlier variants.
Here's the result on the widest setting of the drawbar
and this one shows how it all connects
Fine if I don't expect the loco to go round curves!
The plan is to lose the c
HMRS transfers arrived in usual speedy fashion so here's the wagon nearly finished in it's pristine Summat Colliery PO livery
There's a bit more black painting to do then it's going to have a nice photshoot before I attack it with a fibreglass pencil 😏
It's number 88 - a nod towards the days when I was involved with a motorcycle race team and club, we always used #88 whenever possible (two fat ladies .....)
I've made a start sorting out all my parts. Prompted by the upheaval of completely re-doing the office/study, including the new desk you see in the photo, I have spent a small fortune on storage boxes.
The one below is one of the larger ones, I will have five of these. Also I have bought nine smaller ones that will fit into one of the new cupboards in the study.
Resolution #1: Never again will I once a kit/project is built keep all the spare bits and bobs in the kit box whilst the e
not much progress this weekend, spent too long in the kitchen ripping off tiles and wall units ready for the plasterer on Wednesday
Finished off the front bogie and did a little more fetting with the boiler lower. Here's a couple of shots of the loco assembled so far
the second one shows an area of concern for me. I will have to fabricate the missing section of firebox bottom and grate so that it at least meets the frames (that shouldn't really be there). Ashpan might get so
Yes,
I've finally got round to finishing the lining on the Duke of Gloucester - prompted by Narrow Planet sending me the proof for the plates which have now been paid for and will be away at the etchers soon.
As soon as the plates are painted and in place the whole loco will be varnished then I can get it back together for an ex-works photo shoot. It will probably get a "2 weeks into service" weathering after that.
I also have a DJH example in for refurbish, well, rebuild chassis wis
OK, Golden Arrow Duke of Gloucester build starts now. Opening the box we have:
I've cleaned the loco body of the small amount of flash, needs a final fettle with some fine files to finish. There are a couple of air bubble holes in the chimney and a w/m replacement might be in the offing.
Similarly I might use some ex-JE etched deflctors now I've got the hang of them with the Clan and 2-8-2.
Tender is Chris' new BR1J and a fine moulding it is too - should match up to the Hornby c
The following image shows the plastic chassis frame from the Donor Bachmann deltic following an attack with razor saw, large file and 120 grit wet or dry
I started by razor sawing off a section from the ends of each tank end to reduce the overall length of the tanks so that they fit within the "lip" on the inside of the Dapol sides. The tank side faces were then sawn off as close to flush with the frame sides as I dared. These sides were then filed flush and the bottom edges of the ta
I've had a few requests to see the 2-8-2 in unlined "as built" black, so in homage to Hornby's latest Britannia offering here's 91000 before lining out and naming
Keen eyes will observe the digitally removed cylinder lining and the fact that the return crank is not actually soldered to the crankpin
well, for now at least.
All the main components are in place and plumbed up
Handrails and the regulator linkages next then it's probably deflectors.
The chassis needs revisiting as the lubricator supports are still missing and I'd like to add the sandbox filler tubes and possible a sandbox or two between the frames - all fixed to the boiler lower. I've plenty of exhaust steam pipe left to add a representation of it emerging from between the frames up to the running plate
Quick photo of the 2-8-2 before fitting of the brakes and rigging.
Tender needs coal and a coupling, but that's about it really.
Went a bit mad with the Brit detailing pack I got off eBay, fitted the screw link coupling and backing plate (if that's the word?) plus the steam heat pipe as well as the cylinder drains that I bought it for. The rest will go to the Duke of Gloucester that is to come B)
Wonder if it still works?
UPDATE:
Couldn't resist taking this pic of the
Something about the Dapol/Bachmann DP1 did not look right. Only when I put the Lima body back on it's chassis did I realise that the Dapol body was far too high, buffers were a good 2mm up on what they should be Easy job to file off the ridges on top of the Bachmann chassis.
Then I looked at the bogies, they overhung the front and the steps were 2.5mm out of line with the doors. Ideally I would have liked to have moved the bogie pivots back but this would have been an almightly job not wit
Thanks to Steve (ramrig) of this parish for these nice shots taken at Derby last weekend
Those of you coming to the Member's Day in July will be able to see it in the flesh so to speak
Got the right hand coupling rods soldered up last night, looking better than the left so might do some remedial work on the left set once the chassis is all set up and running....
So with a few bits of electical wire insulation on the crank pins to hold the rods in place power was appled to the motor
it runs, just. I did expect this, the crank pin holes were drilled 1mm which is barely enough to allow the pins to pass through. I will ream out these holes a little at a time working i
Chassis matched up to the Dapol body at last
needed to nip a little bit out of the chassis sides to clear the angular webs that link the Dapol tanks to the body sides and then used a bit of Hornby handrail wire bent in a long C section inserted into two 0.6mm holes in the Dapol tanks to hold the sides in place. I will add a keeper plate over this wire secured with screws to the underside to stop the wire from dropping out in service. The fit is so good that I am minded to not bother wit
Over the last few days I have been putting together this for my "Missing" Standard 8F:
Basically the chinese built 5 pole tender drive was incompatible with Peco code 75 turnouts, the 3 way especially. I tried removing the centre wobbly wheels and set the b2bs to 14.4mm (which then needed the wheels shimming to maintain gear mesh!) but then I looked at the way the Crosti 9F just ran at shows without fuss and I remembered the old drive that originally came with the 9F.
It's basically
As I mentioned in the comments of the last entry the cylinders got soldered up the other night. Well now they are fitted to the chassis
I had to add a small amount of packing to the front edge to get the correct angle for them. The original chassis design was based on a Comet Britannia front end so the angle was not quite right. A single strip of scrap etch from the cylinders kit was perfect.
Here's a shot of the loco with the body on
Note the cylinders are slightly too far
Well, spring seems to be a popular time for my random scribblings.
The 2-8-2 is scheduled to appear in the next Model Rail - May issue out April 19th and yesterday Mike at Hornby Magazine confirmed the Duke of Gloucester will be appearing in the June edition (HM60) out 11th May
So seeing as folks will be getting their new Hornby versions in their 7 car packs next week I thought it high time I made one to go with my 1980 set
looking at the tgs it seemed that with a few cuts the under frame could be fabricated from two examples, kinda like this
so out came the razor saw
and they go together like this
The body shell was used to hold the under frame in place and
I'm still doing prep work and planning with this build. Chris' instructions suggest you start with the chassis so I've stripped the brit chassis down to it's drive wheels and coupling rods. Here's a quick snap of the first trial fit of the body on the chassis - it fits!
As I'm not using the recommended chassis there will be a few deviations from the instructions. I will not be using the resin front motion support bracket (part 3) as the cast lubricator supports will do nicely. The Hornb
Well, the frame jig spacers are being made so while I wait for them I've been playing with some other bits and bobs
I've built up the Comet GB5 and fitted it to the Sagami motor I bought from the Captain ages ago. After an extensive running in session it's running nice and smooth. Lovely dinky little gearbox and only 8mm wide, which is good for this project!
Only problem is the motor is not so narrow and will foul the frames. I need to add a DE38 drive extender, so more money for Ge
progressing nicely with this build but thought a quick update would be in order to show you all the blastpipe/steam pipe casting that fits under the side exhaust pipe. here's a before photo just after cutting it from the sprue
and here's another after 15 mins carving with a sharp knife with a good photo of the real thing to compare with
Probably the part that needed the most work, maybe would be better in whitemetal. Note a small amount of filler where there were air bubbles.
I've been fiddling with the motion support bracket over the last few nights. This little job has proved far more difficult than first expected due to the fact that it sits more over the #2 driver than a 9F and 9F's have smaller wheels!
I have had to solder in a section on top to re-inforce the bracket due to the large amount of material needed to be filed away from the vertical faces to clear the wheels.
So here it is, still with over long .7mm wires ready for all the fittings later
Nothing else for it, the lining had to be started. Ease myself in, do the boiler bands first
After this the problems started. I had forgotten that the HMRS/PC Models sheet 22 was originally drawn for LNWR locos not BR standards. The shapes really do not match the later locos. To compound this I'd used most of the useful bits off the two spare sheets I had on the last loco, which would have been the 2-8-2 Neverwazza. An order in is with Wizard Models for a couple more she
Some of you may have seen my questions in the main forum about rear tender footsteps on this loco. Well, a couple of evening's fiddling with 3mm brass strip and a soldering iron has given me a fair representation of said steps.
Don't worry about the roughened area around the base of the step, it's where I've glassfibred away some cyano overspill
So all that's left to do is fabricate the tool tunnel and maybe open up the corresponding hole in the tender front bulkhead. Not sure ab
This is getting a little silly, now the union link is too short, even though I've made the connecting rod 1mm longer than the drawing
The combination lever looks a little short too, but I think I can live with this.
No way round it, I've got to fabricate two new union links from scratch to the correct length. Not sure if the 2-8-2 link should be longer than a 9F item, but whatever, mine does. I'll tack solder two bits of scrap etch together and make both at the same time then thi
