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Building the Churchward 45xx Part One

Coombe Barton

Entry posted by Coombe Barton

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Churchward 45xx

 

It’s about time. I’ve had this kit for about a year. And seeing threads such as A Nod To Brent, Wencombe, Mayhill, Salcombe and, just yesterday, Western Diversion have all prompted me to get up off my ars backside and start.

 

So what is it? One of the last, if not THE last, 45xx 4mm Churchward 45xx kit sold by Modelex, just before the range went to Phoenix Precision. At the time of writing no 4mm kits and just one 7mm 45xx kits are listed on the Phoenix Precision website. This is a Malcolm Mitchell design from 1986. It will be a companion to the 44xx I’ve still got in the box, also by Malcolm Mitchell via David Geen. Both will be built to 18.83mm gauge.

 

This loco will be numbered between 4555 and 4574, the 1924 Swindon build. I’ll have to research precisely which one and the decision will be made when I see what pix I can get of the locos in that series so that the model will be accurate as much as I can. Don’t know about the location – as I’m bending history with the layouts would be nice but not essential to have something local.

 

Components

 

· Churchward 45xx body and chassis kit

· Gibson wheels

· Gibson sprung hornblocks

· High Level Roadrunner+ 54:1 gearbox

· Mashima 1424 motor

· Branchlines flywheel

 

Instructions

 

As we all know, reading the instructions completely before starting on any kit is vital. Whether the instructions bear any resemblance to the kit they’re joined to is sometimes another matter. However these are Malcolm Mitchell instructions, so they’re probably OK. Rather more of an issue is the repeated photocopying of the photocopy of the photocopy of the ... . They’re less than clear, unfortunately. This contrasts markedly with the High Level instructions for the gearbox, which are a model of process clarity and reproduction quality. It’s unfortunate that the 44xx instructions for the other kit have similarly suffered similar generational reproduction.

 

The Build

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The body frets

 

Most people start with the chassis. I had intended to but the hornblocks aren’t here yet and the body and chassis are two independent bits of kit. So the body first (which may change as we progress).

Now the instructions say that you cut out from the fret only when you need the part. Sound advice. But when the parts are included within the holes of the parts you need to assemble then this becomes a little difficult. Now I’ve tried plastic bags, attaching things to paper/card by sellotape, but none have been very successful until I looked at those little jars that hotel jam comes in. Now I don’t frequent that many hotels, so a freebie source of those is not enough, so I bought a hundred last year. I’ve been using and reusing them as they’re cleanable and being airtight they can also hold paints. They take up a little more room than plastic bags but for me they’re good. At sixteen quid a hundred they’ll do me. So the extra bits are stored and labelled safely, and they all pack into the project box and the little bits of brass are safe from my clumsiness.

 

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The jars (labelled) so that I can find things again.

 

So cutting out and cleaning up the two bits of footplate, then bending them up prior to soldering together took a little time. A “thank you” here. A few years ago at the Derby RMweb gathering I first met Paul (Halfwit of this parish) who introduced me to the Hold and Fold bending tool. Invaluable. Thanks, Paul.

 

Bending the footplate edges exactly at right angles needed a little persuasion from a block of hardwood and a hammer. I have the feeling that bending bars would be a little more difficult to use and keep things flat. I bought my Hold and Folds from Eileen’s but have discovered that now they’re available at far lower costs from ScaleModelShop. Don’t think they were available from them when I bought mine.

 

Now the kit is multipurpose – any type from the original 2161 to 4574 can be built with a variety of bunker and footplate types. I want the latest (1924) Swindon build so none of the trims to accommodate reduced lengths are required. So it’s a case of cutting, fettling, bending prior to soldering to set the footplate up. And in this, keeping the darned thing flat and unkinked.

 

And that’s where we are at the moment. Next is to solder laminate the two halves of the footplate, and learn how to use the Dremel blowtorch.

 

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Bent footplate bits waiting for cleaning and soldering.

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  • RMweb Gold
Brinkly
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Good luck with the build. This is the next project on my bench, so I will follow this with great interest.

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

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  • RMweb Gold
Captain Kernow
  • RMweb Gold

One of the last, if not THE last, 45xx 4mm Churchward 45xx kit sold by Modelex, just before the range went to Phoenix Precision. At the time of writing no 4mm kits and just one 7mm 45xx kits are listed on the Phoenix Precision website.

 

Do you know what, John, I had no idea that the range had been sold, and certainly not to them. Might one possibly have wished an alternative destination for the range?

 

Good start, by the way, I don't think you'll regret the investment in the Hold & Fold.

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Killybegs

I shall be following progress, John, as I have a Malcolm Mitchell kit sitting in my stock cupboard. Am I right in thinking MM designed the Churchward kit?

 

Currently upgrading an Airfix 61xx body to sit on a Martin Finney chassis.

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  • RMweb Gold
Captain Kernow
  • RMweb Gold

Horsetan said much the same thing about the change of ownership when I met him at Scaleforum, Tim.

Quite.

 

I suppose that the lovely Modelex etched signal box windows have gone the same way...

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Horsetan

That's all the stock they've got. Once sold, don't expect any more for a very long time.

 

The more I look at it, the more it looks like empire-building just for the sake of it. NNK, Sharman, DMR and Modelex. All now nothing but ashes.

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