Barney - footplate and boiler/firebox
Entry posted by antyeates1983 in barney
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These photos show you the progress so far on the loco body. The footplate is made of two layers for strength, both etched: a top layer of 0.25mm nickel silver and a bottom layer of 0.4mm phosphor-bronze. To enable fitting of the buffer beams and side valances, the p/b layer is smaller, and the underside of the n/s layer has a half-etched rebate around the outside.
In this next photo you see the main etched parts fitted above the footplate, comprising the cab, smokebox front and splashers. There are a few missing etched details like the reversing lever and lamp irons, along with things like handrails and pipes that will be made separately. You can also see the boiler/firebox which is made from brass tube. I first turned it down on the lathe to leave the smokebox with slightly larger diameter, facing off the ends neatly as well. Then I cut the bottom of the smokebox off with the piercing saw. I also cut a slit across at the front of the firebox and back along the centre, before bending this roughly to shape with pliers.
Next we see the boiler in place for test fitting. A lot of filing and fettling was needed to get it to fit in nicely. I had etched a transverse vertical piece in n/s to fit into a slot in the footplate and form the front of the firebox. However, I found that I had put the firebox front too far forward compared to the prototype, and had to modify both the position of the n/s front piece and the brass boiler. I filled in the resulting gap underneath the latter using an offcut of the same brass tube.
The next photo shows the boiler/firebox soldered in place. The smokebox front is slightly larger diameter than the brass, so will need careful filing/sanding down to fit.
Before soldering the boiler on I had soldered two 12BA nuts on to the top of the footplate at the front and rear, to hold the chassis fixing screws. The photo below shows the chassis held in place by these screws for test fitting, still with its jig ends attached.
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