bertiedog

A slight spanner in the works is the tightest three rail curves from MTH in the States would be impossible for this loco despite the relatively short wheel base and bogie. But with slightly narrower frames than GOG standards would accept, and allowing side play on the front and driven axle, plus as much side movement that the bogie can take, it should go around a 3 to 4 ft radius with ease. It makes the sub frame a bit narrower, but that does not matter. The wheel profile will need a bit of altering to give a Back to Back to go through the MTH points.(and only the bigger radius ones). I doubt that the loco will be run that much off a straight test track anyway, he collects rather than runs them. 0 Gauge standards are a bit of a nightmare once away from the GOG standard, and MTH/ Lionel adopt backwards comparability over scale far too often.

Major change to the specification, to suit my friends 0 gauge taste, is it is to be three rail pickup, which means no insulated buffers or couplings and totally accurate wheels on solid axles, no plastic bushes required anywhere, and no problems around the rear bogie with shorts. A skate pickup plate or nickel silver "spoons" on phosphor bronze springs will be added on a bottom cover plate made in glass fibre circuit board. The should be enouth clearances for the spoons or plate with a bit to spare for up and down movement. The spoons would be set about 4 inches apart to allow operation over points gap. Obviously still not suited to tight O gauge curved set track like Lionel. A four inch skate would also fit, with slightly up curved ends. I had thought of the copper pipe, but may roll a thinner brass one as it is easier to solder on to, the thick copper soaks up the heat a bit too much. The copper pipe does allow grooves to be cut in it for boiler bands to be set in, and have better joints made with rebated ends But in this case the ends are disks inside each end, with few if any clearance problems. The disks will have tapped holes to secure to the smokebox, and cab plates, with 6ba screws as they are hidden away from view. The dome and safety valve cover will be bolted on as well with 6ba screws, not soldered on. It allows for more adjustment. Wheels ordered and should be here soon.

As long as nobody has a reference to No34's backhead as a photo or drawing, from Russel etc., then I will scale the layout from the bigger boiler. The front plate of the coal space is another area without details, a shelf and coal chute should suffice, the figures partially cover seeing all the detailing anyway. The cab edging around the curved cut away section will need a nickel silver strip added as a strip soldered on over size, and filed down to size using a file and a plate of the thickness required. Usually flush on the inner surface. The windows can have small brass turnings added as frames, with plastic as glazing. The backhead fittings can be brass and copper wire, all polished over a black finish, with the interior of the cab in cream colour.. On crew clothes of the period I assume grey jackets and blue trousers, or does anybody know the GWR colours most used about 1900. Today's main ob is the footplate and buffer beams, and marking locations for screws to attach the smoke box, cab front plate and the coal bunker. The bases can be superglued on to mark through the holes to allow drilling and tapping the parts, 6ba or 8ba as needed. The glue can be broken afterwards and cleaned away with heat and solvent.

Start made on the bandsaw to cut out plate work, but no assembly till all the parts are done to size to check the practical fit of the whole thing including the boiler. Pairs are marked out on one, and superglued to the un-marked side, Each edge is cut with a clearance to the marked line, and then the pair are sanded on a bench sander to exactly the marked line. The roof is easy, but has to be curved, so brass heated to near red before bending. The same is needed for the firebox and smokebox. Also started the dome and fittings from brass bar scraps Stephen

Upon reflection, the axle size for the gears I have is 3/16th imperial, so rather than sleeve a metric ballrace or find 3/16th races sufficiently small, I will fit bronze bearings bored to 3/16th. The bearings can be smaller and will solder into the sub frame using dummy 3/16th axles to align them. Stephen

Yes pretty much a standard layout, needs to look neat rather than detailed, it can be built off the loco and simply bolted into place on the cab front. Stephen

Would the Dean Goods round top backhead arrangements do after removing the spring tops. The shot appears to come from RM web in 2013, pnly using as cropped reference

Does any body have a drawing they could scan or photograph of a Dean round top boiler back head for No 34, or any similar Dean type. My drawings cover Belpaire variants only. Thanks Stephen.

Does any body have a drawing they could scan or photograph of a Dean round top boiler back head for No 34, or any similar Dean type. My drawings cover Belpaire variants only. Thanks Stephen.

Knowing Mallard, the frames would be etched parts and far too thin for the job, the frames for No34 are 1.5mm thick brass, properly engineered not in the slightest bit flimsy/ A Claud should not require such a chassis system, the problem is mainly with 044 types like M7 and O2 locos. It also works on 042 types like Gladstone, or the GWR 042. With LBSC Gladstones I made, the rear axle was solid to the frames and not only did the drivers pivot, it was fitted to allow pivoting across the frame as well, fully floating on a ball and socket. This ensured fantastically steady running at speed just like Gladstone, all without springing or complex set up. Stephen

I think the figures to get are the Ivertrains ones.. Fully standing figures, as the cab area is not that big, and the details on the figures can be customised easily in 7mm scale, beards, and a bowler hat for the driver figure. Stephen

http://www.invertrain.com/maker.php?maker=Heroes+of+the+Footplate Iinvertrain do the range and more comprehensive than others, look well proportioned and no gorilla arms or midget proportions as in some 4mm figures. They do 1900 period, but hats can be altered a bit as well. Thanks for the reference to the range. With the open cab they have got to look good. Stephen

Has nobody any thoughts on period figures apart from AC Stadden? I did look at Aiden Cambell, but the figures are too modern or frankly some out of proportion if standing. His crouching or action figures are excellent. Are there any other overlooked quality makers in metal. Any replies on here or the build posting on RM web in 7mm locos, Stephen.

The Mallard 4mm kits I built had solid chassis, but that was in the 1970's, and they may have changed the design in 7mm, more likely towards full beam compensation. some locos are easy to spring, but the 044 and 440 are awkward, especially on weight distribution outside the driven wheel base. The simple cross pivot cures it all with a minimum of at least half the weight on the drivers and more with carefully placed ballast..The sub chassis also keeps the loco upright, governed by the track standard. Stephen.

Has nobody any thoughts on period figures apart from AC Stadden? I did look at Aiden Cambell, but the figures are too modern or frankly some out of proportion if standing. His crouching or action figures are excellent. Are there any other overlooked quality makers in metal. Stephen.

​One very important thought is the buffers will have to be mounted in tufnol to insulate from the loco along with the sprung couplings as there could be a return path to opposite polarity via stock that is only one side insulated. The thick beam can have large holes drilled for each item and plugged with tufnol fitted in a press with loctite. The whole beam can be sanded down on the linisher belt sander and after painting should be invisible insulation. Stephen.

Decided the thick plate was too thick for the main footplate at 1.2 mm and found some ,5mm brass instead. which is flat plate as well, and can take a strip of the .5 mm in a groove along each edge cut on the milling machine, This acts as the side strip valence, complete with the profile at the front, but the steps at back will be soldered on.as a solid piece with steps would be wasteful of material. The ends have 5x5 angle brass soldered on to take the buffer beam bolted on, This is confined to within the frames width so that frames use the angle strip as location. Both the sides and the buffer beam have been drilled for rivets using brass pins. The head is reduced with a fine needle file, fixed to a jig so that the pin rests on the wood as it is rotated by a Dremel type drill The wood rest guide forces the same diameter on each one, then the head is rounded with finr emery paper glued on to a board. On soldering the side valence on, the pins are fitted with solder paste and heated in one go to secure them, same for the buffer beam. Cupalloys do proper solder paste. All Soldering is done with Bakers fluid flux, with pure tin solder and 60/40 lead solder plus lower melt solder for details Once solid with the valence and buffer beams the space over the frames under the boiler can be cut out by fretsaw or more likely on the milling machine. The opening is just narrower than the frame inside back to back, but goes full width at the firebox end, and stops at the backhead position. This gives clearance for the cladded firebox. but leaves an over hanging edge around the motion area. No cut out is used under the smoke box, which has a brass plate bottom, drilled and tapped to be screwed down to the footplate. Next is the front plate of the cab, again fitted with brass angle on each side to bolt down. The centre line of the boiler is determined by the back of the smokebox and checking on the drawing, and then the front cab plate can be marked and a disk fitting the tube bolted on. The boiler can be adjusted level at this stage, and the disk soldered up solid. The area of the tube in the firebox can be half cut away. to get motor space.. An end plate is added.to the boiler with tapped holes to assemble it into place. The front just rests on the smokebox ring disk, no need to secure really, although a bolt into the smokebox back could be used, accessed via the smokebox door. By now the main structure is complete and the sides of the cab. with soldered on front and top can be added. and a box made in brass for the coal area, again bolted into place on the footplate. The backhead can be cut out to shape and bolted to the cab front plate. The roof can be attached with an angle iron strip to locate it and be bolted on with screws from inside, filed flush outside later in finishing. By now the body is approaching completion. and the work moves back to the chassis. The profile is cut out and frame spacers marked in and axle positions drilled, using the frames as jigs to mark out the rough connecting rods.. In this case the inner frames are drilled with the other parts. but then the outer frame holes are re-drilled 2mm larger to allow the inner chassis to pivot. Once the inner chassis is on its frame spacers and checked true, it is attached to the outer frames with clamps, and held in line by dummy axles, the pivot points is drilled each side, tapped in the outer frames, the inner opened up to take a shouldered screw. The inner chassis is removed and fitted with bearings, and then assembled ready to have the wheelsets added, in this case pushed on. Once quartered the rough rods can be added and running checked for binds. One of the frame spacers on the main chassis should align with the bogie pivot and allow a post to be fitted to take the bogie bolster. The bolster hole in the bogie should be a slot to allow a bit of side movement, with a phosphor bronze spring to centre it on straight track. The whole frame spacer should be made from Tufnol to insulate the bogie from the chassis and body. washers cab be used to level up the chassis, fitted on the post. A nut and light coil spring retains the whole bogie. allowing a little rocking play under pressure. Next is adding the motor on a frame attached to the inner frame, and connecting to the gears. At this point the body and chassis should run, and then it is taken apart to add all the detailing. An important point is the inner chassis must clear the mainframes by about .25mm to allow painting. on assembly, with washers being added which prevent the paint rubbing. All the rest is a lot of detailing all round from boxes to hand rails, coal rails, whistle and backhead detail, plus any edging and polished brass parts like dome and safety valves The brake gear should be attached to the sub chassis and move with the wheels as it pivots. Buffers will be sprung, made in stainless steel.The bogie will be all brass and nickel, with milled axleboxes, and turned leaf springs made in a ring and sawn up. Stainless steel disc wheels will be fitted on 3mm axles with outer 2mm stubs to fit the ballraces on. Insulation by tufnol centres on one side. Plain DC 12 volt operation, no chips or complex DCC here. About a months work, but health problems might slow it down a bit. At least underway, with wheels to be ordered on Monday. Posting as work proceeds with photos. Stephen.

Most of the materials are too hand in the workshop, but trying to get 1mm seamless brass tube for the boiler to save rolling and soldering into a tube. it should be 28mm,, but the nearest is 30mm , an acceptable error. The firebox and smokebox will be wrappers over the tube, rolled to fit. Boiler bands in etched nickel silver strips. The frames will be 1.2mm brass plate the same for the inner frame structure with the wheel bearings mounted in cups soldered to the subframe that pivots. Any frame spacers will be square brass bar, ends tapped for 6ba countersunk screws hidden by wheels of soldered over and sanded flush. The frame ends are filled with plate brass to which the buffer beams are screwed from inside. As it is 7mm scale most rivets fitted will be drilled holes filled with wire, or brass dress makers pins with head machined down a bit for larger sizes. If you buy these, then take a magnet to check they are brass, not plated steel. Most tapping and screwing will be 6 ba, 8 ba and 10 ba. Each part above the footplate will be a sub assembly and screwed in to place, the plate parts having angle section or solid brass square section soldered in place and drilled to take screws to secure each assembly. Most platework will be .7mm brass for weight and strength. Brass screws on bodywork and steel screws and bolts on the chassis. The brass fittings will all be turned from bar or plate, like the front brass cover on the firebox, safety valve covers and dome, and chimney, same with whistle and backhead details.. The various boxes and lubricator and sand boxes will be solid, drilled and tapped and screwed into place. The buffers will be turned from stainless steel bar. Brake gear in steel and brass and heat treated to darken the steel down, and then blackened with gun black. or copper carbonate on brass parts. The motor and gearbox are fitted for 4mm axles to fit the ballraces on, and there is a complete 30:1 worm gear drive already fitted in an enclosed gearbox. that should fit the space. Stephen.

Never had damage to any races when lubricated with correct grease, I use Labelle with PTFE, and the current and voltage would be low with most speeds and loads. I worked in scientific instrument making where bearings did pass current, but it took a lot to break down the surfaces. Very high currents will actually cause rotation of a ball races, a crude non magnet motor.. I think in models the lack of friction, and noise, from rubbing pickups outweighs the wear issue. If the axle is making contact it would in theory be getting only half the current if the coupling rod is dividing the contact between the wheels. The best alternative would be a slip ring over the axle, made in leaded bronze, running on the polished stainless steel, with a spot of electrolube on it. What i don't want is plunger sprung pickups on both sides. these really add drag. The cast iron wheels will have centre insulation on one side, made from glass filled hard nylon. Stephen.

Apart from AC Stadden figures who list 7mm driver figures for a Dean Single, are there any other metal cast figures available for the late Victorian and early Edwardian period? Not much else has come up on net searches so far, Stephen.

After tracing drawings for the loco, a 7mm version of the Dean 044 Helston and St Ives tank engine is under way. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/133203-urgent-appeal-for-details-and-drawing-of-gwr-no-3435-dean-044/&do=findComment&comment=3127168 Trying for a faster project, all brass body and fittings, cast iron wheels and custom bogie, Pittman motor and worm drive and a semi compensated unsprung chassis to get proper weight distribution. Ex MRN drawing partly redrawn, under fair modelling use. No pickups on wheels, power from drivers returned to bogie wheels, no drag or friction. Ball raced main axles, and micro races in the bogie for the axles. There is a sub chassis within the frames than pivots with the drive gear to maintain full contact with the track for adhesion. Pack of flat brass sheet off cuts bought from Ebay, mainly .7mm flat, a bit thick, but makes construction so much easier, adding heft and weight. There is not much plate work on the body anyway, and it has a nice open cab, a type I love to build. Edges can be thinned where needed for appearance sake. The motion between the frames will be rigid, and for appearance only. Brass tube boiler, with wrapper rolled for firebox and smokebox, all lead filled except for motor space, which is entirely hidden in the firebox. The pivoted wheelbase gives super smooth running and max traction for an 044 loco. Wheels on order from Walsall's in cast iron, to be machined in the workshop to fine scale 7mm standards compatible with Peco points and track. The bogie wheels will be stainless steel on stainless axles with ball races in the axleboxes. milled from brass on new CNC mill.. Dome and safety valve cover in brass bar turned on lathe, and the same for chimney. Have to source Victorian driver and firemen, perhaps topper and bowler hat. For once I have built these locos before, in 4mm and P4, so no problems or surprises to come in a seven millimetre scale.version. Photos will be posted with new Olympus camera, when it arrives, not smart phone shot's, Stephen

Nice example, I will leave non moving motion to fill the gap ahead of the gears in the firebox, a simple worm gear with the motor rigid to the sub chassis, about 30 to 1 should be OK with the small drivers involved. The motor is a Pittman seven pole, not coreless, and suits worm drive with home produced hobbed gears in a gear box cover. There's the bunker for lead fill and most of the boiler and smokelbox. i will cover the build over the next weeks on another posting. Thanks for the help, saved a lot of time and research. Final thought, what was the livery on the Helston branch as built, was it lined then or plain with Indian red. Maskelyne and others saw them post WW1 in standard GWR green lined out livery without Indian red frames. Was the 1890's version lined or not? I was once told they had no lining by an expert, but opinions differ.. Stephen.

Applies to all 044 or 440., the chassis has a sub frame added inside the frames rather like compensation beams, with bearings on the sub frame. It is allowed to pivot about the support bar or pivot points on the chassis. The axle holes in the chassis outer frame are enlarged or made oval.. The movement required is quite small, about 2/3mm max for 00. a bit more for 0 gauge . The splashers may need careful checking that there is no fouling.. The arrangement ensures the drivers sit firmly on the track, with max traction weight applied. The rigid pivot gives a form of three point contact, which gives steady running without bothering with full springing. There is no set up required at all. The pivots can be a tube or shouldered set screws or any equivalent. You can make the subframes independant, but it adds extra complexity and works well without. The locos run very much better, no weight distribution problems at all. It can run steady over quite bad track. and pull properly. Stephen.

Drawing resolved now, the Maskelyne Drawing is the missing one from the 1970's that had stuck in the memory. More than enouth detail to work to, and cutting out basic parts can begin at once. The chassis will have the drivers on a sub frame to allow them to rock to maintain full contact with the track. Also no pickups, the wheels return current direct minimising drag. The boiler can be stuffed with lead to give traction. Enough space to hide the motor. and detail the open cab and crew on the footplate. The 00 versions were amazingly powerful and smooth for a 044 locomotion. Stephen..

Walsall Industries do the right type driving wheels in cast iron at 12 spokes and four foot diameter, and I might as well get the correct type as the castings are not too expensive at £5.00 each wheel before delivery. The trailing wheels in the bogie are no problem, solid stainless steel bar, made in the lathe. Do the quoted dimensions in mm refer to 4mm sizes or to another scale used in the book drawings? Edit: {resolved now as I have a copy of the drawing) Stephen.