Mikemeg's Workbench - Building locos of the North Eastern & LNER

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER B16/1

 

With the assembly and fitting of the rear pair of splashers and the adding of the firebox corners washout plugs plus opening out the other two lower washout plug holes on each side, then all of the new parts have been checked out and they all fit.

 

So now this kit really will build all of the variations on the North Eastern Class S3/LNER & BR B16/1, from their earliest days to their final days.

 

Jolyon Wilkinson did the artwork and files for the new parts and John Redrup supplied the kits for the test builds so, to them, thanks for the opportunity to help.

 

Now this build will have to wait a week or two while other pressing commitments - the instruction set for this kit, the three G5's - are completed.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 14, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

The detailing of these three models is still proceeding, with most operations having to be triplicated. I didn't find the building of three similar loco superstructures or three identical chassis' particularly onerous but the detailing is a different matter. Even so I'm plodding through the various details to be added, aided and abetted by having created an Excel spreadsheet to remind me of / list all of the details to be added to each loco, given that two have push and pull equipment fitted, one has different handrail configurations and special brackets fixing the side tanks to the smokebox, etc.

 

Some parts - the valve chest covers - are having to be scratch built which also protracts the detailing process but it's all good fun!!

 

Anyway, the B16/1 build #2 has been suspended so these now share time with the completing of the B16/1 kit instructions.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 14, 2018 by mikemeg

[Dave Holt]

Hi Mike.

I seem to remember from earlier photos, that the extended tank example had hand rails on the side of the tanks, approximately level with the  ends of the original, shorter tanks. My initial impression from the photo was that the extended tanks were not flush with the originals, but it was actually the hand rail which looked like a step in the surface.

The three locos are coming along nicely and i look forward to seeing them completed. I've been doing battle with the LMS/BR vacuum operated push-pull equipment fitted to the 2-6-2 Ivatt and BR Standard Class 2 tanks so I can sympathise with the work required on your G5's.

Dave.

[mikemeg]

Hi Mike.

I seem to remember from earlier photos, that the extended tank example had hand rails on the side of the tanks, approximately level with the  ends of the original, shorter tanks. My initial impression from the photo was that the extended tanks were not flush with the originals, but it was actually the hand rail which looked like a step in the surface.

The three locos are coming along nicely and i look forward to seeing them completed. I've been doing battle with the LMS/BR vacuum operated push-pull equipment fitted to the 2-6-2 Ivatt and BR Standard Class 2 tanks so I can sympathise with the work required on your G5's.

Dave.

 

Dave,

 

The tank side handrails have still to be added. I do have a number of photos of 67340, which show the handrail, one side and t'other.

 

Worth noting that this loco had tank breathers where I've never seen photos of any others which had, though there could have been others - commentators curse!!

 

Many thanks for the kind words; much appreciated.

 

Pictures courtesy Mick Nicholson and I know Mick has doctored the original of the first photo to remove the 'narnia lamp' from the cab roof and the enormous carrying handle from the boiler.

 

Mike

Edited June 15, 2018 by mikemeg

[DougN]

Mike, any idea why 67340 above has 2 sets of hoses the on the buffer beams? The other unusual additions is the up stands with what look like lights at the top.... OK I am just curious? 

 

I think my unfinished Bradwell J26 will edge out the G5 for the next thing on the completion line.... (monthly line to complete something previously started... Still think I have at least 4 to 5 years of stuff to finish before purchasing anything!) 

[Daddyman]

The two pipes are, I seem to recall from when I was modelling a pp C15, the normal vb pipe, and a connection to the regulator. The upstands outboard of those pipes correspond with similar features on the carriage ends (controlling the light circuitry?) - again part of the pp equipment. They have triangular braces at their rear. A thin-bore control pipe can be seen in the upper photo running from them just below the edge of the footplate, forming a junction just aft of the cab aperture, and then running vertically up the bunker side. Connoisseur Models does a pp fittings kit in 0 gauge for about 8 quid I think, and it's worth getting hold of even for 4mm modellers, just to see what goes where, and for scaling off. 

 

 

Mike, have you thought of resin casting for things you need a lot of? Then you just need to make one.

 

Nice work on the B16. I particularly like the smokebox front - a tricky job on a loco with a boiler and smokebox the same diameter. 

[micklner]

Dave Alexander does WM castings for the push pull gear in 4mm. I have a set on my G5 good quality.

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

The 'family' photos (all three G5's together) have been done enough times so here's a photo of the current state of the model of a unique loco - the extended tank G5, 67340. Still a bit of detailing to do but we're proceeding, albeit slowly!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 15, 2018 by mikemeg

[Dave Holt]

Mike, any idea why 67340 above has 2 sets of hoses the on the buffer beams? The other unusual additions is the up stands with what look like lights at the top.... OK I am just curious?

 

As Daddyman has said, the second vacuum pipe/hose is for the vacuum operated regulator. The electrical connections are part of the bell code system to enable coded communication between the driver in the push-pull driving trailer and the fireman who remained on the loco footplate.

Dave.

[mikemeg]

Dave Alexander does WM castings for the push pull gear in 4mm. I have a set on my G5 good quality.

 

Thanks Mick, I'll give them a try.

 

Can you remind me of your source of embossed rivets, the supplier (UK and or US) and the sheet reference number(s) which you use.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 17, 2018 by mikemeg

[micklner]

Thanks Mick, I'll give them a try.

 

Can you remind me of your source of embossed rivets, the supplier (UK and or US) and the sheet reference number(s) which you use.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Archers Rivets are available direct from them in the USA (on web) on Histrorex in UK. They were cheaper to buy direct from USA a couple of years ago.

 

I use normal/small version rivet sheets  AR88001 & AR 880015 and larger rivet version AR 88009.

 

 

My Push Pull Norton G5 with Alexander chassis as mine was bought secondhand with a part built compensated chassis. I never managed to get it to work and it now sits on a Alexander chassis . This runs, but I need to add pickups to the bogie as mentioned before.

  

 

 

[mikemeg]

Mick,

 

Many thanks for the information and the photographs. The Alexander push and pull equipment and the Archer Rivet Transfers are now all ordered.

 

Once again, many thanks.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

A little more detailing progress on the G5's though Scarborough, where I live, does have some tempting alternatives to making models, especially when the sun shines as it has these past few days. Nonetheless the three G5's are now in the final stages of detailing though I'm not now setting any completion targets; not that is until it turns cooler and starts to rain! That top lamp iron is, again, one of Arthur's etches and well worth the time in assembling and fitting it.

 

With the addition of the brake bracket, rear brake linkage, lamp irons and cab handrails to this one, then all three of these G5's will be at the same stage and then the various pipe runs and the push and pull equipment can be added. The rivet detail, using the newly acquired Archer rivets, will be added after the model is primed.

 

And did you see the news? The new name for the organisation now running the East Coast Main Line is to be the London North Eastern Railway. I wonder where they got that name from?

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 26, 2018 by mikemeg

[jrg1]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

A little more detailing progress on the G5's, though Scarborough, where I live, does have some tempting alternatives to making models, especially when the sun shines as it has these past few days. Nonetheless the three G5's are now in the final stages of detailing though I'm not now setting any completion targets; not that is until it turns cooler and starts to rain! That top lamp iron is, again, one of Arthur's etches and well worth the time in assembling and fitting it.

 

With the addition of the brake bracket, rear brake linkage, lamp irons and cab handrails to this one, then all three of these G5's will be at the same stage and then the various pipe runs and the push and pull equipment can be added. The rivet detail, using the newly acquired Archer rivets, will be added after the model is primed.

 

And did you see the news? The new name for the organisation now running the East Coast Main Line is to be the London North Eastern Railway. I wonder where they got that name from?

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Back to the future-the LNER rides again,  I wonder what that tells us about all that followed after nationalisation.

[pH]

Back to the future-the LNER rides again,  I wonder what that tells us about all that followed after nationalisation.

Has it all been a "Dallas dream"?

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

The large brackets, attaching the tank fronts to the smokebox and only present on the extended tank loco 67340, have now been added. Next job is to make the vacuum pipes for each of the three models. I normally form these from 0.8 mm brass rod and they are simply done by trial and error. On these pipes, there is the typical 'pinching' at the junction of the smokebox and boiler to compensate for the difference in diameter between the two, plus a very prominent set of bends to take the pipe from the smokebox across the cab window to the side of the cab front. I used various photographs to try and get these curves right.

 

Once formed, then the acid test is whether (or not) the vacuum pipe sits parallel on the boiler and is parallel to the boiler barrel i.e. is the gap between the boiler and the vacuum pipe a constant value? Only a digital photo will really show whether this pipe is correct, though this is one detail which is well worth spending time to get right. It will shout back if it is wrong!

 

Looks ok, so now to form another two of these for the other two G5's after which the unions at each end will be added to each pipe.

 

I always leave these pipes loose, so that the boiler band lining can be done before these vacuum pipes are finally fixed.

 

The handrails, on the tank sides, are held in place on the footplate by very tiny nickel silver washers (less than 1 mm outside diameter) which are part of one of Arthur's etched sheets. And the tank breather pipe, which shows up as off the vertical, has been straightened up. Oh, don't you just love this digital photography; shows up all the errors!!

 

I hesitate to say that this is a unique model, though it is a model of a unique locomotive.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 30, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

And then the vacuum pipe for build #2 is formed. The first one took around half an hour to get right; the second one took half that time.

 

After the third one is formed and checked, then I have eighteen lamp irons to file up and fit and then three sets of train heating and vacuum brake piping to do. After that, then two sets of push and pull equipment to sort out and fit! It's at times like these that the decision to build three G5's, concurrently, becomes a wee bit of a chore but they will be completed and together.

 

Neither of the bunker cages is yet fixed as I will need to prime and paint inside the bunkers and then coal them, then prime and paint the underside of the cages before they are fitted. It is the establishing of the sequence of operations, such as this, where I occasionally use Excel spreadsheets as an 'aide memoire'. Otherwise I finish up trying to paint things from the inside, underside, no side at all!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 29, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

So I guess I've got to put up the photo of all three with their vaccum pipes done and a few other details added. They've all been taken off their chassis', while the detailing is done, hence their being sat on cradles to protect the footsteps from collapse. Each of these models, without the chassis, weighs around 7 oz so the footsteps won't support them.

 

Anyway I'm not intending to post a 'blow by blow' of the detailing so this might be the last photo for a day or two, until they're all nearer to completion.

 

Seems quite a while, now, since I embarked on this trio, uncertain of how they would turn out! They've turned out better than I thought!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited July 2, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

So after eighteen lamp irons made and fixed, twelve cab opening handrails, six works plates, three reversing levers and the detailing of the three vacuum pipes, they still look broadly the same as on the last photograph, despite all of this work. Perhaps if I arrange them slightly differently, the photograph won't look identical to the previous one.

 

The works plates are filed up to the required oval shape, using needle files, and are made from rectangular pieces of .010" plasticard, 3.0 mm x 1.75 mm held in the tweezers while the filing is done.

 

The unions on the vacuum pipes are also plasticard, .030" thick. Pieces of this material, around 2.0 mm square, are drilled centrally, 0.8 mm and then stuck to the vacuum pipe in the appropriate places; adjoining the cab front and around 1.0 mm from the front bend in the pipe. Once set, then the squares are slowly filed into circles simply holding the pipe in the fingers and gradually forming the circles. The union on the smokebox is a piece of .010" plasticard around 2.0 mm square, again drilled centrally, 0.8 mm and then glued to a spare piece of 0.8 mm brass rod which wil be used as a mandrill.

 

Once set, then this piece is placed in a pin chuck and the plasticard square is worked to an annulus with an outside diameter of around 1.5mm. After forming, this piece is pushed off the 0.8 mm rod and is mounted on the end of the vacuum pipe, though these pipes are still not fixed and will not be until the boiler band lining is done.

 

This all sounds like a lot of work but forming the three unions on each pipe took about thirty minutes - one and a half hours for all three pipes - and I think improves the appearance of the vacuum pipes enormously. I'll leave it up to the viewer to judge!!

 

Still more detailing under the valances, on the bufferbeams and chassis' to do, with the push and pull apparatus on build #1 and #3 still to fit; but they are all now at exactly the same stage. There are still the detailed differences between the individual locos to do i.e. a Westinghouse pump on #2, the tank footsteps on #3, etc.

 

Next I'm going to make three new backheads to take three sets of Arthur's backhead detail castings, replacing the white metal cast backheads supplied with the kits. Two reasons for this :-

 

1) I don't much like the cast white metal backheads with the pipework and other equipment cast on..

 

2) The motor terminals are very close to the backhead. If they do touch the new backheads, there will be no short circuit problems.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited July 4, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

I received a PM from someone asking how these works plates are actually made. The actual wording of the question was a little more explicit but the gist was the same.

 

These plates are filed up from rectangular pieces of .010"  plasticard 3.0 mm x 1.75 mm. I use a very fine pair of tweezers to hold the piece and very fine needle files to do the filing. I do this against a black background; normally an unused piece of black emery paper and in the light of the daylight lamp as used in the photo. The sequence is to file one half of the oval, turn the piece around and then file the other half to match. Takes about five minutes to do one plate, so not onerous on time.

 

The tweezers were acquired, years ago, from an old girlfriend who 'lost' them, along with a steel nail file which is around 12 mm wide but only 0.5 mm thick (and is excellent for removing etching tags on brass and nickel silver) and she never found them.

 

Photo shows the relative sizes - this is roughly twice actual size - and is pretty close to the minimum focal length of macro mode on the digital camera!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited July 4, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

The three new backheads have been made and are now setting prior to adding the firebox door and the backhead pipework and controls.

 

Construction is just a former cut from .030" plasticard and then two layers of wrapper of .015" plasticard 2.5 mm wide. Effectively, these assemblies are hollow and will allow another 1.5 - 2.0 mm of space for the motor and motor terminals and will not short if the terminals touch the backhead.

 

One is reversed on the photo, just to show the construction, and still needs a final 'tidy up' with some fine emery . Once set, the edges can be slightly rounded as per the prototype. After drilling for the various pipes, controls etc. but before these castings are added, the backheads will be primed, painted and weathered; much easier with nothing attached than trying to paint around the various attachments.

 

The upper photograph shows the backhead and cab details of the J25, which used the same technques and some of the same castings.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited July 5, 2018 by mikemeg

[Daddyman]

Nice work, Mike.

In case it can be of help, I always make works plates from Comet etched BR shedcode plates, flipped over. They're still available from Wizard. 

I do the flanges on pipe work with bits of tube, soldered to a scrap of N/S and then filed down to the correct dimension. The ID of the tube should be the same as the OD of the "pipe", or thereabouts - reaming is possible. 

 

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5's

 

The castings, which will be fitted to these backheads/cab insides, are from Arthur's range of lost wax brass castings (North Eastern Kits), a photo of which is shown below. Checking, with Arthur, to identify which casting is which and where located, from the left on the photo :-

 

1) Westinghouse brake, handle on the left.

2) Dreadnought brake; in cab, immediately behind exhaust pipe to smokebox (right hand side of cab looking forward); bent handle to the left.

3) Left injector - to left of gauge glasses.

4) Right injector - to right of gauge glasses.

 

The gauge glasses and regulator handle will also utilise some of Arthur's castings, to supplement the smokebox door, buffers, safety valves, etc. already fitted to the models, which are also Arthur's castings.

 

So we'll see how the new backhead, fitted with these castings, compares to the original supplied!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited July 5, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

Nice work, Mike.

In case it can be of help, I always make works plates from Comet etched BR shedcode plates, flipped over. They're still available from Wizard. 

I do the flanges on pipe work with bits of tube, soldered to a scrap of N/S and then filed down to the correct dimension. The ID of the tube should be the same as the OD of the "pipe", or thereabouts - reaming is possible. 

 

P1050419.JPG

 

David,

 

Many thanks for this; I'll give the techniques a try.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[Retro_man]

Nice work, Mike.

In case it can be of help, I always make works plates from Comet etched BR shedcode plates, flipped over. They're still available from Wizard. 

I do the flanges on pipe work with bits of tube, soldered to a scrap of N/S and then filed down to the correct dimension. The ID of the tube should be the same as the OD of the "pipe", or thereabouts - reaming is possible. 

 

P1050419.JPG

 

I use the same method for pipe flanges and use spare DJH etched shed code plates as works plates - there are plenty on their kits and they are not much good for use as shed plates.

Once painted the numbers are virtually unreadable without a magnifier.