Beattie Well Tank in 7mm

[Nicktoix]

I've wanted a well tank for some years and not being satisfied with the current offerings I decided to do it myself. It may be a small loco but that doesn't make it easy it is in fact quite difficult.

 

 

 

The chassis etches are in 22thou nickel silver and the body in 15thou.

 

There were quite alot of parts missing on the initial etches and I was going to cut them out but decided to do a supplementary etch to provide most of them which I am waiting for. They were designed for my own personal use and do not constitute a kit but just a useful set of parts to be used in conjunction with Laurie Griffin's castings and some from my scrapbox.

 

The first job is to built the footplate. There is a jig on the etches to show the line of the valances. The valances were tack soldered to this. As much metal as possible was removed between the jig so as to get the iron in as much as possible. It was not possible to solder the entire length of the footplate but enough to hold it until removed from the jig and the soldering completed. The overlays were then added but this is probably better done before fixing to the jig. I also soldered a couple of bits of scrap across the jig to make life easier.

 

 

 

Bending the footplate is tricky but is helped by half etched lines in the areas of the bends and guide lines etched onto the sheet which can be scribed onto the footplate. The footplate and valances were deliberately over length to allow for any errors and are cut back after assembly.

 

 

This won't be a quick build. I always have a few things on the go. At pres I have this, Macgeordie's transformer wagon in 4mm, and am developing etches for an LNWR curiosity in 4mm.

 

More in due course

 

Nick

 

[N15class]

The rivet details look better than the Jidenco/Shedmaster one.

[MarcD]

We are putting to gether a mixed meduim kit with a resin Smoke box, Boiler and fire box. N/S bolt together chassis and brass cab and foot plate. I'm in the process of building the test etches together at the moment. So watch this space.

 

Marc 

[Horsetan]

On the rare occasions I've managed to spare time to sit down at the home PC, I've had difficulties trying to draw things on AutoCAD, otherwise I'd be doing (a lot more of) this type of thing.

 

I'll get there eventually (he said, more in hope than in certainty).

[Nicktoix]

Onto the chassis then. I have compensated the leading axle and the 2nd axle with beams as I want to put in the well tank which will come in useful as a home for the speaker when I install DCC.

 

I had to cut a slot in the beams to clear the motion bracket.

 

 

It is important that the motion & cylinders can be removed to get access to the leading axle. I was originally going to solder the cylinders etc. to the footplate but decided instead to fix them to an extra spacer with a couple of 10BA screws thro' the cylinder assembly.

 

 

 

Apologies for the scruffy soldering but it isn't going to be seen in the finished loco.

 

 

I also made up the lower part of the firebox and ashpan from scrap. The coupling rods fit without any adjustment. Of course in the end they fit outside the connecting rods.

 

 

Most of the riveting is done. Bit wonky in places tho'

 

There seems to be a dearth of accurate drawings of the loco; not really surprising as each rebuild seems to be different.I developed these parts from several published drawings, a poor quality GA of the original build and some excellent photos from South West Circle. I live at the other end of the country to the extant examples too far to visit easily.

 

More next week sometime.

 

Nick

Edited March 3, 2016 by Nicktoix

[Nicktoix]

I have now tackled the motion. The slidebars and crosshead are unusual in an arrangement I have never seen before. The crosshead runs on slippers on the slidebars.

 

 

The slidebars are laminated with the slippers pinned to them. the crosshead was always going to be a bit of a problem. My original idea of a folded piece of metal which I have used in 4mm didn't work well.  I eventually soldered some scrap together to get the required thickness, 1.75mm to give nice fit, and a good fit between the slippers. A piece was then cut off to provide the central piece and the etches for the crosshead soldered to it.

 

 

The motion bracket I knew was going to be wrong and it certainly was so I drew up and cut a new one.

 

 

The new one is the lower.

 

 

This shows a temporary lash up of the motion. The piston rod will be fixed at final assembly (that will require some nifty soldering or the whole thing will come to bits)  The well tank is  soldered between the cylinder back and motion bracket to give a solid fabrication which will be easily removed from the frames.

 

 

I am now stuck for parts as the piston rod glands on the etch are too small so I'm waiting for another etch I have done with larger ones and other extra parts for the body as well. I don't want to fix the slidebars until the glands are fitted.

[Nicktoix]

The extra etch arrived about ten days ago.

 

The piston glands are made up from several layers. The n/s I was going to use for the piston rods was a bit too tight a fit in the tube so I have use 14.mm drill shanks instead.

 

I have cut out some nickel silver to represent the tank and fixed it between the cylinders and the motion bracket. This makes a good rigid unit for easy removal. The rivets are VERY close together and resulted in some distortion.

 

 

Somewhere between the cylinders are the injectors. I have no intention of modelling them but I would love to know how they are mounted. Anyone out there got any pics?

 

The brakes have been made up as a detachable unit which spring into place and is held onto the brake lever with 14ba screws.

There is not much clearance around the motion bracket.

 

 

The brake rod brackets are made up from laminations unfortunately Laurie Griffin didn't have any. Again a bit of scrap was fitted in to show the tank. This time without rivets; most of it will be hidden by the steps anyway.

 

 

I have also attacked the footplate with a cutting disc and removed material to give clearance around the wheels.

 

Next job is to make the cab up and fit to the footplate. Back later.

[Nicktoix]

 

This is the additional etch. The parts list should read cupboard not clipboard

[Worsdell forever]

The parts list should read cupboard not clipboard

 

There could have been an inspector on board...

[2ManySpams]

Cracking job on th BWT, many thanks for the 'photo instructions' that will be very useful on my own build of your etches.

[Nicktoix]

I've now got the cab assembly together and onto the footplate. After I had drilled a new hole for the rear fixing nut which would have been in line with the cab rear sheet.

 

The cab beading was a bit too long. Should have joined it in the middle rather than doing end to end but I'll just have to adjust the stanchions to suit.

 

 

The cab front and back were about 4.5mm to high so I cut a piece off with a piercing saw. The "legs" for the splashers tops were the correct length and needed no adjustment. I did anneal them before shaping to suit the cab side sheets. I have a small blowtorch fro jobs like this so I can anneal a small area.

 

 

The rest fitted OK and it was built up on the bench before fitting to the footplate.

 

 

I built up a the tank in the bunker from some scrap. The bunker front was a bit awkward until I fitted a V shaped piece of suitable behind it to keep it the correct distance off the cab rear.

 

 

After it was fitted to the footplate I cut a clearance hole for the gearwheel which stands above the footplate. It will mean I  have to make a false cab floor to fit about 1.5mm above the current one. I am using a standard Branchlines O gauge gearbox as I find them very good value for money, if I had gone with and ABC gearbox I could possibly have avoided this but for this loco I thought that was unnecessary expense.

 

[Nicktoix]

I have built up the cab splashers but had to make new tops as the ones on the etch were completely wrong. The sides were fitted and then some

measurements made with a length of  solder and the resulting tops fitted quite well.

 

 

I then rolled up the boiler and made up the smokebox. The rivets on the rear ring of the smokebox show up well.

 

 

 

BUT THEN A BIIIIG MISTAKE.

 

 

The windows on the cab front and back were too low.

 

So cut off the cab front just above the cab splashers where there is a joint in the real thing anyway. Similarly cut off the cab back level with the top of the bunker front. Both these were done with a cutting disc. The cab front had a thick piece of metal soldered to give a horizontal level.

 

A few minutes drawing the new parts then an hour or so making them. If any one wants the drawings let me know.

 

 

When fitted I find them quite acceptable.

 

 

 

Then I have made new splashers tops which I am now filing away at to fit the boiler. This may take a while to get a good fit.

 

 

Back  in a week or two.

[Nicktoix]

At last I've got the basic structure finished. Fitting the boiler took some time with some patient (and at times very impatient) filing away of the splashers and cab front to get a reasonable fit.

 

The "baby splashers for the front wheels were tricky. I soldered the tops on while the faces were still on the etch.

 

As can be seen underneath I had to cut away large amounts to clear the wheels. Ugly and messy but thankfully unseen.

 

The cab roof is loose and held in place by four phos bronze wire "legs"

 

Chimney and dome are loose at the pres.

Next job is to start detailing but it will be some time now as I have other things to do for the next few weeks.

 

Nick

[2ManySpams]

Certainly starting to very much look like a BWT Nick. S big thank you for continuing to illustrate the build on here. Looking forward to the next installment.

[2ManySpams]

Hi Nick, how's the BWT build coming on? Very interested to see what motor and gearbox you use and how it fits in.

[DLT]

Just found this thread, looks an excellent job.

Cheers, Dave.

[Nicktoix]

Now back from France avoiding floods, petrol shortages and football: I have done a bit more work.

 

 

The chassis is finished. The motor is a 1830 on a standard Branchlines gearbox. The gearwheel stands slightly above the footplate so I have fitted a false floor to the cab.

 

 

There is very little clearance for the motion and the front wheels. I have reversed the coupling rod bushes as there is no room for nuts of any kind.

 

 

The "hanging" axleboxes needed filing back alot to clear the front wheels.

 

I always try to keep the con rod in line with the cylinder centreline, where it should be, but it does result in it being very tight around the footplate valances. Complicated by the con rod being inside the connecting rods.

 

It all runs quite nicely so on with detailing the body and I've just noticed that the sandpipes are missing !!

 

Progress will be very slow for the next few weeks.

 

Nick

[Nicktoix]

I'm not quite sure what has come over me as a sudden flurry of activity has seen the loco finished

 

 

The smokebox door is a Laurie Griffin pressing the hinges etc made from bits out of the scrapbox

 

 

Most of the castings are from Laurie as well although I had to cobble together some bit of tube to make the steam fountain.

 

 

The Southern sure had a love for lamp irons all out of the spares box.

 

 

After weighting up into the paintshop. The bunker has been filled with Wood's metal and a small roll of lead in the boiler. The centre of gravity is almost over the leading drivers.

 

 

 

 

 

To conclude. It may be small but it not an easy loco to build. Multi level footplate,narrow cylinders resulting in the con rod being outside the coupling rods are just some of the issues. Rolling a boiler is the easy bit.

 

It is not a perfect model but I am happy with it as is.

 

Onto the next nasty then. This time in 4mm LNWR 777  compound tank 2-2-4T with outside Joy valve gear.

 

 

Nick

Edited July 21, 2016 by Nicktoix

[2ManySpams]

Certainly looks like a Beattie well tank. Very nice.

[N15class]

Looks very good. I have a hankering to build another one, but it will haveto wait as there are more locos in the queue.

 

I can't see from the photos did you fit the water filler in the bunker?

[Nicktoix]

Yep. The water filler is there fabricated from bits of brass using data from a GA of the original locos.
Nick

Edited July 22, 2016 by Nicktoix

[2ManySpams]

So Nick, having now completed your loco, what would you differently a second time around? Just interested to help my future build of your etches...

[Nicktoix]

I wouldn't do anything different. I have built  alot of locos over the years so I have a clear plan of action before I start the drawings.

 

However the curves on the footplate need to be tighter than I got them particularly the first one.

 

There are two mistakes on the etches ; the cab front and rear are wrong in that the spectacles are in the wrong place (otherwise they are OK), the splashers need to be wider.

I would suggest that a bit more clearance is given inside the cab be given for the rear faces of the wheels. I haven't done this but the clearances are tight.

 

Good luck

 

Nick

[hayfield]

Nick

 

I am building a Roxey Beattie Well Tank, I have hit a problem in that all the plans I have do not show the water tank filler in the bunker, I can see it in some photos but have no idea of its size abd how much lower it is than the bunker top. I am wondering if you know the size please

 

Thanks

 

John

[Nicktoix]

I had no definIte dimensions just "guesstimated" it from photos.

Nick