The beast: A L & Y 0-8-0 in 2mm finescale

[Nick Mitchell]

If you're going to do a GWR loco, Nigel, how about one of the "Improved Castle" class that the LMS contracted North British to build for them?

 

On the subject of spacers, I too was apprehensive of this kind until I plucked up courage to give them a go.

I think I actually prefer them now, as you can make them look more like the frame stretchers on the real thing - especially if you can see under the boiler and between the frames.

The key is to make sure you hold the frames dead straight and rigid while you solder them in.

I solder all the spacers to one frame first, while the frame is flat. It is easy then to check that they are soldered square to the frame, and adjust if necessary.

To fix the second side in place, I use the association jig, holding one end of the bobbins in a smooth-jawed vice (one of the watchmaker's ones from Shestos), with the frame lying flat on the top of the vice jaws. Theoretically, this means the frame can't bend or twist.

 

Nick.

[Hendreladis]

Another day forward. At one point I thought it was going to end really well but a few bodged parts have taken a lot of the shine off.

 

The design is very sound. You're almost guaranteed a square body but there were a few stages where I'd wished I had a vice with me.

 

Still need a scrub and a scrape. Wheels are temporary and just placed in to jack the body up for pictures. No mood for the fiddly bits now so ba k in the box with it.

[Hendreladis]

Three years later . . . and with apologies to Nigel.

 

Was rummaging about in one of my numerous mounds of debris and rediscovered the tender and associated etches for this loco so got the soldering iron out to see if I could make things any worse than they were when I packed it all up in 2017. I soon remembered why I had hidden it away when the time came to attack the tender axle boxes.  On re reading and re reading and re reading and re reading the instructions (I hate doing that) I am pretty sure that a few 'right through' etch lines were missing and so I ended up omitting what I assume were the horn guides either side of the bearing box plus the supporting fillet. Looked acceptable on the bench but they actually now look a bit weedy on the loco. Plasticard would suffice to beef them up. With that bit done the rest of the loco was bound to be easy!

 

Everything else pretty much fell together. The kit is beautifully designed and nicely etched but I was going through a cack handed phase so there are some unwelcome flaws in the finish. The boiler does sit down parallel and things are generally straight and true so not a total write off but there are better things to spend my time on at the moment. 

 

BTW my initial post queried the apparent softness of the nickel silver. I gave the model a whizz through the ultrasonic cleaner using a cheap brand of dishwasher rinse aid to de-grease and de-flux with the result that the half etched sheet comprising the boiler discoloured to reveal the copper within. That has never happened before. Curious.

 

I won't be finishing this so it will soon appear on the gloat box exchange thread on the off chance someone may want to salvage it. Wheels, gears and a motor plus a few hours fettling of the remaining etch parts would get it running. I wouldn't want it on any layout of mine. It's minging. I will, however, attack a LYR 2-4-2T tank from Nigel's range pretty soon. 

 

[Coal Tank]

I must get one 

[queensquare]

I've built one of these - I know they never came anywhere near Bath but my weakness for pre-group eight coupled locos is well known!

Its an excellent kit and went together very well although the tender axle boxes also defeated me - I think, from memory, there are eleven parts in each, some of which are very small! I managed to do about five of them pretty well but you need eight! My 3D capable friend with whomI have a bartering arrangement for left over N gauge wheels and stuff has agreed to print me some although he is having problems with his CAD at the moment but when it's better, if, there is enough interest, I might look into getting them cast. 

 

Jerry

[Nick Mitchell]

It is about 3 years since I started my one of these.

I got as far as putting the bearings in the frames, but kept looking at all those bits of tender axlebox on the etch and put it to one side in fear and trepidation.

 

Anyway, seeing these posts prompted me to take another look.

Well, 3 years later the bits don't look any bigger, and there are still as many of them, but I must be feeling more confident.

So far I have completed one - and I can understand why you want to have some cast, Jerry!

 

Here are a few pics of how it went together, in case anyone else is scratching their head and needs a bit of encouragement.

Maybe it'll even encourage me to tackle the other seven.

 

Here are all the bits cut out and with the tabs removed as best as I can... thank goodness I didn't sneeze:

The top row above are the 4 layers of the axleboxes themselves, sand the "wedge" that needs to be home made;

The second row (apart from the left had one which somehow swapped places!) are the base layers.

The third row are the base layer overlays with half-etched detail.

The fourth row are the spring overlays;

The fifth row are the horn cheeks and their triangular ribs. The ribs were originally attached to the guides, and need removing with at least some of the tab remaining. Thank goodness there are plenty of spares on the etch.

 

The second layer up is supposed to have slots in it, but they hadn't quite etched through and needed opening up. Here's a before and after picture:

Because of the slight under-etching, the rivets haven't come out very well - one of the inherent risks of attempting to etch such minuscule details.

 

I used a bit if scrap etch filed into a point as recommended by Bob Jones, held in a pin vice to scrape out the slots.

 

I needed to check the horn cheeks (which themselves have slots to open out) fitted into these slots. They need to be able to slide all the way up to the full thickness bar at what will be the bottom edge of the plate.

 

I didn't tin the two base layers (or any of the parts), but fluxed them well and introduced solder from the sides. The base layers were thus soldered together with the horn cheeks in position in their slots. Extra solder was added in the gap between the cheeks, to make sure they were secure. Most of this solder wicked down the slots and between the layers:

At this level of magnification, the cusp from the etching process shows up horrendously.

 

Next the microscopic ribs were added to the cheeks. I ended up holding the cheek vertical with stainless steel tweezers, with the tips of the tweezers forming a rest for the rib to stand against. It took some persistence to get the parts all vertical and square to one another, and with the ribs fully flat down onto the base plates.

You can see the tabs protruding into the gap between the cheeks in the picture above. This was filed away after soldering was complete and checked thoroughly under magnification. I also tickled the top and ends of the cheeks with a file to make sure they were level and didn't protrude beyond the square base plate towards the springs.

 

Next, the axleboxes needed to be made up. The bottom three identical layers were stacked up with flux in-between them, and soldered together from the side as before.

While the stack of parts is molten, there is opportunity to tweek the alignment - or ruin it(!).

The instructions tell you to make a wedge the length and width of the fourth layer of the axlebox (which, incidentally, has rivets to be pressed out) sloping from 0 - 0.5mm in thickness. You then have the challenge of soldering the top etched layer to the wedge.

 

I filed a taper on the end of a long strip of 0.5mm nickel silver, and soldered the axlebox top layer to the taper. I could then cut off the tapered end of the strip with the etched component attached. This was finally held down on top of the 3-layer stack and soldered in place as before:

All these layers originally had tabs on their sides, and once complete, the whole thing could be smoothed off so that it could fit between the cheeks.

 

Finally the spring overlay and the axlebox can be soldered into the base.

I have tried to file round the edges to remove the cusp. Obviously this is easier round the square base plate than round the spring.

I think it looks quite good.

It is certainly pushing at the boundaries of what is possible to achieve with etching... and I will never complain about etched wagon axle-boxes again!

 

If this is the most difficult bit, I should be alright to continue with the rest of the loco - once I've finished off one or two other pending projects.

[Scale7JB]

You're mad! (in a good way)

 

JB. 

[queensquare]

Hi Nick, fabulous work as usual, those axleboxes are fun aren't they. I've sent you an email!

 

cheers Jerry

[Nick Mitchell]

I finished off the other seven axle boxes, then I listened to my voicemail.

I wish I'd done things in the opposite order, for through the speaker of my phone came the dulcet tones of Mr Hunt, gently pointing out that I had got the little ribs at the wrong ends of the horn cheeks! Better to find out now rather than after they were attached to a loco and painted.

The beauty of soldering things together is that you can un-solder them just as easily, and enjoy driving yourself mad trying to put them together all over again - especially when they're as fiddly as these... 

Nigel told me the slots in the cheeks should have been pointing down instead of up as well, but I struggled to get the ribs to fit with them that way round, so they remain the wrong way up. I don't think it is too noticeable, as the ribs reach almost to the top of the cheeks.

They're all finished (again) now: