Detailing a freelance 0-6-2T

[scots region]

Hello all, for some time, more than most medical experts would advise I have been mangling a Bachmann Thomas range No 9 'Donald' with the intent of turning it into a Freelance 0-6-2, my inspiration was two photos, of a Highland railway Drummond 0-6-4 at Blair Atholl and of, fittingly, another Drummond 0-6-2, this time for the Glasgow and South Western Railway at Hurlford. Basically my intent is a big Edwardian Tank. Looking a photo of the work so far it does look like a chunky N15

 

 

Please excuse any image quality, I'm using my iPad. But this is the work so far. Now as for detailing, I've decided to retain the little dome to mount a pair of Ross pop valves, the chimney I felt should be a Robinson. The steam dome, would it complement or compromise the look to have two flat topped domes in proximity to each other?

 

 

Here's a forward view of affairs, for whatever reason, Mitton and his team seem to have wanted a more realistic look for Donald and Douglas, maybe they had a preference for Caledonian goods engines. This thankfully means that the model is substantially more 'real' than compared to the rest of the TV shows fleet.

 

The tanks and cab, I should mention, I intent to build up with plasticard. I did think initially that the tanks should extent to cover the leading splashers, but on consulting the prototypes I think it would be prudent to leave them exposed. I know I need to put a lubricator in there somewhere, but I can't figure out what kind it should be.

 

 

A slightly more detailed view of the front.

 

 

Two views of the top of the boiler.

 

 

Now then, from a side on view of 'Donald' I could see that the running plate had a slight bend to it, I detemined that it was due to too much plastic in the cab mounting boss, the plastic stil wishes to bend somewhat, perhaps some plasticard stays would hold it.

 

Any ideas from you, no doubt, fine souls?

 

SCR

[Londontram]

I'm looking forward to seeing this develop I love these sort of jobs. Steve

[Corbs]

bookmarked!

[scots region]

Hello all, the three teens who snuck in without paying and their dog that is. Glorious (not really) news! The worlds slowest model maker, I mean even James May got an A3 on the tracks after twenty minutes. I have made... err well progress (of a sort).

 

 

Whilst I was thinking about how expensive a new smokebox door would be for No 9, it occurred to me that I am an idiot, also I should look a cheaper option. That came in the form of 'MSLR No 4', a bit of Hornby 'historical license' shall we say. Convently this particular type of generic 0-4-0 happens to have a separately fitted smokebox door, and bizarrely that's the only separate part on the whole model. So in the absence of a better idea (story of my life) I brutally ripped its face off and slapped it on the 0-6-0 while No 4 watched, grim but you can't argue with the results. Congratulations it's a Drummond, I shall call him Peter.

 

 

The remains of the victim, there is something vaguely disturbing about this.

 

 

I'll make it better!!

 

 

...arguably worse, depending on your perspective

 

 

No 9 gazes upon its work... and thought it good.

 

 

And now for something completely different.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I likes em big, but not so big it can't fit in my hand. It's an SM32 freelance coach from IP engineering, off eBay for some plums, didn't think they'd take those. I've paint in cream and green for a little mental project I have. Unfortunately, I'm not best pleased with it, for reasons that I am not privy to IP engineering gives you a big piece of the worlds stiffest plastic and tells you to form it to the roof. This results in a lot of faffing around with rubber banks and superglue which almost poisons you in the process. Any advice on that fount? I was thinking of using some scrap pipe and boiling it in water in the future.

 

 

Right I hope you at least found this entertaining. Good night.

 

ScR

[Killian keane]

What we dont know of course is whether Hornby intended MSLR to mean Manchester Sheffield and Linconshire or Mid Suffolk Light, I presume the latter based on the colour choice

P.s I really like the ip engineering coach also!

[scots region]

Good day, I've decided to try and deal with the modifications I want to make to the chassis first, before I have a bash at the body. I have since purchased a spare front bogie for a Hornby 2-6-4, and removed the wheelset.

 

 

Now, hers the crux of the issue, to swing or not to swing. My initial idea, if it were to swing would be to remove the mounting bracket, that's the slightly thinner piece of metal at the head of the bogie and shape the thicker midsection to allow movement. But I'm not so sure of the merits of this, it might just be easier to forgo a swing all together and mount it solidly to the chassis, what do you think?

 

 

To compound issues here is what we have to work with on the chassis itself, thats the tender drawbar pivot. My plan was to drill through it and use it to hold a bolt and nut that would form the bogie swing mechanism, but again it seems far too close to the rearmost driving wheel to do it that way. What do you think?

 

ScR

[scots region]

May have bitten off more than I can chew.

[Corbs]

Do tell.....

[scots region]

Do tell.....

I've been building up the side tanks in plasticard, and no matter what it just doesn't look right, I'm tempted to find a sacrificial lamb in the form of either a j83 or an M7 and use the boiler and cab off that rather than attempting scratch building solely what's in my head. I've also been giving some thought to its possible back story, nothing concrete but I have at least decided on the name of the company.

 

The Glasgow and North Western Railway... a railway that time forgot, to build.

 

On that note, do you happen to know where I could find a Jouef 0-6-0 chassis, I want to do something with that class D shell.

 

ScR

[The Johnster]

Good day, I've decided to try and deal with the modifications I want to make to the chassis first, before I have a bash at the body. I have since purchased a spare front bogie for a Hornby 2-6-4, and removed the wheelset.

 

IMG_0137.JPG

 

Now, hers the crux of the issue, to swing or not to swing. My initial idea, if it were to swing would be to remove the mounting bracket, that's the slightly thinner piece of metal at the head of the bogie and shape the thicker midsection to allow movement. But I'm not so sure of the merits of this, it might just be easier to forgo a swing all together and mount it solidly to the chassis, what do you think?

 

IMG_0140.JPG

IMG_0142.JPG

 

To compound issues here is what we have to work with on the chassis itself, thats the tender drawbar pivot. My plan was to drill through it and use it to hold a bolt and nut that would form the bogie swing mechanism, but again it seems far too close to the rearmost driving wheel to do it that way. What do you think?

 

ScR

 

I suspect you might be inviting problems if you have a swinging rear axle; certainly you will need some sort of spring to hold it down on to the rails, if the spring is too powerful it will lift the loco and ruin pickup performance, and too much freedom to move could induce derailments.  If I were doing it, I would make the rear axle rigid, so that the loco is effectively an 8-wheel vehicle with a single solid frame.  Some side play in the rear axle might be a good idea if your curves are very sharp, less than radius 3.

 

If the rear axle is rigid, it may be possible to arrange pickups on it, and the more pickups the better your loco will run.

[Nile]

Jouef 0-6-0 chassis? Will one of these do?

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/golden-valley-gv2017-gwr-no-629-0-6-0-steam-loco-gv2017-golden-valley-hobbies-JJJA30902.aspx

 

or

 

http://www.scograil.co.uk/electrotren-e0045-h0-187---steam-locomotive-rbacena-0222-st-10610-p.asp

 

I think they all have basically the same chassis.

[scots region]

Right I thought I'd better share some of my handiwork, view at your own peril, I mean it's your mental state... anyway.

 

 

Here's a left hand view and you can kind of see what I was going for and how I (incompetently) attempted it. I used some 1mm plasticard, yes I'll be punished for using metric later, for now though. I built up the base and ribs of the tank and glued a strip of 0.50mm (swear jar) plastic over them. This looks... average, there's something but not entirely.

 

 

Moving on. This perhaps demonstrates the problem more aptly than my wittering, the tanks don't quite touch the boiler and that combined with my clumsy construction well you can get why I'm thinking of finding a donner to victimise, it would just be harder to ruin a professional job, ya know? Well okay, it would be easier to hide. Incidentally if anyone has an M7 they don't like and would be willing to part with it for a not very significant at all sum, plus a generally insulting atmosphere, I'm ya man.

 

 

A couple of top down shots for you to gain greater perspective on the situation.

 

 

Three more shots from a variety of angles for you to... get a better angle on the, never mind.

 

 

Nile will recognise this, and in all honesty is most likely something the upstart GNWR would do.

 

Oh and if you are wondering it's a Panther Ausf A.

 

ScR

[Corbs]

Looks to me like all you need to do is cut a wrapper to size for the front of the tanks out of thin styrene - you could get the shape by tracing the front of the boiler on a piece of paper.

 

If you want a reet BODGE for the trailing axle you can just stick in a bit of foam sponge to pack out the axle from the main body - it's flexible so doesn't prevent it from moving, but it will want to expand and thereby keep the truck on the rails. For more stiffness, pack more sponge in there.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... This looks... average, there's something but not entirely...

 

 While Corbs' suggestion to cut profiled front plates to blend the tanks into the boiler side will improve matters, I feel there's something of a fundamental problem lurking here.

 

The boiler diameter is rather too large for a tank engine. I'd guess the boiler diameter to be around 5'6" going by appearance and that's a 17 to 18 ton axleload 0-6-0 in anybody's money. Hang tanks on it with the 2,000 gallon capacity that a boiler that size really needs, and the fully filled tanks add another 13 or 14 tons. Now it's a 22 ton axle load behemoth only fit for manline work (the carrying wheelset will be up to the normal 10 ton load with the rear frame extension, wheelset and truck and coal bunker / tank). I suspect that is what the appearance is telling you, it's looking improbably porky...

[scots region]

While Corbs' suggestion to cut profiled front plates to blend the tanks into the boiler side will improve matters, I feel there's something of a fundamental problem lurking here.

 

The boiler diameter is rather too large for a tank engine. I'd guess the boiler diameter to be around 5'6" going by appearance and that's a 17 to 18 ton axleload 0-6-0 in anybody's money. Hang tanks on it with the 2,000 gallon capacity that a boiler that size really needs, and the fully filled tanks add another 13 or 14 tons. Now it's a 22 ton axle load behemoth only fit for manline work (the carrying wheelset will be up to the normal 10 ton load with the rear frame extension, wheelset and truck and coal bunker / tank). I suspect that is what the appearance is telling you, it's looking improbably porky...

I think you've cracked it, I think I'll leave it on the back burner for the moment and try something a little less daunting... mountaineering for example.