bertiedog Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Back to pattern making for the tiny toolbox, made to custom fit the back of the Brass Betsy Tender, with hinges, and clasp, for which a padlock is being made, (non working!).....all filed from solid brass bar, with added wire for bolts and the clasp. The missing Kemtron lost wax casting was not quite as good a fit or the right pattern, as it has to fit behind the rear step ladder, a very tight fit. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 And mounted in place on the tender rear, handrails next on the tender sides, and wooden coal boards etc., on the tender top, plus wooden footplate floor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 New floor under the cast tender floor, in brass sheet, with a centre bar in hollow square tube, with stay wires, and the lost wax brass brake cylinder unit mounted in a slot cut into the centre tube. As things have already been soldered on ot the main cast floor, the new parts are glued together with superglue, quite strong enough for this sort of job. Pipes and lost wax brass cast air tank, when it arrives, to be added to super detail it, much of it remains quite hidden in normal viewing! Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 The arrangement of the pipes and valves for the tender, the air valve is cast with the lost wax brass air reservoir cylinder coming from the States. It needs a signal valve made from scratch and larger diameter copper pipes added for the main pipes to the rear pilot beam, along with suitable hose connectors. The Brass Betsy tender also needs decent proper metal couplers, Kadee magnetic type, which fortunately fit, as the coupler gear pockets are quite standard to NMRA dimensions. They originally took Lindsay cast knuckle couplers, or the horn hook NMRA pressed steel type.in 1947/8 when the kit was made, pre-dating the Kadee types introduction. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Looks like some work will be on hold, the Chatham Show has no specialist supplier going this year unlike last year, for some special metal sections etc. i will have to mail order the stuff, a large amount of which I had put off buying as I was assured the supplier would be at this years show, at last years show, but is now not coming. It is so frustrating having to trail through the net etc to trace suppliers, as I barely feel like bothering with a company that does not turn up, hardly builds any customer loyalty. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Traced some other suppliers to buy in the metal sections required, I have most for the Loco anyway as it was basically a complete kit, it is the extras taking the metal sections. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Shot of the Brass Betsy lost wax cast tender floor with copper air pipe now fitted, and holes etc awaiting the new airtank casting to be fitted with the air valve and associated piping around it as per the drawing outline. Not sure the function of the signal valve though, the triple valve is the other near the air tank itself. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1905 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 The signal valve is used with passenger cars. They connect a signal line to and between the cars, then the conductor can operate a whistle signal that operate a whistle in the engine to signal the engineer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 The old drawing was from a Kemtron catalogue, who were describing it as tender arrangement, but if on a passenger car then that explains it, no signal valve on a tender , just a T piece to connect to the line. Anybody got any other brake arrangement drawings for under tenders, they seem few and far between on the net.. Also any decent shots of air pipes and connectors on the pilot beams? I cannot find any close up shots for making them. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 A couple of decent brass figures for the Brass Betsy Loco, made in lost wax brass, by PSC, ex Kemtron/Weston,, ordered on Ebay with a deal on the postage, which looked like making them far too expensive! Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 The Brass Betsy tender also requires a new brake handwheel, the original was in the box , but went missing, a brake handwheel with curved spokes, so I was about to make one, very time consuming, but discovered that 51L from Wizard Models in the UK sell very nice etched brake wheels in a large assortment of sizes and types, with some exact US curved spoked types, with the hole for the knob as well. They were a fraction of the cost of lost wax cast brass or even plastic types from the States. Some types with straight spokes can be doubled back to back, and soldered to gain thickness, the curved spokes cannot be done that way, but they are thick enough already for HO, just requiring a turned boss and stem, with a mounting flange to fit to the tender. Two of the very tiny hand wheels can be adapted as water control valves as well, with another fitted to the brake valve under the tender near the air tank. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Tank casting arrived and fitted under the tender, just a couple of pipes to add and done, then assembly of the outer details on the top. Couple more of the lost wax brass fireman figures, to be modified for other locos for the Stewartstown short line layout. Two old time brass cast drivers are still due, ordered from Ebay last week. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Figures arrived, very nice lost wax brass, ex Kemtron/PSC type, both seated. Shot as cast before fettling and tidying up. Work proceeding on the body detailing as well, sourcing some microscope slide glass for the windows. The tender is complete now, bar some couplings. I was about to fit Kadee, but there were once brass working knuckles from Lindsay at the time of the kit, and looking out for some of those to go with it. Kemtron did them in the early 50's, but only made non working scale dummies afterwards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stro Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Hello! I recently acquired a Brass Betsy in much the same condition as the one featured in this series of posts by bertiedog. I see the last update was in June of 2011. Has there been any progress since then? Cheers! Darrin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Not much progress as I was forced by bad ill health to stop all the railway modelling, only now picking up slowly where I left off. The Betsy is up and running now, with the original motor, but as yet I have only just started a layout. My health forced an early retirement, and limited income, but I hope I can pick up again on these projects Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DIW Posted January 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 10, 2016 Bertidog, I'm delighted to see that you have recovered sufficiently to start posting again. I remember a few years back that you had described that typing was becoming increasingly difficult, and I had become resigned to the likelihood that your wisdom would no longer be shareable. How pleased I am to be corrected! Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenceb Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Good to see you back Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Stephen - you may be pleased to hear that I obtained from 51L Last week, a set of the etched brake wheels the other day as a result of the photo in post#61, which I needed for a Grasse River Caboose kit(Long dis-continued I believe, but picked up on Ebay) that I hope to start work on shortly to use as a switching caboose. http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44203&SearchTerms=keystone,caboose Glad that you are back with us and posting again. Best Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I'm pleased to see you back posting again Stephen, every so often I have searched for your threads because I've felt I've been missing them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 Thanks for the postings, I missed being able to get on with any railway items. Health broke up in too many ways to continue, but i am able to do some commercial based stuff now, possibly the new 009 stuff from Bachman and Heljan, plus some projects put aside will I was so ill. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Stephen So glad you are back, look forward to reading your posts again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Work resumed again on the Brass Betsy, needs further detailing and the chassis running sorted out. Wheels all OK, but the side rods need altering a bit. The valve gear now functions nicely. A La belle Combine coach is on order to go with it , or may be a scratch built from plans. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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