Finney7 LSWR L12

[dikitriki]

Hi

The test etches for the L12 have now arrived. There will be a number of amendments before they go into production, principally to allow for later variants up to BR period, but my brief is to build it in 1912 condition to check for fit and accuracy.

 

 

 

We shall have to see what castings are appropriate from other kits in the range, and what new masters we need to produce, but that is Steph's department.

So, let's see how far I can get before Telford.

 

Richard

[3 link]

Hi Richard,

 

I look forward to the build, I do have a soft spot for the LSWR especially the livery and the elegance of some of their locos including the L12.

 

ATB,

 

Martyn.

 

PS, Perhaps the idea of a " suggestion box " wasn't a good idea , but it raised a smile : )

Edited August 22, 2017 by 3 link

[Horsetan]

Those etches look rather tasty. I do hope Steph will have a bit of spare time in the years ahead to work on etches for German HO.....

[N15class]

Oh dear these look really good. Must resist temptation, well at least until the K10 is about.

[dikitriki]

I've started the body.

 

The valances are on a jig, so they are folded to 90 degrees, and I have cut out and cleaned up the triangular tabs which reinforce the main jig, and the footplate.

 

It's nice to see minimal tabs, so they were dead easy to get off. The only thing to watch is the half-etch footplate edge which locates the valances. It's prototypically thin, and can be distorted even when separating little tabs. It will strengthen up when soldered to the jig.

 

 

Richard

 

 

 

 

[Steph Dale]

Evening all,

I'm very grateful to Richard for him offering to do this test build. It will allow me/us to get the full kit available sooner as it saves me a great deal of time understanding Martin's original design and means I can continue with the re-introduction schedule. This kit will be my primary focus in the new year once the existing LSWR 4-4-0 kits have been retooled. 

A year or two ago I got some way through working up an L12 (and S11 too, although that's a slightly different story), between Martin's retirement and the Finney7 team's involvement. So here I'm looking at a hybrid design, incorporating a number of the details I had worked up with the parts Martin has developed. What you can see here in the frets is a first attempt at converting Martin's original artwork for his P4 model into a 7mm scale version so we can see how it goes together. I've already done the adjustments to the frame spacers and cab interior for finescale and there's a set of fluted coupling rods included for checking too.

In terms of additions the most obvious parts to complete are the post-rebuild details; extended smokebox, different brakegear and injectors.

As Richard works through I'm adding details and further enhancements to the design (as befits a 7mm, rather than 4mm scale model). So what you'll see here is a good indication of what's to come, but there is a lot of work to do to get to a complete kit. Not least the castings...

Steph

[dikitriki]

Hi,

I've now soldered the footplate to the cradle, and buffer and drag beams to the footplate. It is solid and flat. I did check, after every solder operation that it remained flat to that point. I also added one of the cab/splasher sides. All going swimmingly so far.

 

 

 

 

I will form the one-piece spectacle plate/splasher tops to the other cab/splasher side before I fit the second side to the footplate. I suspect it might be a bit of a tricky operation.

Richard

[N15class]

Looks elegant standing still. I would imagine there are a lot of places the the front and splasher tops could go wrong

[dikitriki]

Well, I got the front and splasher tops formed - it took a while! I'll fit the other side and this piece when I'm fresh tomorrow.

 

 

Richard

[N15class]

Lovely stuff.

[3 link]

I'll fit the other side and this piece when I'm fresh tomorrow.

 

 

 

Richard

I reckon that is the best plan of attack,

 

Enjoying the build,

 

Martyn.

[dikitriki]

Sexy curves time!

 

Other side on and the cab front/splasher tops fitted to this side. I have tucked the other side under the footplate so you can see how the front fits: there is a recess on top of the running plate into which the front of the splasher top drops.

 

The fit is astonishing - I had to do no filing whatever for it to drop in perfectly. I will accept I took great care in forming the splasher tops, and worked carefully from the top of the cab forward, but still.....

 

 

Richard

 

 

[dikitriki]

Hi,

 

Last night I soldered the second splasher top, and then made life difficult for myself......

I had had a right game on the Adams' Radial forming the boiler and firebox in the one piece, so I split them and made the firebox separate from the boiler. I decided to do the same thing from the outset on the L12 before realising, with the larger boiler, it wouldn't have been so much of a problem. On the Radial, the join is hidden with a boiler band. To my horror, I realised there is no boiler band to hide the join on the L12. So, I will have to make a perfect join between boiler and firebox or it will be all too visible. That's for another day.

There was no problem building the firebox, and I still like the idea of building and fitting it separately, but.....

Anyway, it did all fit, it's still all square. All I had to do was form the bottom reverse curve to fit nicely between the splasher tops, check the beading was even all way round both sides, and solder it up. There was only a miniscule bit of gap filling at the front, but that was probably me taking a bit too much off the former when decusping - you wouldn't be aware of it if I hadn't told you, and can't see it anyway!

 

 

Richard

[Deano747]

Beautiful build so far, but.........     where's the solder?! Lovely clean work, Richard.

 

Regards, Deano.

[agt613]

I've just found this and am lost in wonder!

[Deano747]

As a modeller in 7mm scale and the LSWR, this thread is a great interest. I've never built a Finney kit, but am greatly tempted. The only problem is time, or rather the lack of it.

 

I've had a look at the Finney 7 website and am impressed. I found the instructions for the M7 and the 0415 and started mentally constructing the kits! Hints at new releases are interesting as is the re-introduction of the T9 and L11.

 

I wish the Finney 7 team well in their endeavours.

 

I'm seriously tempted by an M7 at Telford, it'll be a while before building though due to the work required on my house.

 

Regards, Deano.

[N15class]

I am aiming for a M7 Christmas time. K10 or T1 are tempting. I want both but will buy scratch build the other.

[dikitriki]

Hi,

 

I decided that it would be next to impossible to make an invisible join between the boiler and firebox in the absence of a boiler band, so stripped off the firebox.

 

I had a spare set of etches so made another boiler/firebox unit up as one piece this time without any problems.

 

 

It's worth forming as close as possible to final without relying on solder to pull parts into place. In particular there would be a risk of pulling the half-etched splasher tops out of shape. The following photos show the smokebox/boiler/firebox placed in position, held by nothing more than a broach through the rear firebox locating hole for height purposes:

 

 

 

 

Richard

[PAD]

Incredible work Richard!

 

I'm sure getting all those curves in the etchings spot on must be quite tricky, but you've made it look easy. Something for us lesser mortals to aspire to.

Cheers,

Peter

[N15class]

I like the way you have got the fit so good between the firebox and the splashers. Would it not of been better having the firebox drop between them as per prototype. Then it's two straight joints rather than two wobbly ones.

[Steph Dale]

Peter,

 

I hope Richard doesn't mind my interjection, but I may be a good person to answer your question as the one who's doing the work to get the artwork and patterns to production and is designing the future LSWR kits...

 

If the firebox drops between the splashers to a straight line then it can interfere with the wheels. In 'Finescale' the firebox cladding is significantly wider than the frames (it's a bit wider on the prototype!). Doing it the way seen in Richard's build, with the firebox sitting just between the splashers, allows that clearance to be maintained and it can still be soldered from inside the body to create a neat seam in an area that would be a real pain to clean up from outside. Providing the interface between the two parts is well developed, as is the case here, it's no harder to get that joint neat than it would be to join two straight pieces of brass.

 

It's also worth noting that even if we attempted to simplify the interface between the splashers/cab and firebox we'd still have a number of complex curves to develop if the angle joining the cab/splashers to the boiler cladding was to be replicated, as it is here.

 

In my mind the quality of the fit and the associated effort put into the design is what should make a kit easier than scratchbuilding. All that hard work should be done, once, by the designer so that the builder has a simpler time in assembling their model. It seems to have been much of Martin's approach and my intention is that all the future LSWR kits which will come from Finney7 will continue in this way. There are a good few modellers of the LSWR who have built these kits and have expectations which we fully expect to meet.

 

Steph

Edited August 28, 2017 by Steph Dale

[N15class]

Thanks Steph.

I have done the both ways. The 0395 I am building at the moment has the firebox inside the splashers. Yes it just needed trimming after fitting.

[Steph Dale]

Peter,

 

In a scratchbuilt model you'll be building to your own skill set and designing parts to fit the model within the constructional approaches you find easiest. For a kit it's a bit different in that we have to allow for a variety of levels of skill and I think many people would struggle to neatly trim a firebox inside a splasher. There's also the issue of the 'L' angle which joins the splasher top and cab front to the firebox; that would need shaping before fitting whether formed from strip or, as here, two flat features.

 

Steph 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Steph Dale

[sej]

That's a lovely looking loco beginning to appear from a very nice looking kit! Steph, you mentioned "future LSWR kits", what might they be? I'll be saving up!

 

Cheers

Simon

Edited August 28, 2017 by sej

[Steph Dale]

Simon,

 

Richard posted the current guesstimation on Peter's thread a little while ago, so I don't think I'm betraying any confidences:

 

"...starting with me building the pre-production L12...   ...then D15, T1, A12, 0395, S11, K10. That's probably 3-4 years work, and the order may be altered. The T1 is substantially drawn, and it's a toss-up whether that or the D15 takes priority."

 

All of these, L12 included, won't be released until the current kits, including LSWR 4-4-0s (T9s, L11) are back in production. I'm pretty much maxxed-out on the re-tooling jobs at the moment so I'll have a good chunk of time available to progress the L12 and other kits during 2018.

 

Steph