spikeyfaz Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 1/24 scale and it's still fiddly. I think I'd struggle in a smaller scale, so I'm full of admiration for your model Sandy. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 (edited) Edited October 8, 2018 by spikeyfaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 Two observations, though - this is the first time I have ever come across an instance where the connecting rod was behind the slidebars, ie offset from the crosshead. The accepted practice, more or less from the point at which Stephenson created the Rocket, was for the connecting rod and piston rod to be in line, as it avoids all sorts of mechanical issues. Didn't these locos have a crosshead feed pump in line with the piston road? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Didn't these locos have a crosshead feed pump in line with the piston road?Crosshead pump appears in most of the pictures I was working from, so I cobbled one together for my model. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lyonesse Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 20180427_122143.jpg Superb. I also note that your model has the lip around the top of the tank, that Iain Rice mentioned in his description of his 4mm model, sometime back in the early 70s. This is not obvious as most photos were taken from below tank top level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Superb. I also note that your model has the lip around the top of the tank, that Iain Rice mentioned in his description of his 4mm model, sometime back in the early 70s. This is not obvious as most photos were taken from below tank top level. Scouring the internet sourced me a few pictures, but you're right most are taken below tank top level. However, there's one particular photo which shows the aftermath of a shunting accident resulting in a written -off wagon. It clearly shows the lip around the top of the tank. I'm assuming it's so things like fire-irons, buckets etc can't fall off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 Scouring the internet sourced me a few pictures, but you're right most are taken below tank top level. However, there's one particular photo which shows the aftermath of a shunting accident resulting in a written -off wagon. It clearly shows the lip around the top of the tank. I'm assuming it's so things like fire-irons, buckets etc can't fall off. The ability to contain fire-irons, buckets and what-have-you is likely to have been incidental. From a production point of view, it is much easier to put the angle that joins the tank top to the sides on the top of the top plate, as then the rivets are on the outside of the tank, where they can be got at. Otherwise, you would have had to send someone inside the tank, which is not exactly large, to catch the hot rivets, put them in the hole and hold them up whilst the riveter did his bit with the hammer. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 Rude question: where does the motor go? Not rude, inside the tank! Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 (edited) Scouring the internet sourced me a few pictures, but you're right most are taken below tank top level. However, there's one particular photo which shows the aftermath of a shunting accident resulting in a written -off wagon. It clearly shows the lip around the top of the tank. I'm assuming it's so things like fire-irons, buckets etc can't fall off.Are Can you please post a copy of the picture you are referring to or a link so I can find it? Many thanks Sandy Edited October 10, 2018 by Sandy Harper Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Can you please post a copy of the picture you are referring to or a link so I can find it? Many thanks Sandy Hi Sandy I've just emailed you some pictures which I hope you can see ok. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Hi Sandy I've just emailed you some pictures which I hope you can see ok. Mike Thanks for the pictures Mike but, I am convinced that that is a different engine. True it has a box tank but the chimney looks to be a 'Modern' adornment. The loco appears to have a footplate (not seen on the original engines) and the cylinders look nothing like the original. The cab side sheets are also a different shape and the smokebox door seems to have a more modern side hinge. Intriguing to say the least. The depression on the top of the tank is obvious and explains why we could not locate a water filler lid on the other photos. We are amending the drawings to include a separate top to the tank. The cross head feed water pump appears only to have existed on the early , original engines, and my version is the rebuild (by the I&AJRly at Lochgorm) where the valve gear was changed and the pump removed plus the addition of a new Stroudley chimney. The photo of the cab/firebox of your model is of great help as that was taxing us a bit as to how it all went together. Thanks again. Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeyfaz Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Hi Sandy I've got a few more pictures which I'll try and send you later. I'm a bit reluctant to post them on here in case I'm infringing some obscure copyright law of something. My representation of the cab is just that. I can't say whether it's particularly accurate or not. Its worth looking at other Neilson engines as well to try and get a feel for how their engineers thought things through. Incidentally, the kettle that is pictured on top of the tank in some pictures is for heating up tallow, rather than making a cuppa! Mike 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 I got a bit 'side tracked' (groan!) from the Neilson into building another Petrol Inspection Saloon which is now just about ready for painting when the weather improves in the next couple of days. The issue I had with the Neilson was the fit of the motion bracket which is quite a complicated shape. With no drawings to refer to, it was a case of guess work. The shape, that we came up with on the original etch, turned out to be way off the mark so it was now a case of measuring the model and trying to get a shape that looked right and fitted. I started with a paper cut out to get a rough idea of the shape then moved on to a plastic one which was made oversize and paired down to get the fit as close as possible. It had to butt up against the boiler under the tank, avoid the tank, attach to the frames, attach to the ends of the slidebars, and avoid the throw of the rods! Easy peasy!!! The photograph shows a couple of duds before I got a shape I was happy with. And finally a photograph of the bracket loosely placed on one side of the loco. The overlong slidebars have also been cut down and reprofiled. Sandy 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 Update. The Neilson has been put aside awaiting castings to arrive. A start has been made on a Fowler 2-6-2T to keep my hands busy. The frames have been erected, along with the rods and valve gear but, today I have been informed, that the etches for the Highland 6 wheeled Goods Brake van Dia 25 (the older version with the greenhouse cupola on top and not the later one with the ski slope appendages either end to prevent the Guard banging his head!!!) are arriving this afternoon and I need to make an immediate start on that to build up the etches for the springs etc, to make casting masters, that then need to be sent away to the caster so that they will be back ASAP. Now, if you have been concentrating, that will be three models on the workbench at the same time! A couple of very quick photos of the Fowler so far. The rear axle will be fixed, for the motor /gearbox. The centre axle has about .5mm movement both up and down from the centre line and the front axle .5mm movement in the down direction only. All four top hat bearings will have a length of sprung wire with one end soldered to the side of the chassis a short distance from it and the other end resting on the bearings with the wire bent at 90 degrees and inserted into holes drilled in the top of the bearings to prevent rotation but, with enough downward pressure, to ensure that the wheels remain in contact with the track at all times. Sandy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Looking forward to this one. By the way what's the tool at the front? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 Looking forward to this one. By the way what's the tool at the front? Thanks Peter but you may need to wait a bit as it is likely to get shunted to the back of the shed for a while. The tool is a Nut Spinner from Markits. The screw-in tips are marked in BA 14 to 6, and their Metric equivalents.. Very useful. He intends to add a Slaters wheel screw Allan key in the .future Regards Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 On with the Highland Railway, Dia 25, 6 Wheel, Goods Brake Van. On Thursday I cut out the etches to build the spring units and the axleboxes to make casting masters. Sorry no photos as there was a bit of a hurry up with these so that they could be sent of to the caster. They were in the post on Friday afternoon. I try and fit as much detail as I can whilst the sides and ends are still in the 'flat'. On this kit there is quite an amount of beading to be attached to the body over the top of the planking. When designing a kit it is desired to keep down the amount of space between etched components and not waste the material by having large areas that are surplus to requirements. So the designer will always try and fill all the available space! In this photo you can see that the beading for the side of the van, the thin outline of N/S, is filled with lots of other small components and they need to be carefully cut out before it is attached to the van side. The requirements are, a box to hold the bits that are removed, various tools to cut the tabs (snips, scissors, sharp blade etc.) and a steady hand. It is obviously very important that you don't accidently bend the beading etch or any of the other delicate components whilst doing this. So take your time. I start of with a pair of sharp tinmans shears and remove what I can with them first, cutting as close to the beading as I can. When I can no longer use the shears I use a pair of curved scissors and as a last resort I would use a sharp blade but I am not keen on that method as it is too easy to distort the etch. This is what you should end up with! Next is the really delicate bit, removing what is left of the tabs and the cusp. For this I use a fine swiss file. I think it is a NO4 cut. The outside edges are not too bad as you can usually trap them in the vice and gently remove the cusp and tabs with the file or one of these card files that swmbo uses on her nails. The inside edges can also be done the same way but there are times when the beading is too fine and you can't get it to hold in the vice. I then hold the etch on to a Variflex block which has enough friction to stop the piece moving and gently file the edge. I attach the beading with a Resistance Soldering Iron and solder cream otherwise, gently tin the rear of the beading using the minimum amount of heat you can get away with and sweat it on to the side of the van with plenty of flux. Avoid the use of too much heat otherwise there is the danger of buckling the beading. Next I attached the door etches before assembling the van into its basic box. The cupola is a fold up etch that fits between the sides. The door beading is still to be added. Sandy 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted November 2, 2018 Author Share Posted November 2, 2018 As most of you Highland Railway Modellers will know, photographs of the Dia 25, Jones, 6 wheel goods brake van are as rare as hens teeth. So, taken from the information available, this is what it looked like! This is a 7mm test etch to see if it went together, and it did, mostly! A few tweaks are needed, especially in the wheel brake area but otherwise quite pleased with the result. The masters for the spring and axle box castings have gone to the caster and should be back in a week or so. The wheels are temporary, awaiting the correct spoked wheels from Slaters. The roof and cupola are attached with screws so glazing can be fitted after painting. And before you ask, yes , it will be produced in 4mm scale! Regards Sandy 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted November 11, 2018 Author Share Posted November 11, 2018 Ok, with the Highland Brake van out of the way and progress on the Neilson stalled due to a fundamental design malfunction, it's back to the Fowler. I added the spring wires to the front and middle axle bearings and prepared the main drivers. The front two have had their 12BA crank pins replaced with 10BA and the Slaters top hat bearings tapped with a 10BA thread plus two extra for the middle drivers to attach the return crank. All was assembled along with the connecting rods and the result was a nice free running chassis with no binding. Woopee! Next I wanted to start on the cylinders but apart from two sloping slots in the chassis frames all you get on the etch is a pair of etches for the front and rear of the cylinders. Now, with outside valve gear I like to have the cylinder block, and the attached valve rods, to be removable to assist with the building and later, the painting. So a bit of lateral thinking was needed here to achieve this. I had already spotted that the original kit designer had included a half etch line on the inside of the chassis sides, in between the locations for the front and rear cylinder plates, as if it was meant for a chassis spacer but, there was nothing in the kit, so maybe he forgot about it? So first job was to make a spacer to fit from some scrap etch and drill a hole in the centre. I then soldered the spacer into the gap between the frames and into the half etched lines. (But not to the cylinder plates!) Next I needed another spacer, this time to join the front and rear cylinders plates together so that they could be lifted out of the frames as one unit. This started off as another piece of scrap etch, marked out for the dimension from the outside edges of the cylinders units, a central hole drilled to match the chassis spacer, and two 90 degree bends to fit over the cylinder plates and to be soldered.(They would be adjusted later to get the required rake) Having marked where I wanted the bends in the cylinder spacer I first scribed them with a cutter blade and then opened them out with a triangular file. Finishing off with a metal bender to get a nice sharp 90 degree bend . Finally the bottom, fixed, chassis spacer was tapped 8BA and the cylinder spacer hole opened out to take the bolt. A tweak with a set of flat nosed pliers to set the angle of the cylinder front and rear plates ensured a neat fit in the chassis slots at the correct angle. When I come to fitting the valve gear and the reversing block etc the motion bracket will become part of the cylinder unit with another scratch built item!! Regards Sandy 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portchullin Tatty Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 And before you ask, yes , it will be produced in 4mm scale! Bravo! Mind you, with 9 HR brake vans built already, i hardly need another!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKR Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Such a great looking brake van. Can you post another photo when you have it painted? Just trying to convince myself that Col.Stephens bought one somehow...... (though I don't fancy filling that flimsy etch) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Bravo! Mind you, with 9 HR brake vans built already, i hardly need another!! You can never have enough brake vans! Sandy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Brake shoes, hangers and cross bars fitted along with single slide bar and piston guide. The cross head, as it was cast,needed quite a bit of remodelling to make it work but a new one will be cast that will fit correctly. Sandy 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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