70036, "Boadicea". Build begins page 2 post 48. Slowly.

[JeffP]

My Summer has been compromised by the serious illness of my wife, so I'm not going to be out in France this Summer at all.

I need something to take my mind off what's happening round me. Just to add spice to our bad luck, my eldest is once again redundant. If anyone knows of any jobs going for a young man with a decent degree in Mech.Eng, please let me know....

 

So.....don't laugh, but I've decided to have a go at a model. I used to have a DJH Britannia, but sold it on. Recently I came across an MMP Britannia, unstarted, on a well-known auction site, so took the plunge and bought it. Not an easy build, I know, but I'll take my time, (do I hear laughter again?), and with help from the experts on here, we'll see what can be done.

 

I've decided to build it as 70036 "Boadicea" as she was in circa 1962 when allocated to immingham, 40B. I saw her through Scunthorpe once or twice on both fish and passenger services.

 

This is what you get in the kit:

 

 

And the instructions, two booklets each around 30 pages with exploded drawings, parts lists etc, plus build notes and class notes.:

 

The pre-rolled boiler and smokebox, plus resin cast firebox assemby. I think I'll need some Viakal or barkeeper's friend, the etchings date from 1990:

I know that since the newspaper used to wrap various parts is dated October 30th 1990

 

Brass etchings for loco, including all three types of smoke deflector. All parts numbered on the fret:

 

Brass etchings for tender, in this case, BR1/1A, numbered as above:

 

Nickel silver etchings for valve gear etc:

No provision is made for the earlier fluted type of coupling rod, but by 1962, Boadicea had plain fishbelly rods.

 

Bags of whitemetal castings:

 

Large bag of brass and nickel silver castings:

 

Sundry parts for finishing, including a sheet of rubber for the draught screens:

 

How it looks in the box, which should hold the completed loco (do I hear laughter again?):

 

And finally, a brass casting for the chimney from Ragstone, since I am pretty sure the one in the kit is whitemetal:

 

One thing about this model is that 95% of parts are still available from Ragstone, since David Parkins mastered them, or most of them. So long as I don't mess up any of the etches (Remember poor old Alcazar?), I should be OK. I shall build EXACTLY as per instructions.

 

Wheels are on order from DJH (cheaper than Slaters), as are pickups, and a set of screw couplings, included in their pack.

 

So it won't start until the wheels come, probably next week.

Until then, it's clearing a space to work, running round after poor old wife, and feeding myself, cleaning, cooking, shopping etc.

Not quite how we envisaged spending our retirement....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by JeffP

[ikks]

My Summer has been compromised by the serious illness of my wife, so I'm not going to be out in France this Summer at all.

I need something to take my mind off what's happening round me. Just to add spice to our bad luck, my eldest is once again redundant. If anyone knows of any jobs going for a young man with a decent degree in Mech.Eng, please let me know....

 

So.....don't laugh, but I've decided to have a go at a model. I used to have a DJH Britannia, but sold it on. Recently I came across an MMP Britannia, unstarted, on a well-known auction site, so took the plunge and bought it. Not an easy build, I know, but I'll take my time, (do I hear laughter again?), and with help from the experts on here, we'll see what can be done.

 

I've decided to build it as 70036 "Boadicea" as she was in circa 1962 when allocated to immingham, 40B. I saw her through Scunthorpe once or twice on both fish and passenger services.

 

This is what you get in the kit:

P1030075.JPG  P1030076.JPG

 

And the instructions, two booklets each around 30 pages with exploded drawings, parts lists etc, plus build notes and class notes.:

P1030077.JPG

 

The pre-rolled boiler and smokebox, plus resin cast firebox assemby. I think I'll need some Viakal or barkeeper's friend, the etchings date from 1990:

P1030078.JPG

I know that since the newspaper used to wrap various parts is dated October 30th 1990

 

Brass etchings for loco, including all three types of smoke deflector. All parts numbered on the fret:

P1030079.JPG

 

Brass etchings for tender, in this case, BR1/1A, numbered as above:

P1030080.JPG

 

Nickel silver etchings for valve gear etc:

P1030082.JPG

No provision is made for the earlier fluted type of coupling rod, but by 1962, Boadicea had plain fishbelly rods.

 

Bags of whitemetal castings:

P1030083.JPG

 

Large bag of brass and nickel silver castings:

P1030084.JPG

 

Sundry parts for finishing, including a sheet of rubber for the draught screens:

P1030085.JPG

 

How it looks in the box, which should hold the completed loco (do I hear laughter again?):

P1030087.JPG

 

And finally, a brass casting for the chimney from Ragstone, since I am pretty sure the one in the kit is whitemetal:

P1030090.JPG

 

One thing about this model is that 95% of parts are still available from Ragstone, since David Parkins mastered them, or most of them. So long as I don't mess up any of the etches (Remember poor old Alcazar?), I should be OK. I shall build EXACTLY as per instructions.

 

Wheels are on order from DJH (cheaper than Slaters), as are pickups, and a set of screw couplings, included in their pack.

 

So it won't start until the wheels come, probably next week.

Until then, it's clearing a space to work, running round after poor old wife, and feeding myself, cleaning, cooking, shopping etc.

Not quite how we envisaged spending our retirement....

Hey Jeff,

Sometimes retirements are not quite what they are cracked up to be!! I'm 72 this year and still having to earn a quid or resort to a garbage OAP!............remember your trials and tribulations with "Alcazar" well, hope things turn out better with 70036. Incidentally, she was the last ex-GER Brit I copped, only missing out on 70010, so I look forward to see how you go.

 

Rgds and Good Luck.........Mike

Edited July 10, 2018 by ikks

[Rob Pulham]

Sorry to hear of your family troubles Jeff. This is just the thing to take your mind off things.

 

Following the instructions is a good thing until you rebuild your confidence. At least you can be assured that this will go together as described which is a great help. I will be watching from the comfy chair.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Rob Pulham

[N15class]

I've not made a MMP kit but I've heard they go together quite well.

As above sorry to hear of your family woos.

Just follow the words and plod on one part at a time. It's not a race but a hobby.

[doilum]

Didn't realize that we had resin castings as far back as 1990.

Good luck and enjoy the distraction.

[JeffP]

Thanks lads.

 

I have ordered plates from Severn Mill, and have a motor/gearbox combination from Tower, using the helical primary gears in some of the Sancheng models. If it won't fit, an ABC/Maxon will probably have to be sourced.

 

Still awaiting wheels, DJH quote seven days, which I take to mean seven WORKING days, ie, next Tues/Weds.

[doilum]

Thanks lads.

 

I have ordered plates from Severn Mill, and have a motor/gearbox combination from Tower, using the helical primary gears in some of the Sancheng models. If it won't fit, an ABC/Maxon will probably have to be sourced.

 

Still awaiting wheels, DJH quote seven days, which I take to mean seven WORKING days, ie, next Tues/Weds.

Just out of interest, how do the djh wheels compare price wise with Slaters? Are they fully insulated and quartered?

[djparkins]

P1030090.JPG

 

One thing about this model is that 95% of parts are still available from Ragstone, since David Parkins mastered them, or most of them. So long as I don't mess up any of the etches (Remember poor old Alcazar?), I should be OK. I shall build EXACTLY as per instructions.

 

 

Jeff,

 

I'd better point out that we sold this kit to Andy Beaton [Ragstone as now is] in 1992, together with any stock/tooling etc.and any enquiries should be directed towards Andy. That was twenty four years ago - all pre-CAD, of course.

 

We ourselves have nothing left here of this kit, or the 9F, Duchess & Royal Scot kits, or the casting masters we had made towards the A1, A3, A4 and Rebuilt Bulleid Pacific projects, which were never completed as regards etchings etc.

 

Just a small point of clarification, which I hope you won't mind. I mention it only as we still get calls from people looking for these kits or wanting to buy parts from them!

 

Regards

 

David Parkins

MMP

Edited July 11, 2018 by djparkins

[glo41f]

Hi

 

Best of luck with this. There is a fundamental flaw in the kit in that if you assemble it as per the instructions the wheels will not go round!  You will be face with having to carve back the firebox/ashpan to get them to fit. The reason is that the boiler is 7mm too short. The answer is to add the 7mm to the front of the firebox in plasticard or somesuch and then fit the boiler barrel to this. The valances will need extension too by the same amount. This is easy to do with scrap etch. There was an article on doing just this in the GOG gazette a few years back by Nigel Read who detected the problem when building one and suggested the solution. (Article on GOG website Gazette Archive.) I think his model was 70036 too. I have done this on my one but there are other issues with the cab which has stopped progress for the moment. As the Brits are my favourite locos I was disappointed with this turn of events.I am also dispensing with the chassis/underframe as it is difficult to get this to work too! I am using a Premier components underframe with their milled rods.

 

Martin Long

[JeffP]

Phew!

That doesn't bode well.

Where can I get hold of that article?

Are you saying that if built as per instructions, the chassis doesn't work?

 

David: thanks, am aware of that.

I posted that I'd be able to get mostcastings if needed from Andy but not etchings.

 

Doilum: the wheels are Slaters.

For some reason cheaper than direct from Slaters.

They come as a set, with a screw coupling set and pickups.

[doilum]

Phew!

That doesn't bode well.

Where can I get hold of that article?

Are you saying that if built as per instructions, the chassis doesn't work?

David: thanks, am aware of that.

I posted that I'd be able to get mostcastings if needed from Andy but not etchings.

Doilum: the wheels are Slaters.

For some reason cheaper than direct from Slaters.

They come as a set, with a screw coupling set and pickups.

Thanks. For one moment I thought we had a new wheel supplier!

[JeffP]

After reading the post from glo41f, I think I'm going to need to source a decent drawing. I thought Isinglass, but they only seem to do LNER stuff.

 

Anyone know where I can get a drawing for a Brit?

Edited July 12, 2018 by JeffP

[doilum]

After reading the post from glo41f, I think I'm going to need to source a decent drawing. I thought Isinglass, but they only seem to do LNER stuff.

 

Anyone know where I can get a drawing for a Brit?

MRJ have had at least two goes at superdetailed brits with drawings. One was in a compendium, but I will need to have a look for the other unless someone has an index handy

[Horsetan]

….Anyone know where I can get a drawing for a Brit?

 

Edward Talbot's book on the BR Standards

 

Phil Atkins' Britannia: Birth of a Locomotive

 

...or the NRM's Search Engine. Drawings List 1 and List 2

 

NRM also has a couple of cheap Britannia drawings on this list

 

Possibly even Pinterest, which seems to have all sorts of engine drawings uploaded to it.

Edited July 12, 2018 by Horsetan

[JeffP]

I have that compendium, thanks.

[pwr]

Looks. Like a good kit. I have an ACME kit of these to build at some point.

 

I was not aware of the 7mm issue. Perhaps David Parkins would care to comment - he must have built a test kit and encountered the problem. He may have even corrected it

 

Paul R

[glo41f]

Jeff

Sorry it was not Nigel Reed who wrote the article (http://www.gauge0guildarchive.com/gazette_archive/Vol11-9/files/26.htmlw)  but he was the one who identified the problem and came up with a solution. I can try and post a picture of what is required if you like, I  Know Nigel well and he was a first class engineer.

 

Regards

 

Martin

Edited July 12, 2018 by glo41f

[JeffP]

Any help gratefully received.

Pics, scan of the article, loan of the Gazette, sale to me of the appropriate Gazette, etc.

Sorry, that link doesn't work for me.

[Horsetan]

....Sorry, that link doesn't work for me.

That's because the link wasn't typed correctly in the first place

[glo41f]

Sorry Horsetan but the link is correct if I try to edit it. However it seems that the RM web software truncates the full link address when saved.. Cannot deal with that!

 

Martin

[djparkins]

Looks. Like a good kit. I have an ACME kit of these to build at some point.

 

I was not aware of the 7mm issue. Perhaps David Parkins would care to comment - he must have built a test kit and encountered the problem. He may have even corrected it

 

Paul R

 

A late-friend who used to help me at shows built one + one of the 9F and Duchess kits, all prior to release, and we displayed these unpainted, with AGH wheels fitted. He didn't raise any issues of this type with me as far as I recall, but it is was twenty-eight years ago. His main observation, as I recall, was that they were not easy kits to build [but then we never promoted them as being so] but that they were way ahead of anything then available in terms of detail. Obviously that was at the time, and the kit would not hold up today against, say, a DJH Britannia kit. At the time remember, apart from Vulcan, there was only really CCW to compare things with!

 

I remember back in the 1970s building a CCW M7 tank loco for a customer. It was shot-through with problems from beginning to end but it never occurred to me to ever contact the manufacturer. I just overcame whatever problems I encountered. Same with an old Albion 43^rd lorry kit [cannot remember the manufacturer]. The bed of the lorry was a parallelogram! I just made a new bed, and cab sides too – as these did not match] and still felt lucky to have the model! I don’t think that was the right attitude to take, and probably, I should have complained, but it was just the way things were back then. We just got on with things.

 

Obviously this kit is not my product now, and hasn't been since 1992. Ragstone might be better placed than me to comment, since they now own it and would obviously stand to benefit financially from any that might be produced and sold. Perhaps they found problems and fixed them, I don't know. I handed over everything in 1992, to concentrate on other projects, mainly military, and after all this time, I cannot even remember the kits that well.

 

What I do recall is that I got fed up with endless calls from customers who had ‘lost this part’ or ‘broken that part’. It always seemed to be useful stuff they could use on other locos – purely coincidental, I’m sure! - or could we supply ‘just some’ of the parts? It became a nightmare.

 

If it is being inferred that this is somehow my problem to sort out, just take your twenty-eight year-old car back to the dealer you got it from new in 1990, and ask him to resolve your current motoring woes with the vehicle! I can imagine the reaction you would get.

 

Message to my old friend Jeff. Jeff – if the abandoned ‘Alcazar’ build caused you problems, then this one certainly will! I would stick the kit on eBay, cut your losses and finish those diesels instead. Anyway, you’ll kill me - I don’t think my ancient heart could stand the prolonged strain of it!

 

Best,

 

David Parkins

[JeffP]

Thanks David for the input.

 

I'm in contact with the NRM (is it still called that?), for a GA drawing, and will use it to compare dimensions before doing anything on the loco. Perhaps someone will find the article and scan it for me? Who knows. I'm no longer a member of GOG so cannot access their stuff, and joining just to access one article seems a bit OTT.

 

I am, however, determined that I WILL build this kit. Given my present circumstances, I no longer feel like putting stuff off for another day, because you just never know what the next day will bring.

 

All the best David.

Watch this space. LOL

[JeffP]

That's because the link wasn't typed correctly in the first place

Thanks Horse

[doilum]

Thanks David for the input.

 

I'm in contact with the NRM (is it still called that?), for a GA drawing, and will use it to compare dimensions before doing anything on the loco. Perhaps someone will find the article and scan it for me? Who knows. I'm no longer a member of GOG so cannot access their stuff, and joining just to access one article seems a bit OTT.

 

I am, however, determined that I WILL build this kit. Given my present circumstances, I no longer feel like putting stuff off for another day, because you just never know what the next day will bring.

 

All the best David.

Watch this space. LOL

Good for you!

There will be several people on here willing you to succeed. The key to the boiler challenge is to identity the error. Is it in the boiler or the firebox or a combination thereof? If is in the boiler, where? Do not assume it is at the end. In the worst case scenario, it is the result of cumulative error and it may be easier to roll a new boiler.

Once you have a decent drawing, check all the dimensions. Assuming the rest check out, build the whole loco sans boiler which can be tailored to the empty space.

In the meantime, follow the conventional wisdom and build the tender first.

[JeffP]

Thanks for the support guys.

 

It takes my mind off the bad things happening around me.