G-Train Locomotive Works - LNER B3 'Valour'

[LNER4479]

Welcome to the G-Train Locomotive Works!

 

Previously, I've featured any stock building on my layout threads; however, now that I'm doing commissions which don't bear any relation to the layout(s) then it seems to make more sense to join the happy throng in this area of the site.

 

My first assignment has been the High Level models kit for the GER Cl.209, better known as the LNER Y5 'Coffee Pot'. This is what turned up at the start of the year (the chassis etch followed later).

 

Footplate etch and overlay.

 

Splasher tops and smokebox in progress

 

Cab former ready to attach

 

Cab overlays fitted

 

Fit of the parts so far has been very good. Clearly a lot of thought gone into the kit.

 

Next time - the chassis work commences.

Edited September 3, 2018 by LNER4479

[georgeT]

Hi, Very neat and clean build, following with interest...

[PenrithBeacon]

Hi, Very neat and clean build, following with interest...

True, but a newcomer would be non-the-wiser about how to build it.

[LNER4479]

Copious instructions supplied with the kit, although I wouldn't regard it as a suitable kit for a beginner.

 

I like to do most of my soldering from the inside where possible. The footplate is two pieces soldered together, with alignment pins in each of the four corners.

 

The only tricky bit in what I've shown so far was the cab overlays where a large amount of heat is required to get the solder to flow over such a large area. For this I used my pencil gas torch - but very judiciously, with a large, water loaded brush to hand!

[LNER4479]

Next instalment.

 

At this point, the chassis etch arrived. Despite the instructions saying to complete the body first, I was keen to at least assemble the basic chassis and see how it fitted to the body. The main thing to note here is that, despite this being a fine, intricate kit, probably more suited to the EM/P4 end of the scale, in this case, the loco is intended for a OO layout with two foot radius curves and using Code 100 track! Consequently, as can be seen, Markits wheels have been used, a suitable type being found in the 'Industrial' area of the catalogue - IND 14/10 (Barclay 14mm (3' 6") 10 spoke). The prototypes had 3' 7" so the difference is barely noticeable and being slightly smaller, helps with any clearance issues given a deeper flange than a more scale wheel.

 

Note the simple compensation bar on the front axle, allowing a small amount of rocking movement. With only four wheels to pick up from, the loco needs every help to ensure good current pick up. A hole is provided in the rear of the cylinder former. The bar is soldered in, resting on the top of the axle, before the axle holes are enlarged (very carefully, in the vertical direction only.

 

Slidebar assembly and cylinder block ready to be attached. The former is quite fragile at this point.

 

This shows how the two parts are fitted together. They interlock together and then are positioned on the frames. A piece of brass tube is then fitted for the whole thing to be soldered up solid around. A very neat piece of design.

 

The rest of the related cylinder parts ready for assembly.

 

All assembled and running smoothly.(I could tip the track back and forward and the chassis would roll accordingly). The only thing permanently fixed at this point were the front coupling rod pins, as these need to be filed back to get the clearance for the piston rod crosshead. The rest needs to come apart again when it comes to installing the motor.

 

And the obligatory 'progress so far' photo. This was quite encouraging, as everything seemed to be fitting well and nice n square.

 

Next time - the 'coffee pot' itself.

Edited July 25, 2018 by LNER4479

[LNER4479]

Turning now to the 'coffee pot' itself

 

The structure is formed up round a rather ingenious former, with the top piece having sacrificial tabs to help align other pieces before being filed flat.

 

The distinctive sides required the curves to be formed - one gentle, the other more pronounced - before locating on the afore-mentioned tabs then filing flush. It was made easier by the fact that the main bulk of these parts were half etch so as to provide the ridge on the top. Just a case of finding a suitable bar to bend it round, taking it steady and continuing to offer it up to the former until the desired shape was achieved.

 

The completed assembly.

 

Now attached to the rest of the body structure. I decide to install the wire at the front whilst I could still get at the inside; it gets bent to shape to fit in the hole in the smokebox below the chimney.

 

A little further on, with most of the body details now fitted, showing the tank to be more integral to the overall appearance.

 

Next time - making it all go.

[LNER4479]

Final instalment of the Y5 build

 

Here are all the component parts and sub-assemblies laid out for final assembly.

 

The motor gearbox is a precise fix around the lower boiler barrel with the gearbox etch supplied as part of the chassis fret. It took quite a bit of time and patience to get this right as there was considerable binding when first assembled - mainly my ham-fistedness. It was a case of disassembling, introducing a little bit of extra clearance, testing, dismantling again and so on until all was well.

 

Meanwhile, the body received its all over spray of Halfords Satin Black.

 

And here are the 'as delivered' pictures.

 

The owner requested a tension lock coupling on the back for use with his stock.

 

Finally, a picture taken by its owner, showing how he has depicted it as if the last service survivor (No. (7)230) had actually gone on to receive its allocated BR number.

 

Next up - another LNER loco challenge of somewhat larger proportions...

Edited August 20, 2018 by LNER4479

[Bucoops]

Wow that's fantastic!

[LNER4479]

Certainly the smallest loco I've built to date. I could have packaged it up in a matchbox if I'd been so minded!

[LNER4479]

For my next project, a rather larger locomotive, still from the LNER stable.

 

At the end of last year, I was 'challenged' to produce a model of this locomotive, in this condition - in time for 11th November 2018.

 

With apologies to all LNER / GCR fans who already know, this locomotive was the GCR's and latterly LNER's war memorial locomotive (in a similar manner to LNWR/LMS 'Patriot' and SR 'Remembrance' locomotives). Every armistice day, it would be suitable bedecked and travel to Sheffield (Victoria) as the centrepiece of a remembrance service. The loco has long since been scrapped but the large memorial survives at the site of the former station.

 

Anyhow, with no mainstream kit to fall back on this was envisaged as a (largely) scratchbuild job, although I did have this old K's B2 to use as a basis where I could. Learning rapidly about the GCR loco types, I became aware that not only did the B2 and B3 share the same wheel-base and wheel sizes but they also carried the same boiler - at the risk of over-simplification, the B3 was a sort of four cylinder version of the B2 (although I'm sure that the GCR aficionados will put me right on that) 

 

20 judicious minutes with a screwdriver was all it took to reduce it to this (yes, it had been glued together).

 

Despite a drawing being available (RM Oct 1972), If I'm making my own parts I like to make a drawing of my own. If nothing else, it helps you understand the prototype better.

 

Using said drawing, I've cut some front extension frames from 1/16th brass (to match the thickness of the B2 frames)

 

For such thick brass, I bring the gas pencil torch into play.

 

This was the result.

 

But at this point, there came an unexpected turn of events. A second commission to build one of these locos. And some 'expressions of interest' from some fellow LNER / Grantham collaborators. Now, scratch-building one loco is fair enough but a batch calls for a different approach (not to mention only having one B2 to sacrifice!). Time for a re-think.

 

To be continued...

Edited September 3, 2018 by LNER4479

[Atso]

A lovely project there Graham and I'm sure that they'll look great once finished! I recall that there was an article about converting a Nu-Cast B2 into a B3 in Railway Modeller many years ago (sometime in the 1980's), if I come across it, I'll let you know.

 

I really should get on with my N Gauge 'Sam Fay'. Like you I've noticed the similarities between the B2 and B3 classes and would love to have my own version of Valour (especially as one of the nameplates is preserved at York).

[jwealleans]

I suspect there's going to be a fair degree of rarity in one of these which isn't built as Valour.

[Atso]

I suspect there's going to be a fair degree of rarity in one of these which isn't built as Valour.

 

Am I right in thinking that all the B3s were different in terms of the cabs and valve gear combinations?

[LNER4479]

A lovely project there Graham and I'm sure that they'll look great once finished! I recall that there was an article about converting a Nu-Cast B2 into a B3 in Railway Modeller many years ago (sometime in the 1980's), if I come across it, I'll let you know.

 

I really should get on with my N Gauge 'Sam Fay'. Like you I've noticed the similarities between the B2 and B3 classes and would love to have my own version of Valour (especially as one of the nameplates is preserved at York).

Thanks Steve,

 

I have already been supplied with a copy of said article so no need to go hunting around specially on my account.

[LNER4479]

Am I right in thinking that all the B3s were different in terms of the cabs and valve gear combinations?

Two different types of cabs and some were subsequently fitted with Rotary cam valve gear which significantly altered the front end look (not for the better!)

[jwealleans]

You're not kidding. Edited September 4, 2018 by jwealleans

[LNER4479]

Blimey - that's a dangerous link to explore when you're trying to get on with something else

[Horsetan]

I suspect there's going to be a fair degree of rarity in one of these which isn't built as Valour.

 

I suspect there'll be a brief run on K's "B2" kits.

[gr.king]

I seem to be late to the party. Not much new in that.....

[Horsetan]

…., scratch-building one loco is fair enough but a batch calls for a different approach (not to mention only having one B2 to sacrifice!). Time for a re-think.

 

 

Do I hear the sound of specially-produced etches....?

[gr.king]

I can't possibly comment at this stage, but those who know where to look may feel that a big clue to the answer to that question is already out there, somewhere.....

 

Perhaps those who feel informed will be kind enough to refrain from blurting out answers until our original poster reveals his hand officially?

[LNER4479]

Do I hear the sound of specially-produced etches....?

You're pretty much right on the money there. And it's turned into something rather more than first thought. Forgive Mr 3279 his reticence as we didn't want to go too early on this, conscious of the danger of over committing, false promises, etc.

 

To take up the story. Conversations with model railway colleagues did indeed lead to a suggestion of producing an etch and to my surprises and delight, Nick Easton (Nicktoix of this parish) agreed to take up the challenge and produce an etch for chassis and footplating / cab with some input from myself in terms of certain design aspects. Anyone who has made up a kit from the LRM stable with the legend 'NJE' on the frames will have experienced Nick's work.

 

This is my first experience of having an etch made and I am delighted at how it has all turned out to date. Having met up with Nick to 'sign off' his first design at this year's York show, I took delivery of the first etch for the test build at the end of April.

 

I can post a series of 'blow-by-blow' account in due course; for now, here is a quick summary:

 

Basic chassis assembled. This effectively got me to where I was above with the B2 re-working.

 

Front bogie. A nice assembly of parts.

 

Perhaps the biggest challenge for this loco type - the slidebar assembly.

 

Completed frames.

 

Footplating assembled on fold up cradle.

 

Footplating detached from cradle with cab structure attached.

 

Virtually complete - just the reverser rod to attach.

 

Test build complete, posed with B2 boiler and tender to give an overall impression. It's now early July.

 

As referred to above, this was the test build. However, it went together so well that I can certainly make use of the chassis to complete the original commission. There are a couple of alterations needed on the cab / footplate. All feedback comments have been fed back to Nick who has used them to produce version 2 of the design.

 

Meanwhile - what about the boiler? Well, that's where Graeme (Gr. King) comes in. Those familiar with his work will know that Graeme specialises in producing resin parts for various LNER loco, coach and wagon types. If you chanced by the demo area at the Warley show then you will have seen his work. Although the B2 boiler could in theory be used, it is an old casting, quite crude by today's standard. Having seen some of Graeme's work on Grantham, I was confident that a resin boiler for the B3 was a viable alternative.

 

This aspect is still 'work in progress' so just a couple of pictures for now (courtesy of Graeme). This is the master, photographed on the test footplate / cab just under a fortnight ago.

 

And Graeme's latest picture, with the Belpaire shoulders now added.

 

So - the current situation is that this has all led things on to quite a different place compared with the building of a single B3 'Valour'. We probably ought to find somewhere else on the forum for this but, for completeness sake, it is the intention to make the etches and boiler available for anyone interested in making one of these locos for themselves. Furthermore, Graeme's boiler is actually a common component for no less than 3 other GCR types - B2, B7 & B8. Having met the challenge of the B3, the adaption of the design to create the equivalent set of etches for the B7 (the mixed traffic version of the GCR four cylinder 4-6-0) is considered to be reasonably straightforward and Nick hopes to undertake this work over the winter.

 

In the meantime, a further set of 10 B3 etches to the revised design have been run off and 8 distributed to immediate friends and interested LNER modellers; I'll use the other two to complete this commission and the further one I have. I would regard these as pre-production etches and look forward to feedback from the builders (all of whom are quite experienced modellers) for any further tweaks necessary to produce a finalised design for next year. Graeme and myself will both be in the demo area at Warley where we hope to have an example on display.

 

Apologies therefore for the slight hijack - I shall resume the story of the build henceforth.

Edited September 6, 2018 by LNER4479

[iak]

Fantastic to GCR 4-6-0's getting a seeing to.

Here is one GCR/CLC type wibbling furiously.

[gr.king]

Calm thyself lest unseemly arousals of passion occur.

 

I was going to add some more / better images of the boiler tonight, but the quest for accuracy has temporarily taken me back a step. Despite the neatness of finish, and the guaranteed accuracy I expected as a result of making myself some assembly jigs, further trial fitting to the pioneer set of etched underpinnings (which turned out to be accurate in the necessary respect, denying me the chance to blame others) and some further checking of symmetry showed me that my smokebox base was about half a millimetre off-centre. Not much one might think, but on offering up a truly symmetrical smokebox front and trying to make things look right in comparison with the frontal projections of the frame tops, I decided it just wasn't quite good enough. All should be okay again tomorrow once I've finished shaping and smoothing again after adding a couple of thin layers to one side and shaving some off t'other.

 

At least the trouble I took to get matching versions of "horizontal" across the firebox top and the smokebox base has paid off, and the firebox sides seem to be free of any "funny angles". Phew!

Edited September 6, 2018 by gr.king

[richard i]

You have my attention. Definitely would love one. Perhaps two so I could do lord Faringdon as well......but that might be too greedy.

Where do we sign up to join the queue?

Richard