G-Train Locomotive Works - LNER B3 'Valour'

[gr.king]

And once this lazy slacker here, who has been squandering his time on other matters, gets on with casting more boilers and fittings for the locos, as well as making the moulds and casting some necessary fittings for the tenders, the supply chain may run smoothly.

[t-b-g]

At long last I can report a small amount of further progress on my Valour.

 

The crossheads and the big ends of the connecting rods have been modified to look a bit more like the one on the real thing.

 

[richard i]

26 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

At long last I can report a small amount of further progress on my Valour.

 

The crossheads and the big ends of the connecting rods have been modified to look a bit more like the one on the real thing.

 

But which scale one is this on?

great detail on a 7mm one, superb on a 4mm one.

richard

[gr.king]

I suspect the Romford / Markits axle nut proves that the scale is 4mm.

[t-b-g]

33 minutes ago, richard i said:

But which scale one is this on?

great detail on a 7mm one, superb on a 4mm one.

richard

 

Many thanks Richard. I am trying my very hardest to make this one as good as I possibly can.  It is as if 40 years of practice are all being channelled into it.

 

This is the 4mm one. The David Andrews 7mm kit already has that sort of detail included,. It was a help having that one as in addition to photos and drawings, I had that to refer to.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[gr.king]

Here's a brief reversion to my test build of the self-trimming GC tender test etch, from the turn of the year, now equipped with a set of resin castings for some of the details. The otherwise highly breakable brake column has a twin-wire insert in the main part of the column, one wire branching out into each end of the handle. The water scoop wheel is deliberately omitted here to reveal the cast representation of the forward part of the cover for the shaft.

[t-b-g]

A few more twiddly bits added to Valour this week. The body is nearly finished now.

 

[t-b-g]

A few more details added to Valour. We now have the cylinder drain cocks, the piston valve guides and a sandbox, hidden away behind the slidebar.

 

Only a few more bits to go (sandpipes and guard irons - the brakes are made up and ready to fit but will go on after a final strip down and clean) and only 8 years after deciding to build the loco from scratch, she might actually get finished!

 

 

 

[LNER4479]

Well, it doesn't do to rush these things ...

 

Lovely detailing, as always

[gr.king]

Wait until the ultra-detail police start checking for scale, hexagonal, castellated nuts with proper split pins.

 

Seriously though, it is looking exquisite.

 

Back to casting some highly relevant resin parts now...

[t-b-g]

8 minutes ago, gr.king said:

Wait until the ultra-detail police start checking for scale, hexagonal, castellated nuts with proper split pins.

 

Seriously though, it is looking exquisite.

 

Back to casting some highly relevant resin parts now...

 

I will save such things for the 7mm version!

 

My biggest problem is going to be cleaning all the crud and muck off prior to painting without damaging all the twiddly bits. I usually "borrow" an ultrasonic cleaner but Covid means I have no access for the foreseeable future. So some "Shiny sinks" and a very soft brush may have to do.

 

The painting is going to be pretty scary. I want to try to do it myself but have never done anything half this complex before. If I mess it up, it may get stripped and go to somebody who knows what they are doing!

[45609]

Looking sweet Tony. Might have taken a long time but it has been time well spent.

 

cheers...Morgan

[CF MRC]

On 02/11/2020 at 09:55, t-b-g said:

A few more details added to Valour. We now have the cylinder drain cocks, the piston valve guides and a sandbox, hidden away behind the slidebar.

 

Only a few more bits to go (sandpipes and guard irons - the brakes are made up and ready to fit but will go on after a final strip down and clean) and only 8 years after deciding to build the loco from scratch, she might actually get finished!

 

 

 

I particularly like the cross head, Tony, but the stuffing box on the cylinder should have studs and castellated nuts...

 

Someone had to say it.

 

Tim

[t-b-g]

2 hours ago, CF MRC said:

I particularly like the cross head, Tony, but the stuffing box on the cylinder should have studs and castellated nuts...

 

Someone had to say it.

 

Tim

 

I recall that session at Missenden, when I would say thing like "Of course the sandbox operating gear would be almost impossible in 2mm scale" and 20 minutes later your sand boxes had operating gear.

 

So in that spirit,

 

 

 

I did chicken out on the lower ones. To my eyes, they look like plain nuts and they are smaller diameter, too small for my finest piercing saw blade to cut and leave any metal standing.

 

 

 

As you well know, photographing this sort of stuff isn't easy and it looks a lot less messy true size!

 

[t-b-g]

On 02/11/2020 at 10:06, gr.king said:

Wait until the ultra-detail police start checking for scale, hexagonal, castellated nuts with proper split pins.

 

Seriously though, it is looking exquisite.

 

Back to casting some highly relevant resin parts now...

 

See recent post! No split pins however.

[CF MRC]

29 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

I recall that session at Missenden, when I would say thing like "Of course the sandbox operating gear would be almost impossible in 2mm scale" and 20 minutes later your sand boxes had operating gear.

 

So in that spirit,

 

 

 

I did chicken out on the lower ones. To my eyes, they look like plain nuts and they are smaller diameter, too small for my finest piercing saw blade to cut and leave any metal standing.

 

 

 

As you well know, photographing this sort of stuff isn't easy and it looks a lot less messy true size!

 

You only need one but secured on a stuffing box. 
 

Tim

[t-b-g]

21 minutes ago, CF MRC said:

You only need one but secured on a stuffing box. 
 

Tim

 

Sorry Tim but you have confused me with that one. The photo in "Johnson" of the B7 cylinder shows fixing bolts above and below the piston rod with the lower one being smaller in diameter.

 

Mine are on a representation of the stuffing box but it is rather too skinny as I used the single layer etch provided. Every time I look at it I think I may take it off and make a more substantial one. When I started out, I was happy using the bits provided but as work progressed I found myself going that little bit further with things, perhaps based on your two tier loco building standards. The cylinders were done early on but now I am going "the extra mile" the thickness/depth of the stuffing box may well get altered.

 

 

[CF MRC]

1 hour ago, t-b-g said:

 

I recall that session at Missenden, when I would say thing like "Of course the sandbox operating gear would be almost impossible in 2mm scale" and 20 minutes later your sand boxes had operating gear.

 

So in that spirit,

 

 

 

I did chicken out on the lower ones. To my eyes, they look like plain nuts and they are smaller diameter, too small for my finest piercing saw blade to cut and leave any metal standing.

 

 

 

As you well know, photographing this sort of stuff isn't easy and it looks a lot less messy true size!

 

The back stuffing box of a piston is often quite substantial as the moveable piece fits into the casting at the back of the cylinder, forcing in the packing, to make a steam tight seal. 

There are usually two nuts top and bottom on the studs. Only one of these would need securing with a split pin, which might account for the size difference you are observing.  If one nut is lost, the wracking forces from the piston and the remaining stud/nut will mean that it will most likely stay in place.
I made mine from steel with the studs and nuts filed in-situ.  It has a distinctive lozenge shape.

I chickened out of painting mine, as my left eye doesn’t like assessing parallel lines any more, and you certainly need good binocular vision for complex 2mm scale lining. 
 

Tim

[t-b-g]

18 minutes ago, CF MRC said:

The back stuffing box of a piston is often quite substantial as the moveable piece fits into the casting at the back of the cylinder, forcing in the packing, to make a steam tight seal. 

There are usually two nuts top and bottom on the studs. Only one of these would need securing with a split pin, which might account for the size difference you are observing.  If one nut is lost, the wracking forces from the piston and the remaining stud/nut will mean that it will most likely stay in place.
I made mine from steel with the studs and nuts filed in-situ.  It has a distinctive lozenge shape.

I chickened out of painting mine, as my left eye doesn’t like assessing parallel lines any more, and you certainly need good binocular vision for complex 2mm scale lining. 
 

Tim

 

The two studs top and bottom do each have two nuts but the two lower ones are visibly smaller in size (diameter) than the two upper ones.

 

I don't know if you have "Johnson" but I am not sure about scanning it and putting it on here. If you don't have the book, I can scan and send it on a PM if you would like to see the photo. Both nuts on the lower stud both look to be plain and without castellations. I was expecting to see them but can't.

 

It is a superb close up side on view.

 

On seeing yours and after a soak in the bath thinking about it, mine will get new piston gland/stuffing boxes! If you can get them looking better in 2mm, I have no excuse.

 

Watch this space!

 

I note that you and I have put the rear piston valve guides the opposite way around to mine. I looked at the etches and the photos and GA drawing and decided that the widest bit should be nearest the cylinder. I think the one illustrated in the instructions and earlier in this thread may also be wrong in that respect.

 

Cheers and thanks for pushing me to do better!

 

Tony 

[t-b-g]

I think I am going to stop now. This looks more like the photo and any more time spent would be a lot of work for very little reward.

 

 

Just a bit more cleaning up and I think I can live with that.

[t-b-g]

Both sides done and cleaned up a bit.

 

 

If anybody wants to suggest anything else, they may find that it involves nuts being castellated and not necessarily on the model!

 

It was certainly worth doing as it was something I had quite overlooked so many thanks to those who brought it to my attention.

 

Tony

[t-b-g]

It seems an appropriate day to post a photo of Valour. Apart from the Iracier axleboxes, which I forgot about (thanks to Mike Edge for supplying them to be fitted next week) and a couple of jobs to be done after a strip down and a good clean before painting, she is, as far as I can tell, complete.

 

A huge thanks to those who got the etches done. Without them, the scratchbuild started 8 years ago would still be unfinished!

 

[LNER4479]

Looks fantastic Tony. I think we're looking at something close to the definitive version of the model, at least in OO gauge.

 

In a similar vein and for those who haven't otherwise seen it, the WoR 'virtual' exhibition event running this weekend has a piece wot I wrote on the project, which was thoughtfully loaded up at a few minutes before 11am.

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/virtual-exhibition-highlights/for-valour-the-story-of-a-loco-kit-build-project-by-graham-nicholas

(apologies for some of the images being squashed-to-fit which was beyond my control and has already been commented on elsewhere)

 

 

[65179]

19 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Looks fantastic Tony. I think we're looking at something close to the definitive version of the model, at least in OO gauge.

 

In a similar vein and for those who haven't otherwise seen it, the WoR 'virtual' exhibition event running this weekend has a piece wot I wrote on the project, which was thoughtfully loaded up at a few minutes before 11am.

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/virtual-exhibition-highlights/for-valour-the-story-of-a-loco-kit-build-project-by-graham-nicholas

(apologies for some of the images being squashed-to-fit which was beyond my control and has already been commented on elsewhere)

 

 

 

Graham,

 

Great project and lovely article. 

 

Can I suggest a tiny amendment for future reference? Valour was in fact decorated with laurel wreaths rather than poppies initially at least. One wreath over/around the smokebox door handle and then one around each nameplate.

 

Simon

Edited November 9, 2020 by 65179
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