Towards Great Western 2301 Class No. 2390 c. 1902 from an Oxford Dean Goods

[Compound2632]

Inspired by Mikkel’s pioneering work, for the past year I’ve been mulling over the possibility of turning the Oxford Dean Goods into something suitable to haul the red Great Western wagons I’ve been building. I finally succumbed, as prices have begun to fall – engine and brake were £96 including postage, from Rails of Sheffield:

 

 

My plan is that the engine should come to resemble No. 2390, as running in original condition with an S2 boiler. This engine was built in August 1890 as part of Lot 82 and retained its S2 boiler until November 1903. In 1902 she was at Wolverhampton, as was her sister No. 2399, seen here in the target condition (photo scanned from Locomotives Illustrated No. 157):

 

 

No. 2399 herself was rebuilt with an S4 boiler in 1899 so was out of the running. The thinking that led to this choice was outlined on Mikkel’s topic a year ago; I acknowledge the information and advice given so generously by Mikkel, Edwardian, Miss Prism, bgman and others who helped guide my choice. My choice is fundamentally aesthetic – I find the slim forward dome on the S2 boiler much more pleasing than the great lumpen dome on the S4 and B4 boilers, which dominates the skyline and breaks the golden rule that the tops of chimney, dome, safety valve and cab should lie on a smooth curve.

 

The various issues around this model have been extensively discussed on the general Oxford Dean Goods topic (currently on its 77^th page). As I don’t expect to be using any part of the model locomotive above footplate level other than the front sandboxes, the discussion of cab shape and washout plug positions can be safely put to one side. Issues more specific to converting the model to early condition have been discussed in Mikkel’s workbench topic. Other sources of information I have to hand include Locomotives Illustrated No. 157 and the instructions for the Finney Kit; I have a copy of J. Clements, William Dean, the Greatest of Them All on order and expected to arrive in time for holiday reading.

 

Since I flagged up my purchase on my wagon-building topic, several people have reminded me of some of the issues involved. Edwardian very kindly provided a comprehensive summary,bearing in mind my 1902/3 date,  which I’ll use here to order my thinking (Edwardian in italics):

 

You want a S2 boiler, c. 1902-3, and you have chosen 2390, which was built with an S2 and had a S4 fitted in November '03, hence it fits.

 

Other factors affecting my choice include wanting an engine with the original short smokebox and allocated to a shed in the West Midlands – in this case, Wolverhampton.

 

Lots below 99 were built to the narrower footplate (2390 is from the previous Lot, 92). The footplate width of the Oxford model may not be correct for either version, but will be a far bigger problem for the narrow Lots.  The dimensions of the narrow series are not published anywhere, so far as I can see, so I had to obtain a copy of the Swindon GA, which quotes it.  The problem I suspect you would find is that the footplate valance on the Oxford model, too wide, will prevent you from cutting the footplate back far enough.

 

I had not forgotten that footplate width is the real stumbling-block in my plan. I’ve not taken my Vernier caliper to the model yet but Mikkel reports the width to be 30.83 mm, corresponding to the 7’8” width of the later lots built with the S4 boiler, whereas for an engine built with the S2 boiler, the width should be 7’3” – 29.0 mm.

 

YOU ARE WARNED THAT THIS MAY BE A POINT ON WHICH I AM PREPARED TO COMPROMISE. GREAT WESTERN ENTUSIASTS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION SHOULD LOOK AWAY NOW.

  

Why not Lot 99 and upward? Here you are aiming for a 7'8" width to the footplate. Fortunately, this is the Great Western we're talking about, so the boiler that a locomotive was built with is nothing to the point! S2 was the standard Swindon boiler 1884-94, so would tend to be fitted new to locos built within that range. No. 2390 was built in 1890, hence came out with a S2. S4 was the standard Swindon boiler 1894-1900, so was fitted from new to Dean Goods from Lot 99 from 1895.

 

None of this matters, because of the GW's evident policy of swapping boilers around until no two locomotives in a standard class looked the same.  Plenty of Deans, Lot 99 and upwards, were retrofitted with S2s.  We just need to find one that fits your date range.

 

Boiler swaps to S2 tend to be a little later in the day than is ideal, but here are a few possibles:

 

2464, to S2 06/03

2472, to S2 03/03

2477, to S2 10/02

2481, to S2 04/03

2482, to S2 04/01

2484, to S2 06/03

2512, to S2 05/03

2520, to S2 12/01

2523, to S2 09/00

2530, to S2 03/03

2540, to S2 08/01

2541, to S2 10/02

2567, to S2 05/02

 

Now that’s an interesting idea which I’m minded to reject. Locomotives Illustrated has a photo of No. 2441with an S2 boiler that it received in June 1903; the snag is that it was given an extended smokebox at the same time. The last ten engines were built new with extended smokeboxes – were the engines in this list also given extended smokeboxes when they received their S2 boilers?

 

The earlier engines of the 2301 Class seem to have gone new to the West Midlands whereas the later engines went to the southern area – London, Reading, Bristol. According to the allocation list in Locomotives Illustrated, all the engines in this list were in the south in 1902.

 

 

Dome.  One cannot merely re-site the dome.  The S2 dome is noticeably slimmer than that used with the S4, which latter is the same huge proportions as that on the Dean Singles.  I cannot recall whether I have a drawing of a S2 dome, or, indeed, whether anyone makes one in 4mm.

 

As mentioned, the slimmer dome is the big attraction. There was discussion of domes on Mikkel’s workbench. I’m thinking that the Gibson 517 dome may be close enough although the Finney 3232 dome may be even better but currently unavailable.

 

Splashers.  Huge. Massively over scale. Need replacing.  This affects the cab, of course.  And those damn rivets ....  Will look particularly awful if Indian red is applied. IIRC c.1903-05, a slightly simplified livery adopted with green splashers.  Miss P will probably know this without looking it up, but a point to check.

 

Can I trust the drawing in the Finney instructions? I’m thinking whether the Brassmasters replacement splashers for the Bachmann 3F/4F can be pressed into service. I’m a little concerned that it may be difficult to get plasticard splashers to keep their shape without being too thick and fouling the wheels, though I know Mikkel’s done it.

 

As to livery, I’m going for the look of an engine that has been in service for a good while since its last general overhaul, sometime in the late 1890s. That does mean Indian Red splashers. (Colours – red and green – are a bridge I will cross if and when.) Question: would No. 2390, built in 1890, have had one or more general overhauls at Swindon (or at Wolverhampton) before the one in November 1903 when she received an S4 boiler?

 

Wheels - If the Oxford wheels are to scale, they will represent 5'2" diameter.  This dimension was reached by the fitting of progressively thicker tyres and I suspect represents only the post-WW1 condition.  Back in 1902-3, I suspect the wheels were still the original 5'

 

This is a compromise I will have to live with.

 

New chimney and smoke box door you know about - Quarryscapes's Coast Line Models on Shapeways.  It is a pity Alan was never persuaded of the need to produce scale splashers as well.

 

Alan’s smokebox front is designed for an engine with extended smokebox and flat valve chest cover plate. This will need a bit of modification for the piano lid cover of the short smokebox engines.

 

Boiler barrel.  Your replacement will need to fit the metal lower section on the Oxford model. IIRC, the Oxford boiler may be a tad larger in diameter, it's larger than Mainline's IIRC.  The S2 boilers fitted to the Class were generally of 4'5" diameter.

 

That’s something else with which I shall have to live.

 

Some positives:

 

Plain coupling rods, nice tender – though the top panels have to go.

 

In summary, my approach is to make an engine that has the features I like, living with some compromises. I’m laying myself open to the Irishman’s observation that if he wanted to get to there he wouldn’t start from here. For a truly finescale model, one would undoubtedly do better to start from the Finney kit, though that would need modification for the S2 boiler and the short smokebox.

 

I’m not expecting to make a silk purse out of this particular sow’s ear, merely a serviceable canvas bag.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2018 by Compound2632

[bgman]

Ok, get on with then ! 

 

All joking apart, I too prefer the version which you intend to model with an S4 boiler. I think you have managed to source a great deal of useful information so far to enable a locomotive as shown.

 

Not certain if I mentioned the book I bought, namely, WILLIAM DEAN the greatest of them all by Jeremy Clements which has a large amount of detail and descriptive text regarding the Dean Goods, one of my better purchases.

 

I will follow with interest Stephen.

 

Grahame

[Compound2632]

I've been mulling over various points and also make some additional purchases, starting with some KS brass tube from Squires. Their largest diameter is 21/32" which is 0.04" less than the scale 4'5" boiler diameter - in other words, the boiler could be clad with 20 thou plasticard. I've also ordered the next size down, 5/8" - the wall thickness is 1/64" or about 15 thou. I'm aware I need to work out how a replacement boiler fits around the motor support which forms the bottom of the existing boiler. I've also ordered form Coast Line Models' Shapeways shop, Alan's smokebox front and parallel chimney, both in SFDP.

 

I'm a bit stumped on a safety valve bonnet for a round-topped firebox. The nearest I can find is in the Alan Gibson range, for No. 36 - their part number 4M759. As I've already said, their 517 dome looks the nearest match for my S2 boiler version.

 

I'm wondering if I can recycle the cab roof.

 

Some S2 boilers have what I think are feedwater pipes and valves standing up against the sides of the firebox, but not No. 2399 in the photo. I'm assuming that since No. 2390 was from the same Lot, it doesn't have them either, though with boiler exchanges, who knows?

 

I've been reading up on tenders. Looking at the 2500 gallon tender, this has a water pick-up scoop which I think has to go for my early period - at least No. 2399 doesn't have one. The tender top has the D-shaped combined tank filler and scoop dome cover; this will have to go in favour of the stand-alone round tank filler as shown on the Ian Beattie drawing which first appeared in the Nov '83 Railway Modeller but I have from the article by Geoff Grey in the Sept '90 number. I need to re-read that, as he describes building a pair of S2-boilered engines starting from the Mainline model. (The article is a two-parter, continuing in the Oct '90 number - thanks to Mikkel for sending me scans of these a while back.) Obviously the side-plates (fenders, I gather) have to go, to be replaced by coal rails. When losing the scoop, I have to remember to remove the scoop handle standard of the right-hand side (looking forward) of the tender footplate, leaving only the hand brake standard on the left hand side. The RHS toolbox looks OK; not so sure about that on the LHS. The U-shaped tool standard can go, which is just as well as it looks rather fragile.

 

On the footplate width question, I note that the tender tank was 6'6" wide whether the footplate was 7'3" or 7'8".

 

Anyway, next up is to give the model I good running-in* on the club's test track this evening - one further tweak needed on the tender is to bend the pickup wipers so that they are actually in contact with the wheels. Then I'll take it apart.

 

*Reading the general Oxford Dean Goods topic, perhaps I should say, find out if it goes at all.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Compound2632

[Compound2632]

My Oxford model ran very happily on the club test-track yesterday evening, once the tender pick-ups had been tweaked into place. So that's encouraging given the reports of non-runners.

 

Ok, get on with then ! 

 

First thing to do was to take the model apart. Mostly straightforward - the components such as splashers and coal just needed a bit of gentle tweaking out:

 

 

The little box contains some components that I expect to re-use - tender toolbox, brake standard, reversing lever, rear axle springs - along with bits to discard, and the all-important little screws... 

 

Key to the success of this conversion is the boiler. I've had a trial run, forming the 20 thou plasticard around the 21/32" brass tube by taping it in place as tight as possible, then plunging in just-boiled water. I made the boiler part to make a full cylinder, then trimmed back 6 mm each side to fit the motor mount "underboiler" - possibly slightly more would be better. The firebox sides have been strengthened with rectangles of 60 thou plastikard but I have to think how to get the correct profile:

 

 

This test helps to fix the dimensions for the boiler piece - I'm trying to find my green 20 thou plasticard! 

 

I had thought that the 21/32" brass tube might form the base of the boiler but I think it would be tricky to cut the slot for the motor mount. I may go for making an inner 15 thou plasticard tube, formed around the 5/8" brass tube.

 

The tender has been de-fendered - in fact all the detail on the tank top has been removed - bulkheads and tank filler:

 

 

So, no going back now - I'm committed.

 

[bgman]

Brave man , but looking the part already, well done !

[Edwardian]

 

So, no going back now - I'm committed.

 

I wouldn't worry; whatever you do to it, you can't make it any worse.  As the song says, things can only get better!

 

I like what you are doing with the boiler-firebox.  

 

I have thought of a number of possible conversion projects utilising the Oxford Dean, quite the hardest of which is converting it to a Dean Goods.  I think I'll start with something simpler; a SE&CR O1.

 

Good luck!

[Graham456]

Sorry for butting in !

But having half converted my mainline dean to a S2 boiler the stumbling block has been coal rails, does any know of etched coal rails suitable for the tender

[Compound2632]

Sorry for butting in !

But having half converted my mainline dean to a S2 boiler the stumbling block has been coal rails, does any know of etched coal rails suitable for the tender

 

Interesting - I'd love to see what you've done. Suitable etched coal rails are available as part of the Finney kit...

 

... as are a number of other useful parts. The trick is, to find someone who has built the Finney kit as a Belpaire-firebox engine with flares to the tender (which I suspect will be most) and still has the left-overs.

 

EDIT: but the Mainline Dean has the 3,000 gal tender (7'6" + 7'6" wheelbase), so you'd need to find someone who had the coal rails from that rather than the 2,500 gal tender (6'6" + 6'6")? But engines with the S2 boiler all had the 2,500 gal tender apart from the first 60-ish that had second-hand Armstrong tenders...

Edited August 1, 2018 by Compound2632

[Mikkel]

You're moving fast! The firebox shape has been the main issue for me too. Including the join with the splashers. In the end I simply shaped it gently by hand.

[Compound2632]

You're moving fast! The firebox shape has been the main issue for me too. Including the join with the splashers. In the end I simply shaped it gently by hand.

 

Well, this is just a trial piece. I'm in two minds whether to make the boiler and firebox form separate pieces, or just splay the firebox sides out as here - the cuts were half-scored through before forming the piece round the brass tube. The idea is that once I've worked out dimensions, I'll mark out a piece of plasticard and pre-drill the holes handrail knobs and centres for dome, safety valve cover, etc. I have made a 15 thou plasticard tube to go inside the red 20 thou, using the 5/8" brass tube, but not had time to fit it today. There will now be a break as I'm off on holiday but the Clements book has arrived, so I have my holiday reading!

[bgman]

I don't think you will be disappointed with your holiday reading Stephen, relax and enjoy !

 

Grahame

 

p.s. I will probably be a refreshing read and take you off looking for other details.

[Graham456]

Interesting - I'd love to see what you've done. Suitable etched coal rails are available as part of the finney kit

EDIT: but the Mainline Dean has the 3,000 gal tender (7'6" + 7'6" wheelbase), so you'd need to find someone who had the coal rails from that rather than the 2,500 gal tender (6'6" + 6'6")? But engines with the S2 boiler all had the 2,500 gal tender apart from the first 60-ish that had second-hand Armstrong tenders...

I know! Big But,being tender powered loco putting a white metal unpowered tender behind does raise a bit of a problem

( I have also done and got a loco powered mainline dean I can't be arsed to go through that again just now

.and having accepted the rather larger compromise that my locos are electric powered not Steam powered I am going to put up with the wrong tender just now, I have to many other projects to compleat but thanks for the tips where to look for coal rails

P S haveing only a Old I pad pictures are a hassle to post due to haveing no pic resizeing tool

[Compound2632]

The boiler is the make-or-break component for this conversion as far as I'm concerned. I've done some more work on the test boiler. First, I made an inner tune of 15 thou plasticard, form round the 5/8" diameter brass tube. The method used here doesn't result in a perfect cylinder - it's impossible to keep the edge of the plasticard flat against the brass tube - but that doesn't matter as the edges will be trimmed away to clear the motor mount. Dunking in a mug-full of just off-the-boil water for a few minutes does the trick:

 

 

I MekPaked this in place, relying on the capillary action between the two sheets of plasticard. I'm not confident of how effective this is - there may well be trapped air. Unfortunately the photo I took showing this stage is too blurry to post.

 

The Coast Line Models smokebox front and chimney arrived from Shapeways - very nice pieces. The smokebox diameter is 5'3" - 21.0 mm. To build up to this from the 4'5" - 17.7 mm - of the boiler theoretically requires an extra 65 thou of plasticard. I did this in three steps, 40 thou then 20 thou to build up the profile of the boiler front flange, then 15 thou for the smokebox wrapper itself. Each piece was bent up on the 21/32" brass tube. The smokebox front has a 2 mm deep flange on the back so in this trial run, I've ended up with a smokebox about the right length for the later, extended version!

 

 

I know I've not really caught the shape of the boiler flange on this first attempt. 40 thou is about the maximum thickness I can form round this diameter of brass rod and it's rather difficult to bend back to follow the shape of the smokebox front. (But should it anyway?) For the 15 thou wrapper, I pre-drilled a 1.6 mm diameter pilot hole for the chimney location - this resulted in a tendency to kink. This is something I'll have to experiment with further as my plan is to pre-drill all the holes for handrail pillars as well as boiler fittings before forming the final boiler. I think these pilot holes want to be small - say 0.5 mm or 0.6 mm at most, then opened up after the boiler is formed. 

 

The other issue is the get each layer of the smokebox to sit tight on the layer below all the way round - the final diameter is a bit over; perhaps I should allow 5 thou per layer:

 

 

More experimentation required, especially to get the reverse curve of the smoxebox wrapper.

 

 

[Mikkel]

Hi Stephen, nice to see progress on the DG. Looks like the firebox and boiler is still one piece? That is probably the most sound way of doing it from an "engineering" perspective, so it would be great if you can make it work. Nice work on the smokebox too.

[Compound2632]

I'm hoping to make some progress on this at half term! At least I've got green 20 thou Plastikard for the next attempt at the boiler... The images of the Finney etches from the Brassmasters website provide a handy template for the splashers, for which I'll be using red Plastikard of course, and I'm also still hoping to be able to use some Finney parts for the cab etc. 

 

Many thanks once again to Edwardian for confirming that I should discount Wolverhampton livery. At some point I'm going to have to grasp the nettle of Great Western paint colours for the Indian Red era!

 

Meanwhile, over on my wagon-building thread I noted the gem of information in Bob Yate's The Midland Railway route from Wolverhampton that the Great Western exercised running powers for a daily goods train from Wolverhampton to Walsall over the Midland line, providing justification for my idea of a working over my imaginary somewhere-north-of-Birmingham line, although a subsequent post by Northroader supports the statement in Yate's book that saddle tank engines would have been more likely than a tender 0-6-0.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Compound2632

[Craigw]

I'm hoping to make some progress on this at half term! At least I've got green 20 thou Plastikard for the next attempt at the boiler... The images of the Finney etches from the Brassmasters website provide a handy template for the splashers, for which I'll be using red Plastikard of course, and I'm also still hoping to be able to use some Finney parts for the cab etc. 

 

Many thanks once again to Edwardian for confirming that I should discount Wolverhampton livery. At some point I'm going to have to grasp the nettle of Great Western paint colours for the Indian Red era!

 

Meanwhile, over on my wagon-building thread I noted the gem of information in Bob Yate's The Midland Railway route from Wolverhampton that the Great Western exercised running powers for a daily goods train from Wolverhampton to Walsall over the Midland line, providing justification for my idea of a working over my imaginary somewhere-north-of-Birmingham line, although a subsequent post by Northroader supports the statement in Yate's book that saddle tank engines would have been more likely than a tender 0-6-0.

 

Stephen,

 

I have not forgotten what i have to get for you - just been a bit preoccupied the last few weeks. Things finally came to a head yesterday when this happened.

 

I will get to it shortly.

 

Regards,

 

Craig

 

PS: She is my daughter

Edited October 7, 2018 by Craigw

[Compound2632]

A little progress:

 

 

Trial spashers, in red Plastikard of course, with an Oxford splasher for comparison. The splasher diameter appears to be 5'9" or 23 mm, and the height about 1'2" or 4.7 mm. The beading, in 10 thou white Plastikard, was cut to this diameter by scribing a circle using the dividing compasses - from a Rotring set I've had since I was a child. (Much of today's modelling time was spent hunting for this!) The main splasher face is 20 thou Plastikard scribed to 22 mm diameter; this leaves a 20 thou lip to take the splasher top - a 3 mm wide strip of 20 thou curved by the hot water method. 

 

Two splasher fronts were made, on opposite sides of the marked-out circle. The inner shape of the beading was cut out first; only after fixing to the splasher face disk (using the holes made by the compass point to align the two pieces) was the Plastikard snapped away from the outer diameter score line.

 

Using a whole circle, it's hard to get both splashers the same size. I will try marking out a row of six half-circles with a single line parallel to the centres for the bottom of the splashers.

 

[Mikkel]

Nice work Stephen, and without any "cheating" machine either (unlike me).

 

It's a long walk but so was Everest 

[Miss Prism]

My plan is that the engine should come to resemble No. 2390, as running in original condition with an S2 boiler. This engine was built in August 1890 as part of Lot 82 and retained its S2 boiler until November 1903. In 1902 she was at Wolverhampton, as was her sister No. 2399, seen here in the target condition (photo scanned from Locomotives Illustrated No. 157):

 

GW 2301 Class No. 2399 S2 boiler.jpg

 

 

Maybe I'm misreading your intention of 'target', but that's a 3000g tender behind 2399. (Plenty of DGs ran with 2500g though, as per the Oxford.)

[Compound2632]

Maybe I'm misreading your intention of 'target', but that's a 3000g tender behind 2399. (Plenty of DGs ran with 2500g though, as per the Oxford.)

 

Ah. I though it seemed a bit long when I scaled the photo to Ian Beattie's drawing, which I believe shows the 2500 gal tender. Should I presume that all of Lot 82 - Nos. 2381-2400 - had 3000 gal tenders from new? I've studied gwr.org.uk but it's reticent on longitudinal dimensions such as wheelbase.

 

My target engine is No. 2390, which was based at Wolverhampton and still had the S2 boiler at my favoured date of c. 1902. No. 2399 is in the right condition but lost its S2 boiler too early. One advantage of choosing No. 2390 is that I DON'T have a photo...

Edited October 24, 2018 by Compound2632

[Miss Prism]

Should I presume that all of Lot 82 - Nos. 2381-2400 - had 3000 gal tenders from new?

 

Loco lot 82 was 1890, and tenders built around that time (lots A10, A11, A12, A14 and A15) were 3000g. It seems likely that the loco lot was outshopped with 3000g, but not certain, and by 1902 (your chosen date) it's anyone's guess what tender some of those locos had. There were many 2500g tenders floating around at that time, including 2500g lots built after 1890. I think it is perfectly legit to have a 2500g behind your loco.

[Compound2632]

There is intent, hampered by lack of time. There's been investment:

 

[Compound2632]

Mikkel's been pushing on... 

 

I've not had time to do much modelling recently but once again I've spent a small amount of money.

 

The conclusion I reached experimenting with Plastikard splashers was that I doubted I could produce a sufficiently uniform set of six. As mentioned in the opening post, it had occurred to me that since the Midland goods engines had driving wheels of similar diameter to the 2301 Class, Brassmaster's replacement splashers for the Bachmann 3F and 4F might be close enough. I've got round to ordering a set of each. The splashers are the same, the etch for the 4F has more frame bits than that for the 3F. I reasoned that if they're not right, I can use them to upgrade my Bachmann models!

 

In fact the splashers are close enough as far as I'm concerned:

 

 

The etch is sitting on a print-out of the images of the Finney etches from the Brassmasters website, that I've checked is correctly scaled to 4 mm/ft. The 3F beading is a little wider than that on the Finney etch but my Plastikard version was also coming out over-scale anyway. The only snag is that for the six splashers of the 2301 Class, I need one-and-a-half sets of Brassmaster splashers! The Finney etch print-out is on green card simply because I'm planning to cut out the cab side sheets and front for a dummy run at the cab!

 

Whilst I was at it, I ordered a couple of Finney bits: 

 

 

The small tender tank filler is a bit contentious but I've already cut away the large D-shaped filler / water scoop dome molding from the top of the tender, in the belief that a Wolverhampton-shedded engine with 2,500 gal tender would not have this feature at my c. 1902 date - there was discussion of this on Mikkel's thread which continued as private correspondence - I have to thank Mikkel and Miss Prism for the generosity with which they have shared information, along with those who have commented publicly on Mikkel's thread.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Compound2632

[Compound2632]

Now, where was I?

 

Oh yes, splashers.

 

I've been experimenting with the Brassmasters 3F splahers. On paper, these are the right size. They are designed so that the curved wrapper fits into a rebate etched in the back of the splasher front, which gives the correct appearance for a Midland engine. For this Great Western engine, the wrapper needs to sit on top of the front, projecting slightly over the beading. With a bit of fiddling around, making two hands perform the duty of three, using fingers as heatsinks, and general cursing, this isn't too hard to do:

 

 

This does add the thickness of the wrapper to the radius of the splasher. The wrapper is over-long by about 4 mm. This is essential to get a uniform curve (by wrapping round a piece of the brass boiler tube) as it's impossible to get a uniform curve into the end of the wrapper. To get the splasher to fit in the slot in the Oxford footplate, I've filed a notch into the wrapper and bent the remaining ends vertical (ish):

 

 

I've also had to file the opening in the footplate a little longer, removing part of the chamfered section:

 

 

There is plenty of clearance for the wheels:

 

 

How do theses splashers compare for size? They are 5.5 mm high, so still, unfortunately, a bit over-scale, though not as bad as the Oxford splashers:

 

 

One way to reduce the height would be to file down the straight edge of the splasher fronts, though doing that uniformly might be tricky.

 

I'm reasonably happy with the appearance. Compared to the Oxford splashers, they're free from rivet heads - both the spurious ones on the splasher front and the two rows along the top, which are only visible on engines in late condition - in the early days they were filed flat, I presume. The beading is a bit too thick (it's a bit wide for the Midland engine too, I think) but the Oxford beading is too narrow.

 

 

So, still thinking, but not with quite as long a pause for action as last time, I hope.

 

 

 

 

 

[Compound2632]

Does anybody know of a better drawing for the Dean Goods than the "modellers drawings" by Ian Beattie from the Railway Modeller? Or a drawing of the S2 boiler? Dimensions w/o cladding are just as good as with.