nickd Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Here we go on another exciting adventure. I know this build has been covered recently on a thread by Richard Lambert but I had a minor hand in the development of this kit and now it's time to make a couple of them myself. So far I have found the kit to be wonderful (I have no financial associations, only social, with the Finney7 co-op) and it's by far and away the best kit I have ever made (I've never built an MOK Kit!.) I have a penchant for hidden detail, but looking through the comprehensive instruction booklet it appears my trusty piercing saw will be largely redundant during this one. First you make a load of sub assemblies.... and then put some bends and overlays in the frames If you carefully do as instructed it just falls together One is a commission but the other is for sale. One will represent the loco as running in the 1950s and the other is the choice of the new owner! If anyone is interested in owning the second loco, and has any specific building requirements, get in touch quickly...... 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Looking forward to this... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 ....only a short post this week. Anyone hoping for an 'Ha-Hah!' moment will be disappointed. I just followed the excellent instructions and it just sort of evolves. I did add some castellated nuts to the coupling rods though, And some extra ribs to the front bogie stretcher buried way-down in the frames, Coming along very nicely. BKE (Best Kit Ever!) Get yourself one, or better still buy my second build, it's very reasonably priced!....... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 Looks excellent Nick. I'd love one but might look out of place on the 1930's LSWR's withered arm 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 (edited) ....doesn't look like I made a lot of progress this week, but the bogies, Cartazzi and bissel trucks took a couple of days to complete. Also I fitted up the axleboxes and got myself two rolling chassis. Had a problem with the Slater's wheel crank axle. I soldered it all up in my usual reliable way and the crankpin let go of one of the crank webs while I was cutting out the centre section of axle. Very annoying, I await more 120deg axles from Slater's.... I tried to re-align and re-solder it but without much success......... Edited April 20, 2019 by nickd 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted April 27, 2019 Author Share Posted April 27, 2019 .....it's only been a short working week, but I managed to get 2 sets of brake gear fitted. I also made all the slidebars, fitted up the crossheads and made the connecting rods. There were a lot of components to prepare, but everything fitted up perfectly once again, so another tick to the Finney7 co-op. As can be seen the big end on the con rod for the middle cylinder has to be made to split to fit up to the journal. Also some will like the 3D printed plastic brake blocks, that will avoid accidental shorts. Care is needed handling them as they're a bit brittle. Personally I think they're a solution to a problem that doesn't exist and there's plenty of other potential areas for a short! Valve gear next........ 6 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted April 27, 2019 Share Posted April 27, 2019 Didn't know this kit came with the rods etc for the middle cylinder. Or does It? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 Hi Jeff. The etchings for the middle cylinder, sidebars and connecting rod are in the kit, although you have to purchase an extra cross head and piston gland casting from them. You have to buy a crank web/pin casting from someone like Laurie Griffin. Nick 2 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 5, 2019 Author Share Posted May 5, 2019 ....this week has been about valve gear, motors and lubricators. I started by assembling all the valve gear components and pinning them together, 2 days work for 2 pairs. As you can see I laid them all out on a sheet of paper, took a deep breath, and to my surprise managed to fit up each set in 30 mins with no binding or associated trauma. (Eat your hearts out modellers assembling ACE kits!!) The mechanical lubricators and their drive rods did push my soldering patience to it's limit (there is an option to make it static) but it does work flawlessly. The 2:1 levers all fitted up without any conniptions too. But the best bit was that I fitted up a motor and gearbox and the whole chassis/wheels/motion assembly went round a 6' rad curve first time. I retired to my front parlour at that point for sherry to contemplate why other manufacturer's kits require the use of an angle grinder to achieve such success so easily. (Just to reiterate I have no financial attachment to the Finney7 co-op, just the experience of a modeller!) To be serious for a moment the kit is very complex and has many parts, but they all do fit as they should. Here's a few pics: Inside con rod fits up nicely! With a careful bit of shimming at the crank pin the outside con rods pass gracefully through the ends of the lower slide bars with no binding. And it did only take 30 mins per side to fit up all the valve gear, honest! And next we fit up the bodies.........sneeky peak below! 2 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 Exquisite work as normal. Gives us mere mortals something to aim at. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Sorry if this is an utterly dim question, Nick, but how do you get the inside crank in the right place, ie: set st 120 degrees? Is it soldered to the steel axle? If so, what with? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 3 hours ago, JeffP said: Sorry if this is an utterly dim question, Nick, but how do you get the inside crank in the right place, ie: set st 120 degrees? Strictly speaking, the inside crank is not set at 120 degrees but is adjusted to allow for any difference in inclination between the inside and outside cylinders, which I suspect is quite significant in these locos where the inside cross head has to pass above the leading axle, even on full compression of the suspension. It's certainly the case in Bulleid pacifics. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Assuming this exquisite beast will be allowed out of it's display cabinet, where do the pick ups go without compromising the detail? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 (edited) Without bothering to go upstairs and unroll the enormous GA, I think the crank should be set at 120°, 122° and 118°, as Dave says above to compensate for the fact that the middle cylinder is set above the two outside ones. Hence the middle con rod avoids the front driver axle. The model running on Slater's wheels have the 120° axles sold as an optional extra. The second loco runs on AGH wheels which are an interference fit on silver steel axles and are set at 120° by eye. Quartering by eye is easier than you think, when done a light alignment line is scored across the wheel boss for final assembly with a retainer such as Loctite 603. I think the pick ups will be phosphor bronze wire through the holes in the frame below the splashers. The AGH wheeled model has the American pick up system so no wipers required. Edited May 6, 2019 by nickd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesGWR101 Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Looking good! Can't wait for more pics of the A4 style streamlined W1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 I have almost always used the American system. Do you isolate both chassis? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 I usually isolate the draw bar and coupling hooks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 ......so this week I had meant to sort out fixing the body up to the chassis. I made the footplate and soldered all the overlays on. But the weather here in jolly old Sheffield was pretty wretched from tues onwards, and machining lumps of resin mouldings in a small room creates an almighty mess, so I decided to wait until the weather improves next week and do it outdoors. So on to the cab in the meantime. The main cab etch has lots of overlays. I also like the idea of attaching everything to the cab side sheet before folding it into a cab shape. Soldering and cleaning up is much easier this way. Similarly the cab floor is much easier to sort out when it's not in the cab. I did my usual planking job and when all folded up I was jolly happy with the results. A good trick I have discovered for forming a fall plate into a gentle curve involved sticking it with paper glue to a suitably sized rod. The rod/etch/conveyor belt chunk sandwich is placed in the jaws of a vise and squeezed. The rectangle of conveyor belt deforms as the rod presses into it as the vise is tightened. Hence the etch nearly assumes the diameter of the rod. To fill the time towards the end of friday afternoon I made a start on the backhead. More backhead and body action next week...... 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 .....this week has been about the cab. I have done most of the detailing and building. The chevrons are printed from a file on Google images, and the sight glass safety glass is 2 x 2 mm acetate rod. I then just followed the kit instructions and photos. There's a few more odds and sods to go on the backhead but I'm waiting for castings from LGM. I made the cab roofs too. They're a bit tricky to shape but I used my trusty slip rollers with some very thick card to help support the voids. A bit of careful soldering and... I also made a start on the ashpans, they're the last large structure apart from the body, must get round to that. Daunted by the thought of having to manipulate a resin body, it's kind of death-or-glory isn't it? Bodies next, unless I can find something else so I can put them off for a bit longer, I prefer things that can be soldered........... 3 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blobrick Posted May 17, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 17, 2019 Great work Nick!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Where is the "Wow!" button? Nick, would you be so kind as to list what castings you've bought extra once this thread gets to a suitable place, please? This kit is on my "to buy" list....those who know me, or of me, will understand why I hesitate to put "to do" list... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 30368 Posted May 18, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 18, 2019 Wow indeed! Really work of the very highest quality! Well done sir! I have built Finney kits in 4mm and they are very good. What a great prototype too, there was some talk of Gresley designing Baltic express engines as his next design but I guess war and then mortality intervened. Pity! Kind regards, Richard B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 ....well fortune favours the brave and I now have 2 x W1 looking models. The bodies weren't much trouble at all in the end, after all the avoidance measures. Do what it says in the instructions and all will be well. Bit of sanding here and here and some glue. Do the sanding bit by bit, test fit and a bit more material removal etc etc. I used some home made sanding discs in my mini drill, it's very messy so do it outside! I used epoxy, sparingly. It's a difficult job cleaning off any that splurges out......I had to do it on one! Then you just have to read the instructions and fit all the body parts. The handrail and ejector pipe make the model come to life. I added paper spacers under the inspection hatches, to bring them out flush with the surface of the body. Also the valences are quite tricky. They're very thin and have to be soldered to something thicker with a very thin overlay. It's a distortion nightmare waiting to happen, so be very quick with your soldering iron! Just the chassis fitting out to go. Two pages of instructions left, so should be done by the next time you read this!....... 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 Oh. I made a splitter (?) for the smoke unit to be fitted to one of them. I'd be happy to hear the thoughts of anyone who had any experience of an ESU smoke unit, will it send smoke up both chimney flues adequately? 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 ......done! Fitted up the injectors, sanding gear and cylinder drain cocks. Just the paint etc..... I'll post a few more pics when painted........ 4 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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