Hudswell Clarke & Rodgers 0-4-0ST in EM Gauge

[Barclay]

Inspired by Ruston's efforts with his Hudswell Clarke, I determined last year that the Saltport Harbour Authority couldn't possibly do without another improbably old and tiny 0-4-0ST, and, accordingly, scanned ebay until something suitable made an appearance. I was the lucky winner of an old K's body kit for the Hudswell they supplied to the Taff Vale Railway. It was already built and had no chassis, but neither posed a problem, especially the chassis, as, from looking at what Ruston threw away, the chassis for this loco. was even more suspect that a K's chassis usually is. I've been messing around with this, together with some other projects, for a while now, and not making a great deal of progress, but I hope starting this thread will help me to focus my efforts.

 

Here's what I got - not much metal for £42 !

 

 

 

 

The bits had been assembled exactly as they came out of the box, with seams and casting marks there for all to see. The chassis was more promising, as I obtained an etched replacement from Ambis Engineering. It's pretty delicate, but it does look the part, and only £6. The only issue here is that there are no rods as you are expected to retain the K's ones.

 

 

It was the work of moments to dismember the body, and the chassis has gone together very well, although I can't proceed until I can obtain a gearbox, hopefully at Expo-EM. I'm thinking the Lo-loader should fit as I used one in the very similar Manning Wardle 'F'. Motor will be a Mashima 1015. Also in the picture you will see the lovely Narrow Planet worksplates, for Hudswell Clarke and Rogers (Rodgers?) in fact, as the loco. is intended to be of 1870's build.

 

 

 

(Hooray - I've finally worked out how to make the pictures smaller !!!)

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Barclay

[Ruston]

Nice to see another one saved and improved. I've got another unbuilt one from ebay in my stash that came as body parts only.

 

Here's the previous one that has been out for a run on the layout, today.

[Barclay]

Impatient as ever I've been working on the chassis, even though I don't yet have a gearbox that fits:

The hornblocks are my usual MJT type, needing a trim to fit this tiny chassis.

 

 

Then the coupling rods were filed up from nickel fret waste and used to space the hornblocks  at the correct wheelbase:

 

 

 

After that the boiler barrel (from brass tube) was affixed to the chassis and the superstructure put on to check the fit:

 

 

 

I've also got some reference in the form of May 1972 'Model Railways' which has an article and drawings:

 

 

 

Now to find a gearbox that fits.......

Edited November 16, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

It's been a while, but I had a couple of queue jumpers to deal with, and now they are finished, it's time to try to make some progress with this tiny bundle of trouble.

 

I had used the High Level Lo-Loader gearbox in a Manning Wardle 'F' years ago so I knew this was the transmission to go with. The top part is so slim it's just the thing for squeezing into a small firebox. Even so all 3 parts of it have had to be filed back to fit. And it really does just fit though I had to remove more of one of the frame spacers than I would have liked. Firebox sides will hide it where it shows in the frame cutout. The motor is a Mashima 1015 which I have had for a while. Clearances are so tight that the wiring is having to be routed down through the smokebox. 

 

 

The body parts have been carved about modified so that it will sit neatly over the chassis. This has involved removing the side 'skirts' under the boiler that would have hidden the K's motor, and replacing the white metal firebox with a brass one purely to get more space inside. It's nearly ready for a coat of primer to help identify where it needs filling/filing/cleaning up, and I think there will be a lot of this.

 

 

 

I do enjoy trying to make something half decent out of some of these older kits but I have to admit she was on life-support for a while back there while I wrestled with weak cast parts and realised I could have scratchbuilt a better body in brass in no more time than this has taken......

[Barclay]

More slow work but a little progress at last. The wheels have been fitted and the loco runs well on the wander leads. The chassis kit cylinder wrappers  were replaced with brass tube, which was easier to make up, and slidebars made up from square section nickel. When I built the Kerr Stuart Victory I made crossheads using square brass tube slid onto the slidebars, a piece of brass in the middle to join them together, then shaped and drilled with the top and bottom of the square tube cut off afterwards to create the correct (more or less) slidebar shape. It was easy. However on this loco they are half the size and it was a tricky job. 

 

I soldered a bolt onto each cylinder so they could be attached to the chassis, and, with the connecting rod attached with a 16BA bolt, it worked! I have spaced the cylinders slightly out from the frames with washers and thought clearance would be a problem. However the small end and the crankpin never occupy the same space, perhaps due to the small crank throw on the 2'9" wheels, so they do not hit each other.

 

 

Anyone wishing to use the Ambis chassis kit should know that the latest version is in Nickel Silver, and does now include coupling and connecting rods, so an even better bargain. I believe it is £7.50!

 

The body has had a coat of primer and certainly needs a little filling and rubbing down here and there. I added spectacle surrounds from the Mainly Trains etch sold by Wizard, and eventually decided to replace the buffers with some sprung ones obtained cheaply as oddments at an exhibition.

 

 

But at last it's starting to look like a loco!

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

No. 5 was built by Hudswell Clarke and Rodgers of Leeds in 1877, and came to Saltport with the line's original contractor Thomas Walker, fresh from the Barry Docks contract. On completion of the site, the loco. was bought into service and thus became one of the Harbour Authority's original fleet.

 

Seldom photographed, the 70 year old veteran was captured by George Alliez in the autumn of 1947 in this rare early colour photo., whilst shunting the sorting sidings near Saltport East Yard.

 

In just a few years she would be gone, believed scrapped in that great purge of ancient and unsuitable locomotives that followed the mysterious departure of long-term General Manager Stuart Firth in the summer of 1950.....

 

 

The last few weeks have finally given me the chance to get this loco finished. There wasn't a lot to do, but it was all the fiddly bits I find off-putting. Pick ups are brass wire secured to copperclad, and guided by brass tube (thanks to 5050). I had to make sure they did not obstruct the open nature of the frames, hence the mounting points are well out of the way, and I partially succeeded. After that, odds and ends of details, handrails, and a whistle turned from brass tube in the mini-drill. For colour I have returned to the Great Western green I have used before - on reflection it's just a good colour that works well with weathering and looks the part I think. There is no cab interior to speak of - the cast back plate fouled the worm gear so had to be left off and the crew take up the rest of the space anyway. Speaking of crew I have managed to make the driver look like some 1980's herbert rather than a 1940's gent, I don't know how, he is Airfix trackside staff so should be suitably vintage. perhaps he needs a re-paint.

 

 

This loco is really small - it seems even smaller than the Manning Wardle 'F' - it's an interesting comparison, and I have to say that construction has re-affirmed my dislike of white metal - give me brass every time!

 

[Ruston]

Love it! That top photo is a cracker.

[avonside1563]

Looks lovely, I’m plucking up courage to get out some brass kits that have been in storage for many years and relearn the skills for them. Threads like this are a good incentive. 

[Captain Kernow]

On 22/02/2020 at 17:22, Barclay said:

Anyone wishing to use the Ambis chassis kit should know that the latest version is in Nickel Silver, and does now include coupling and connecting rods, so an even better bargain. I believe it is £7.50!

Thanks, that's useful to know, as it might also be suitable for something else.

 

Lovely job with the loco, by the way.

 

[Barclay]

Some while back Corbs amazed us all with some smoke, steam, and weather effects as applied to pictures of Ruston's layout.

 

I've just been playing with photo editing and realised that the latest update of Windows 10 includes such a feature, called 3D effects, as part of the photo editing feature, which basically gives you a 5 second video, with sound, of whatever effects you choose superimposed over a photo.  This is only a still - to upload video I would have had to sign up to youtube or something, but it's tremendous fun so I thought I'd share. Don't tell me - you all know already....