Michael Edge's workbench

[Michael Edge]

Sprockets and chain readily available from a number of sources, I usually get them from Branchlines. The system is well known in the 7mm world but rarely used in 4mm, the chain is quite wide and does require a narrow gearbox for the driven axle - the 1-Co-Co-1 bogies above are for EM but it is possible to use them in 00.

[MJI]

My attempt to fix some Lima bogies was not very successful, gears hit the body on corners.

 

Simple case of brass strip, really hard setting Araldite, brass tube of small outside diameter, and a raid of the spare gear collection from CMC many years ago.

 

And the white metal sides were not great.

[Michael Edge]

Back at work now after a few week's holiday.

The test track today, right to left:

Next 7mm loco is a 7mm GW 1361 0-6-0ST, I've etched nearly all of this, more later.

The GSR 4-6-0 has come back from Ian Rathbone for some minor attention.

7mm test etch for the small Harton 4wh now finished - more in the kits thread.

D5679 is an ancient Airfix loco which has been in stock for many years. It's been on test on WJ for a while as part of the all electric era fleet, it will run on the colliery trip in place of the GC steam locos. Now in the workshop for some buffer beam detailing and proper glazing.

The Kirtley 0-4-4T has moved on quite a bit this week, might even be finished next week.

Midland steam railmotor is a customer's Ebay bargain, needs vlave gear repairs and re-gauging to EM.

The Sentinel 0-6-0 really does need finishing, not much left apart from pattern making and fitting handrails.

Closer photo of the Kirtley before fitting the dome and weatherboard, there's nothing wrong with the London Road kit but it was never designed to produce a model of the loco in its original condition. The whole of the boiler is visible with no cab front and the water tank is partly guesswork. I think there must have been some sort of well at the front of it to shovel the coal from but no idea how wide it might have been. The smokebox front has been altered to fit the original "cupboard doors", photos show some sort of linkage from the LH handrail to something across the smokebox front but I've no idea what it does. The only photos I've been able to find show the loco from the side - at least I've got both sides though.

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

D5679 is an ancient Airfix loco which has been in stock for many years.

Mine always ran in the wrong direction.

[Michael Edge]

Well, swapping the wires over wouldn't have been too hard....

Getting rid of the rubber tyres and plastic wheels took a bit longer. It's loaded up with lead and it's still a bit noisy but it does its job on the colliery trip (no more than 15-20 wagons) well enough.

[St Enodoc]

11 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

Well, swapping the wires over wouldn't have been too hard....

I know. I just never bothered. Not sure why I had it in the first place, unless it was to repaint as a Departmental one. I picked up a cheap Lima one in the end for that so sold the Airfix one to a fellow Brighton MRC member.

[Captain Kernow]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Mine always ran in the wrong direction.

Couldn't you have just turned the knob the other way?

 

[Sandhole]

On 26/09/2020 at 11:33, Michael Edge said:

Back at work now after a few week's holiday.

The test track today, right to left:

Next 7mm loco is a 7mm GW 1361 0-6-0ST, I've etched nearly all of this, more later.

The GSR 4-6-0 has come back from Ian Rathbone for some minor attention.

7mm test etch for the small Harton 4wh now finished - more in the kits thread.

D5679 is an ancient Airfix loco which has been in stock for many years. It's been on test on WJ for a while as part of the all electric era fleet, it will run on the colliery trip in place of the GC steam locos. Now in the workshop for some buffer beam detailing and proper glazing.

The Kirtley 0-4-4T has moved on quite a bit this week, might even be finished next week.

Midland steam railmotor is a customer's Ebay bargain, needs vlave gear repairs and re-gauging to EM.

The Sentinel 0-6-0 really does need finishing, not much left apart from pattern making and fitting handrails.

Closer photo of the Kirtley before fitting the dome and weatherboard, there's nothing wrong with the London Road kit but it was never designed to produce a model of the loco in its original condition. The whole of the boiler is visible with no cab front and the water tank is partly guesswork. I think there must have been some sort of well at the front of it to shovel the coal from but no idea how wide it might have been. The smokebox front has been altered to fit the original "cupboard doors", photos show some sort of linkage from the LH handrail to something across the smokebox front but I've no idea what it does. The only photos I've been able to find show the loco from the side - at least I've got both sides though.

Mike, I'm still here waiting for the Dorman Long Sentinel.
I haven't forgotten.
I'll not ask about the other stuff we have talked about, you look as if you have got more than enough on your plate!!
I have, finally, finished your origional PWM shunter kit.
Enjoyed it.
Start on something else of yours. 0-4-0 YE Diesel I think.

[Michael Edge]

You'll just have to be patient......

YE DE2 is in stock though.

[Michael Edge]

The Airfix Brush 2 looks a lot better with some buffer beam detail.

The pipes have had to be moved sideways a bit to allow the DG coupling to swing far enough but the effect is OK. I would use the new design hooks if I was doing this again.

[Michael Edge]

I finally got the Kirtlry 0-4-4T finished at the weekend.

This hasn't been the easiest job - nothing wrong with the London Road (ex George Norton) kit, as long as it was the later version that was required. In the end I've had to scratch build some of it and modify other parts. Contrary to expectations building it in P4 didn't cause any real problems.

[t-b-g]

57 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

I finally got the Kirtlry 0-4-4T finished at the weekend.

This hasn't been the easiest job - nothing wrong with the London Road (ex George Norton) kit, as long as it was the later version that was required. In the end I've had to scratch build some of it and modify other parts. Contrary to expectations building it in P4 didn't cause any real problems.

 

Lovely model Mike. I have the later version one that George Norton built for himself in EM gauge.

 

It ran superbly for a while then when the driving wheels wore the paint off the inside of the splashers and it developed a short.

 

It may be one case of the narrower wheels in P4 actually helping the clearances.

 

I am still working on how to fix it, as a layer of paper or even 5 thou plasticard caused the wheels to catch.

 

Thoughts have moved to being brave and attacking the inside of the splasher with a grinding wheel or disc to try to remove a thou or two or even to taking the wheels off and thinning them slightly. I don't fancy moving the splashers and spoiling his paint finish.

[Michael Edge]

P4 flanges are smaller as well so no trouble from the rather excessive compensated axlebox movement. Apart from carefully cleaning out the inside of the splashers there was no problem - George must have designed them correctly in the first place.

[Daniel W]

That Kirtley is a thing of absolute beauty, Mike.

[Daddyman]

6 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

I finally got the Kirtlry 0-4-4T finished at the weekend.

This hasn't been the easiest job - nothing wrong with the London Road (ex George Norton) kit, as long as it was the later version that was required. In the end I've had to scratch build some of it and modify other parts. Contrary to expectations building it in P4 didn't cause any real problems.

Flipping 'eck! That's nice! (And that's from someone who was brought up hearing "nowt good ever came from t'Midland.") 

 

Your finest hour, Mike? 

 

5 hours ago, t-b-g said:

It ran superbly for a while then when the driving wheels wore the paint off the inside of the splashers and it developed a short.

 

It may be one case of the narrower wheels in P4 actually helping the clearances.

 

I am still working on how to fix it, as a layer of paper or even 5 thou plasticard caused the wheels to catch.

Reduce the amount of travel in the hornblocks? (several of us have done that with the G5, which I think was a George Norton kit originally). Or be really naughty and fit P4 wheels at EM btb? (I've done P4 wheels at 00 btb on the BTP, which again I think started as a George Norton kit.)

[Paul Cram]

The LRM BTP was originally a Steve Barnfield kit

[t-b-g]

5 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

P4 flanges are smaller as well so no trouble from the rather excessive compensated axlebox movement. Apart from carefully cleaning out the inside of the splashers there was no problem - George must have designed them correctly in the first place.

 

Except that George modelled in EM for his own stuff. He was much more interested in making things than running them, and the short didn't show up until after several exhibition outings and much home running on Narrow Road. The metal was well primed and painted on the inside as well as the visible parts.

 

So he would have had the same problem eventually when it wore off.  

[t-b-g]

55 minutes ago, Daddyman said:

Flipping 'eck! That's nice! (And that's from someone who was brought up hearing "nowt good ever came from t'Midland.") 

 

Your finest hour, Mike? 

 

Reduce the amount of travel in the hornblocks? (several of us have done that with the G5, which I think was a George Norton kit originally). Or be really naughty and fit P4 wheels at EM btb? (I've done P4 wheels at 00 btb on the BTP, which again I think started as a George Norton kit.)

 

Mike has had several, make that many "finest hours". He will probably be too modest to say it, so I will say it for him!

 

One trick I have done on 0-4-4T locos is to fix the leading axle and rest the loco on the leading axle and the bogie pivot, with the rear drivers sprung. That would certainly eliminate movement of the wheel in the splasher but the clearance is less than a paper width either side even then.

 

It is still a work in progress and I won't let it beat me, they never do!

 

What  don't want to do is to undo too much of what George did. I got it to remember him by. 

 

One thing I haven't checked is the back to back. George sometimes set them at 16.7 or 16.8mm as he used mostly Sharman, Maygib or Gibson wheels. the loco is now intended for a layout built to the old Manchester EM standards with an 18mm gauge, so I will need to make sure the B2B is 16.5mm anyway.   

[Chas Levin]

On 20/11/2019 at 11:00, Michael Edge said:

I finished the EF1 yesterday.

Pantographs are fun to build on this one, instead of just being assembled on insulators in the roof they are built up on channels which extend out over the cab ends. These are built up on the roof with two side rails, the ends carry insulators and yokes to the pantograph rails. The photo shows how these are built up in the kit, the yoke is a fold up and the insulators are etched layers which look very convincing when painted. Ideally the portion of the rail between the yoke and insulator could be cut out to leave a gap here but I can't find an easy way to do this. The lower pantograph arms pivot on cross wires with a flat etch soldered to the middle. The upward arm of this will carry the spring end, the lower arm hits the roof to restrict upward movement.

The pan heads are etched and the upper arms are made from wire. The kit instructions include a paper pattern jig to set up the diagonal bracing. The wire are threaded through the etched parts and flattened at the ends to retain them.

View from above with both pans fitted and a representation of the external wiring. These pantographs are really big!

The completed loco from underneath, the connecting wires fit neatly through the holes in the drag beams where the connecting link would be fitted - these are Bo+Bo, not Bo-Bo locos. There is very little clearance between the drag beam ends and the cab steps which allows very little bogie swing. As set up here the loco will easily go round 28" radius but for anything tighter the drag beam ends will have to be shortened.

i'm not painting this one just yet so in time honoured fashion, here's one I made earlier.

 

Kit development work for the rest of this week before setting off to Warley on Friday afternoon so any updates will be in the Judith Edge kits thread.

 

Lovely looking loco Michael. Thank you for posting - I have one to build, so I'm very pleased to have found these details...

[Michael Edge]

Workbench update after the Kirtley 0-4-4T was finished.

Next job will be to get back on with the 7mm GW 1361 seen on the right. I've got two of these to build but they won't be done together, I hate batch building - I prefer variety.

Two more 7mm test etch Hunslet diesels at left, these need some pattern making (not my favourite job) before they go into production but they have been promised for some time now. Front left is the start of the next loco for Wentworth Junction, a Q4 0-8-0 - these were common on the colliery trip before electrification, working from Barnsley shed. In the middle is a rather old fashioned frame (1/16th brass) for another O4 (can't have too many of these for either Herculaneum or WJ). I've had this for many years, I don't know who built it, possibly Peter Everton back in the 1970s, it originally had a KTM open frame motor now replaced with a 15mm square one on a High Level Roadrunner+. Still no progress on the Sentinel though, or the MR railmotor.

[Michael Edge]

The Brush 2 finished ready to go back on the layout now.

This is the innards, shows how much lead has to be added, particularly at No1 end, to get it to pull a reasonable load.

Flush glazing makes a big difference but I might have to redo the numbers, they don't look very good in this photo. 1T72 is the Wentworth Silkstone colliery trip - I'm not too keen on these either but they were the best I could find. This is the driven end, the dummy centre wheels are fairy visible from this angle, the other end has been fitted with the correct smaller wheels on the middle axle. The bogie detail on this venerable model is a lot better than many more recent rtr diesels in my opinion. 

[Barry O]

Very clean that thar loco. Suppose I should dig out my Airfix one and get that sortred.. but I do like my Hornby one..

 

Baz

[Richard_A]

3 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

The Brush 2 finished ready to go back on the layout now.

This is the innards, shows how much lead has to be added, particularly at No1 end, to get it to pull a reasonable load.

Flush glazing makes a big difference but I might have to redo the numbers, they don't look very good in this photo. 1T72 is the Wentworth Silkstone colliery trip - I'm not too keen on these either but they were the best I could find. This is the driven end, the dummy centre wheels are fairy visible from this angle, the other end has been fitted with the correct smaller wheels on the middle axle. The bogie detail on this venerable model is a lot better than many more recent rtr diesels in my opinion. 

I have a few of the airfix class 31 bodies which eventually I'll power with cheap Hornby power bogies, I'm sure you'd be able to knock a new power bogie up, in the manor of the class 40 ones in no time.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

1T72 is the Wentworth Silkstone colliery trip

Are you sure? I would have expected 9T72 or similar.

 

I've got some better numbers somewhere. If you confirm which you want I'll cut them out and send them to you in return for a pair of Stone-Faiveley pantographs.

[Michael Edge]

Thanks John, yes it should be 9, I don't know where I got 1 from.