DLT's SR Locos - Lord Nelson Craftsman Kit

[Michael Edge]

Shouldn't the wheel tyres be black?

[Jack P]

13 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

Shouldn't the wheel tyres be black?

 

They should indeed! I haven't got around to painting them on the side DLT photographed, yet.

[DLT]

On 14/07/2019 at 21:07, Jack P said:

They should indeed! I haven't got around to painting them on the side DLT photographed, yet.

 

Ok, cylinders are black again, and broken footstep soldered back on.

And just for Michael, here's a photo of the other side, with black wheels rims.

 

 

Still one thing I haven't devised, a front-end fixing to secure chassis to footplate.

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[Michael Edge]

Thank you, looks much better now. The N15x is one of my favourite locos, although I haven't built one since 1972.

[Jack P]

57 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

Thank you, looks much better now. The N15x is one of my favourite locos, although I haven't built one since 1972.

 

I was instantly in love with it, the perfect Maunsell/Brighton cross, and even appropriately suffixed! I posed mine with my spare LN tender, and I actually think it looked better with the larger tender. Even so i'm still in the process of getting the LSWR tender lined out and finished off, ready for the locomotives return. 

 

Not to mention, Dave has done a fantastic job of finishing it off! 

Edited July 16, 2019 by Jack P

[DLT]

Great scott, I haven't posted on here for a fortnight!  Too much domestic upheaval going on, plus a significant birthday for the wife, with all the activity associated with it.

Anyway, the final job on the N15X has been done:

 

Can you see what it is yet?

 

 

Its a chassis fixing screw thats mounted horizontally, and stays captive in the nut so you're not trying to insert a screw with tweezers into an inaccessible place.  Then all you need is a clearance hole in the chassis part for the screw to enter and prevent removal.  The chassis isn't clamped down hard, but it doesnt need to be.  

 

Here the screw section isn't fixed in place:

 

Now fixed with a couple of blobs of Araldite.

The chassis removable:

 

And fixed.

 

And no, doesn't foul the bogie swing.

I just couldn't find anywhere to fit a conventional fixing screw, and this method means you don't have to remove the screw to release the chassis, just slacken it off.

At last, I think I can say this job is finished.

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[Jack P]

WOW.

 

Dave you're a bloody wizard. I'd been pondering long and hard on how on earth I'd get the body/chassis connection in place. it's not something I'd thought about when building the thing, and the instructions tell you to solder a long bolt through the bottom of the smoke-box, and it's supposed to retain the bogie and hold the chassis in place. but I wasn't a fan of that arrangement - of course I then immediately forgot to come up with another solution before closing off the inside of the smokebox by soldering the door on!

 

You should have a PM from me too!

[30368]

Beautifully elegant solution Dave!

 

Working on a G6 0-6-0 at the moment for someone else but my incomplete ACE Products N15X is next! Thanks for all the tips. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[DLT]

Having spent much of the summer holiday up to my neck in paint-rollers, or visiting Ikea and B&Q, I'm back to the workbench at last!

The N15X is at last finished and winging it's way back to it's "home shed".

 

The final job was balance weights on the wheels, and this is my recipe.  Using dividers and 15thou black plasticard, I scored out a disc the diameter of the inside of the wheel-rims.

 

 

Then using something of suitable diameter, in this case a small tin-lid, I cut out suitable sized crescents, and Araldited them in place before painting.

 

 

 

 

These photos show the defects blown up in all their glory, but they are not apparent in  normal size.

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Right, time to get back on the SR Loco Workbench, after a six month break.  (much of it spent on narrow gauge matters, including upgrading of the layout: Bridport Town - Carrying On )

Current job is a Urie H15 "chonker" from a PDK kit:  (photo from PDK website)

Spec will be 00 with Romford wheels, Mashima motor and Highlevel gearbox, and various other add-ons.  Looking forward to getting cracking on this job, its been waiting a little while.

Updates will appear when theres something to report!

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

First report; footplate done.  I really like the way PDK design their stepped footplates, with solid side supports to help keep everything straight and square.  These are cut away at the last minute to leave the valence.

 

One issue became apparent.  The continuous splasher is a fold-up part of the footplate, but the etched slots along the fold lines will make it difficult to get a good edge.  Anyway, they didn't look quite big enough. so I've cut them off (only one of them, in the photo) and will make my own.

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Hmmm, I think I should be finding a better background to do the constructional photos, or at least, better than my cruddy old cutting mat...

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[RAY NORWOOD]

Looking good Dave. I had the same with the balance on my PDK rebuilt MN.

[DLT]

I've test-rigged the chassis and sat the footplate on it, to check if everything fits level, square and at the correct height.  And I'm pleased to say it does!

What's more, there's plenty of room for a Highlevel Loadhauler-Plus gearbox, and a 1426 motor.

[Stubby47]

I'm not sure that will go round The Circle's tight radius curves next month, but should be ok on The Stores sidings.

[DLT]

20 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

I'm not sure that will go round The Circle's tight radius curves next month, but should be ok on The Stores sidings.

 

Only one way to find out! 

I hope it will be running, in order to keep up with tradition.

All the best, Dave.

[number6]

I for one, like the background in your photos. Its a work of art in itself.

 

I've always liked these locos - they seem like a mid-way stage between those earlier LSWR shockers and the simpler lines of the later Maunsell S15s and N15s.

[Jack P]

On 08/03/2020 at 13:07, DLT said:

Hmmm, I think I should be finding a better background to do the constructional photos, or at least, better than my cruddy old cutting mat...

 

It's great to see you back Dave! 

 

I think there's something charming about the mat, it's lived a life and so many fantastic things have been created on it! That being said, I had certainly thought about buying a cutting mat just for photos!

 

I am excited to see the 'Chonker' progess. I saw somewhere that some crews called them 'Tavvys'? Either way they are a purposeful looking loco, will  this one be the large boilered variant?

[PaulRhB]

Campaign to keep the mat!  

Nothing wrong with a proper workbench photo  
I can see the advantage for construction but how do you cut out the valance with so many tabs? I’d probably wreck it cutting it all out and filing the tabs to shape!

[jwealleans]

I see nothing wrong with the mat - mine's at least as bad - but you can get hold of folding photographic boxes for less than a tenner if you want a better background.  I have a feeling someone on a previous iteration of RMWeb put me onto the one I have.

[DLT]

49 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Campaign to keep the mat!  

Nothing wrong with a proper workbench photo  
I can see the advantage for construction but how do you cut out the valance with so many tabs? I’d probably wreck it cutting it all out and filing the tabs to shape!

 

Thanks for the comments guys, ok, the mat stays. 

Its getting a bit ropey, but still performs its intended function.  It needs a good clean and scrape from time to time to remove the accumulated blobs of glue and paint, grease, flux etc.

 

Removing the valance support just take care a time, with fine cutters and files.  Just don't rush it!

 

Cheers, Dave.

[DLT]

A bit of progress to report.  Replacement splashers are on, they are a bit wider than the originals, to cover the undergauge 00 drivers.  They can be filed back later if needed.    Deviated from the instructions, as they said fit the cab front and sides, and then form the roof using the front as a template.  Decided that forming the roof shape was much easier with the cab front in your hand rather than on the loco.  Will fit the roof later, when I'm confident that the interior is ok.

Boiler is beautifully pre-rolled, just needed a little tweaking.

 

 

 

Chassis has just been folded, and the wheels fitted to test everything.  Will need to slightly turn down the flanges on the centre drivers, as with 00 dimensions, they touch the front drivers.

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by DLT

[GWR Neal]

Hi Dave, 

 

I have been looking forward to following this build, am I correct in thinking the wheels are Markits, I was wondering which part number they were?  

 

thanks, 

 

Geoff

[DLT]

17 hours ago, GWR Neal said:

Hi Dave, 

I have been looking forward to following this build, am I correct in thinking the wheels are Markits, I was wondering which part number they were?  

thanks, Geoff

 

Hi Geoff, yes the wheels are Markits, they are set no. BR303xx, complete set of wheels for the H15.  Driving wheels, bogie and tender wheels, plus crankpins and axle-nut covers.

 

I'm currently sorting out the boiler, I've soldered some formers in place, and I'm working a out a way of making the boiler removable.  Instructions say fix it in place, but this would make painting and lining very difficult.  I prefer to be able to take it apart for painting.

 

Now awaiting delivery of the motor and gearbox, nothing else to photograph just yet.

 

Cheers, Dave.

[DLT]

On 10/03/2020 at 09:22, Jack P said:

 

I am excited to see the 'Chonker' progess. I saw somewhere that some crews called them 'Tavvys'? Either way they are a purposeful looking loco, will  this one be the large boilered variant?

 

Hi Jack,

Can't say I've ever heard them called that, but I'm not going to dispute it!

Yes, this is one of the original H15 design, Urie's first after he succeeded Drummond.  10 locos introduced in 1914, numbers 482 to 491. They had the parallel boiler and massive smokebox.

For a relatively small class of locos, there were several variations; later batches were rebuilds of Drummond's disastrous F13 and E14 locos, and later still Maunsell built a batch with N15 tapered boilers.

Cheers, Dave.

Edited March 14, 2020 by DLT

[30368]

Hi Dave,

 

Looking forward to the build, I guess you will paint your loco in SR livery? Mine are all BR lined Mixed Traffic. I assume you have a copy of Peter Swift's "The Book of the H15 and S15 4-6-0s" and David Maidment's "Urie and Maunsell 2-Cylinder 4-6-0s" both full of really useful details and pictures. In addition Bradley's "LSWR Locomoties - The Urie Classes" is a must, it has some useful, if very detailed, drawings. I am sure he won't mind me saying it, but Peter Swift, like me, is a real H15 fan. Big blunt locomotives!

 

The very best of luck.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

 

PS Just seen your post re variations within the H15 class - ignoring tender changes for now, there are five main variations - the original Urie ten one of which, 491 was later fitted by Maunsell with a taper boiler to create a spare parallel boiler. The five rebuilds of Drummonds F13 4-6-0, these had large parallel boilers with strait running plates and a longer wheelbase between second and third driving axle. 335 was a rebuild of Drummonds E14 4-6-0 which looks just like one of the Urie originals except that it too had the extended rear wheelbase. Last of all we have Maunsell's final 10 loco's with a flush running plate and taper boiler.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by 30368