DLT's SR Locos - Lord Nelson Craftsman Kit

[DLT]

I can replace the buffers, simply by cutting them of and drilling out the holes.  A set of Markits buffers have been supplied.

I'm regauging then EM chassis at them moment.

[DLT]

The EM gauge chassis (D15 No.2) has been narrowed by the simple expedient of cutting longitudinally through the spacers, trimming them back to the appropriate  width, and soldering back together using new spacers.  The result can be seen in the front spacer.  The rear spacer was replaced completely as it fell out while cutting.  The hornblocks on the rear axle were functional, but had no springing, so weren't actually doing anything.

 

The rest of the chassis was pretty conventional.  I don't know the origin of the wheels, but they are very nice indeed.  Plastic centred, pressfit on the axles with nickel silver rims and brass crankpins, washers etc.

 

 

No.2 tender is a conventional whitemetal kit, and very much "of it's time".  It's missing a set of coal-rails.

The wheels look 1960s vintage,  and pretty awful by today's standards.  They are nickel-plated brass, but the plating is peeling off all over the place.  I will replace them with a spare set of Gibson 4-foot wheels I have.  A pickup set was fitted which must have worked well in it's day, but is now very tired and falling apart.

 

 

Going back to No.1 (bit of a scattergun approach to this project)  The whitemetal blob claiming to be a smokebox door has been replaced by (I think) a SEFinecast T9 part.  It was smaller than the opening in the front of the smokebox, so I've cut a new front from brass and soldered it on, with the new door Araldited in place.  The brass disc also gave me a nice template to guide filing the smokebox to a rather more round shape than it was.

 

New Markits clackvalves, steampipes etc, and handrail assembly.  I've binned the massive splitpins originally fitted.

 

Finally a tip, if you haven't already thought of it;  When working on one end of a model and need to prop it upright, or waiting for glue to set, I stand it up in a jam-jar with a soft tissue pad in the bottom.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DLT

[Guest Jack Benson]

David,

 

I can supply coal rails from Brassmasters, if he will sell to me.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

[DLT]

Excellent, that would be a great help, although they are easy enough to make.

I've had a look and I can't see them listed as an accessory anywhere.

Many thanks, Dave.

[Guest Jack Benson]

Look for Accessories on the Brassmasters website, there is a sub-section for SR fittings. This part of the fret is the coal rails, I also paid some lamp brackets. 
 

[DLT]

Yes I saw that one, that's the early period coal rails, for a watercart tender.  Ours is a plate with two rails.  I can fabricate them, straightforward enough.

Thanks, Dave.

[DLT]

Good God, is it really over threee weeks since |I added to this topic???

Busy with huge pre-Christmas rush at work, and awaiting some swapped part for the loco, but I have been busy with it

Here is the current state of play:

 

 

 

Currently without coupling rods, so driving on one axle, with no additional weight. (that's why its nose-heavy in the first clip) Quite a tribute to the quality of the Highlevel motor and gearbox.

You might think the motor look a bit odd that high up, but I wanted to keep it clear of the 26mm wheels, and leave room to add weight lower down.

4-4-0s, can take quite a bit of effort to balance, especially whitemetal ones, but I have now achieved this with the addition of small lumps of lead in many locations.

Tender pickups are done, just need to connect it to the loco now.  Photos later,

Cheers, Dave.

[Guest Jack Benson]

A graceful brute of a loco, thank you.

 

Merry Christmas and a better 2021

 

 

[N15class]

On 24/12/2020 at 12:26, DLT said:

Good God, is it really over threee weeks since |I added to this topic???

Busy with huge pre-Christmas rush at work, and awaiting some swapped part for the loco, but I have been busy with it

Here is the current state of play:

 

 

 

Currently without coupling rods, so driving on one axle, with no additional weight. (that's why its nose-heavy in the first clip) Quite a tribute to the quality of the Highlevel motor and gearbox.

You might think the motor look a bit odd that high up, but I wanted to keep it clear of the 26mm wheels, and leave room to add weight lower down.

4-4-0s, can take quite a bit of effort to balance, especially whitemetal ones, but I have now achieved this with the addition of small lumps of lead in many locations.

Tender pickups are done, just need to connect it to the loco now.  Photos later,

Cheers, Dave.

I always use 3 point compensation on 4-4-0s the centre pin of the bogie being the point. With side beams on the two drivers. This means at least two thirds of the overall weight is on the drivers.

 

Feliz natal.

Edited December 25, 2020 by N15class

[Pebbles]

1 hour ago, N15class said:

I always use 3 point compensation on 4-4-0s the centre pin of the bogie being the point. With side beams on the two drivers. This means at least two thirds of the overall weight is on the drivers.

 

Feliz natal.

I believe this is the most acceptable arrangement. 

[DLT]

Thanks guys, yes full compensation would be the best method on a 4-4-0.  But as this is resurrecting on old non-runner, I'm using as much as I can of what I've got.

Cheers, Dave.

 

With coupling rods on, it seems to be running ok, so time to get on and assemble it.

 

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

[bgman]

You're gonna wear that piece of track out soon Dave ! 

 

Nicely done as ever, hope all is well with you and the family ?

 

G

[bgman]

p.s.

 

In a similar vein I will be compensating this one and adding as much weight as I can when the chassis is done......GWR River in 7mm

 

 

G

[DLT]

We are long overdue an update on this project, so here goes.  Firstly the resurrected chassis, still looking tatty but working well.  Lead weights added, but still room for more.  The rear of the motor is held by the wires from the pickup plate to the motor terminals, the motor isn't touching the lead weight.

 

The rear end showing the new tender drawbar.  It looks a bit thin, but it needs to have a small amount of flexibility, as the tender rests on it, helping to hold it down.  The heights are carefully matched so that while the tender helps hold the rear end of the loco down, the drawbar is not holding the tender up, its wheels are firmly on the rails.  The positive pressure also carries current from the live tender to loco.  

 

 

Underside of the chassis and tender showing the simple pickup plates and the jumper wire.

 

 

Loco and tender coupled, and jumper wire connected

 

 

My now standard method of bogie mounting.  The vertical pin in the slot, the long wire in the tube, and the sliding surfaces mean that the bogie is free to swing, but restrained to only go where it is meant to.  The sliding surfaces actually have a small air gap so there is no resistance to movement, but the bogie still has only very minimal lift or twist.  Therefore should stay on ther track!

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

The current state of the front end.  Clamping dogs added to teh smokebox door, Markits buffers, cast brass vacuum pipe from Branchlines, footplate lamp-irons from etch waste.

Still to be added, smokebox lamp-irons, and dart.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DLT

[Daddyman]

8 hours ago, DLT said:

The current state of the front end.  Clamping dogs added to teh smokebox door, Markits buffers, cast brass vacuum pipe from Branchlines, footplate lamp-irons from etch waste.

Still to be added, smokebox lamp-irons, and dart.

 

I notice you've drilled the buffer bases - nice! I've always chickened out. Presumably it requires more than just a pin chuck? 

[DLT]

46 minutes ago, Daddyman said:

I notice you've drilled the buffer bases - nice! I've always chickened out. Presumably it requires more than just a pin chuck? 

 

I can't take any credit for that, they were drilled by Mr.Markit.  Don't ask me how though...!

[Guest Jack Benson]

For those who might be wondering where this is going, it might be wothwhile taking a peek at the intended subject of the D15 resurrection.

 

This is 30466, notable for being one of the last of its class to retain the rimmed chimney together with BR numbering on cabside and smokebox plate whilst carrying SOUTHERN on its tender.

Here it is on 9th July 1949 - unknown

 

Just a few months later 5th March 1950, now carrying BR numbering, Bournemouth MPD - Mike Morant

 

 

And Portsmouth June 1950 - unknown

 

Finally, after receiving the stovepipe chimney. Near Romsey April 1952 -unknown

 

It is uncertain whether 30466 ever received mixed traffic livery.

 

The D15 will be used on the group's Beaminster Road layout, using the plausible excuse that two D15s were allocated to work the 144 mile portion from Friary to Bournemouth of the Plymouth-Brighton via Portsmouth service, a total of some 245 miles. The sleight of hand is based on the fact that D15s did work the Plymouth-Brighton service until replaced by Bulleid Light Pacifics. No mean feat for a 4-4-0 but the D15 was a very useful loco.

 

Cheers to David and Stay Safe

[DLT]

Here's a selection of hurriedly done photos.

The loco is pretty much finished, although looking at these pictures I have spotted a few areas that need remedial attention.

 

 

 

A general impression of cab interior and boiler backhead has been fabricated.  Nobody seems to produce a decent Drummond backhead as an accessory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Painting is done with a Halfords matt-black spraycan, and the finish matches the 00-Works tender very well.

The varnishing on the transfers looks really prominent in the photos, but this is the result of the close spotlighting for the photography.  It's not visible in "real life".  Honest!

Edited January 18, 2021 by DLT

[Jack P]

That looks excellent Dave, a real transformation. How did you find the Fox Transfers?

[DLT]

 

[hayfield]

DLT

 

Looks superb

[DLT]

Having a few musings while between projects.  The second D15 came to me looking like this:

 

 

The loco is brass, and I reckon its a Jidenco kit.  The dome is typical, beautifully turned brass, but poorly seated.  It definitely needs some upgrading, cab cutouts are wrong for starters, buffers and smokebox door are awful, and it appears to have 7mm scale handrail knobs.  The chassis went under the first D15, but another is lined up.  I've kept the very nice wheels it was fitted with.  The tender is whitemetal, quite possible a Bec, and will need a new inner chassis and wheels

 

The paint job is ok and can probably be rescued (I've seen a lot worse) and the colour is a good dark olive, a lot better than  it looks in the photo.

 

So I could go on and finish it as 472, but I have a hankering after doing it a bit different. 

There was no spare boiler for these engines, so Maunsell built one similar to those fitted to the G16 and H16, with a wide low dome and separate safety valves.  It was fitted to several D15s as needed, (but not alas 472)  469 was carrying it in the immediate post-war period, and I rather like it's appearance:

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DLT

[Guest Jack Benson]

Dave,

 

I have clacks, snifting valves, whistle, handrail knobs, a spare tender and a host of other bits, if you want them.

 

Stay Safe