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Adam's EM Workbench: Farewell for now


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From a post-war revisitation of late 19th century elegance to a 1930s vision of modernity, down on its luck. This mixed-media kit is from David J. Parkins' Flightpath range and is a 'Standard' Fordson, the first tractor for an awful lot of farms in the '30s and during the Second World War. Mostly made from whitemetal castings, it includes an etched brass front axle (a fiddle) and sundry other bits and bobs. I replaced the seat and a couple of other items through loss or preference, but it's more or less as it comes.

 

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These standard Fordsons came in green or blue, but also... bright orange:

 

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Presumably intended to show off the farmer's investment and the bold new farming future, bright orange was not exactly compatible with air raid precautions and so wartime production was a more sensible green. I like the orange, however, and the idea of a tired, faded, beaten up tractor still just about in use appealed to me. So that's where it will end up.

 

Adam

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Hmm. That's got me thinking. Could you motorise this and put flanged wheels on it?

The WC&P's first shunting tractor was just that.

That engine casing looks about the same size as a mini motor.

Is it this one?

https://www.djparkins.com/product.php?productid=17995&cat=245&page=10

Edited by ullypug
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Hmm. That's got me thinking. Could you motorise this and put flanged wheels on it?

The WC&P's first shunting tractor was just that.

That engine casing looks about the same size as a mini motor.

Is it this one?

https://www.djparkins.com/product.php?productid=17995&cat=245&page=10

Yes, that's the one. No idea about motorisation but I suspect it would require relatively significant reconstruction. The obvious place for a motor would be the gearbox/transmission tunnel, suitably bored out/replaced with brass tube - I'd choose the latter course - but I'm not sure how you'd work the drive from there.

 

If a 2mm finescale Ruston 48DS or a 4mm narrow gauge Muir Hill Fordson can be done (as I know they have) then I'm certain it's possible! Whether it would the haul anything is moot, but wasn't that a problem for the real thing too?

 

Adam

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Yes, that's the one. No idea about motorisation but I suspect it would require relatively significant reconstruction. The obvious place for a motor would be the gearbox/transmission tunnel, suitably bored out/replaced with brass tube - I'd choose the latter course - but I'm not sure how you'd work the drive from there.

 

If a 2mm finescale Ruston 48DS or a 4mm narrow gauge Muir Hill Fordson can be done (as I know they have) then I'm certain it's possible! Whether it would the haul anything is moot, but wasn't that a problem for the real thing too?

 

Adam

These small tractors were remarkably powerful, though hardly fast. I remember the wagon-works at Sandy Bridge, Llanelly, using one in conjunction with a traverser to move wagons around a very constrained system. They seemed to mainly be used to propel things, rather than haul them.

We use a latter-day version of the concept to move stock around the Coquelles workshops. These will haul a train weighing 1000t plus, albeit very slowly. They have a curious system of road wheels that can be turned through 90 degrees, allowing them to move sideways off the head of a rake without using points.

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Compare and contrast:

 

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So, lubricator line, blower pipe, top feed, steam feed to Westinghouse pump and vacuum ejector pipe (not fully fitted here, but it is now) and not least, the whistle (a spare box lost wax item). If you look very closely, you'll note that I've filled some misplaced/oversize holes with Milliput but any roughness is 1. very, very tiny and 2. will be hidden by clutter because on a Terrier there is nowhere else to put things like fire irons, spare lamps, headcode discs, etc. They all seem to have a bucket up there too.

 

Adam

 

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A  rather  simplified  bit  of  pipework  on  the  Dapol  terrier  is  the  Westinghouse  steam  lines.

The  pipe  coming  out  of  the  cab  opening  to  the  top  cylinder  is  actually  the  supply,  this  comes  off  a  backhead  valvle  or  from  one  of  the  valves  over the  firebox  and  via  the  governor.  The  pipe  out  of  the  other  side  of the  top  cylinder  is  the  exhaust,  this  goes  up  and  along the  tank  top  then  into  the  smokebox  where  it  is  directed  up  the  chimney.  On  my  Dapol  model  this  pipe  runs  to  a  boiler  steam  valve  hence  the  Westinghouse  is  fed  live steam  from  both  ends  with  no  exhaust.

The  blower  valve  is  actually  mounted  on  the  left  side  of  smokebox  operated  by  a  rod  through the  inside  of  the  handrail.  No  external  pipework  visible.  This  is  correctly  modelled.

Details  will  differ  according  to  exact  prototype.

 

Pete

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A useful picture, full of interest, of Brighton Works at Eastleigh just prior to scrapping (and donation of the chimney to Waddon - a Marsh chimney... - and perhaps the Salter valves, too).

 

10226269833_d98443785e_b.jpgA1X 32635 at Eastleigh Works Open Day, 7 Aug 1963 by Ian Nolan, on Flickr

 

I could witter on at length about the features of interest here and most don't concern the loco': the single bolster may well have been a BR build and it's already in internal use, the stencil lettering on the LNER steel open is a nice feature and then we get to the loco'! Meanwhile, here's the latest update: lots of pipework, including steam heat (front easy, rear much, much less so) and vacuum pipe which is trickier because on this loco (but not on others), it wasn't quite tucked in behind the valance.

 

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Compare this with this image from Mike Morant's invaluable gallery of images: https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/SR-and-BRS/LBSCR-tank-engines/i-XTCjrdh/A

 

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Up front, there's the steam heat firmly in evidence too, along with the restraining chain (anchored, prototypically, just below the buffer) and the drain for the vac' pipe - a short length of 0.7 wire soldered as a 'T' and a bored out bit of 2mm plastic rod - the mounting bracket for a tension lock coupling lifted from a spare Parkside sprue. The upright vacuum pipes and air pipe (on the front only) themselves will have to wait until I've painted and transferred the buffer beams.

 

Next up, a couple of oil boxes for the tank fronts and then the thickets of lamp irons, one of the most beguiling 'Brighton' features. Then I can get the brushes out again.

 

Adam

Edited by Adam
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In the picture of the loco being scrapped at Eastleigh. Did you notice holes for buffers at 2 heights.

 

Yes - and should have mentioned it - I can never remember whether it's the higher or lower holes that reflect a past life working motor trains. Any ideas?

 

Adam

Edited by Adam
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Look, coppertop! Being unimpressed with metallic paint when casting around for options for the copper cap for a whitemetal chimney, I had a small epiphany when watching a timelapse video of preparation for an exhibition at the BL - why not try metal leaf? The technique is pretty simple, being exactly as it would be for signwriting - apply size, wait, wait some more and tap the leaf in place with a soft brush. I'm quite pleased...

 

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Worth sealing, I think.

 

Adam

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Very nice, but, all that time and effort on a kettle, just think how many (much more interesting) wagons you could have sorted!

 

Mike.

 

Well yes, but the blessed things won't move themselves. I have the thing marked down for a Brakevan Special (so building it is an enabling act, you see...).

 

Adam

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I'm not normally desperately keen on the Brighton Terriers, but that is beautiful.

 

Thanks - they are (for better or worse) a lot of people's idea of a 'cute' loco, a concept I don't especially like. Having acquired the base model for a song, on the strength of the paint job and memories of Gordon Gravett's 7mm version from a double-figure MRJ, I'm really pleased with the result. It's just about the only one of these 1960s pre-group/nationalisation repaints I could remotely justify making a model of though the Great Marquess would be fun, that's more your end of the world, Tim.

 

Adam

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Not finished, not quite, but (very) fully liveried, yes indeed.

 

Adam,

 

I am in awe, that is one seriously excellent piece of modelling!

 

Forgive me if it's been asked before, who's screw-link couplings have you used?

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On 29/06/2018 at 03:04, Jack P said:

Adam,

 

I am in awe, that is one seriously excellent piece of modelling!

 

Forgive me if it's been asked before, who's screw-link couplings have you used?

 

Thanks - well it has, but four years ago! https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37002-adams-em-workbench-an-early-lms-brake-m806/&do=findComment&comment=1117206

 

The couplings are from Masokits - details of how to get them here: https://traders.scalefour.org/masokits/.

 

Adam

Edited by Adam
Repairing a broken cross link to earlier in the thread.
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Finished?

 

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Weathered, coaled and crewed (thanks to ModelU, who also made the lamps - I made the fire irons). In time there will be some headcode discs added but that's about it. It runs quite sweetly, too.

 

Adam

 

 

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As Mike (Enterprising Western) and probably others will be relieved to hear, having got that out of my system, back to normal business. First some finished rail carriers, one last seen like this:

 

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And now laden with track panels:

 

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Apart from the aforementioned bicycle spokes, alterations are few: the chain loops are from the Rumney Models etch for detailing Bogie Bolster Es, the buffers from Lanarkshire Model Supplies and the axleboxes on the GW pattern plate bogies from plastic sheet. Chains (20 links per inch) and shackles are from AMBIS. This is a tiding up operation - I had made a start on the panels to load this:

 

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Now the problem, of course, is that the bolster pins are in the way of this sort of load so it's been given a load of flatbottom rail. The Salmon was the solution to that problem. I'll learn to plan, one day...

 

Still, back to works in progress. First the detailing of the Ratio Open C:

 

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Fiddly brackets. Lots of them.

 

The Warwell bolster is almost ready for the fiddly stage - I've stuck the bolsters on the stands and temporarily loaded with a large file.

 

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Adam

 

 

Edited by Adam
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And after this morning's deluge (thunder over Kent), the now complete Open C has had a flash of primer. Since the last picture it's had capping strips and irons, bolt heads and sundry other bits and bobs. I've popped the wheels back in and it's ready for livery.

 

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Adam

 

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