EM2 build.......Finished! (Then finished again)

[Alex Duckworth]

After reading Pix's excellent thread on building 16 ton minerals (something I have to do a lot of soon) and some kind comments about my EM1 I have decided to start on my EM2's and post the results here.

 

My first job was to finish the casting master for replacement EM2 bogies and send it off to a friend who is very good with short - run castings. Previously I would have cast them myself, but I became sensitized to the resin several years ago and now have problems with it even wearing gloves and barrier cream. That's my excuse anyway! The MSL EM2 is an etched kit, designed to fit onto Farish Class 31 chassis, two of which I bought second hand on Ebay. As I am intending to depart from the standard build I have had to slim the chassis by cutting and grinding part of the Mazak castings away.

 

The 2mm Association wheel assembly team were kind enough to modify some of their Farish drop - in wheelsets by fitting 8mm spoked wheels to them, so adapting the chassis was just a matter of fitting them

 

The wheels have been blackened and the Class 31 bogie sides are still in place.

 

The cabs are quite tricky to fold, I deepened the half-etch lines with a notched 10a blade before folding

 

and then soldered them to the etched body

 

Once both cabs where fitted I added the etchings for the grilles and side window, then soldered L section to the inside of the lower body to represent the marked set-in of the EM2 body which is only represented in the kit by one thickness of metal. All of the soldering up to this point was done with high melting point solder to ensure that the body does not fall apart when the cab overlays are soldered on

 

After a good scrub with Ajax on an old toothbrush which will clean off all the excess flux the body can dry off - next job will be rolling and fitting the three roof panels and the cab overlays.

[Pyewipe Jct]

Looking good so far, Alex!

 

I'll watch this one with interest as I bought a couple of their EM1 kits on a whim a while ago, but haven't got round to starting them yet. I have read some criticism of the 4mm & 7mm versions of the EM1, though, which gave me a little pause for thought...

 

 

Kevin

[backofanenvelope]

Hi Alex, what high temp solder do you use and what kind of iron? The build is looking really neat and am following this with interest.

Tom

[Alex Duckworth]

Kevin,

 

I think that both the MSL and Masterclass EM1's have their own particular problems, but I found that the Masterclass mix of resin and etched parts was easier to work on. One tip with the MSL kit though, be sure to deepen the main body half etch lines before you fold it otherwise the bodysides can distort over the windows.

 

 

Tom,

 

I used 236-243 degree high melt solder (mine was bought from Duncan Models ages ago but I am sure that C & L have an equivalent), Powerflow Flux and a 25watt Antex iron, the kit parts are so small and thin the low power iron can cope quite easily. The side grilles were soldered in place with an RSU and Carrs 179 solder cream. Most of my soldering is done with the Antex but the RSU is really useful for overlays and small detail parts.

 

No work on the models today, more soon.

 

 

Alex.

[backofanenvelope]

Thanks for the info Alex.

Tom

[Bryn]

Looking good so far, Alex. Nothing quite like a nice crisp etch

[Alex Duckworth]

Thanks Bryn, and you are right - a nice shiny sheet of etch is a wonderful thing.

 

The MSL EM2 kit is a really good example of etching, very clean and crisp, good fit, half etched components well defined. The material is nickle silver, nicer to solder in my opinion and takes paint better than brass but it is quite springy, so the three half etched sheets for the roof have to be annealed before rolling. I did this by heating the sheets to red hot in a gas flame, then allowing them to cool before handling. This causes the discolouration evident in the photos, but does make the sheets very soft and liable to accidental damage so careful handling is needed. The photo shows the first panel annealed and rolled with the other two awaiting treatment, along with the foam sheet and various sized tubes and drills that I used to roll the roof.

 

 

The EM2's rooves are more complex to shape than a simple round or arc shape - a gradual curve in the middle tightens slightly toward the edges and then becomes a tight curve that drops to join the bodysides. I started by rolling the edge curves over a 3mm drill then using the large, then smaller tube to roll the roof on the foam mat until the panel would drop into place without forcing into shape. I find that It is quite important to do the tight curves first as the material starts to work harden as you roll it. When all three panels fitted reasonably well I soldered them into place.

 

 

All that remained to do was to solder the mid section bulkheads into place and then to persuade the roof sections to curve evenly along their length, as you can see in the above photo the right hand section is not quite right, but soon adjusted. Back to the sink with the Ajax and toothbrush.

 

 

The roof remains discoloured despite the scrub, but shouldn't be a problem when painting.

[Poggy1165]

Looks very nice indeed!

[Alex Duckworth]

Not too much progress of late, but a bit more done - overlays, valances, buffers and buffer beams all in place.

 

 

I have made new cab rooves as the examples in my kit seemed to have suffered from shrinkage and did not fit too well. They have been replaced with scraps of Pattern Board and are yet to gain rainstrips and horns. Not too much left now to add, mostly detail parts and then spraying.

[Trevor H]

Looking very nice Alex,

 

Have been following this thread with keen interest, as I'm looking at doing a couple of their EM1 kits, would be interested to hear your thoughts on build.

 

Picked up a MSL resin kit of E26000 to build, I think with a bit of fettling and detailing, will make a nice model.

 

Trevor

[Alex Duckworth]

Thanks Trevor, I bought 26000 too but I haven't really looked at it yet. My only real worry about the etched EM1 was forming the incurve of the body accurately. The Masterclass body, being resin, is preformed, and I, being lazy, was sold. The slab - sided EM2 does not have this problem, thankfully.

 

Apologies for the poor photo, but indication of progress; some detailing done, and a unifying coat of etch primer shows the areas that still need attention.

 

 

 

Some more filling and sanding and a good scrub, soon be ready for a coat of black. I always enjoy the detailing phase much more than the basic construction so I'm quite looking forward to the next bit.

[Trevor H]

Very tempted, although my interests are in 1969.

 

The additional work you've done on the underframe looks to be well worth the extra effort, very nice.

 

The MSL E26000 kit needs quite a lot of tidying up around the cab areas, the sharpness of detail just isn't their with the resin. On mine I wanted to fit independent handrails and horns, so this made tidying up a bit easier.

 

Are the Masterclass class 76s still available? Apart from the curvature of the bodysides, my other worry with the MSL ones is getting those roof panels looking consistent.

 

Trevor.

[Alex Duckworth]

Trevor,

 

you are right about 26000, even on my brief look I noticed that the cab front is very thick - a bit of a problem given the almost flush glazing of this loco. The Masterclass 76's are, as far as I know, still available. The resin body is quite well cast and of course the etched cabs provide the finer detail needed. A fair bit of attention is needed to the bogie sides and their carriers to get them to sit in the right relationship to the body, but no major work, just fettling. The fact that you don't need to form the rooves is, as you say, a huge advantage. The only downside is that the Brawa chassis that the kit is designed to fit is a bit harder and more expensive to source now, but I got the ones that I needed on Ebay without too much trouble.

 

Alex

[Chris Higgs]

Are the Masterclass class 76s still available? Apart from the curvature of the bodysides, my other worry with the MSL ones is getting those roof panels looking consistent.

 

Trevor.

 

Sadly they are not. I always produced these primarily to meet my own requirements and I have after many years sold all except my personal stock. Being resin a new batch would be for another 50-60, and I cannot see me selling that many in my lifetime. However if someone wanted to order 10 in one go it might be possible.

 

Forming roof curves is a bit of a black art, Even with rolling bars to form the main curvature, it's a bit hairy to form the sharper curves at the edges, However at least with the EM1/EM2 the roof panels are relatively short compared to a coach roof. For my EM2, I am going to cop out and use roof panels from some EM1 resin bodies that got damaged over the years.

 

Chris Higgs

(a.k.a Masterclass models)

[Alex Duckworth]

For my EM2, I am going to cop out and use roof panels from some EM1 resin bodies that got damaged over the years.

 

Good idea, that will reduce the aggro factor considerably. I'm glad I bought some 76's when I did.

 

Alex.

[Trevor H]

Sadly they are not. I always produced these primarily to meet my own requirements and I have after many years sold all except my personal stock. Being resin a new batch would be for another 50-60, and I cannot see me selling that many in my lifetime. However if someone wanted to order 10 in one go it might be possible.

 

Forming roof curves is a bit of a black art, Even with rolling bars to form the main curvature, it's a bit hairy to form the sharper curves at the edges, However at least with the EM1/EM2 the roof panels are relatively short compared to a coach roof. For my EM2, I am going to cop out and use roof panels from some EM1 resin bodies that got damaged over the years.

 

Chris Higgs

(a.k.a Masterclass models)

 

Thank you Chris for the reply, sad to hear they are no longer available.

 

I do have an MSL one to build for now, but if I decide on my plan, It would be a case of batch building several of the class. So if it comes to fruition, I may well be in contact at some time about the possibility of taking the easier route.

 

Thanks

Trevor

 

p.s. sorry Alex if I've taken it a bit off thread, how is the EM2 build progressing.

 

 

 

 

[Alex Duckworth]

Trevor, no problem - I think a bit of more general chat stops these "here's what I did next" threads from being too boring. Not too much to show on the EM2 since the last pics, I've got the cosmetic resin bogie sides back from my caster friend and I'm making metal frames to locate them on the the Cl 31 bogies whilst providing locating points for new sandboxes,brake cylinders and guard irons. Lots of hacking, not much to see but I'll post pics of the results.

 

What is your plan re. the 76's, any hints?

 

 

 

Alex.

[Trevor H]

Not too much to show on the EM2 since the last pics, I've got the cosmetic resin bogie sides back from my caster friend and I'm making metal frames to locate them on the the Cl 31 bogies whilst providing locating points for new sandboxes,brake cylinders and guard irons. Lots of hacking, not much to see but I'll post pics of the results.

 

What is your plan re. the 76's, any hints?

 

Hello Alex,

 

If you haven't already read it already, theirs a lot of twaddle of what I'd like to do.

http://www.rmweb.co....-woodhead-line/

 

Back to subject, be Interested to know, in how you're doing the metal frames for your resin sideframes and other details.

 

Trevor

[Alex Duckworth]

Trevor, a quick update.

 

The sideframes are cut from thin brass and soldered to the rear of the pegs that will anchor the sandboxes, they are not properly fixed as yet hence the gobs of UHU used for setup, needed partly to hold the cut - down Farish Class 31 bogies together until the sideframes are finished and fixed. The resin sideframes are shown both in their raw state and after being sanded down on a fixed sheet of 180 grade W&D paper. They will be detailed before fixing to the brass frames. The body has been filled and sanded and the cooling vents cut and sanded from Pattern Board have been fitted.

 

 

[Trevor H]

Thanks Alex,

 

Nice bit of engineering there, I'm sure the brass framework will make a more sturdy mount than the original, did you cut the brass sideframes by hand. Resin sideframes looking good too, is there a reason why you had your own cast, was it detail or for ease of use.

 

Hope you don't mind me asking all these questions, hopefully others will benefit from your work and not just me.

 

I've put my resin E26000 aside for now, theirs a few things I'm not happy with. Next week I plan to start the MSL EM1 and hopefully this will give me a better idea, on how I can improve "Tommy".

 

Trevor.

[Alex Duckworth]

Trevor,

 

the brass sideframes were hand cut, four pieces of thin brass soldered together and cut out with a piercing saw, cleaned up then separated. I had my own sideframes cast because the kit versions were a bit lacking in detail. Not much modelling done this week, the TT, Le Mans and the GP all succeeding in keeping me away from my workbench.

 

Here is the story so far, all piled together just to get an idea of progress - please note that the bogie sideframes are just bluetacked into place.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots still to do but at least it is starting to look like an EM2

[Bryn]

Alex,

 

That's coming along very nicely. The bogies are fantastic!

[iak]

That is a corker sir...

Looks very tasty B)

[Alex Duckworth]

Bryn and iak, many thanks for you comments.

 

Apologies for the lack of news recently, but a short break followed by a spell of family stuff, topped off by a vicious summer cold has forced a short break. I have been working on the engine again lately though, and I've finished the underframe work now, ride height is fixed and the chassis is running well.

 

 

 

The photo is a bit iffy but gives a good idea of the relationship between body and bogies, almost correct but not quite. Not too much to do now, cab interiors, spraying and lining, and a light weathering before final assembly.

 

Alex.

[Alex Duckworth]

Finishing the loco has been a bit of a trial - sometimes models seem to fight you at every step of the process and this has been an uphill finish. However, following spraying, detailing and a light weathering I am delighted to have finished this one.

 

Next on the Woodhead bench is a batch of mineral wagons and hoppers from both the 2mm association and Fencehouses, lovely kits but I'm not a very keen batch builder - I should really get on with some more EM1s as well, I rather fancy a linked pair in BR blue next.

 

 

 

thanks for reading along,

 

Alex.