-missy- Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Hi. This is now the point of no return. Once the cranks are on I can no longer take the chassis apart due to the design (mainly me taking a slightly easier route on the design). Happy with the results so far though. J. 7 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted January 2, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2, 2020 Looking very good. How are you planning to fix the cranks? I await the next bit with interest. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-missy- Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Donw said: How are you planning to fix the cranks? Don Thanks Don. They will be soldered in place. J. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 2mmKiwi Posted January 2, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) Fresh out of the Macclesfield Workshops, aka Keith Armes, is 5069 Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This is a Farish Castle, that in short summary, has had a tender mounted Maxon RE10 motor fitted driving the 2mm Association Nigel Ashton milled chassis and 38:1 gearbox. Finescale wheels, repositioned etched coupling rods, cross head assembly and slidebars complete the chassis mods. The cab has been lowered and the splashers re profiled and repositioned correctly by Keith. The super long name plate challenge was superbly answered by 247 Developments - referred by Jerry Clifford, I also recommend them. This loco easily pulls 15 coaches on my layout including some tight non scenic curves and gradients. I have only added the coal so far and full credit to Keith for producing this superb running conversion whose performance and looks are now befitting of her prototype namesake. Edited January 3, 2020 by 2mmKiwi 29 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D869 Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Splendid stuff. Any idea what the situation is with the front two driving axles with regard to spacing when doing the 2FS conversion? ... did Mr Armes need to reduce the flanges or has Mr Farish spaced the axles a tad further apart than they strictly ought to be? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mmKiwi Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 18 minutes ago, D869 said: Splendid stuff. Any idea what the situation is with the front two driving axles with regard to spacing when doing the 2FS conversion? ... did Mr Armes need to reduce the flanges or has Mr Farish spaced the axles a tad further apart than they strictly ought to be? The driving wells are mounted on the milled chassis available from 2mm Association. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted January 3, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2020 1 hour ago, 2mmKiwi said: The driving wells are mounted on the milled chassis available from 2mm Association. The loco looks great. I can only see the chassis for the Manor/Grange/Hall on the shop list is there one for a castle or has the other been adapted? Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mmKiwi Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 2 hours ago, Donw said: The loco looks great. I can only see the chassis for the Manor/Grange/Hall on the shop list is there one for a castle or has the other been adapted? Don That's the one Don - same driving wheel axle spacing, although Keith has integrated parts of the Farish Castle chassis. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keitharmes Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 As Steve said, the Castle chassis is a cut & shut job with the front and rear of the Farish chassis. A couple of photos show the method. The Farish brake gear was also persuaded to fit the 2mm Assoc chassis. Keith 9 1 1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted January 3, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 3, 2020 I think you have voided the Farish warranty 1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted January 3, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2020 Thank you for the extra information. I hadn't given a thought to the wheelbase being the same. So I assume Saints, Stars, Halls, Granges, Manors and Castles all share the same wheelbase for the coupled wheels. I saw them all at Reading when a lad although I think the Manor was acting as Station pilot rather than on a train. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 4 hours ago, keitharmes said: As Steve said, the Castle chassis is a cut & shut job with the front and rear of the Farish chassis. A couple of photos show the method. The Farish brake gear was also persuaded to fit the 2mm Assoc chassis. Keith Excellent views describing the chassis modifications. Thank you, Keith. Did you adjust the crank throw on the wheels in a similar manner to the Hall completed, I think for the same destination, previously? Splasher (and other body) modifications were also mentioned. Can I persuade you to divulge further please? A Castle is one of the things on my workbench waiting for attention. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 22 hours ago, -missy- said: Hi. This is now the point of no return. Once the cranks are on I can no longer take the chassis apart due to the design (mainly me taking a slightly easier route on the design). Happy with the results so far though. J. What is the prototype? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keitharmes Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 As Ian Morgan said, my castle chassis mods look like they have violated the Farish warranty. If that's the case, then the body mods have finished it off! (photo from my own Castle) 9 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-missy- Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 3 hours ago, garethashenden said: What is the prototype? Hi Gareth. Its a freelance sort of thing. It started out as a whitemetal kit of a German prototype but I chopped it around a bit. The original 'home-brew' chassis was 6.5mm gauge so I needed something to work on 4mm gauge track. 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D869 Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 11 hours ago, keitharmes said: As Steve said, the Castle chassis is a cut & shut job with the front and rear of the Farish chassis. A couple of photos show the method. The Farish brake gear was also persuaded to fit the 2mm Assoc chassis. Thanks Steve and Keith. Although I seem to have had brain fade when asking the question yesterday (I'd already read that it was using the milled chassis) I'm still curious about the oft quoted challenge with the front pair of driving axles on Castles and other big wheeled GW 4-6-0s. How does it all fit in? My understanding is that scale wheelbase, scale tread diameter, Association flanges and a motion bracket won't all fit - something has to give. Having looked closely at the real thing in the shed at Didcot there ain't a lot of room to spare in that area. Regards, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keitharmes Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Hi Andy, With 13mm wheels, yes, they are underscale, which allows for clearance between the flanges. If you made correct diameter wheels then you have to move axles or stretch the wheelbase. In my opinion this leads to all sorts of problems with boiler length, splasher position, etc. (As has been said many times by Jim Watt). In any case, what is the correct wheel diameter. With the allowable reduction of tyre diameter before replacement, a Castle could be running on 6' 7" wheels instead of 6' 8 1/2". In this case, I fixed the motion bracket to the chassis at the top and took it down between the treads. In answer to the earlier question about crank pin position, the Castles and Stars had 26" piston stroke, so the 2mm Assoc 2mm crank throw is not far off correct. Its the larger 2 cylinder engines that have 30" piston stroke, needing a 2.5mm crank throw. Worth doing in that case, because it gives the characteristic sweeping coupling and con rod action. Keith 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 27 minutes ago, keitharmes said: ....... (As has been said many times by Jim Watt)...... I'm currently having horrendous problems with clearances between wheels and splashers on my Jubilee pug. Hence the lack of updates on that topic. I'm beginning to wish I had gone for 4'3" rather than scale 4'6" wheels. Jim 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Higgs Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, keitharmes said: Hi Andy, With 13mm wheels, yes, they are underscale, which allows for clearance between the flanges. If you made correct diameter wheels then you have to move axles or stretch the wheelbase. In my opinion this leads to all sorts of problems with boiler length, splasher position, etc. (As has been said many times by Jim Watt). In any case, what is the correct wheel diameter. With the allowable reduction of tyre diameter before replacement, a Castle could be running on 6' 7" wheels instead of 6' 8 1/2". In this case, I fixed the motion bracket to the chassis at the top and took it down between the treads. In answer to the earlier question about crank pin position, the Castles and Stars had 26" piston stroke, so the 2mm Assoc 2mm crank throw is not far off correct. Its the larger 2 cylinder engines that have 30" piston stroke, needing a 2.5mm crank throw. Worth doing in that case, because it gives the characteristic sweeping coupling and con rod action. Keith So what is the reason for rebulding the splashers - too big, too wide or not in the right position? I have a number of Castle bodies that I will add chassis of etched/milled form to, and if I follow your splasher changes I think I may 3D-print replacements. Chris Edited January 4, 2020 by Chris Higgs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keitharmes Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Hi Chris, The reason for replacing the splashers is twofold. Firstly, they are about the right height, but too large a radius. The pic of my modified Castle facing Steve's unmodified shows it well. The other reason is to move the front and the OS rear splashers further in by 1mm. The two mods together make a big difference to the appearance and feel. The second pic shows Steve's loco running in on Chipping Norton and shows it well the seen from that angle. I wanted to paint and line the splashers after all the fitting and gluing. So I painted and lined a self adhesive label, cut it up and applied them last. Incidentally, I bought black vinyl labels from ebay, which means any accidentally showing edge is black, not white, and cleaner edged. Keith 11 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 21 hours ago, -missy- said: Hi Gareth. Its a freelance sort of thing. It started out as a whitemetal kit of a German prototype but I chopped it around a bit. The original 'home-brew' chassis was 6.5mm gauge so I needed something to work on 4mm gauge track. It looks very nice, I’m enjoying the build. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium CF MRC Posted January 4, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 4, 2020 5 hours ago, keitharmes said: Hi Chris, The reason for replacing the splashers is twofold. Firstly, they are about the right height, but too large a radius. The pic of my modified Castle facing Steve's unmodified shows it well. The other reason is to move the front and the OS rear splashers further in by 1mm. The two mods together make a big difference to the appearance and feel. The second pic shows Steve's loco running in on Chipping Norton and shows it well the seen from that angle. I wanted to paint and line the splashers after all the fitting and gluing. So I painted and lined a self adhesive label, cut it up and applied them last. Incidentally, I bought black vinyl labels from ebay, which means any accidentally showing edge is black, not white, and cleaner edged. Keith The unmodified engine looks like it’s wearing an ill-fitting suit. Tim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Higgs Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 On 04/01/2020 at 13:17, keitharmes said: Hi Chris, The reason for replacing the splashers is twofold. Firstly, they are about the right height, but too large a radius. The pic of my modified Castle facing Steve's unmodified shows it well. The other reason is to move the front and the OS rear splashers further in by 1mm. The two mods together make a big difference to the appearance and feel. The second pic shows Steve's loco running in on Chipping Norton and shows it well the seen from that angle. I wanted to paint and line the splashers after all the fitting and gluing. So I painted and lined a self adhesive label, cut it up and applied them last. Incidentally, I bought black vinyl labels from ebay, which means any accidentally showing edge is black, not white, and cleaner edged. Keith A Castle at Chipping Norton? I wonder if that ever happened. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keitharmes Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 As the Castle was coded Red for route availability and the Chipping Norton route was coded Blue, I hope not! Interestingly, the route did see 28XX 2-8-0s, but the additional driving axle in place of a bogie axle reduced the axleload just enough to make it Blue, despite it being essentially the same engine as the Halls and Saints. The main problem in the route was the spindly metal viaducts at Hook Norton. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted January 5, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2020 If it was essential the way round it was to put speed limits on to reduce the hammer blow. However there would not be any need a 28xx could handle any load that a castle could only perhaps a bit slower. There is a record of two blue engines coupled together being used to take the up and down Cornish Riviera Express via Dulverton and the Exe Valley line (both Yellow routes) when the Taunton Exeter line was damaged by a bomb. No doubt they took it steady. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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