Ixion 0 Gauge Fowler Diesel Loco

[chaz]

Ye Gods! Not so much weathered as encrusted; reckon you'd need to use Snowcem to get that effect.

 

John

 

or dandruff?

[81A Oldoak]

This photo of a similar Fowler has appeared on Flickr and would make an interesting weathering project!

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/18388838204/

Cheers,

Andrew

It's just too painful to watch.

[boxbrownie]

Well I finally gave in, as you say "resistance is futile" , tonight I ordered my first GWR Loco ever, we'll start small and work up I guess?

 

Unfortunately it appears EDM are out for the count for a week or so, patience is a virtue they say.........

 

I cannot think of a better start to the "turn" from LNER to GWR metals.

[Andrew Young]

Well I finally gave in, as you say "resistance is futile" , tonight I ordered my first GWR Loco ever, we'll start small and work up I guess?

Unfortunately it appears EDM are out for the count for a week or so, patience is a virtue they say.........

I cannot think of a better start to the "turn" from LNER to GWR metals.

The Fowler's a cracking loco, you won't be disappointed. Though you could get the plain green one and pretend it isn't a GWR loco... Expect your loco will be sent once Paul recovers from his exertions in Wales.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[Dava]

There is no better small, slow rod-drive shunting loco

 

Dava

[boxbrownie]

I am going to have to be careful with timings as our move is coming up soon (I didn't want the chance of "missing out" on the Fowler as I did with the Prairie) so I will monitor progress intently and keep contact with Paul, I don't want this to be a house warming present to our new owners! 

 

I can see I will be running this up and down a few yards of "test track" in our temporary accommodation.............oh no, scrub that as I have already packed the DCC controller, ! 

[darren01]

This is my Fowler fitted with Zimo chip and Paul Cheter sounds. Here pulling the empty coal train on Bucks Hill last week.

 

 

Martin

Boy can the shift a load for such a small loco.

[ngtrains.com]

I am going to have to be careful with timings as our move is coming up soon (I didn't want the chance of "missing out" on the Fowler as I did with the Prairie) so I will monitor progress intently and keep contact with Paul, I don't want this to be a house warming present to our new owners! 

 

Left here today. Should be with you tomorrow

[boxbrownie]

Left here today. Should be with you tomorrow

 

 

Woohooo............that's   fast.

 

All I have to do now is work out how to tell the management 

[Mike Bellamy]

Woohooo............that's fast.

I guess Paul's doing all he can to catch up on orders and get outstanding jobs out of the way. When I was helping him at Telford we took a few more orders for sound fitted Minerva Pecketts which means that the waiting list for that loco is now 65. He's hoping to receive them early December and by now he should have one of the engineering prototypes to strip down to find out what fits where - I don't think he'll have a Christmas holiday this year . . . !

 

 

.

[ngtrains.com]

Woohooo............that's fast.

 

All I have to do now is work out how to tell the management

You should have specified the battered box used look! Edited September 16, 2015 by ngtrains.com

[Guest Isambarduk]

"You should have specified the battered box used look!"

 

You mean like "What, this old thing!"  :-)

[boxbrownie]

"You should have specified the battered box used look!"

 

You mean like "What, this old thing!"  :-)

 

I have a feeling that excuse has worn gossamer thin by now............they can sense your excitment of something new, they have seventh sense and I have never been any good at poker either! 

[Guest Isambarduk]

I have a feeling that excuse has worn gossamer thin by now............they can sense your excitment of something new, they have seventh sense and I have never been any good at poker either! 

Well, I wasn't thinking of us using that excuse ... it's more one that I hear that women use with their menfolk when they first wear something purchased in a sale ...  :-)  David

[boxbrownie]

Hey if it doesn't fool us mere mortals why would it fool Goddesses? 

 

 

What do you mean "is she looking over your shoulder?"  

[boxbrownie]

Well it arrived safe and sound........I assume as I have been so busy packing yesterday (it arrived early morning) that it is still wrapped and warm sitting in the study not four feet from me right now, oh the temptation.

 

I am in two minds whether to keep it all wrapped and just slip it in a moving crate or open it and tease myself with the fact I cannot even test run it! 

 

Although it could be considered rude not to just take a peek after the hard work Paul took squeezing in the decoder and speaker, even if I cannot hear the clanking and crunching yet............

[boxbrownie]

Ok I did.........I peeked.  What a gorgeous little model, so pretty as well and that's not something you can say of many Locos.

 

The rods and rims need a good weathering, not sure "rapper chrome rims" was standard on the Fowler 

 

The question is how to tone down the shiney bits but keep that lovely paint and lining for all to see..........I have lots of time to decide.

[81A Oldoak]

I decided to weather my Ixion Fowler, a task that has been waiting for a quite a while. The first phot is the Charles Atlas Before shot.  I was keen to get the effect of a well-used, but generally well cared-for machine; Giles Flavell is the master of this technique. The loco had been previously sprayed satin black. The first job was to polish the superstructure with a small amount of T-Cut and cotton buds. I then gently sprayed a dark grey concotion onto the cab roof and top of the bonnet. Next step was to apply a thinned dark grey around the rivets and then wipe away, always downwards. The chassis was painted with a blend of Railmatch Frame Dirt, Airfix M1 Brick Red (a favourite colour), matt black and matt orange. It was applied with a brush and some talcum powder was stippled on in places. The centres of the buffers were painted with Humbrol Metalcote Steel and buffed up when set. I also applied the same paint to the cab steps and handrails and radiator fillercap. I finished with some gentle brushing of  rust coloured weathering powders on the chassis, around the buffers and in the nooks and crannies on the footplate.

 

The oil can is from the tool-kit accessory pack supplied with the Fowler. I may make an open-topped portable tool-box for the wrench, spanners and hammers in the tool-kit that will sit on the footplate

[Barnaby]

Work proud. .

[peter220950]

I’ve just dropped a note on the performances of the Fowler and Hudswell Clarke under extreme Exhibition conditions on this thread,

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108509-o-gauge-rtr-observations-on-ixion-Dapol-and-minerva-locos/

 

If you’re interested.

 

Peter

[81A Oldoak]

Normally, I am reluctant to advertise directly Ixion or Minerva products, but I am making an exception on this occasion. The accessory packs supplied with the Ixion Hudswell Clarke 0--6-0ST and Fowler 0-4-0DM locomotives are available separately. The parts are unpainted injected moulded plastic. The steam pack contains a range of fire irons, shovels, oil cans and bucket with swivelling handle. The diesel pack contains an oil can, spanners, wrenches, hammers, and oil and electric lamps. The electric lamps are cosmetic. The oil lamps comprise 3 GWR lamps (left in the photo) and three MR/LMS lamps. The lamps are hollow to allow a fibre optic filament to run into the lamp behind the lens. The handles can be left to swivel if desired.

 

The packs are available from Ixion retailers or direct from me for £7.00 each including VAT and P&P.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[Amiddl]

I wonder if I could ask for some help. As a relative rookie I decided to paint my coupling rods red (inspired by this thread). dismantling and painting was no problem as was reassembling the coupling rods except the quatering seems to be now out.

 

I am sure there is a mistake on my behalf but I cant work out what I've done.

 

I have tried reversing the non driving wheel as I took it out at one stage and might have put it back wrongly. I cant see how I might have moved a wheel to take the quatering out.

 

Any ideas gratefully received.

[Dava]

I wonder if I could ask for some help. As a relative rookie I decided to paint my coupling rods red (inspired by this thread). dismantling and painting was no problem as was reassembling the coupling rods except the quatering seems to be now out.

I am sure there is a mistake on my behalf but I cant work out what I've done.

I have tried reversing the non driving wheel as I took it out at one stage and might have put it back wrongly. I cant see how I might have moved a wheel to take the quatering out.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Can you post a photo of the chassis showing underneath view? I've done the coupling rod paint job & it may be a re-assembly error as you suggest

 

All 3 crank bosses on each side should line up so you can fit the coupling & conn rods

 

Dava

[Amiddl]

Thanks thse two pics hopefully show problem

[Simond]

That's a challenge, particularly at this early hour.

 

Assuming you haven't moved the wheels on the axles, (and you obviously have the driven axle in the right place at the rear) then it doesn't matter which way round the axles are.

 

The loco is "right hand lead". At least, mine is, and as this was common practice on the GW and other railways, I expect they are made that way, and I'm confident they're all the same.

 

Imagine standing in the cab, with the loco going forwards. If the loco were see-through, you would see the right hand rods coming up to top-dead-centre, and then they would be moving forward until they got to front dead centre. If you were to stop the loco instantly, and get off, the crankpins on the right hand side would all be as far forward as they can be - at "3 o'clock". If you walk around to the left hand side of the loco, the crankpins should (all) be at top-dead-centre, 12 o'clock.

 

If they are not, then you have a quartering issue, with one (or more) axle(s).

 

It is easy to be confused by the quartering, but easy to make an aide-memoire. Take a piece of paper, write "right" at the bottom, use a felt tip pen so it shows through the paper, draw a circle and put an "X" or something at 3 o'clock. Turn it over sideways, write "left" at the bottom, and draw the same circle, and put an "X" at 12 o'clock. This is what it should be. Now, if you had put the axle in the wrong way round, so left is right and vice-versa, you need to turn you piece of paper until the left X is at 3 o'clock. Now turn your paper over sideways, and you will find the other X is at midnight. It doesn't matter which way round the axles are!

 

Now, there is a proviso: it doesn't matter which way round they are, if they are all quartered at exactly 90 degrees. If the axles are all quartered at exactly 88 degrees, you won't be able to put the rods on unless they are all the right way round, but the loco will run perfectly when you do get them on.

 

Possibly the easiest thing to do is to drive the loco until the motored axle right hand crankpin is at 45 degrees, between 12 and 3 o'clock, and then line up the other axles and put the right rod on, temporarily. You should be easily able to see whether all the crankpin holes on the left hand side are lined up or not. If not, only one of the can be wrong (there are three, two must be the same!) so reverse that one. The rods should now fit.

 

(I'm not sure if the rear axle drive gear is offset - if it is, then this axle must be "correct" and you may have to reverse both the other axles)

 

If not, I fear you have moved the quartering.

 

Hoping for a happy outcome

Simon