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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks! It's just roughly assembled for testing at the moment and not screwed together, but am really pleased that reversing the motors worked, I'd been thinking about this for ages.

 

I took the gears out and turned them around in the mounts to get them to mesh with the driving axle too, which is slightly offset.

 

A chunk was sawn out of the back of the Heljan body to make it hug the motor and enable it to be mounted further over the driving axles.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

As a result of this I was not able to place the boiler unit properly but you have certainly got it spot on.

Thank you, this was a big part of it for me, to try and get the driving wheels under the body. Comparing various prototype photos of Garratts, if I replace the smokebox door for a smaller one like that seen on the U1...

 

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... and also the industrial ones seen above, then I can move the water tank closer to the loco as the door will require less room to open (but I may just leave it as is, not decided yet, going to try building the tanks first).

 

I've made the incline from Wellsworth to Maron much more gruelling than the original, like the Lickey Incline as I just love bankers. So, like the U1, this is the NWR's solution for banking heavy goods trains up the gradient in the 1920s, using the motion and wheels from scrapped ex-ROD locos (component recovery for 701-703), sent off to Beyer Peacock for them to build the frames and boiler unit. It also means that like the GWR and LMS, I can use the redundant ROD tenders on other things.

 

Mathematics isn't my strong suit but here's my attempt to calculate cylinder volume compared with the other UK Garratts.

post-898-0-99710700-1541429551.png

Edited by Corbs
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Thanks! It's just roughly assembled for testing at the moment and not screwed together, but am really pleased that reversing the motors worked, I'd been thinking about this for ages.

 

I took the gears out and turned them around in the mounts to get them to mesh with the driving axle too, which is slightly offset.

 

A chunk was sawn out of the back of the Heljan body to make it hug the motor and enable it to be mounted further over the driving axles.

 

attachicon.giffullsizeoutput_2f59.jpeg

 

attachicon.giffullsizeoutput_2f52.jpeg

 

I think you're coming quite close to the original (GCR) concept for the U1, which literally was the undergubbings of a pair of 8Ks with a big boiler slung between them. 

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  • RMweb Gold

I think you're coming quite close to the original (GCR) concept for the U1, which literally was the undergubbings of a pair of 8Ks with a big boiler slung between them. 

That's where I nicked the idea from ;)

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  • RMweb Gold

Tying in to the Warrior of Wellsworth above, and the story behind it, I've taken a leaf out of the LMS and GWR's history and re-used the ex-ROD tenders made surplus by scrapping the worst of the 2-8-0s.

I imagine that the SECR N Class 'kits' purchased from the government's Woolwich-built batch were assembled with NWR-standard cabs (inspired by Fowler and later adopted by Stanier), and were hooked up to the ex-ROD tenders.

 

Here's a rough mock-up using 403 Thorkell (yes I know it's derailed), one of 5 locos designated MK4/1 by the NWR.

post-898-0-83910000-1541591385_thumb.jpg

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  • RMweb Gold

I think you've mentioned it before, but what blue are you using?

 It's Vauxhall Regatta Blue in a rattle can from Halfords.

 

Really nice work Corbs. Can't wait to see all the hundreds of wagons you will have to build to match the locos  :jester:

 

Haha, oh yes.... Wagons....

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  • RMweb Gold

Thorkell taking a big leap forward this afternoon as I've finished the lining, so the body details, glazing etc. can all go back on. I love this part, the fixtures and fittings really bring it all to life.

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Revenge has also had a splash of lining and boiler fittings refitted. Next I need to sort out the body mounts.

 

I imagine Revenge will end up being particularly filthy.

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post-898-0-53280300-1541981369_thumb.jpg

post-898-0-14675700-1541981704_thumb.jpeg

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  • RMweb Gold

The in-laws left for home yesterday so I got use of my workbench back.

The Garratt's mounting system in the works - a couple of cheese head bolts in pre-existing locations in the ROD chassis, with matching holes drilled in the Heljan boiler cradle.

The rear engine is not permanently attached, just located in place.

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The front engine is bolted on under the boiler, but there is a range of movement to allow both turning and tilting to prevent it lifting the driving wheels.

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I sold one of the GWR-spec ROD bodies but am using the other one's running plate as the basis for my rebuilt 7F. An old Hornby 8F tender drive body was acquired - this era of Hornby has such wonderful plastic that's easy to saw and carve and glue.

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Which means I now have the base for my bunker unit.

I'm not a fan of the extra deep buffer beams on most UK BGs so I wanted a nice stepped one.

post-898-0-22605200-1542963910_thumb.jpg

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Corbs

 

Ilike your idea on the garratt cab of having it like an enclosed cab which was always handy if the lms and lner garratts were working in winter times.

 

Have you done a load test yet to see what the maximum train length is that she will haul .

 

I did a load test with my garratt and it practically hauls anything coupled to it but at super express speeds which is totally incorrect if the loco hauls a freight working.

 

Wish I knew how to slow my loco down so that it doesn't look like its doing 300 mph around the railway, its that fast that it'll easily throw itself off the track.

 

Thanks mate! Well I'm hoping it'll be able to bank some fairly big loads up the helix on my stepdad's railway once we get it built. I need to add a ton of lead to both the insides of the tanks and bunker, and the boiler unit to give it as much adhesion as possible. As it is now, it probably won't be so good as there's barely any weight over the drivers.

With your Garratt, possibly reducing the voltage may work? If you have a look at my clinic thread I've been wiring strings of diodes in to reduce the voltage to the motors, it's a bit of a bodge but may help?

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