Nile's Mostly Freelance Bodging Bench - Pre-Grouping Locos

[HonestTom]

17 hours ago, Sandhole said:

The loco is delightful. Lovely job.
I wouldn't like to fire that beast. No space!
The driver needs to be a contortionist. Where is the reversing wheel or lever going to be?

Having seen the cab of Metropolitan No. 23, that lack of space seems pretty authentic. I read an account of someone having a cab ride on one in the early days of the line, and my first thought was, "How?"

[Sandhole]

41 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

Having seen the cab of Metropolitan No. 23, that lack of space seems pretty authentic. I read an account of someone having a cab ride on one in the early days of the line, and my first thought was, "How?"

I've fired on the TR, way back in the mists of time . They are narrow gauge locos, this looks just as cramped.
With nos 1,4&6 on the TR, at least you had the bunker in front of you. Here the bunker is behind you and you have to swing round with the shovel.
As a crew, you'll really have to work as a team.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Sandhole

[Corbs]

The Radial does look quite cramped! I see now where the compromise was made on the model by enlarging the covered boxes.

(photos from Project 27 on FB)

 

Once you have crew in there you likely won't see the narrowness?

[mpeffers]

I wonder if maybe the contrast between the wood panelling and the black firebox draws attention to the fact that it wraps around the firebox and protrudes further into the cab? Should all be less visible with the cab on, crew, weathering, etc. but cutting the wood in line with the firebox edge the whole way along may also add to the illusion.

[Nile]

A splash of colour. This is just the base coat (of brick red) so looks a bit rubbish at this stage, but gives you an idea of what it's going to look like.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Nile

[TangoOscarMike]

This pair of photographs is like the drum roll leading up to the finale of a high-wire act!

 

[Nile]

It could be a long drum roll.

[Nile]

The first top coat is on. I'm using Phoenix P800 Furness red this time.

 

I wasn't happy with the join between the original side tank and my extension, it looked worse in reality than in the photo. So I used my back-up plan, apply a line of rivets along the join before the second coat of paint.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Nile

[Nile]

Top coat now on, it's now the correct colour.

Some gloss varnish next and then I can get some transfers on. And them cylinders will need painting as well, and the steps. Still lots to do then.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Nile

[Nile]

And now for some decoration. After trying some waterslide decals, and failing, I eventually settled on HMRS pressfix transfers for the lining around the tanks etc. They are slightly flexible and can be forced round curves. There are also ready curved bits on the sheet.

I wanted to try to get a shaded effect on the numbers and initials. To do this I first applied black decals, then yellow ones on top but slightly offset. The name is deliberately in a different font.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Nile

[Johnson044]

I've been really enjoying this latest build. The resulting loco really convinces. Like any really good freelance job when you first see it it convinces to the extent that your mind plays tricks on you- you know you've seen the loco before but can never place it... It's good - very good.

 

Got me looking again at 4-4-0T's in general, and especially the rarer and more exotic ones.

 

Just can't help wondering- any plans for an Auto trailer? The Taff Vale and Midland both used their 4-4-0T's for auto trains. The Midland, ex-M&GN one was particularly elegant, the TV one all a bit Heath-Robinson.

 

The freelance world is so liberating.

 

Any chance of a bit of a photo tutorial on how you do your rivets?

[mpeffers]

3 hours ago, Johnson044 said:

I've been really enjoying this latest build. The resulting loco really convinces. Like any really good freelance job when you first see it it convinces to the extent that your mind plays tricks on you- you know you've seen the loco before but can never place it...

Or in my case, I had seen it before but forgotten (well, in a manner of speaking):

https://mobile.twitter.com/crikey_fell/status/716773284553953281/photo/2

 

If you’ll forgive the Wikipedia regurgitation, it seems you’ve done the opposite of what the LSWR did - the 415 Class seemingly being a development of the 4-4-0T 46 Class.

 

I came across the picture a while back whilst looking for RTR options for locos that might have been sold on to a minor independent railway during the 1880s. The timing was correct - the 415s replaced the 46s - but the LSWR didn’t dispose of them. Instead they were converted into 4-4-2Ts and integrated into the 415 Class.

 

If you’ll forgive the tangent, the EFE Rail 0298 Class is currently looking like my best lead in this regard. In particular, a few were apparently converted to tender engines, which could be an interesting prospect. Sounds like any back-dating of these would still be quite an involved process, though...

Edited April 15, 2021 by mpeffers

[Nickey Line]

10 hours ago, Johnson044 said:

 

Harpenden!

[Compound2632]

11 hours ago, Nickey Line said:

Harpenden!

 

Swapped, not ex. The exchange rate was three Johnson 0-4-4Ts for four Lynn & Fakenham 4-4-0Ts. They all eventually went beck to their respective homes.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Compound2632
Typo corrected

[Nile]

After much faffing about with varnishes I've got a finish I'm happy with, at least on this side.

 

Most of the bits I removed now need to be refitted, plus any damage fixed.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Nile

[scots region]

35 minutes ago, Nile said:

After much faffing about with varnishes I've got a finish I'm happy with, at least on this side.

Most of the bits I removed now need to be refitted, plus any damage fixed.

 

Oh thats wonderful, I may have asked you this before Nile, but were did you find out about the LMWR? 

[Nile]

Thanks ScR, I have here three books which have info about the LMWR:

 

History of the GWR vol.1 by E T MacDermot , Ian Allan 1964

 

The OW&WR by S C Jenkins & H I Quayle , Oakwood Press 1977

 

The OW&WR by John Boynton , Mid England Books 2002

[mpeffers]

On 25/04/2021 at 12:24, Nile said:

After much faffing about with varnishes I've got a finish I'm happy with, at least on this side.

Most of the bits I removed now need to be refitted, plus any damage fixed.

Beautiful

[Corbs]

On 25/04/2021 at 12:24, Nile said:

After much faffing about with varnishes I've got a finish I'm happy with, at least on this side.

Most of the bits I removed now need to be refitted, plus any damage fixed.

Absolutely smashing

 

[Nile]

Too many distractions (other projects), so progress is slow. It's down to the small fiddly bits, mostly putting back what I took off but there are a few additions.

This is the plumbing in front of the cab, with the pipes repainted copper. New Ramsbottom safety valve which includes a real tiny spring (no idea where it came from).

 

As the coaches are air-braked this loco will need an air pump. I had some brass ones in stock, here is a before and after photo.

The yellow lining is Microscale decals, very fiddly to apply.

[Nile]

Air pump now fitted and plumbed in with copper wire.

 

This model could have been finished long ago If I didn't keep thinking of things to add. That's the trouble with a freelance model, I'm making it up as I go along. Having fitted the air pump I decided it needed an air tank or two. The District locos had a single tank mounted transversely at the back, I've gone for two smaller tanks parallel to the chassis. Some Evergreen tube with plastic card ends trimmed and sanded to match the tube.

 

I then made some brackets for destination boards. Some Plastruct I beam was filed flat on one side, a small piece of micro-strip glued across this half way up.

 

Similarly at the rear, these were painted before gluing onto the bunker.

Hmmm, that's a vacuum pipe, it's going to need a pipe for the air brake as well.

[HonestTom]

14 hours ago, Nile said:

Air pump now fitted and plumbed in with copper wire.

 

This model could have been finished long ago If I didn't keep thinking of things to add. That's the trouble with a freelance model, I'm making it up as I go along. Having fitted the air pump I decided it needed an air tank or two. The District locos had a single tank mounted transversely at the back, I've gone for two smaller tanks parallel to the chassis. Some Evergreen tube with plastic card ends trimmed and sanded to match the tube.

 

I then made some brackets for destination boards. Some Plastruct I beam was filed flat on one side, a small piece of micro-strip glued across this half way up.

 

Similarly at the rear, these were painted before gluing onto the bunker.

Hmmm, that's a vacuum pipe, it's going to need a pipe for the air brake as well.

It's the little details that bring it to life. If I didn't know this was a freelance engine, I'd assume it was some long-forgotten Widened Lines loco. Some loco works' response to the ubiquitous Beyer-Peacock 4-4-0s.

[Nile]

I found some surplus Hornby brake pipes that will serve as air pipes.  Proper destination boards printed and then glued to black paper. The pipes at the front rather get in the way, but it's still readable.

 

I think it's finished now, apart from a crew which can be added later thanks to the removable cab roof.

 

With the coaches it's meant for.

Makes them look rather low, which they are compared to more modern stock.

 

And now for some comparison photos.

Before and after:

 

With two other London 4-4-0 tanks, District and North.

They are 3d prints with some basic painting and wheels added.

[Nile]

I tend to end up with lots of boxes with partly finished models in them. This can be annoying if I think of something new I want to do, only to find I've nowhere to put the bits because.....(see line 1). I do tend to get distracted.

Fortunatley the contents of one box were nearly finished. Another batch of Hornby 3 plank wagons that started life in that bogus GW livery. These I've turned into LMWR engineer's department wagons, hence the big E on the side. They needed a small id plate on the solebar which was printed on paper. Then some weathering and they were done.

 

The box wont stay empty for long.

[Mikkel]

Completely convincing Nile. You are a master at spotting the potential in seemingly mediocre RTR products.