Steve's Caledonian loco work bench

[Mike 84C]

I agree with Buhar, trying to hide that area makes it more obvious. But its what you feel most comfortable with.

 Mike

[Londontram]

Your both right it needs something its just to what degree but I think if I start with what I've suggested above and work from there. Remember the old days when all locos were solid under the boiler and we never even gave it a second thought.

 

   At the moment beneath the boiler is some masking tape I stuck on to protect the pick up wires I might change that to 5 thou plasticard glued to the motor block instead

[Londontram]

Greeting all. I cut the section out in front of the splasher as was discussed in the post above and painted the chassis and the end result is this.

As you might see I've done a bit of filling and a lot of sanding and I think its looking a lot better, there's a change of profile where I did the cut as the boiler bulges round the motor mount but that's more noticeable in the picture than it is in the flesh. Also when done this one will be in dark Caledonian blue and the other when I start it will be black so will blend in even more. Any way what do you think? Steve

[Ben Alder]

Difficult to say- the boiler and splasher are so bright in the photo that any detail is lost. Can you post another pic that is less bright please. Flash needing turned off?

 

Cheers

Richard

[Buhar]

As Richard says it's hard to see, but I think you're close.  Could the splasher top be falsely widened, and if it could, would it help, especially with the three-quarter view?

[Londontram]

I tried to take another photo but no matter how I posed it, in direct light. in the shadow with and without flash the white blended into one every time so I gave this side of the loco a quick blow over with a light coat of gray primer which made all the difference and here they are. The slight kink is the point where the cladding changes from the barrel to go round the motor mount so there's not going to be much I can do about this.

 

To be honest chaps I think its about as good as I'm going to get it, It was always going to be a compromise using a RTR chassis and I'd excepted this from the start but I think I'm in danger of going a bit to OTT with this as its not really that bigger deal if I had presented the complete loco in its final paint how many do you think would have picked up on it? very few I suspect. don't forget at the end of the day it will be dark blue and the other one black so will blend in even more. Any way have another look and see what you think. Remember this is not a finel gray coat there's lots of filling and sanding needed it was only to highlight the boiler and splasher area for this photo.......... Hmm still its not looking bad even if I do say so my self.

         Thanks Steve

Edited October 29, 2015 by Londontram

[Corbs]

Amazing how much a layer of 'reveal' primer can transform it, helps so much to get an idea for the end result

[Londontram]

As I'm now happy with the the layout of the splashers on the first side today I tackled the other side and having learnt a lot on the left side the right side went together with a lot less hassle. The main parts of the splasher sides were cut using templates again and the whole lot was built up in small sections with super glue as I've used the running plate from the GBL single and the plastic its made from seems a bit resilient to plastic cement being it seems more of a polyurethane type plastic. Here's a picture of the right side under construction.

The clamp is holding the small chassis section at the base of the fire box in place while the glue sets.

 

     The final shot shows the right side complete before any filler has been added. Its starting to look like a proper loco now and with the major work completed its now time to start doing the finer detail.

 

     Damn I've just realized what that means I got to make another bloody air pump and hoses now, at least the next jumbo will be a black one with no air pump so I should be grateful for small mercy's I guess

 

   So far its been a quick build helped by the fact that I had the tender cab smokebox and running plate from the Caledonian single but it will slow down now as all the fiddle bits tend to take time.

 

    Any way thanks for looking. Steve

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

I use a nail board to smooth out some of the bumps etc, even used ones are useful.

 

manna

[Buhar]

That whiff of primer really helped, didn't it?  That area round the splasher would do for me if it was on my railway, especially in black and probably in Prussian Blue too.

[Londontram]

Last job for tonight as we've got the granddaughter for a sleep over  and her room is next to the modeling room and she wont settle if I'm next door modeling. Apart from putting some filler on the splashers I've built today the only job I've done is fit the reversing lever made from two sides of an old fret (Damn handy for all manor of things where you need some thin straight brass strip.

 

Here's a picture of the reversing lever which nicely covers the transition point where the boiler widens for the motor mount - result.

            Thanks all Steve

 

Edit - Just found after going through my stock of brass tube the one size I need for the hand brake stanchion and the hinge for the fall plate is the one size I'm out of. Ho hum looks like I'll have to swing by the model shop again while I'm doing the weekly at Tesco's (Other supermarkets are available)

Edited October 29, 2015 by Londontram

[Ben Alder]

Thanks for the clearer image. That looks fine the way you've done it - once painted and on a layout it will not be noticeable at all to the eye. I find that when building something you focus too clearly on any small problem that crops up and assume it will be as apparent when the job is done. This of course is not the case as the project becomes a whole when finished and is seen as an entity in itself. The creator of an original always is too close and critical of their work - others enjoy it for what it is. These builds of yours are an inspiration to others and I hope encourage some more to look at a model and see what can be done with it.

[Londontram]

I'm not going to go into detail with what I've done as most of it is just the same as on the Dunalastair's so I'll just keep it to a brief progress report. Lots of fiddle jobs today I made and fitted the boiler washout plugs these were made in the same way as before I also drilled out the hand rail knob holes and the holes for the pipework for the whistle.

 

     The final job today was to fit the clack valves on the boiler sides these were recovered from the T9 with new straight pipes glued in place (Bloody fiddly, must find a better way next time) Oh and almost forgot I made and fitted the front and rear tender lamp brackets. You can see most of this in this photo below.

The bloody clack valves seemed to absorb a massive amount of time and next time rather than try and bodge the T9 heads onto new pipes (Fiddly Fecker trying to drill them out with a pin drill) I might try to make them from scratch out of brass. So that's it today it seemed a messy sort of day today hopefully It will be better tomorrow. Steve 

 

Edit forgot to say I ordered the hand rail wire and knobs from Markits (Other suppliers are available) and I ordered enough to do both this and the Dunalastair's and hopefully any future projects too.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Londontram

[Londontram]

Remember watching the A team years ago, I used to like the bit were Hannibal used to say "I love it when a plan comes together" well I had one of those moments today as I had an idea I wanted to try and after nipping down the local model shop this morning for some more different sized brass rod and tube had a go at this afternoon.

 

   The fall plates on the two Dunalastairs both the Hornby and GBL ones were the fixed ones that came with the original T9 models so I just went with them but on the jumbo I wanted a working fall plate so had an idea of making a hinge with brass rod and tube and some brass checker plate. In the first picture you can see all the parts laid out with a 20P coin for scale.

Once all the parts had been carefully soldered up it was glued in place with super glue the two small tabs on the left and right of the previous picture fixed to the outer part of the hinge and slotted down behind the drag box to give it some strength.

      In the nest two pictures is the fall plate fitted first in the up position and then down showing the range of movement.

 In the next picture is with the tender attached to show the fall plate as it will be in use. After these pictures were taken I added a little filler to each end of the hinge to hide the fact that there was a tube there and after dressing with a needle file to give a flat squared off surface you cant tell there is a tube there.

 

The other job today was to do some detail work on the cab and this was built as a stand alone unit that I can paint and detail and slide in when the loco is finished, due to the spring above the rear axle on the Hornby chassis meaning the chassis couldn't be cut down any more than had already been done the floor sits about 1mm higher than it should but this shouldn't be noticeable when its done.

You can see it in place in the other pictures in this post. Mostly made from plasticard the back head is from the GBL T9 as has been used on the 492 tank and Dunalastairs.

 

   So all in all I'm pleased with today's work with the fall plate working just like I hoped it would do.

           Again thanks for looking Steve

Edited November 1, 2015 by Londontram

[Mike 84C]

Looks good Steve, funny how a fall plate makes so much difference. Not so long ago who worried about that sort of detail? More stuff to thank the big manufacture"s for!

[Londontram]

Thanks mike. it started off as a money saving exercise plus some parts I was having trouble getting i.e. the chimney and dome but I really enjoy working in brass on very tiny detailing objects.

 

    Next jobs on the list are the safety valve (which I'm still trying to get just how I want) and the Westinghouse air pump which I think just gets better with each one I do. OK I know some of these are only £2 or £3 a time items but the few white metal air pumps and chimneys I've had were of such poor quality and if you think that I'd need five or six items per loco at say £3 each times for the four locos I've built this summer it soon adds up.

 

     The money saved will buy the decals and lining for the locos and on my budget that's a real bonus, there are some small fittings I feel will always need to be purchased apart from the things like hand rail knobs I'm thinking of things like the front smoke box lubricators and first used on this build the clack valves I tried reusing the ones from the GBL T9 bodies with only limited success and I find these items just to fiddle to build convincingly. Other things I've had to buy is the checker plate used in the fall plate but then one fret will do at least six loco fall plates so it spreads the cost. Its the same with the Caledonian smokebox door handles which are again £3 plus each for a miss shaped lump of white metal, buy investing in a fret of cab fitting I get enough fine etched brass cogs to do 6 handles plus all the other useful stuff like the reversing levers etc.

 

 So as I said its this that's been one of the fun part of these builds I just hope they'll past muster when the models are all finished and painted. Thanks for following Mike regards Steve

Edited November 1, 2015 by Londontram

[Londontram]

Had a good afternoon before lack of light stops play, you know these new energy saving bulbs are a load of shite give me a good old 100w bulb any day.

 

      Anyway lots of jobs done today the first was the air pump which was made from brass just like the last one for the Dunalastair 1 But as I never took any pictures of my construction method I thought I would show you here. The air pump is made from 4 small BA washers and 2 short sections of brass tube, up the middle of all this is a brass rod, this rod is tinned with solder then coated with flux and the washers and tubes slid on. A coffee stirrer is snapped into short sections and holes are drilled in it so the center core section is a tight push in fit.

 

   The parts are slid on with first a washer then a section of brass and another washer, a second bit of stirrer is added to separate the two half's of the pump next  once again two washers with a section of brass to give you this strange looking combination

 

The idea is that the tight fit of the core rod in the wood helps to keep every thing straight and closed up tight as you solder. Having pre tinned the center rod just touching the iron to it melts the solder on the rod and solders it all together from the inside with out blobs of solder every where. When set and cooled the wood is just snapped off and the rod trimmed to the size you want a small section at the top being left a few mm long and with a needle file dressed to give it a square appearance like the valve body on the real air pump. In the next picture is the pump body sat on a 20p coin to show you how small it is note its now been drilled with a pin drill ready for the pipe work.

You might notice the bottom washer is off center on this picture I've since reattached it so its straight now.

 

The other jobs today were the pipe work for the whistle and injectors down either side of the fire box, I also made and fitter the safety valve with the typical Caledonian style sleeved valves. The last job being the tender brake stanchion with the usual method with some brass tube with a hand rail knob in the top with some hand rail for the cross bar.

     The pipe work was added to the pump in the same way as the pump was made with the brass rod for the pipe work being tinned so once fitted a touch of the iron to the pipe work solders it with out the pump body melting and falling apart. Once trimmed and bent to shape a final picture was taken showing the pump and the whistle/injector pipe work all temporary fitted so that it can be remove when the model is painted. If you look at the tender you can just make out the hand brake stanchion.

 

Jobs still to do are the smokebox dart and wheel, the buffer beam air pipes and the brake rods which on a jumbo are out side the wheels, also when they arrive I can fit the hand rail knobs, Thanks Steve

Edited November 1, 2015 by Londontram

[darrel]

Looking great Steve and your working very quickly too. A lot of my jobs seem to stall at some point. Good use of the GBL locos, I will get round to my stockpile once I have finished my layout

Look forward to seeing the finished model

[Mike 84C]

Steve,you are steaming ahead! I seem to be having one of those two steps forward four steps back periods! I like your method of making the air pumps, very simple and effective.

[Londontram]

Looking great Steve and your working very quickly too. A lot of my jobs seem to stall at some point. Good use of the GBL locos, I will get round to my stockpile once I have finished my layout

Look forward to seeing the finished model

Thanks Darrel Having the GBL body did make a big difference in both supplying major parts of the body already made but coming from a Caley loco they were already dimensionally very close so made good reference points to build the rest of the body around. I've got two more Caley single bodies and the intention is to use one to make a second jumbo but an earlier Drummond one which will leave the third body and I'm thinking of using the front end and top half of the boiler and maybe the running plate for the start of a Caledonian 782 class 0-6-0 tank loco, Its a bit of a waste as its not using much from the single but then again it does give me a dimensionally correct smoke box and chimney and boiler top so at least the they will all match size wise (Though the dome and safety valve might need shifting forward slightly which might be just a case of cutting the boiler off at the smoke box and taking out a few mm) So like you I have lots of ideas and lots of good intentions (and I wont even mention the rest of the T9 body's) but its just finding the time and keeping the mojo going as already I'm starting to see air pumps in my sleep.

                                             Regards Steve

Edited November 1, 2015 by Londontram

[Londontram]

Steve,you are steaming ahead! I seem to be having one of those two steps forward four steps back periods! I like your method of making the air pumps, very simple and effective.

Don't worry Mike it may look like its all going good but there are days believe me, the bloody clack valves tested my resolve considerable for example.

 

  As to the air pumps some might question if its worth it as they can be brought but I've not been overly impressed by the quality of these lumps of white metal plus I enjoy the challenge of building them and I've now got it down to about 45min per air pump. Steve

[jessy1692]

Lovely work Steve, been watching your threads for a little while, not my era or prototype but good to see some proper rtr bashing and old fashioned ingenuity creating some great results.

Keep up the good work!

James

[Londontram]

Been beavering away at some of the one hundred and one detailing jobs that although need doing take an age and are very fiddly. Job one and two today was the smoke box handle and wheel and the front and rear air pipes which were built in the same way as on the Dunalastair's so I wont go into detail but here's a picture. They look crooked as there only sat in there positions as I wont fix them until its been painted speaking of which it looks a right mess in this picture, I think its getting ready for a coat of gray so I can see what needs sorting out body wise.

I also made and fitted the two lamp brackets on the upper cab side which again is the same as the others.

Now going through my Jumbo book looking at pictures you can see the injectors between the second and third axle so I thought I'd make up a couple to add a bit of detail to the void between the axles, there a simple injector and I only made a crude basic copy as its in shadow and cant be seen very well but here's a picture of one on the bench next to a 20p coin so you can get some idea of the size. Its only a bit of rod with a short bit of tube for the body with an off cut for the waste pipe, once soldered up it was glued in place with super glue.

 

One major job I wanted to do was add the brake rodding which on the jumbo is out side the wheels, the original Hornby brake shoes are not bad and fit nice and close to the wheels so I wanted to use them but the hanger were not quite long enough to fix the rodding too with out it catching on the con rods plus I felt the hangers being small and plastic could be a right b?gger to try and drill out as well.

 

    So I devised a simple bracket from brass rod bent to shape and fixed to two bits of brass strip for the mounts. The idea being it would sit below the brake hangers looking like it was part of the brake rodding but would clear the con rods. Here's a picture of the assembly on the work bench.

The brackets were drilled out so the screws that held the locos keeper plate could hold this in place as you can see in this next picture.

When fixed in place it make a very strong assembly that will easily take the knocks from every day handling.

  In the last two pictures are of the rodding from either side of the loco the second with the con rods at bottom dead center showing how little clearance there is in this and the other picture you can also see the injectors on the side of the chassis. The rodding was dressed with a file to flatten off the outside edge giving it a more flat look rather than a round rod.

I think when painted it should look OK what do you think?

 

I'm just waiting on the handrail knobs and as soon as they come I can fit them and then give it a full coat of gray primer which should tidy it up a bit (It so desperately needs a coat of gray to tidy it up a bit as its starting to look a right mess to the point where you cant see whats to be done)

 

    Well I think I'm fast running out of jobs on this now with just a few odds and sods to sort out but like the Dunalastair's I don't think I'll spray it with the top coat until the spring unless we have a very hot dry spell so we shall see.

 

   Hmm I think I need a break from jumbos before starting another one so I'll have to start thinking about whats next on the list (Though I'll start the next jumbo but keep it as a slow burner at this stage) I know what Andy uax6 will say because he knows what my dream build is but I might try and get some more coaches done for a bit of a change any way there's still a few jobs to keep me going on the locos for a while yet like painting the crews etc.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Londontram

[uax6]

I wouldn't dare mention Cardean......

 

Opps ;-}

 

Andy G

[Northroader]

What's next? I've seen coaches and locos being knocked out, do they have any "home" to go to?