steve fay Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 The Merchant did have a few issues and I think its being withdrawn for an upgrade. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I hope you keep the details coming - warts and all. It gives not only prospective purchasers of kit but also the supplier an idea of where care is needed or improvements can be made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Thanks to those that made comments - I will try and keep going without too much moaning. I have completed all the brake hangers and have to say it is one of the better parts of the kit although very fidely to complete. Each hanger comprises eight separate parts not including the pins (not enough in kit). I have attached them to their respective chassis bracket (only four when kit needs six) as it will be easier now. Instructions say the bracket for the front middle brake is part of expansion link but it isn't - will get round it by driling chassis and fitting rod across frame. This should work as it is covered by the expansion link when assembled. Interesting point here - the inference of earlier post is that Finney kits are complex (and they are) but I have added to the photo a Finney brake hanger (the one on the right) from a West Country kit - just two etches soldered back to back. The MOK version would be great if you wish to have working brakes etc - yes it can be done :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgZokNwuCYo However to ensure there will be no electrical shorts it is going to be necessary to lock all the components once assembled. Now to assemble the inner strechers and accompaning rods. I will put a thin coat of epoxy on the inside of the tie bars to stop shorting against the wheels - a real nightmare on Bullied loco's. I prefer to do this rather than install the drivers with no side play which would be the other solution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper John Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Welcome back Doolish Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 HELP please. I have tried to move onto fitting the brake gear to the chassis but have a probblem. I do not have any photo's or drawings showing the underneath of a MN. In the kit I have some cast spreaders that I know are for the tender but I have lots of them! Photo shows the three types: I know the one with holes in is for attachement to the brake cylinders but on the loco I don't know if they had spreaders or just tye rods. My Finney West Country and Dave Andrews BofB both have only rods from side to side. Therefore do I just fit rods? or do I use the spreaders? in which case which ones? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 The only brake stretcher on the loco is the large one with the lightening holes, which, as you say, goes at the front and is connected to the brake cylinders by square section push rods (shown in one of you earlier photos). Otherwise, that are some spacer tubes with rods through them at a couple of places in the loco pull rods.Looking at your photo of the brake hanger assemblies, I hope you've made three, handed pairs (left & right). The other brake stretchers are for the tender, where there are 6 in total. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyhorse Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 One thing I found of benefit to stop shorts on the brake shoes is to apply a thin coat of epoxy resin, with the small clearances locking the shoes into position can still lead to shorts. Build coming along nicely. Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 The only brake stretcher on the loco is the large one with the lightening holes, which, as you say, goes at the front and is connected to the brake cylinders by square section push rods (shown in one of you earlier photos). Otherwise, that are some spacer tubes with rods through them at a couple of places in the loco pull rods.Looking at your photo of the brake hanger assemblies, I hope you've made three, handed pairs (left & right). The other brake stretchers are for the tender, where there are 6 in total. Dave. Many thanks Dave - very helpful. Yes I have made handed pairs:) Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Whilst I was waiting for the answer to my tie rod question, and the abscence of any golf, I decided to crack on with the footplate. It was a simple process of bending up the valances and then fitting the front assembly that I had already built. Added the inner surrounds and job done. Next was the smokebox and here it gets really clever. The assembly is made up of four components - first you use the tabs on the front and back formers into the pre-rolled clylinder. This really helps in holding the whole thing together and then pull it all together ( I use copper wire for this). The instructions state 'make sure the skin is intimate with the formers! Once soldered up remove the copper wires and clean up with the exception of one tab (top centre). Then roll the etched detail wrapper and locate on to the one remaining tab. The instructions then say use the four large tabs at the bottom to pull the whole thing together but unfortunatly the tabs broke under the strain. Howwever using the copper wire I pulled everything tight and soldered at the bottom seam. The instructions say 'Linish off the excess at the front' - lovely expression. Test fitted to the boiler and all fits together well. Love doing bits like this as it looks like a lot of work but all the above took less time than making the brake hangers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 OK now I understand why people rave about MOK kits I have started to assemble the cab - yes I know I should be doing the brakes but I have left them aside for the moment until I know the clearances of the motion which I haven't got yet. All this has been achieved without a drop of solder - instructions a bit vague but got there quite easily. Now to solder it all up and join these two sections together. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Soldered all the tabs and removed them - long job. Joined base to cab and fitted brackets and floor plus valves under fireman's seat. Finished off smokebox saddle on frame and fitted retaining bolts. Large gap on left side that I will have to resolve. Beginning to look the part Have to do backplate next as it will not fit once the cab skin is fitted - shame because I normally like to paint this last anf fit once all other paintwork has been done - lot of masking otherwise. ammendment - yes I can get the backplate out - so will do it later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Just a thought about the steam pipe cover next to the smoke-box. On the RHS, there's an additional cover for the inside cylinder steam pipe which blends in with the rear end of the forward cover, but which is not present on the LHS. So the two lower, front covers are not mirror images. Not sure if this is reflected in the kit, but since everything else looks very close to prototype, I'd be surprised if it isn't. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAD Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Just a thought about the steam pipe cover next to the smoke-box. On the RHS, there's an additional cover for the inside cylinder steam pipe which blends in with the rear end of the forward cover, but which is not present on the LHS. So the two lower, front covers are not mirror images. Dave. The left and right outside steam pipe covers are identical (mirror images), with the taller thinner inside cylinder steam pipe cover being behind the right hand one but separate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks for the comments - at the moment I cannot see any other component to make up the pipe you describe. Decided to address the issue of the gap between the steam pipe and the smokebox. As everything is fitted by tabs there would seem little could go wrong. However on closer inspection the problem is worse than would seem at first. Looking head on I noticed that the smokebos is at an angle and again |I cannot see how this has happened as its all tabbed together. The pipes are white metal and soldered in but I think the only solution is to try and go back a few stages and revisit the cradle assembly. Heres hoping I can get the castings off without meltdown. The photo also shows that the footplate is not level on accros the front. Again the position of the footplate at this point is set by tabs so unsure how this can happen. Investigation/ strip back required I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 The left and right outside steam pipe covers are identical (mirror images), with the taller thinner inside cylinder steam pipe cover being behind the right hand one but separate. Well, in that case, the kit is wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAD Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Well, in that case, the kit is wrong. I think not. This image of a rebuilt light pacific clearly shows the middle cylinder steam pipe cover to be separate. And in this view on flicker showing Canadian Pacific under restoration, the right hand steam pipe is in place(a mirror image of the left one) with the middle cylinder steam pipe cover and steam pipe still to be fitted. https://www.flickr.com/photos/91460742@N04/16033027331/in/photostream/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Well, in that case, the kit is wrong. Shock horror - there is something wrong with the kit! In destruction mode now and have removed the cradle and the two steam pipes. This has revealed an interesting point. The detail overlay on the left is larger than the one on the left. This would infer that the difference has been accounted for. However the two cast steam pipes are identical. There are two outer sections of this pipe that will be fitted after the deflector is in place but they are both the same size. Not sure how to correct this or even if I should as they will be hidden. Onwards - Have sorted out the uneven footplate. Prabably my fault as the footplate around a tab on the left hand side was bent slightly. Have unsoldered and fixed - thank goodness for resistance soldering iron. Will now clean up the cradle and have another go at fitting it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalKat Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Are the running plate 'detail plates' on the right sides? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Are the running plate 'detail plates' on the right sides? Yes as you will note the holes line up. They wouldn't if the other way round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalKat Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 ok..... it's just that when you put the cast steam pipes/covers on, they seem to overlap those plates. No offence was intended Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 "This would infer that the difference has been accounted for. However the two cast steam pipes are identical." "There are two outer sections of this pipe that will be fitted after the deflector is in place but they are both the same size. Not sure how to correct this or even if I should as they will be hidden." I agree that the etched cover plates correctly reflect the difference between the two sides. In the real thing, the rear end of the main cover on the right side is shorter than on the left where it meets the (separate) cover for the inside cylinder pipe (I know because I've assembled and dis-assembled them enough times). The two covers have a bolted joint where they intersect. Whether or not your cast RH cover is OK depends on the shape of the inside cover, where they meet. I presume the bottom of the inside cover has a peg which engages in the hole in the foot plate? The section of the covers outside the smoke deflectors are indeed mirror images. Again, on the real thing, the covers are continuous and the deflectors are cut away to clear them - a tricky marking out job, believe me. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 .....And in this view on flicker showing Canadian Pacific under restoration, the right hand steam pipe is in place(a mirror image of the left one) with the middle cylinder steam pipe cover and steam pipe still to be fitted. https://www.flickr.com/photos/91460742@N04/16033027331/in/photostream/ "Page not found." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Take it all back - look what I just found in the bag full of castings for the tender. It has a rivet detail plate to go behind it. Again it may be my fault when I looked at all the castings before I began the build I may have put it back in the wrong bag. Have attached the skin to the cab and need to fit other detail - pic to follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolish Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 ok..... it's just that when you put the cast steam pipes/covers on, they seem to overlap those plates. No offence was intended Sorry didn't mean to cause offence - all comments welcome. This is now all starting to make sense. Although I can find no instructions to this effect I think the idea is that I trim back the RH steam pipe to allow for the centre pipe which I have now found. When I fit the cradle there is a small cutout at the RH rear of it which I think will allow the central pipe to fit into as long as I trim back the cast pipe supplied. This would fit with the comment from Dave so will give it a try in the morning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 "This is now all starting to make sense. Although I can find no instructions to this effect I think the idea is that I trim back the RH steam pipe to allow for the centre pipe which I have now found. When I fit the cradle there is a small cutout at the RH rear of it which I think will allow the central pipe to fit into as long as I trim back the cast pipe supplied. This would fit with the comment from Dave so will give it a try in the morning." Before cutting anything back, I would check that the newly discovered cover casting and backing plate will be in the right place. The centre of the casting should be a scale 6' - 1 1/4" (42.75 mm) from the front face of the smokebox, according to the BR drawing. Hope this ties in with the locating hole you mention. It also aligns with a cutout in the top of the frame plate (not present in the kit, by the looks of it), where the pipe connects to the inside cylinder. Are there any markings on the smokebox wrapper to indicate where the rivet plate is located? If so, it might be best to locate the rivet plate and then centralise the casting against the plate. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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