Mikemeg's Workbench - Building locos of the North Eastern & LNER

[mikemeg]

Well, seems like I'm not the only one who resorts to glue.

 

Like MickLNER I always glue domes and chimneys - not least because they can be adjusted for position during the setting of the glue and do come off quite easily if needs be - safety valves, smokebox doors, buffers, etc.

 

As Mick says, as long as the initial fit is good, then these parts will remain in place. None of these parts are subjected to any load, so once in place, they should stay in place.

 

I also use a hybrid approach.

 

Take the tiny splasher tops on the small splashers over the front coupling rod journals, on the G5. Soldering that in place is hard enough but holding it in place, while it is soldered is even more difficult. So I apply the tiniest touch of superglue to one end of this part - just using a cocktail stick - and position it. When the glue has set I then solder the part, starting from the other end and proceeding slowly towards the glued end. Eventually the glue bond will be broken but only when the soldering has bonded the other end. The tiny glued area can then easily be removed and the soldering completed. This does necessitate being quick with the iron and not allowing the entire part to heat up to allow the solder to melt and run.across the whole piece too quickly.

 

Probably takes longer to describe than to do!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 7, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5

 

The detailing of build #1 is now proceeding though still a bit to do. On build #2, the superstructure has now all been soldered in place and the mainframe modifications and coupling rod modifications have been done, ready for assembly of the chassis.

 

I did wonder about the ride height of build #1 but was assured that the NER standard, for ride height, was a distance of 3' 5" from rail level to the centre of the buffer head, so 13.67 mm, which the model pretty well is. So the ride height is ok. I think the smokebox door on #1 might need adjusting by a degree or two; digital photos again!!

 

So a photo of the current state of play.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 10, 2018 by mikemeg

[micknich2003]

Mike, it may be an Optical Illusion, but your smokebox door handles look a bit on the long side. Yours, Mick.

[ArthurK]

Mike, it may be an Optical Illusion, but your smokebox door handles look a bit on the long side. Yours, Mick.

 

Checking the GAs the handles scale out at 4mm (i.e. 12")

 

ArthurK

[mikemeg]

Mike, it may be an Optical Illusion, but your smokebox door handles look a bit on the long side. Yours, Mick.

 

Mick,

 

Thanks for the observation and it is no optical illusion. With Arthur's GA dimension, above, then I can check. Much easier to shorten them than to lengthen them and, as yet, that smokebox door handle assembly is removable, so is easily adjusted!

 

Edit :- Both handles were 4.5 mm long so have been shortened to 4mm.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 12, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5

 

The second of the G5 builds now has its mainframes assembled and primed, ready for initial painting. As with the first build, the area between the two etched sides of the ashpan has been filled with a shaped piece made from three layers of .060" plasticard laminated together and then shaped to match the profile of the ashpan sides. This piece, which is superglued into the frames, does act as a spacer in an area where there is no etched spacer.

 

There are several detail differences between this loco, which will be 67256, and the first build, which will be 67282; both modelled as they were around mid-1950. The most noticeable difference, apart from the different buffers and the bunker hopper, is that the first build 67282 was push and pull fitted, with all of the attendant paraphenalia on the buffer beams and smokebox; 67256, the second build was not push and pull fitted.

 

The loco superstructure has not yet been weighted to its final weight as it is resting only on the four guard irons.

 

Now for the gearbox and motor fitting, and the assembly of the compensated rear bogie.

 

Cheers

Edited March 13, 2018 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

Just to whet the appetite of this thread's reader, here's a couple of photos of the prototype for the last of these G5 builds and the one with just a little scratch building on it. As almost always with these black and white photos, now well over half a century old, my gratitude to my old mate Mick Nicholson.

 

However, I will not be modelling the shed lamp 'growing' out of the cab roof!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 14, 2018 by mikemeg

[Daddyman]

Just to whet the appetite of this thread's reader.... 

Who's that, then? 

 

Looking forward to seeing your model of this G5. 

[micknich2003]

Here's a better print. Original photographer unknown.

[mikemeg]

Here's a better print. Original photographer unknown.

1 G5 67340 .jpg

 

Thanks Mick. Now I don't need to consider the shed lamp 'growing' out of the cab roof.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER G5

 

One of the really neat things within this kit is the fully compensated rear bogie. It does need a little care in its assembly to ensure that no solder creeps into the axleguides or hornblocks but if that is avoided then the assembly does work a treat.

 

For the equalising beam pivots I normally turn up brass pins from 1.0 mm brass rod, turning the pivot portion down to around 0.6 mm just in the pin chuck using fingers to revolve the chuck.

 

For P4 each axle needs packing out by around 1.5 mm from the axle bearing on each side. On the prototype the bogie framing was similarly spaced much narrower than the mainframe spacing.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 15, 2018 by mikemeg

[Horsetan]

.....fully compensated rear bogie. It does need a little care in its assembly to ensure that no solder creeps into the axleguides or hornblocks but if that is avoided then the assembly does work a treat....

 

OT, but you've reminded me that back in the late 1980s, I remember Rod Neep / Perseverance trying this in the Bulleid Light Pacific chassis kit. It was probably the only part of that kit that went together as designed.

[mikemeg]

Who's that, then? 

 

Looking forward to seeing your model of this G5. 

 

Ok there could be two; three at an absolute pinch!!

 

No, says 45 at the top of the thread - 42 of them must be me. Wasn't 42 a significant number, somewhere?

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited March 15, 2018 by mikemeg

[Dave Holt]

Mike,

Perhaps not the lamp, but you will still require the carrying handle on top of the boiler.

My method for bogies with outside compensation beams is to attach a brass tube with 0.8 mm bore to one side, which passes right across the bogie frames and runs in vertical slots. The open end of the tube is tapped 14BA to the full length of my taps. The other side beam has a 14BA screw attached, On assembly, the two compensating beams are screwed together but leaving enough slack to allow twist relative to each other and the whole assembly to slide up and down in the slots. The cross tube then bears on the bottom of a rod inside the hollow bogie pivot tube. The top end of the rod bears on the central compensating beam of the main chassis.

Obviously, in a 4-4-0. the complication of the slots and hollow pivot would not be required and the cross tube would just run in holes.

Dave.

[micklner]

Mike 

      How are you doing the pickups on yours please. Mine has always suffered during running, due to only having pickups on the drivers.

[micknich2003]

Dear Mike "Carrying Handle" now removed, I obviously missed it, put it down to the five cans of "Red Tetly's".

[Compound2632]

Dear Mike "Carrying Handle" now removed, I obviously missed it, put it down to the five cans of "Red Tetly's".

 

Tampering with the background - tut tut. Almost as naughty as those old "officials" where one or two features of the engine itself have been lost thanks to the overenthusiasm of the photographer. Anyway, the background features are often of much interest - why is there always some b****y great engine parked in the way?

Edited March 15, 2018 by Compound2632

[mikemeg]

Dear Mike "Carrying Handle" now removed, I obviously missed it, put it down to the five cans of "Red Tetly's".

1 G5 67340 .jpg

 

Thanks Mick.

 

Now if you could just edit out those tank extensions so that this one looks like all the rest then that would save me a build!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[micknich2003]

Tampering with the background - tut tut. Almost as naughty as those old "officials" where one or two features of the engine itself have been lost thanks to the overenthusiasm of the photographer. Anyway, the background features are often of much interest - why is there always some b****y great engine parked in the way?

Unlike the old works photo's etc, after "Photo Shop", I still have the original print Warts and All to ref to.

[mikemeg]

Mike 

      How are you doing the pickups on yours please. Mine has always suffered during running, due to only having pickups on the drivers.

 

Mick,

 

Apart from the driving wheels (4) the only other wheels available are the four bogie wheels, so any addition of pick ups over and above the drivers has to be those bogie wheels. So I'm now looking at how the bogie can be used for pick ups without them being visible and impeding the free movement of the bogie.

 

I'll post photos if and when I come up with a solution.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[Jol Wilkinson]

I have two locos with pick up on the two compensated coupled axles only. One is a 2-4-0 which has the tender weighted onto the drawbar, the other a 4-4-2T with the great majority of the weight on the coupled axles. The pickups are PB strip, with small brass rubbing pads (fret offcuts) soldered at the ends rubbing against the back of the steel tyres. Both run well under exhibition conditions so the wheels and track are well cleaned but I wonder if plenty of weight on the coupled axles is a also major factor. Perhaps that is less easy to achieve with 0-4-4s.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Jol Wilkinson

[nzgresleyfan]

Ok well thanks to all who have provided assistance on damask red. Markeg is a lot closer, I will either find a local car paint mixer/ to get to the right colour or use humbrol 20. I have gone through looking for Rover damask red but as the number of rovers in Australia is definitely in a minority compared to Holden and fords it is not a standard held colour. Also it appears Halfords doesn't export into Australia. OK to get a tine would cost a minor fortune in postage for the hazardous clearances. I have done a LMS horse box years ago in a "red" which was as close as I could get so that may be the solution. (I will have to find the rattle can and read the description!) 

 

Thanks to all

 

Doug

I have recently logged back into RMWeb after a year away and am horrified to see the profanity being used. What is the word "Holden" doing on a site like this? Shocking!    

[pete55]

Hello Mike,

having looked back through the G5 build, I may have missed it, but what motor/gearbox configuration have you used?

 

Many thanks for continuing your inspirational builds too!

 

Pete

[Dave Holt]

I have two locos with pick up on the two compensated coupled axles only. One is a 2-4-0 which has the tender weighted onto the drawbar, the other a 4-4-2T with the great majority of the weight on the coupled axles. The pickups are PB strip, with small brass rubbing pads (fret offcuts) soldered at the ends rubbing against the back of the steel tyres. Both run well under exhibition conditions so the wheels and track are well cleaned but I wonder if plenty of weight on the coupled axles is a also major factor. Perhaps that is less easy to achieve with 0-4-4s.

Perhaps we can get satisfactory running with such a pick-up arrangement because of the compensated suspension keeping all four drivers in contact with the rails? A rigid chassis would probably suffer from poor pick-up without some sort of power collection on the bogie.

Dave.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Perhaps we can get satisfactory running with such a pick-up arrangement because of the compensated suspension keeping all four drivers in contact with the rails? A rigid chassis would probably suffer from poor pick-up without some sort of power collection on the bogie.

Dave.

Dave,

 

I think that is very much the case. Despite claims that chassis can be built as flat as a piece of plate glass and track can be laid absolutely level, any rigid chassis is likely to only have three wheels in contact with the rails most of the time.

 

Jol