Jump to content
 

Keyser Metropolitan 4-4-0T


Recommended Posts

Was it recent? That may be the one that just dropped through my letterbox, sorry!

 

Might crack on with it shortly now the above one is as complete as I can make it without the 3D printed bits arriving and the new chassis. 

 

Doesn't look too bad I don't think, there are a couple of issues - whoever had started building it before me has got the cylinder angle slightly wrong, hence the gap under the smokebox wrapper. They also managed to get the rear bunker assembly twisted. I think they used full temperature solder, I couldn't persuade it to melt at any whitemetal safe temperature anyhow so I'll just have to live with it. One of the cab steps is missing too, so I will fabricate one. 

 

I'm not sure which tank fillers to use for the Cambrian version, all photos I have are from trackside and tank tops aren't visible. Likewise what to do with condenser pipe holes?

 

Anyway, here's how it looked at close of play yesterday, resting on it's soon to be scrapped 00 chassis. 

 

attachicon.gifP1040997.jpg

No wasn't that recent I was looking, middle of the year I saw one about half finished, sadly went for silly money despite missing some castings, shame there just aren't that many about.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes springing is going to be a challenge, set like it is it should sit level as an 0-4-0, however I have no idea how it will behave in motion! Compensation will be easily achieved, I intend to make the compensating beam of double thickness, sandwiched about the pivot point of the frame. 

 

A High level Loadhauler Compact + Should fit in with a Mashima MHK1620 and flywheel with a little tidying up of the insides with a minidrill, I was unable to get the Loadhauler + in there as it wouldn't fit between the bar frames, I suspect it was slightly too tall at any rate. (Definitely too tall according to the GA).

 

post-21854-0-41526900-1450446085.jpg

 

(That's actually a 1624 motor shown there) 

 

I swapped the 00 axles for EM earlier and played on the test track, I was hoping to be able to reduce the size of the cutaways in the frames but sadly not, they need to stay to get round the curves. As a fun fact, in EM gauge with prototypical frame spacing and depth, it would go round 3.6M radius curves with a bogie swing of 0.3 degrees, according to my CAD mockup anyway. 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I got bored today, so thought some more about motor and gearbox. Why limit myself to High Level boxes? 

Here's the final version:

 

post-21854-0-90587000-1450536844_thumb.png

 

post-21854-0-52606700-1450536860_thumb.jpg

 

I tried a few different combos of ultrascale gears, I managed to get a 166:1 reduction at one stage, but on popping that through the calculator spreadsheet from High Level I decided it was a bit extreme and tried to reduce it. A little jiggling about got a nice 3 stage 105:1 Reduction which ought to require no trimming (assuming I measured correctly!). With a Mashima MH1620 and a flywheel a little trimming will be needed at the front to clear the flywheel, and a top speed in the region of 25 scale mph, perfect for trundling around my station yard. 

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

No wasn't that recent I was looking, middle of the year I saw one about half finished, sadly went for silly money despite missing some castings, shame there just aren't that many about.

 

I have one of these kits, untouched except that the axles appear to be missing (I had probably swapped them for RM anyway), sitting in a pile of stuff destined for eBay. I am open to sensible offers.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

I have one of these kits, untouched except that the axles appear to be missing (I had probably swapped them for RM anyway), sitting in a pile of stuff destined for eBay. I am open to sensible offers.

I would be interested but I would rather not chuck offers at you, if you have a price in mind, let me know and I will what I can do on Monday and if you have a picture of the kit that would be ideal.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 6 years later...
On 17/12/2015 at 17:33, Quarryscapes said:

 Fortunately a low res GA drawing is available online and is plenty good enough for getting the profile. 

 

post-21854-0-39200300-1450373411_thumb.png

 


Ressurecting an old thread - because I've just become the owner of the K's kit, and I'm thinking of constructing it as a LNWR 4-4-2T version! ! ! !  At least I would like to get the chassis profile looking right, if not correct.
Search as I may on the internet, I don't seem to be able to track down this drawing online...
Can somebody point me in the right direction, please?

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
2 hours ago, Penlan said:


Ressurecting an old thread - because I've just become the owner of the K's kit, and I'm thinking of constructing it as a LNWR 4-4-2T version! ! ! !  At least I would like to get the chassis profile looking right, if not correct.
Search as I may on the internet, I don't seem to be able to track down this drawing online...
Can somebody point me in the right direction, please?

 

Have you seen this? I don't have a copy - it is only on the periphery of my interests - but I would have thought £8 was well worth it if you are building a model: https://camdenmin.co.uk/products/the-anatomy-of-the-metropolitan-railway-4-4-0-tank-locomotive

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Penlan said:


Ressurecting an old thread - because I've just become the owner of the K's kit, and I'm thinking of constructing it as a LNWR 4-4-2T version! ! ! !  At least I would like to get the chassis profile looking right, if not correct.
Search as I may on the internet, I don't seem to be able to track down this drawing online...
Can somebody point me in the right direction, please?

 

Think I replaced the chassis with bits from Alan Gibson who did the side frame profiles, as one I purchased the holes where in the wrong place and it didn't  properly align..

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/bluebellmodelrailway/q4643j0VF1

 

https://flic.kr/p/FqUbRx

Edited by Bluebell Model Railway
Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Penlan said:


Ressurecting an old thread - because I've just become the owner of the K's kit, and I'm thinking of constructing it as a LNWR 4-4-2T version! ! ! !  At least I would like to get the chassis profile looking right, if not correct.
Search as I may on the internet, I don't seem to be able to track down this drawing online...
Can somebody point me in the right direction, please?

The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry used to have a searchable collection of all of the Beyer Peacock drawings and works photos available on line as low resolution copies.  When their web presence was merged with the other science museums they were all taken off the web. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Matt Wicks, many thanks for all those photo's most useful.
I bought the 'Digital' book.
....... and now I'm thinking how to assemble the kit in EM.
I hadn't thought that Gibson might do the frames, so thank-you.
I'm also contemplating building it as the 4-4-2T LNWR Version?
I have taken note of all the past correspondence in this topic,
so plenty to guide me, though I'm known to do my own thing in the end.
In reality - on my layout, Penlan - I can't even justify having one of these on

the Swansea end of the Central Wales Line, and I have to many loco's already,
but....... this should keep me quite over the winter months. 😎 
Many thanks to you all for your help, appreciated.

Edited by Penlan
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
1 hour ago, Jeff Smith said:

Please elaborate as I can find no reference to this.

The LNWR bought 16 "Metropolitan" tanks in 1871, basically identical to the Metropolitan/Midland/District versions (I never knew why, though. Someone please tell!).  Ten were rebuilt by Webb as 4-4-2Ts in 1892. Here's a lovely photograph of one (the photograph is lovely; I cannot honestly say that I particularly like the subject matter):

LNWR_engine_No_3092_4-4-2T.jpg

(Photograph from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LNWR_engine_No_3092_4-4-2T.jpg)

 

I am not sure exactly how much of a Metropolitan A-class kit you would actually end up using in one of these..

Edited by Jeremy C
Link to post
Share on other sites

The LNWR's tanks, bunker and cab etc., are basically the LNWR 5' 6" 2-4-2T's grafted onto the back end, and retaining the chassis, cylinder block and front bogie of the Met tanks.  If I saw an old M&L kit for this loco I would use that one for the back end, but I'm contemplating doing these in plastikard, or brass sheet, though I do have a number of cab bits in the big spares box.
The footplate will be 0.4mm double sided PCB board, the LNWR one goes right up to the back of the smokebox.
The LNWR driving wheels are different from the K's kit where the crank pins are in-line with a spoke, the LNWR's are pin-between spokes.
How much will be retained from the K's kit, good question.
Well it will definitely be a new (Gibson) chassis, the front end will be retained more or less, the smokebox and the wrapper from the smokebox and over the Cylinders being an interesting modification project? to the later condition, I think all that will be fixed to the chassis.
The boiler and footplate (and above) being removeable, fixing by the boiler being pushed in (1 - 2mm) into the smokebox and the rear part held down by conventional screw etc.,
Some might say a waste of a good kit, well possibly, however as I'm approaching 80 years old, the layout's more or less complete, I have far to much rolling stock and I like challenges, and I like the idea of the conversion, of which I doubt I will see many of them around on other layouts.  
And finally (for the present) it's that time worn cliché of 'Rule 1' 😎 
I'm most grateful for all your input RMebbers, thank you.

Edited by Penlan
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Penlan said:

Some might say a waste of a good kit, well possibly,

It's a moral decision.  A few years ago I bought a long discontinued white metal O-16.5 Baldwin kit at a considerable price on eBay - because I wanted one.  Prior to that a couple of K's kits.........

 

Kits are meant to be built no matter what into!

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...