david.hill64 Posted April 18, 2016 Author Share Posted April 18, 2016 Onwards etc! Rear frame spacer fitted, followed by a couple of other spacers and sandboxes. I had to cut 3mm off these as per the instructions. The next job entails fitting brake wires: these are 0.9mm but almost beyond belief I have run out! Still I have a very large supply at home and I will be back in a couple of days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 A quick question for anyone who has built one of these before: there is a 6BA nut to be fitted under the rear spacer, but the instructions are not precise enough to determine where. The instructions say to fold down the tab for the coupling and to fit a 6BA nut on the underside of the hole. Now I was just about to solder the nut on the underside of folded down tab when it struck me that it probably needs to go on the underside of the hole in the spacer. Which is correct? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 A quick question for anyone who has built one of these before: there is a 6BA nut to be fitted under the rear spacer, but the instructions are not precise enough to determine where. The instructions say to fold down the tab for the coupling and to fit a 6BA nut on the underside of the hole. Now I was just about to solder the nut on the underside of folded down tab when it struck me that it probably needs to go on the underside of the hole in the spacer. Which is correct? Not built one, but similar, and I would suggest the spacer, as the idea is that a bolt is fitted from below, through the folded tab, to trap the tender connection. You don't want the nut on top of the spacer as it will conflict with the footplate floor. It might be advisable to check the ride height with the tender first as there may be advantages to fixing it to the tab. Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 it was good to get back to the workbench yesterday. Now I am restocked with wire I was able to add the brake wires and etched detail. and looking at these pictures reminded me that I forgot to drill out for the plunger pick ups............ This has been done this evening, but the mojo is not quite there today so I'll leave it to 3 day weekend. Hopefully that will see good progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 What are the half-relief oval holes inside the frames, David? Top pic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Passed by your stand on Saturday a number of times but you were always deep in conversation. Trust you had a good weekend. Regards Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimbus Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 What are the half-relief oval holes inside the frames, David? Top pic. They are options for some of the several arrangements of frame lightening holes. The earliest were rounded rectangles, shrinking over time to oval, round or none, or a mixture depending on loco and period. 4472 last time I was able to look, had weld lines tracing out rounded rectangles where earlier holes had been plugged. Very little chance of identifying a non-standard combination to model though! The Nim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 They are options for some of the several arrangements of frame lightening holes. The earliest were rounded rectangles, shrinking over time to oval, round or none, or a mixture depending on loco and period. 4472 last time I was able to look, had weld lines tracing out rounded rectangles where earlier holes had been plugged. Very little chance of identifying a non-standard combination to model though! I found a few shots of 4472/60103's bare frames which suggest there are two lightening holes left - one round, the other oval! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Passed by your stand on Saturday a number of times but you were always deep in conversation. Trust you had a good weekend. Regards Sandy Saw you! As for the weekend, only selling 2 wagon kits all day was not the hoped-for outcome! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 What are the half-relief oval holes inside the frames, David? Top pic. As Nimbus says they are optional lightening holes. Over on WT I was advised that the lot that included Hyperion had none other than immediately in front of the cylinders and these are there as standard. The other issue was about rivetting: just which rivets need embossing? I took the view that by 1958 all of the original flush rivets would have been replaced by snap-head, but I now expect somebody to find a definitive photo showing this isn't the case!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimbus Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 The other issue was about rivetting: just which rivets need embossing? I took the view that by 1958 all of the original flush rivets would have been replaced by snap-head, but I now expect somebody to find a definitive photo showing this isn't the case!!! You've just reminded me why I never started my Finney kit in 4mm. I'm not the most decisive of chaps at the best of times, but with model trains, I'm one of those trying to "get it all right". But thinking about it, replacement rivets could reasonably be expected in combination with replacement quarter-frames, such as FS received on her latest overhaul. Though whether Riley & Sons did exactly as Doncaster would have done latterly is another unknown! The Nim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Saw you! As for the weekend, only selling 2 wagon kits all day was not the hoped-for outcome! Take heart a trade stand isn't always about actual sales on the day. It is as much about promoting the range and making the unwary and cautious feel that they are the best available and a chance to discuss things with the proprietor to get a feel for that support relationship that is so important. Perhaps a question to each buyer, where did you hear of us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Take heart a trade stand isn't always about actual sales on the day. It is as much about promoting the range and making the unwary and cautious feel that they are the best available and a chance to discuss things with the proprietor to get a feel for that support relationship that is so important. Perhaps a question to each buyer, where did you hear of us. I couldn't agree more with this comment. I rarely make a big purchase at a show. That does not mean its not important. What I do spend time doing is talking to those on the stands and deciding where my cash is eventually going to go. Its so important to know who you are dealing with when purchasing something like a loco kit, and I wouldn't feel happy ordering something that going to cost me more than a couple of hundred quid from someone I hadn't spoken to. Hope to get one of your N4 / N5 kits when its available again. Keep up the good work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Harper Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I couldn't agree more with this comment. I rarely make a big purchase at a show. That does not mean its not important. What I do spend time doing is talking to those on the stands and deciding where my cash is eventually going to go. Its so important to know who you are dealing with when purchasing something like a loco kit, and I wouldn't feel happy ordering something that going to cost me more than a couple of hundred quid from someone I hadn't spoken to. Hope to get one of your N4 / N5 kits when its available again. Keep up the good work. I was on the hunt for an A3 high sided tender. (I got the loco on ebay!) Not an urgent requirement but I would like to get it in stock ready for my intended start date of the new year. And there's me thinking you were doing a roaring trade by the numbers around your stand! Bet it's nice to be back in the sun and warmth? Regards Sandy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 ...And there's me thinking you were doing a roaring trade by the numbers around your stand!... Sounds more like a roaring gap in the profit and loss account! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Bet it's nice to be back in the sun and warmth? 37 degrees today - but it should start to rain in teh next day or so which will cool things down a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Thanks for all of the supportive comments: I wasn't trying for the sympathy vote! The show was a success in terms of meeting people and discussing both the plus and minuses of the various kits, so I learnt a lot from that. Trisha and I always knew that this year would not be the best for sales: after all, once Geoff announced that the business was for sale/closing, if you wanted a Gladiator kit then it is obvious that you would raid the piggy bank/mortgage your grandmother to get what you wanted while it was available. I had expected to have given up the day job in Bangkok by now and be back, but for various reasons it hasn't happened. The downside of course is that it is a little more difficult to be responsive to questions. the upside is that with a source of income it has been possible to reintroduce kits much faster than would otherwise be possible and I have an ambition to have everything available again by the end of the year. OK seriously off topic, so lets get back to Hyperion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Work this morning has seen the brake gear added. A couple of points to look out for here. It is very difficult to fit the brake rodding from the front brake beam to the cylinders if the brake beam is already fixed in place as per instructions, so locate them first. Second the instructions (up to this stage) omit the fitting of the round brake beam that obviously goes to the supports on the frames, so I added that from 1.6mm rod. Now it is being cleaned up while I fit the balance weights and crank pins to the wheels. This photo makes the rodding to the brake cylinders look bent: it isn't, just the angle of the photo. More later today I expect! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Sorry about the poor photos: it is late here and I've had to use flash. There is always a sense of relief when you fit the coupling rods and the chassis rolls freely without binding. Bogie construction was straightforward. I am waiting for the AWS sensor (supplied optionally)/ The only issue with the radial truck was a need to file back the faces of the bearings as otherwise it was too wide. Enjoying this and looking forward to tomorrow. More so since the rains arrived this afternoon and the temperature has plummeted to 33 degrees! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 37 degrees today - but it should start to rain in teh next day or so which will cool things down a bit. Hopefully here the rain will stop in a few days it remains 35c whether ir rains or not. It has rained most days here since Christmas. The day they dug the new footings we had six inches of rain in the afternoon. You can imagine the mess the garden went. Glad to hear things are going well with Gladiator. I am sure you will do well it is a nice range Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Happy with progress so far today. The sandpipes have been added. The ones to the rail will have their shape finalised later. The pipes to the sandbox are located at the top by a bracket: if you make the folds n this at right angles then bracket is too short, so I adjusted to make it fit. If it interferes with the boiler I will cut out the centre portion. The firebox lower has been formed ready for fitting. Rear footplate supports and detail plates added, yet to be cleaned up: I will delay fitting the hindmost supports as they will be vulnerable to my ham-fistedness. Bogie shield plates/mud guards added. Once the firebox is in place it will be on with the cylinders, motion bracket and valve gear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 The firebox lower has been fixed in place. next up are the cylinders. The main assembly is bent to shape and then the wrappers added. The wrappers are slightly large over width so you can get a good fillet of solder in and then file back flush. As usual the photos show some touching up required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 I forgot to mention that when assembling the radial truck I originally used a piece of 0.9mm nickel silver wire to provide the side control. I have sine changed that to 0.7mm as I felt that the 0.9mm was too stiff. Now it's quite possible that 0.7mm is a bit flimsy, in which case I will change to 0.8mm. i have also fitted the correct pattern (ie non-driving) wheel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted May 18, 2016 Author Share Posted May 18, 2016 Wow! I had to go back to page 4 to find this thread: it shows what a long time it has been since I posted anything! The reason for the lack of activity is travelling. Since the last post I have been home for the Derby show, had a few days in Pittsburgh for business followed by a few more days home casting white metal and packing kits. I got back to Bangkok yesterday, and after 20,000 miles of travel in the last 12 days feel unable to trust myself for assembly at the bench tonight. However, I did manage to remove various lost wax castings required for the next stage of assembly from their sprues. I'll be up to speed again by the weekend and am hoping to make rapid progress over the next few weeks (fingers crossed)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 The jet lag has been packed away - at least for a couple of weeks - and today has seen steady progress on teh cylinder assembly. I had hoped to get much farther along but have taken my time ensuring that teh slidebars/crosshead assembly is as it should be. I fitted the other cylinder wrapper and the rear glands. One set of slidebars was assembled, shown here with the parts for the other side. This is a test fit in the cylinder block. Sliding surfaces were polished with fine emery paper. The motion bracket and frames were fettled until the bracket was a nice sliding fit. This and the cylinders were located in the frames and then the slidebars soldered to both cylinder block and motion bracket. Happy that the crossheads slid freely, the joints were fully soldered. Then the strengthening webs added to the slidebar/motion bracket joint. I am now cleaning up the valve guides. These will be fitted next. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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