Jazz 7mm Workbench

[jazz]

Hi.. What a really good time at Telford Guildex on Sunday.  Received the Scorpio Steam Rail Motor and decided to crown it all with a last minute purchase go Warren Shephards latest kits, the GWR 15xx tank. (could not resist it looking at the finished model on his stand)

 

Then spent Monday on the Severn Valley line.

 

Yesterday after sorting all the purchases made I finally got to staying the extensive instructions for the Scorpio rail motor. This is one kit I will be rolling the instructions to the letter.  It's very a very detailed kit and complex to build.  Starting with the power bogie late yesterday I have decided to build it rigid (there is the option for compensation).  The reason is I will have eight wheel pickups and my trackwork is very flat and smooth, so there will be no issues with derailments and current pickup. Enough yapping and on with the build.

 

 

As usual I am soldering as many parts as possible. The springs are three castings and I have soldered them together. They are very delicate and I use a 50W iron with low melt. This means a very quick dab with the iron and no melted castings.  The same goes with soldering the casting to the frames.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Ken,

 

We spent Monday on the Severn Valley too, The only person that I saw that I knew was Jim McGeown. It was a very relaxing day trundling up and down...

[Scorpio7uk]

I spent half of Monday sleeping, the other half having a relaxing day at St. Fagan's in Cardiff with my Wife https://museum.wales/stfagans/

 

I'll be watching your build with baited breath Ken!

 

Thanks

Jeff

Scorpio Models

[N15class]

I'm sure knowing ken it'll be finished Friday teatime.

Glad you all had a good show. I missed out again. Will try year after next. Would of been next year if my daughter had listened to my advice about date for her wedding.

[jazz]

I spent half of Monday sleeping, the other half having a relaxing day at St. Fagan's in Cardiff with my Wife https://museum.wales/stfagans/

 

I'll be watching your build with baited breath Ken!

 

Thanks

Jeff

Scorpio Models

 

What better way to spend a relaxing time

[jazz]

I'm sure knowing ken it'll be finished Friday teatime.

Glad you all had a good show. I missed out again. Will try year after next. Would of been next year if my daughter had listened to my advice about date for her wedding.

Hi Peter.  You missed a great show.  Thanks for the confidence it will be finished on Friday.  Which Friday were you referring to?

[Simond]

Last Friday!

[jazz]

A bit of progress today. This is definitely not going to be a quick build. Working out what goes where takes time.  The etches are going together very well, I find this with all the Scorpio kits and this is no exception. The only criticism so far is the photo-copied photos of the build are very unclear, a shame as they would have speeded up the build and made this a lot clearer.

 

Onwards and forwards as they say.

 

 

[jazz]

As expected, slow progress. Most of today on the boiler and still not quite finished. I am pleased with the result though.  It will be very interesting just how it attaches to the coach. (The article in the Gazette is incorrect, it is not attached though the chimney as mentioned by Jeff (Scorpio)

 

Another day tomorrow.

 

 

 

[jazz]

Right that's all the small gadgets and pipes done. (Them in the know would have spotted the smokebox door on the wrong way round, now unsoldered and the right way)

 

So now for the big pipes.

 

[Simond]

Ken

 

Looking great.

 

Will the motor hide in the boiler, or at the other end?

 

Best

Simon

[jazz]

All the work is now completed on the boiler. Now I'm not saying I have all all correct as the explained earlier the photo copies were very hard to see exactly how it all should be. (Maybe that is just my copies in my kit)

 

I did make a guess where the other gauge went and discovered the large exhaust pipe covered it. I will have to make a bracket and fit another one where it can be seen. Boiler photos of No 93 looks like further round the boiler to the right. Like wise with the steam pipes on the tops of the cylinders.

 

The chimney uses the 8ba nut already soldered on inside the boiler top at the very start of the boiler build with the bolt down through the chimney.

 

The exhaust pipe is soldered to the top of the boiler but NOT connected to the split pipes to the cylinders. This is to allow removal of the boiler unit from the chassis.

 

 

 

Next job is the very delicate valve gear.   I doubt that will be finished this afternoon.  Unfortunately I am being admitted to hospital for an operation, so it will be later this week before I will be back on the workbench.

Edited September 9, 2018 by jazz

[david.hill64]

Ken: best wishes for the operation. I hope all goes well.

 

David

[jazz]

Thanks guys. It's not a serious op and only a fews days to recover so should be OK by Thursday.

[jazz]

Ken

 

Looking great.

 

Will the motor hide in the boiler, or at the other end?

 

Best

Simon

 

Thanks Simon.  The gearbox is specially designed for the kit and the motor sits vertically in the boiler.

[Simond]

Ken

Thoughts are with you re the op

Good luck and get well soon

Simon

[jazz]

Ken

Thoughts are with you re the op

Good luck and get well soon

Simon

 

Thanks Simon.  It's not a serious op. I'm having scar tissue removed from a 30 year old operation on the the bladder neck. So I should  be up and about in no time.

[jazz]

Just back home after three days in the hospital for ladder neck incision. A bit tender don there for now. Back on the w/bench tomorrow for a bit.

 

Thanks for all the good wishes and support, appreciated. Ken

[jazz]

Slow recovery that I did not expect. I have manage a little more on the power unit though.  The photos show the specially designed gear box. The boiler is meant to be removable and will be secured with 10ba screws.

 

The front brake gear now needs reattaching. 

 

 

 

[jazz]

Start the day with some comments regarding the power bogie build.  As can be appreciated it small, tight spaces and valve gear that is very small and fiddly (more like 00 size). Now I'm notorious for not following written instructions, preferring my own method of assembly. On this kit, definitely not recommended, unless you want to spend time undoing what you built. Thankfully this came to light very early in construction.

 

 

 

Generally all went well until making up the said valve gear.   Laminated all the components as per instructions and thought assembly would be quick. Wrong.  Crossheads/slide bars were no problem after the usual cleaning up and checking for free running. Casting 24 was a tricky thing to prep. Valve gear part 24 (combining lever) would not swing enough without shaving off the tops to allow the swing. Once that was fitted the next issue was the expansion link (22). That had very restricted swing. Again shaving off in the strategic areas. Mainly the inside bracket. Also make sure it sits as far out as possible from slide bars. Auxiliary reversing rod 26 as to clear the crossheads. I reduced the top end to half thickness to give just enough clearance.

 

Other than that, its make a nice unit

 

Now it's on with the trailing bogie.

Edited September 16, 2018 by jazz

[jazz]

Right, the trailing bogie boxed off.  (The wheels might look grotty, the reason is the easy way was to complete the construction with them fitted and also paint the chassis like that as well. I coated the axles and wheel tyres with Maskol to prevent them rusting with flux and mask up for painting.

 

A straight forward build with no problems, I like the floating axle arrangement, very nice touch.

 

You have the choice of attacking the brake gear with a lot of etches to represent the prototype. OR use the simplified version. As I do not see the point in spending time and effort doing the complicated version, as under normal running on the layout would be unseen.

 

Very nice for the purist that just likes to know it's all there.

 

Looking forward to starting the body now. 

 

 

 

 

[jazz]

It Doesn't look much for the time spent today.  There is three laminations to each section, surprising how long that takes!  Making door hinges from wire, that was quite fiddly. My choice though instead of the method supplied in the kit.  Fitted the sliding doors to the non powered drivers end and maybe tomorrow I'll get the sides fitted to the floor. At least some of them I hope.

 

[jazz]

Well I did get a little further than I hoped.  Coming together nicely but it is very tedious. (Now I know why I have avoided coach building. (Connoisseur and Gladiator 4 or 6 wheelers and the like excepted)

 

Onwards tomorrow.

 

 

OOPS!   Just realised I had put the passenger doors to low down.  Quickly undone and raised to the correct height.

 

Edited September 19, 2018 by jazz

[daifly]

Ken 

Would you care to expand on the 'tedious' aspects?

Thanks

Dave

[jazz]

Ken 

Would you care to expand on the 'tedious' aspects?

Thanks

Dave

 

Sure thing. Many, many laminations that are very delicate and require precise alignments. Plus very delicate castings for all the handrails.  All the etches are very thin and very easily warped when soldering.