hayfield Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Kit building locos does not have to be either expensive or difficult, the easiest locos to build are normally small tank engines using ready to run chassis, Southeastern Finecast sell the old Wills range (plus a few additions) and have a selection of body line kits and if required in most cases etched brass replacement chassis. However even a modest body kit costing a modest (and great value) £40 upwards buying an etched chassis wheels motor gears etc will take the cost to £100 ish, though using a second hand chassis would be between £10 and £20 I just could not resist this at a massive £8.20 plus £3.50 postage, listing stated missing parts. Well the chimney, rear buffer step and brake hose along with the retaining screw. I have a spare chimney and plenty of brake pipes. Though Southeastern Finecast will sell the missing parts with I guess the postage being more that the cost of the pieces. The body has been glued together, so could be ideal for dismantling and rebuilding The chassis works OK and with a little cleaning and lubrication will be right as rain The condition of the build is OK, brush painting good, gaps between parts could do with filling, hand rails too thick etc. For the novice builder I would recommend buying a new kit, using the chassis and selling the body (perhaps buying the replacement parts at the same time), though rebuilding the loco would not be too hard. There are several options that can be done with the loco, from replacing the chimney, to a full rebuild with a modern etched chassis, gearbox and can motor. Or something in between like filling the joints, adding a few more details and repainting. Before I go on I will let others comment on improvements/options, bearing in mind that this is to encourage those new to kit building not the rivet counters Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 I have had a day to consider what to do. Refurbishment of the loco can be from simply replacing the chimney and retaining screw, to a complete strip down and rebuild (even to a different gauge) The refurbishment can be as follows 1 Replacing the chimney, brake pipe and retaining screw, touch up the paint and a quick service of the chassis (clean and oil) (rear buffer beam steps could also be fitted 2a Make over by filling the gaps where the castings join, replacing the hand rail knobs and wire for something a bit finer and a repaint b Things like Mainly trains window grills and finer coupling rods could be fitted (has anyone taken these etchings over?) along with lamp irons c As above but replacing the motor with a MRRC 5 pole drop in, or by using Southeastern Finecast etched conversion plates for the D series motors they sell 3 a A complete rebuild using the above mentioned parts, but using the RTR chassis b As above but using Markit/Romford or Gibson wheels and decent coupling rods. Markits do direct replacement axles, where as Gibson's will have to have the frames bushed c Going the whole hog by using the Southeastern Finecast replacement chassis with brake gear etc. As it happens I have most things (wheels motors etc) in stock, even have an etched Wills Finecast chassis (no brake gear), coupled to this I plan to build a small EM gauge layout based in the West Country A complete rebuild is on the cards, I will order the replacement castings along with a Southeastern Finecast replacement chassis, as the cost of the loco was so small. No doubt the model would benefit from sprung buffers and a few turned brass castings, but unless I have them in stock this is as far as I am going. Whilst the box shows the loco in GWR livery am I correct in thinking most were built during the early BR era. This is not a rivet counting excersize, just a pleasant modelling project aimed at a simple build. After ordering the bits it will be time to look at a few photos and plans Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 There is an extra option on the chassis front: High Level should be releasing their 94xx chassis kit shortly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Ivan Love your badge of honour !! Thanks for the heads up and good food for thought. Two reasons for using the Southeastern Finecast chassis (though I expect the Highlevel kit will be to scale/better detailed) this Wills kit was designed to fit on to the Triang Jinty (Margate metal) chassis, therefore I guess the wheelbase will possibly be wrong and or wheels in a different position. Most of all the SEF chassis is a direct fit to the Wills body using the Triang rear chassis to body fitting. I am aiming to show that some kits are quite simple to build, this one for instance can either use the RTR chassis (with a minor alteration to the metal chassis block) or how easy "simple" etched chassis are to build. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 There is an extra option on the chassis front: High Level should be releasing their 94xx chassis kit shortly. Ivan I forgot, I have one of these locos in P4 gauge, guess what motor it has !!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I think I can guess.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Well with the weekend away and visitors amused the past few days my week off now is in modelling and DIY mode. Need to fit 3 and a bit fence panels so off to Wicks for some concrete posts so hole digging can commence. Off times and evenings can be modelling time with a few pieces of track to build and my attention can move on to this kit As you can see, whilst solidly built the normal results of a novice loco builder in that the gaps between the castings have not been filled, also the handrail wire is a bit on the thick side and either the castings have not been cleaned up enough or there are a few glue threads visible. I could carefully prise off the hand rails, fill the gaps and sand flat. Fit new hand rails and missing parts, add a few extra details and re-paint As you can see its been glued together, so my favoured option in to dissolve some caustic soda into some cold water and let the loco body soak for a day or so. This will not only soften the paint for removal but also degrade the glue. In the mean time I will order the parts required from Southeastern Finecast, check the photos and plans to see lamp iron positions etc and work out what I need in chassis parts, as I will be fitting a Southeastern Finecast chassis with brake gear. The old chassis will be cleaned up and lubricated before going on eBay for re-sale Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Fencing and tiredness got in the way yesterday, and only one post hole dug!! Still the loco is now downstairs and the first job is to get the caustic soda out Had time to look at a few photos on the web, I need to fill in the cab side steps on the right hand side, also I have noticed that the rear bunker/buffer beam steps face backwards on the plans, where as in the photos I have seen they face sideways ? Which is correct ? Also there are quite a few extra details that can be fitted, steps, hand rails, lamp irons pipes etc. The question is how far should I go, especially as things like the wheel base will be slightly out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Happy Hippo Posted November 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 3, 2016 Fencing and tiredness got in the way yesterday, and only one post hole dug!! Still the loco is now downstairs and the first job is to get the caustic soda out Had time to look at a few photos on the web, I need to fill in the cab side steps on the right hand side, also I have noticed that the rear bunker/buffer beam steps face backwards on the plans, where as in the photos I have seen they face sideways ? Which is correct ? Also there are quite a few extra details that can be fitted, steps, hand rails, lamp irons pipes etc. The question is how far should I go, especially as things like the wheel base will be slightly out All the photos I have looked at in the Pannier Papers show the steps facing sideways, except on 8454 which is seen at Swindon (24/4/55) without any right hand rear step. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Fencing and tiredness got in the way yesterday, and only one post hole dug!! Still the loco is now downstairs and the first job is to get the caustic soda out Had time to look at a few photos on the web, I need to fill in the cab side steps on the right hand side, also I have noticed that the rear bunker/buffer beam steps face backwards on the plans, where as in the photos I have seen they face sideways ? Which is correct ? Also there are quite a few extra details that can be fitted, steps, hand rails, lamp irons pipes etc. The question is how far should I go, especially as things like the wheel base will be slightly out I'd be inclined to stick with a '70s retro vibe for the whole thing. That is, nicely assembled and finished but, given the inherent compromises in the chassis etc. without an obsessive level of fine detail. Something better than might be expected from contemporary r-t-r but not necessarily photo-realstic. For example, perhaps an impressionistic representation of brake-gear rather than lashings of beautifully etched brass components too small to see. But that's just me . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Richard and Pat Thanks to both of you. In Russells book the 2 rear steps are on the buffer beam facing rearwards, makes the build a lot easier, was not thinking of lots of detail, lamp & tool irons, plus a bit of pipe work and rear steps. Only got as far as the dining table as a friend came over with a Christmas cake plus a Will chassis and Highlevel gearbox. all now working as sweet as a nut, then off to the model railway shop and it was lunchtime. Then I had to get on with the fence, not to worry Rome was not built in a day, nor are my locos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Oh well it has taken me several days to do what took a few mins Not the best photo in the world but a pint of cold water which a heaped spoonful of caustic soda has been added in an old ice cream tub, the body then submerged. as the tub is too big it has been left out side in the shed carefully wedged at an angle. After an hour I gave it a quick wipe with an old paint brush and the paint seemed to be coming off well, it will be left overnight just to give the solution time to work on the glue Do be careful with this stuff as it is quite nasty, away from pets, children etc and in a well ventilated area, and do not put aluminium in it (dissolves and makes a nasty gas) having said all this it is quite safe providing you follow the instructions and are sensible Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 Just had a very busy week working 6 days at the normal job, doing some fencing replacements/improvements in the garden and trying to finish off some track Well the body had a good soak for several days, a quick brush before being put into some plain water No real time spent cleaning other than a quick prising apart of pieces, do this gently as I broke one piece, which thankfully is easily repaired. I now need to dry off the parts after a final brushing/cleaning of the parts now accessible, then its a simple case of removing the glue and a clean up with a glass fibre brush Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 This inspires me to get on with mine! She didn't need any caustic soda to assist the glue to detach! and has sat in bits in a box ever since.... I'm undecided as to chassis. The Tri-ang wheelbase is incorrect and the Will's etched chassis I was going to use is an exact match for the Tri-ang. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 David For ease I am going to use the Southeastern Finecast chassis, wrong wheelbase but fits like a glove and has break rodding. Highlevel chassis ready in a week or so with correct wheelbase and gearbox, so £42 quite competitive price wise if you need a gear box. Does not fit my cheap kit build/ EM conversion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I'd be inclined to stick with a '70s retro vibe for the whole thing. That is, nicely assembled and finished but, given the inherent compromises in the chassis etc. without an obsessive level of fine detail..... Could go the whole hog with the '70s thing and paint it brown, too.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 Ivan Not going down the 70's route, just using parts from the spares box and may even use an Anchorage D series motor from SEF rather than a better gearbox one. Building on a budget, not in the past Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 After an initial scrub most of the paint and glue has come away, the castings now need a good clean up with a glass fibre pencil to remove the paint which has been left on after a quick once over with a nail brush (black seems to be the worst offender). I did leave the kit in a cold water bath too long as some of the hand rails started rusting, but no harm done Must get the chassis started first as I want to build the loco checking that it snugly fits the chassis without touching the body, other than the wheels I doubt if this will be a problem though As said one part broken which can be repaired, just the chimney and 2 rear steps required as spares. its well worth looking for older kits for rebuilding as a source of an inexpensive entry into kit building Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.