Gladiator 7mm LNER Class L1 2-6-4T

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I received a mail from ABC today confirming dispatch of my motor/gearbox tomorrow, so I have completed the chassis in readiness.

 

First I needed to add some springing to the floating center driving wheel bearings along with something to stop the bearings rotating in the holes in the frames. I spotted this method on Jazz's thread and it works a treat and is so simple.

 

A piece of L shaped wire is soldered to the inside of the frames and the bottom of the L slots into a hole drilled in the bearing. The bearings are quite thick and I drilled about half way through. Here's the springs fitted.

 

And with the bearings pushed in.

 

Like I said, simple but effective and the bearings are easily removed (for painting) and refitted. Thanks to Jazz for the idea.

 

Pick up have also been added using copper clad and phosphor bronze wire wipers acting on the tops if the wheel treads.

 

I'll complete the wiring between the two mounting plates when I fit the motor and all being well, we will have lift off.

Cheers,

Peter

[Rob Pulham]

Thanks Rob (and Deano).

 

It would be nice to meet you and even if it's not running I'll bring it any way, as I want to have a chat with David Hill about it. He might even tempt me with his wares!

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Peter,

 

I am always up for a meet up with fellow forum members especially when they are modelling LNER subjects

I missed Doncaster last year so I am unfamiliar with the layout or places to meet up so if you have any suggestions they will be gratefully received.

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I'll be watching with interest - I have one in the cupboard....

 

Regards

Tony

Hi Tony,

Hope you enjoyed the build and have a better idea of what's in store. Will you be building yours any time soon, and if so will you be writing it upon here? It would be good to see your take on this kit, even though there may be areas that will show mine up, or make me wish I had done some things different. Certainly, I should have persisted with the outside motion and got it working in forward gear, or as it's a tank loco, maybe have set one side forward and one in reverse. I'm sure somebody must have done that but I've never seen it. Then again you can't see both sides of the model at the same time.

 

Cheers,

Peter

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Well the motor and gear box arrived on Friday and the loco is now complete.

 

First thing I did was to remove the gearbox and dump it in some white spirit to rinse off the oil and any swarf. After thoroughly drying, re-oiling and refitting, I ran the motor at about half speed for 30 minutes each way with a spare axle fitted. Once in the chassis I ran it again on the rollers for an hour each way, then completed the wiring for a track test. I'm pleased to say it runs very well in both directions and goes around the curves and over the points on my brother's railway with no bother. Here's the motor fitted and wired up.

 

To complete the work on the chassis I added a some steel wire to the underside of the pony truck to give a little bit of side control. I also added some lead strip inside the bogie.

 

 

The steel wire slots into the head of the cheese head 8BA bolt which retains the bogie. I also had to grind some metal off the inside edge of the cylinders to gain clearance for the wheels on the curves.

 

To complete the detailing I refitted the clips to the cylinder drain pipes.

 

And drilled and filed the apertures in the rear stretcher plate on the bogie. It may have had the same on the front stretcher but that can't be seen so I left it plain.

 

So all that remains to be fitted after painting are the lenses for the lamps, glazing and coal. I've fitted the couplings so will be able to tow some vehicles around the test track at Doncaster all being well. It weighs in at about 2 and a quarter pounds without any additional weight added. If it needs more weight over the drivers there is plenty of room in the side tanks. Here it is ready for the road.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Rob Pulham]

Superb Peter, 

 

I am sure it will run as good as it looks.

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Had an issue with the front pony wheels touching the cylinders on the curves, so I replaced the steel wire with a thicker grade. However, that did not solve it, so I removed the wire and limited the movement of the truck with a couple of stops either side of the pony drag beam. Made these from waste NS fret and soldered them to a small stretcher above the truck. Seems to work OK now and will go through a 4ft in curve into the bay on my brother's layout (not that it needs to).

 

 

Cheers,

Peter

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Had a good day at Doncaster and gave the L1 a run on the test track. It performed very well with four heavy brass coaches in tow and started the train with only a hint of slipping, and had no problems with electrical pick up or running on the less than perfect track and point work. It would perhaps benifit from some extra weight if it needed to pull a longer train , but other than that I am very pleased with the performance.

 

I met Rob Pulham, Dikitriki and David Hill amongst others. Thanks to everyone for the compliments on the build. Hopefully I've uploaded the video correctly.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Rob Pulham]

To see the L1 in the flesh was a real treat, and I have to say that the photos as good as they are, don't do it enough justice. It's sublime.

 

It was great to meet up with Peter and have a pleasant chat about a shared passion.

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It was nice to meet you Rob and I also enjoyed our chat. I'm glad the L1 didn't disappoint in the flesh and thanks for the kind words.

 

All the best.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[david.hill64]

Peter has made a superb job of this kit: really good advertising for Gladiator! I now need to order parts to pack some more kits.....................so a big thanks from Mrs Gladiator and me!

[Scale7JB]

Very nice Peter!

 

What livery will it be in?

 

JB B

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Hi Jonathan,

BR lined black with the large lion and wheel totem. I can't remember the number but it was the only one to receive the large totem, with all the rest having the small one. There's two good photos in Yeadon's volume and to me it looks better with the larger logo on those big tank sides.

Cheers,

Peter

[t-b-g]

I was also very pleased to see the model running at Doncaster and to be able to say hello. It was strange that a built up and unpainted kit was instantly recognisable as the one featured on here as all the extra work done to improve the kit and the workmanship just made it stand out as being a bit special.

[dibateg]

Hi Tony,

Hope you enjoyed the build and have a better idea of what's in store. Will you be building yours any time soon, and if so will you be writing it upon here? It would be good to see your take on this kit, even though there may be areas that will show mine up, or make me wish I had done some things different. Certainly, I should have persisted with the outside motion and got it working in forward gear, or as it's a tank loco, maybe have set one side forward and one in reverse. I'm sure somebody must have done that but I've never seen it. Then again you can't see both sides of the model at the same time.

 

Cheers,

Peter

I'm sorry I missed you at Doncaster Peter, I would have loved to see the L1. Mine is well down on my list and there are rumors that someone else might do an L1 kit, and if that is to the current high standards of new kits these days, I might be tempted if it will save me time. I've also thought of having different gear settings for each side of a loco... never done it yet....

 

Tony

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Hi Tony,

It would have been nice to meet you.

 

Also it would be a shame if you don't build the one you have as I would love to see your take on it. Scale7JB did some amazing things on his build on Western Thunder particularly in the smokebox, but I think I matched his efforts on the external details. There is more that could be added in the way of riveting but unfortunately the Isinglass drawing doesn't show it, so I decided to pass on that. Also I don't have a rivet press so adding rivets to virgin metal is not allways up to scratch.

 

Before I bought the L1 I considered the DJH Fairburn. However having studied your superb build I decided that at the price it is now, plus all the extra work required to get it anywhere near the standard you achieved, it's just not good value for money any more. Now that is a prototype that needs a high end kit to be developed for, but let's not get into wish lists.

 

Cheers,

Peter

Edited June 6, 2017 by PAD

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Its been a while since I completed the L1 which is still waiting to be painted when I start a major painting spree after I get the Duchess finished.

 

In the meantime I added a 12BA nut to the base of the backplate and drilled a hole in the cab footplate so I can bolt it in place after painting. Much better than messing about with glue. I had to make a slot in the casting to allow clearance for the but. Not a pretty sight but one in place it will never be seen again.

 

At the same time I finally got around to replacing the cast white metal guard irons on the pony truck. They were forever getting bent during the build after the slightest of knocks, and one had finally snapped. Waste fret again provided the raw material.

 

And on the loco.

 

Cheers,

Peter

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Having completed the  Duchess I decided it  was time I painted the L1, but  then realised I hadn't made a plate to mount the  cab dials (Laurie Griffin) to the  roof. Here they are completed.

 

Then on with the painting. Here's the  chassis parts in black etch primer (Clostermann) and  the  body grey etch primer (I ran out of black). The wheel rims and  fixing nuts were chemically blackened and  the  balance weights hand painted with some black acrylic (it dries quick).

 

A couple of shots of  the  body.

 

And the  bogie with the  wheels on.

 

Here are the frames partly re-assembled.

 

And the  back plate before  and  after detail painting with the  regulator still to be painted red.

 

And finally the  body after applying the cellulose gloss black with the  air brush.

 

Buffer beams and  cab interior next, then on with the lining.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

 

 

[ngtrains.com]

Is it me or is the brake ejector upside down? I drive on the Festiniog Railway and our Dreadnought Ejectors, which I believe came from the Eastern Region have the cones at the top and the round bit of the banjo lower down.

 

They do come in left and right hand versions but I've not seen an inverted option.

 

Of course, I assume you're working from photos so it's probably me that's wrong

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To be honest I have no idea.

 

If you go back in the thread you will see how the back plate casting started out. I just modified it as best I could based on photos of other LNER loco back plates.

 

Looking at your photos its clearly not correct but even if I had fitted it the other way up, it would still be wrong. I could not find a single photo of the inside of the cab of an L1 and I based it on the DJH V1/V3. With a fully enclosed cab and some weathering to tone down the brass colour, I can live with it.

 

It probably had a heat deflector plate next to the fire hole which I have overlooked till now. Still easy enough to make one and glue it in place.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Dave Holt]

I can confirm that your brake ejector is upside down and if turned over, it would be correct for a left-hand drive loco. We have a similar, but later, version on P&O. However, if you can live with it as is, that's fine.

Dave.

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Hi Dave,

Do you have a photo that shows it?

 

I been thinking about turning it around, but it would be good to see a real one. I should be able to get it off without too much bother.

 

Many thanks.

Peter

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Ngtrains and Dave,

Many thanks for the heads up on the brake ejector. I've bitten the bullet and turned it around.

 

The hardest bit was getting the hole in the rear to line up with the pipe coming from the smoke box but I got there in the end.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[jdb82]

Hi Peter,

 

Apologies if this is a rather amateurish question.....I’ve read through and follow a number of your threads following your builds, and the quality of finish you achieve is outstanding. I’m currently part way through my first brass build and loving every second of it. I notice that you always seem to keep your brass almost completely unblemished. How do you do this? My kit was quite old when I bought it, and the brass already quite tarnished. Do you have a secret for keeping it from tarnishing, or do you just keep it polished? If so, what do you use?

 

Really enjoy following your threads - an absolute treasure trove of useful advice and inspiration.

John

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Hi John,

Many thanks.

 

Most of us are amateurs on here including me, so you're in good company.

 

First of all unless you put a coating on brass it will always tarnish. The thing is to clean as you go along and preferable after each soldering session.

 

If the etches are tarnished to start with then clean them in the flat, either chemically (scrub with hob bright or Viakal) and then rinse well and dry, of mechanically. You can use a fine grade every or Garriflex block or glass fibre pen. These last two are great for removing excess solder without damaging the brass.

Soldering clean brass is easier send you will get a better joint.

 

At the very least rinse the work piece after each session and every so often scrub with hob bright. This tends to leave a residue on solder lines so you need to ensure that your final rinse before painting gets rid of it. Old tooth brushes and those cheap artists brushes with the plain wood handles are great for getting into nooks and crannies.

 

Hope that helps and if there's anything else, just ask away.

 

What are you building by the way?

 

Cheers,

Peter

[jdb82]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the info - I scrub the work after each session but just with hot water and washing up liquid, so nothing that will get rid of any tarnish. I’ll get some viakal and give that a go.

I’m building a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 short tank that would have worked on the Manchester Ship Canal. Back in the UK Currently (living and working abroad at the moment), so collecting various supplies to take back with me, and work can resume on it early in the new year. My build thread is here if you want a look. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/126038-hudswell-clarke-0-6-0-7mm-agenoria-kit/

John