Manning Wardle class H - 4mm scratchbuild

[Ruston]

I have built the later version of this class of loco before but this time I am building the earlier style. As with many industrial locomotives that were in production over a long period, small changes were made and in terms of pattern-making I have been able to alter some of my existing patterns in such a way that they can now be used for both early and late types but the frame plates needed to be made anew for the older version. The original firebox was too narrow but this wasn't noticeable inside the cab but with this one being cabless I have made a new pattern for that too. Other new patterns all involve the cylinders and footplate area.

 

New frame pattern.

 

Milled out in brass.

 

All of the thicker material cut. Bunkers, cab rear and running plate are yet to be cut in 15 thou. brass.

 

Let the fun begin!

[Edwardian]

A wonderful prototype to tackle, and I take my hat off to you for producing the patterns.

[jdb82]

All the best with this! I have a Manning Wardle L class waiting in the cupboard. Love a good industrial loco! 

[Ruston]

The running plate, cab back, buffer planks and bunkers are done.

The next thing to do is to give all the parts a rub on an oilstone to take off the burrs. Then all the holes will be opened out, using broaches, to the required sizes.

 

I have parts for the brake blocks and hangers for cast iron type brake blocks but I am considering fitting the wooden brake block type, which will require more pattern-making. The other decision is with regard to the smokebox door; whether to go for the circular door, and use the RT Models casting that is available, or to go for the D-shaped half door/flap, which will have to be scratched, or custom-etched.

 

This one has cast iron brake blocks and circular smokebox door. This loco carries the oval style of works plate, which is later than the long straight plate in the next photo.

 

This earlier one has wooden brake blocks and the smokebox door flap. Although it cannot be seen, the handrail across the front of the smokebox would indicate this. The other type has the handrail mounted on the front of the tank and running around the chimney.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Ruston

[Ruston]

Construction has begun.

The frame plates are soldered to the cross-members, which have holes drilled to take 10BA screws. The frame plates and cross-members are made from brass of 1mm thickness and so had to be soldered using my RSU as my iron isn't up to dealing with this sort of thing. The buffer planks are even thicker, at 1/16th of an inch.

 

The cylinder block is screwed to the frames using 10BA screws and the cylinders themselves have been turned from brass bar. The aim is to make the frames as strong and rigid as possible, whilst building in as much weight as possible. I haven't fitted bearings to the frames as there is plenty of bearing surface  in the thickness of the plates alone.

 

Method of aligning the frame plates for the soldering in of the cross-members and buffer planks, shown in use on a previous build.

I made these up from some brass bar, hexagonal brass bar and a pair of old Romford extended axles.

 

 

[gobbler]

Let me pull up a seat,

 

I'll be watching this with interest

 

Scott

[Bucoops]

There's a facebook group called Chelmsford remembered and someone posted a photo of a locomotive at Hoffmans bearings - I decided it might be a Manning Wardle - going by your pictures I think it might be?

 

[Ruston]

There's a facebook group called Chelmsford remembered and someone posted a photo of a locomotive at Hoffmans bearings - I decided it might be a Manning Wardle - going by your pictures I think it might be?

 

19702469_1762063927154898_8082867306820218244_n.jpg

I'd say that you're correct. The one in the photo isn't a H class though. It's quite a bit smaller and lower at the running plate.

[Bucoops]

Thanks They're interesting creations with their squared off boiler casings etc.

 

I'd say that you're correct. The one in the photo isn't a H class though. It's quite a bit smaller and lower at the running plate.

[sir douglas]

ive got some H class pics if its okay to post them

 

Gervase, merstham greystone, before being rebuilt by Sentinal, now at Elsecar

 

Empress, aberford railway

[Ruston]

ive got some H class pics if its okay to post them

 

Gervase, merstham greystone, before being rebuilt by Sentinal, now at Elsecar

MW 1472 - 1900 gervase merstham now sentinal at elsecar.jpg

 

Empress, aberford railway

MW 1254 - 1897 aberford railway empress.jpg

Hi Sam,

 

That top one isn't Gervase, or any other H class. In fact I don't think it's any kind of Manning Wardle. The smokebox shape looks like it could be a Hudswell, or a Hunslet.

[gobbler]

There's a facebook group called Chelmsford remembered and someone posted a photo of a locomotive at Hoffmans bearings - I decided it might be a Manning Wardle - going by your pictures I think it might be?

 

19702469_1762063927154898_8082867306820218244_n.jpg

Sadly RHP is no longer there, it's been pulled down and is the site of Anglia University. Further down new street toward the railway bridge 'was' Marconi, where I was an apprentice, again all gone except for the main frontage and building (now housing) From being Chelmsford's biggest employer and one of the UK's leading military contractor to zip. (Bought out by the yanks and sold off piece-meal. I guess if you can't keep up with you competitors buy out and get shot of them)

 

Anyhoo, back to railway matters, not sure if the siding still exists that drops down from Chelmsford station that used to feed a post office sorting building

 

Scott

[Bucoops]

Sadly RHP is no longer there, it's been pulled down and is the site of Anglia University. Further down new street toward the railway bridge 'was' Marconi, where I was an apprentice, again all gone except for the main frontage and building (now housing) From being Chelmsford's biggest employer and one of the UK's leading military contractor to zip. (Bought out by the yanks and sold off piece-meal. I guess if you can't keep up with you competitors buy out and get shot of them)

 

Anyhoo, back to railway matters, not sure if the siding still exists that drops down from Chelmsford station that used to feed a post office sorting building

 

Scott

 

Indeed, no industry left now The Main Marconi bulding is now home to a cosmetic company

 

Even E2V is now owned by the Americans.

 

There's still a siding there, but sees very little action. It's an overhead line equipment yard now at least in part.

[sir douglas]

i never noticed that, ive accidentally annotated it wrong, it should be Hunslet  "Petros", also of Merstham

[Ruston]

The footplate has been tapped to take a 10BA screw, which will hold the frames to the running plate/bodywork and with 12BA screws to hold the footplate to the running plate. The bodywork will be united as one unit, which can be unscrewed from the running plate for ease of painting.

The curved cab back has been formed and soldered to the footplate.

 

The cylinders have been overlaid with 15 thou. sheet and the smokebox has been assembled. The base plate of the smokebox has been tapped to take a central 10BA that will hold the bodywork and frames together, and tapped for a pair of 12BA screws that hold it to the running plate.

Inside the smokebox is a piece of turned brass bar to not only add weight but to enure the front and rear panels of the smokebox are parallel.

 

More prototype photos:

 

Following Sam's photo of Empress on the Aberford Railway, here is another of that ralway's class H engines; Mulciber.

 

And also Ignifer, showing the early pattern of smokebox door.

 

Class H Mannings were operated by 4 mainline railways with the Midland having 5, the North Eastern 5, the Great Eastern 1 and the Cambrian 1.

This is the GER example showing off the rivets on the saddle tank. Most of this class appear to have flush-rivetted tanks.

 

Here's one I built earlier...

This is modelled on one of the very last class H to be built, in 1916. Different frames, cylinders and late type cab.

 

[Ruston]

The firebox is now built up and soldered in place. The rear two thirds of the firebox has been filled with lead sheet for added weight.

The motion bracket has been placed, temporarily, in the frames. This won't be fixed until I am ready for the fitting of the crossheads and slidebars as the gap between the upper and lower slidebars will need to be opened out in the bracket. It's better to make it too small and open it to suit than make it too big and have to bodge it with bits of shim...

 

The gearbox, a High Level Hi Flier, has been built up and the motor fitted.

[chris p bacon]

This is superb!

 

I'm in the throes of bodging together 'Shannon' (known to the masses as WTC No 'Jane" and nothing  like the quality of this) and I'm interested in how you're motoring it, The boiler on Shannon is just 12mm and I can't fit a Mashima 1020 so I'm looking for alternatives. I think I've worked something out but it's still on the drawing board.

 

Is the motor in the boiler or partly visible ?

[Ruston]

This is superb!

 

I'm in the throes of bodging together 'Shannon' (known to the masses as WTC No 'Jane" and nothing  like the quality of this) and I'm interested in how you're motoring it, The boiler on Shannon is just 12mm and I can't fit a Mashima 1020 so I'm looking for alternatives. I think I've worked something out but it's still on the drawing board.

 

Is the motor in the boiler or partly visible ?

The motor will be completely in the tank, with the gearbox being partly in the tank, boiler and firebox. As you won't have a tank have you thought about a 10/15, mounted vertically on a Roadrunner Compact+ in the firebox?

[chris p bacon]

The motor will be completely in the tank, with the gearbox being partly in the tank, boiler and firebox. As you won't have a tank have you thought about a 10/15, mounted vertically on a Roadrunner Compact+ in the firebox?

 

Thanks.

 

That was actually the next option I'm drawing up, it's so tight and a real challenge, but isn't that half the fun. 

[Ruston]

A productive morning; took the dog for a walk, had breakfast at McDonalds, came back and built the tank, and now the postie has brought my wheels.

I didn't bother to make a pattern for the wrapper, nor to cut one, by hand, to size. Instead I cut a rough square that had a single straight edge. The formers were built up as a skeleton, using 1mm nickel silver rod for strength, squared up on a flat granite table mat and soldered up. The wrapper was annealed on the kitchen gas stove and the straight edge of the wrapper was put alongside the skeleton and tacked in place with the RSU.

 

The wrapper was made to follow the formers by pushing the whole thing round and onto the RSU baseplate, where the other side was tacked on. All the joints on the formers were made good and the excess wrapper was cut off with scissors and then filed and rubbed on an oilstone to finish the edges. The end facing camera is the front, which is full depth but the centre and end formers are hollow to account for the motor and gearbox. The spaces in the skeleton have been filled with a layer of lead sheet to add weight.

 

The double boss MW wheels, from Alan Gibson

Edited January 27, 2018 by Ruston

[Ruston]

Bunkers made and fitted, lower half of boiler made up from brass tube and motor/gearbox trial-fitted.

 

Trial fit of tank.

[Captain Kernow]

This is just pure class Dave, excellent work.

[dajt]

Enjoying the scratchbuild, thanks!

[Ruston]

There hasn't been much progres but what I have done takes it a step nearer to making the chassis work.

 

I have decided to make this one so that the wheelsets can be removed and to do this I soldered short lengths of tube to the insides of the frames. The level was obtained by placing a bare axle in the axle holes and pushing a length of wire through two pieces of tube so that the wire rested on the axle. The tubes were soldered in place and the frame cut through using a piercing saw.

 

The horn guides were filed back until an axle could be dropped in and then a 16BA screws were passed through the tubes to retain the axle. 16BA nuts are captive on the end of the tubes so the screws can be undone and the axleset removed.Making the wheelsets removable will make painting the frames easier and should help maintenance in future.

The guides for the piston rods have been fitted inside the cylinders and the flanges for mounting the slidebars have been soldered to these.

[Ruston]

Crossheads/piston rods.

 

Take length of 5mm brass bar, chuck in lathe and centre drill. Then drill 0.7mm hole through it. Put in milling machine and mill to height and width - 0.20 wider than slide bars..

 

Piston rods soldered into crosshead blanks.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Ruston