Derwent Spa

[Rowsley17D]

Having sorted 2 locos, I saw an MR Flatiron part-built on the Bay and won it for £80 plus postage. Markits wheels, Branchlines gearbox and Faulharber motor. On arrival it was found to be badly epoxied together as the body was not square but some boiling water sorted that out.

 

 

The chassis although ran well on the rollers was banana-shaped with the middle wheels nearly 2mm above the horizontal.

 

 

I'm going to pick up a new chassis and detailing etch from Squires at the York show.

[lezz01]

Dave Basford AKA K22009 has done an etched kit for the Flatiron Jonathan. He might be able to supply the chassis separately if you ask him. 

Regards Lez. 

[Rowsley17D]

Just now, lezz01 said:

Dave Basford AKA K22009 has done an etched kit for the Flatiron Jonathan. He might be able to supply the chassis separately if you ask him. 

Regards Lez. 

 

Thanks Lez, but I've phoned Squires (very helpful) and they are posting me a chassis etch and a detailing etch for under £30 as both are in stock.

[lezz01]

No worries mate I just thought I would let you know there was an alterative. Did you get the destructions with it? If not I may have a set I can scan for you.

Regards Lez.

[5BarVT]

6 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

The chassis although ran well on the rollers was banana-shaped with the middle wheels nearly 2mm above the horizontal.

Look on the bright side - at least it won’t rock on the centre wheels!!!

Paul.

[Rowsley17D]

14 hours ago, lezz01 said:

No worries mate I just thought I would let you know there was an alterative. Did you get the destructions with it? If not I may have a set I can scan for you.

Regards Lez.

 

Thanks for the offer Lez but destructions came with it.

[Rowsley17D]

10 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Look on the bright side - at least it won’t rock on the centre wheels!!!

Paul.

 

And it will get around tight curves!

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Rowsley17D said:

 

And it will get around tight curves!

 

No need for the old HD flangeless centre drivers!

[Rowsley17D]

The Flatiron etches arrived post-free from Squires this morning. It will have to wait until a 1P 0-4-4T is finished which I started last year.

[Rowsley17D]

With the above in mind, I got to work on doing more to the 1P.

 

 

Not too much left to do but painting will have to wait until the weather warms up so it may be "in the brass" for some time. This will be a 1252 Class number 1247 and was photographed at Buxton in 1931 when trialling the Hudd ATC system between Millers Dale and Buxton. She was there long enough to have a Buxton 20 shed plate which to me justifies her being a regular in Derwent. Scrapped in 1949 without receiving a BR number.

[MrWolf]

That's a very nice looking machine indeed.

The safety valve cover is almost the right shape even!😉

[chuffinghell]

Looks great

[MrWolf]

I wish that I had the confidence in my limited dexterity to have a go at a brass kit. I struggle with tiny bits of metal and plastic as it is.

[Rowsley17D]

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

That's a very nice looking machine indeed.

The safety valve cover is almost the right shape even!😉

 

After I'd fitted the WM cover I found a turned brass one in my box of boiler bits so it will be replaced.

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Rowsley17D said:

 

After I'd fitted the WM cover I found a turned brass one in my box of boiler bits so it will be replaced.

 

Ah, I was hinting that the cover was almost the right shape for a Great Western one...😉

[Rowsley17D]

More work today on 1247 has just about seen the body work finished. The safety valve cover has been changed for the turned brass one I found and the WM chimney replaced with a lost wax brass one. A load of lead has been put into the firebox/boiler. I've soldered sprung buffers to the rear beam as they help with Dingham couplings. The heads will have to wait until she is painted before fixing. Next to wire up the chassis.

 

 

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

Such a nicely proportioned loco. I particularly like the cab with plenty of ventilation. The crews probably didn't like it in winter.

Every loco should have a brass safety valve cover! 

It's making me want to go and get on with one of my creations.

[Rowsley17D]

The Flatiron was next up. Thanks to advice on the chassis from @hayfield this is how far I had got today. The coupling rods have been fettled but were not put back for the photos.

 

 

 

It will have sprung buffers to the rear. The cab roof isn't fixed until a crew go in. I need to source a Belpaire back-head to cover up the hole the X04 motor would have filled. At least all six driving wheels are in contact with the track!

[hayfield]

46 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

The Flatiron was next up. Thanks to advice on the chassis from @hayfield this is how far I had got today. The coupling rods have been fettled but were not put back for the photos.

 

 

 

It will have sprung buffers to the rear. The cab roof isn't fixed until a crew go in. I need to source a Belpaire back-head to cover up the hole the X04 motor would have filled. At least all six driving wheels are in contact with the track!

 

I think the cab parts are available from Squires along with other cab furniture

 

Back heads 80 or 81

Reverser 78 & 79

Brake stand 77

[MrWolf]

56 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

The Flatiron was next up. Thanks to advice on the chassis from @hayfield this is how far I had got today. The coupling rods have been fettled but were not put back for the photos.

 

 

 

It will have sprung buffers to the rear. The cab roof isn't fixed until a crew go in. I need to source a Belpaire back-head to cover up the hole the X04 motor would have filled. At least all six driving wheels are in contact with the track!

 

I do like a Flatiron. You're making a grand job of resurrecting another old kit. Your productivity is rather impressive. Hopefully I can find a little time tonight to progress project 517.

[Rowsley17D]

Now with brakes, sanding equipment and handrails. There was no provision for the cab rails, so I've made the best I can. I even found a nice brass brake stand in the box of bits. Just visible through the cut-outs is the Wakefield lubricator from a scrapped Airfix 2P. The ejector pipe was still taped to the inside of the box lid.

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Rowsley17D

[Rowsley17D]

Well that's about it for the Flatiron until I can get it into the queue for the paint shops. It needs a bit of filler, back-head  and reverser in the cab, a couple of Ross Pop valves for the boiler and electrical connections to the motor. The body is sitting a bit low on the chassis, but a couple of shims of Plastikard should sort that out.

 

 

 

[Buhar]

I thought the Hudd ATC was peculiar (from an LMS perspective) to the LTSR, the 3 cylinder 2-6-4Ts had to have the kit removed locally when they went off to Derby for overhaul.  Was the trial only a temporary arrangement on the Buxton line? 

 

Although a follower, I had a spell away from RMWeb and on return seem to have messed up my viewing settings so had missed the past eighteen months of life on Derwent.  My loss, it's a wonderfully evocative and incredibly skillful piece of modelling and I now want to go back and re-read the updates more slowly.

 

Having seen the health updates in quick succession I was really relieved to hear the latest state of play although I was a little discomobulated that your trips for chemo and then getting back to modelling made it sound like you were popping to the shops!  

 

Alan

Edited March 14, 2023 by Buhar
Didn't like the flow

[Rowsley17D]

1 hour ago, Buhar said:

I thought the Hudd ATC was peculiar (from an LMS perspective) to the LTSR, the 3 cylinder 2-6-4Ts had to have the kit removed locally when they went off to Derby for overhaul.  Was the trial only a temporary arrangement on the Buxton line? 

 

Although a follower, I had a spell away from RMWeb and on return seem to have messed up my viewing settings so had missed the past eighteen months of life on Derwent.  My loss, it's a wonderfully evocative and incredibly skillful piece of modelling and I now want to go back and re-read the updates more slowly.

 

Having seen the health updates in quick succession I was really relieved to hear the latest state of play although I was a little discomobulated that your trips for chemo and then getting back to modelling made it sound like you were popping to the shops!  

 

Alan

 

Hi Alan thank you for your kind comments. The Hudd ATC was a trial between Buxton and Millers Dale before installation on the LTSR.

 

Now that loco building has been finished for the time being, I'm going to turn my attention back to the layout. There's lots to do: painting the sides of the rails on the new formation, point rodding, more low relief buildings for the backscene, a slightly larger goods shed, vents to the engine shed roof and so on and so on...

[Tortuga]

What is the origin of the ‘Flatiron’ nickname please?

 

It’s a lovely model, though the prototype looks… odd… to my eye - the smoke box is far forward, those tanks are enormous, the drivers are widely spaced and the bunker is huge! It almost seems to ‘work’, but then doesn’t for some reason!