Towards Great Western 2301 Class No. 2390 c. 1902 from an Oxford Dean Goods

[Miss Prism]

GA in GWRJ Issue 13. It is a late drawing (1940), so is Belpaire, and whilst the P class boilers probably had subclasses, I think the overall dimensions remained the same, and therefore good enough to surmise earlier roundtop firebox versions.

 

[Compound2632]

GWRJ No. 13 duly ordered.

 

The Mk 2 Plastikard splasher, test prototype:

 

 

On the Mk 1 version, the 20 thou splasher top fitted into a rebate formed by the white 10 thou beading layer being of 20 thou greater radius than the red 20 thou splasher front. This didn't reproduce the overlap of the splasher top edge that my modified Brassmasters splasher gave. Also, I've noticed that, over time, the 20 thou splasher top has caused distortion of the Mk 1 splasher, as its unsupported rear side tries to straighten out. For the Mk 2 version, I've made splasher front and beading the same radius, which simplifies cutting out and welding. I've used a piece of microstrip for the straight section of beading, which also simplifies cutting-out of the curved part. The splasher top is 10 thou, overlapping the splasher front - the join is just visible. (I should have used black plasticard.) The top was curved by the hot water method. This splasher is too short for the rebate in the Oxford footplate. Following the example of the Brassmasters splashers, the top strip was cut over-length; once welded on, notches were cut at the front so the splasher front sits on the correct line on the footplate. The tails of the splasher top are bent round so that they can be glued to the underside of the footplate but as this is just a test piece, for now they're held by bulldog clips. 

 

I feel this is the most promising attempt so far though the Brassmasters splashers have provided some inspiration - and may be used on my Bachmann 3F after all! Further progress awaits arrival of (a) GWRJ No. 13 and (b) a fresh pot of Roket Max.

 

[Compound2632]

I now have Great Western Railway Journal No. 13 and have examined the drawing. My best estimates for the splasher dimensions are:

 

Width over splashers (measured to edges of splasher tops): 5'9 1/2" = 23.17 mm

Width of splashers (from outside face of frame to edge of splasher top): 9 1/4" = 3.08 mm

 

Radius of splasher (concentric with wheel): 2'10" = 11.33 mm

Height of splasher: 1' 2 1/4" = 4.75 mm

 

If I'm using 10 thou plasticard for the splasher tops, my splasher fronts need to have these dimensions reduced by 0.25 mm, i.e. radius 10.83 mm, height 4.5 mm. It's the height that is the more critical dimension for the appearance of the model. I have a method in mind but there will now be a fortnight's pause while I'm away from my workbench.

 

I was interested to note that the width over the outside faces of what the drawing calls the hanging bars but I would call the footplate valances, is given as 7'0", irrespective of whether the footplate is 7'5" or 7'8" wide. On the model, this dimension is the 30 mm, i.e. scale 6" too wide. While this is regrettable, it does mean that the footplate, which is 31.7 mm wide, scale 7'8", does not overhang the valence by as much as it should. This will help to create the illusion of a 7'5"-wide engine!

 

[Mikkel]

Just catching up with this Stephen. Good to see progress, I admire your meticulous approach.

 

You are wise to spend some time on the splashers. In retrospect they are probably the bit on my version that are most at risk of  distorting over time. No evidence of it so far, but we all know time can be cruel in that respect. For this same reason I would probably consider your Brassmasters option if I were to build another, so thanks for trying out that idea.

[Compound2632]

To be honest, I think I've spent about three hours on the splashers so far - it's just been spread out over about 9 months!

 

The Brassmasters 3F splashers turned out nearly as big as the Oxford splashers. They're intended to replace the over-large splashers on the Bachmann 3F; I've not measured up but my gut feeling is they're still on the large size for that.

 

There's clearly a market for 3rd part replacement splashers for the Oxford Dean Goods! - though that would also involve a new cab - which might not be such a bad thing.