Ruston's Industrial locomotive and wagon workshop thread.

[Ruston]

A commission to modify a Pi Victory. I think I've successfully voided the warranty on it. 😄

[AlfaZagato]

You probably have.  Given the supplier, they probably are fine with it.   Probably happy.

[cornelius]

Is the cab going up or down?

[Ruston]

37 minutes ago, cornelius said:

Is the cab going up or down?

Down and narrowed for a low bridge. Hopefully it'll end up a bit like an LMS Jocko cab.

[sir douglas]

like the Lambton one that the late David Smith did in o gauge?

[Ruston]

20 hours ago, sir douglas said:

like the Lambton one that the late David Smith did in o gauge?

No, not a Lambton cab. I believe that Pi themselves are working on a Lambton cab but the thing with a Lambton cab is that it's a Lambton cab, which is quite distinctive, no matter which engine it's on.  The owner's layout isn't even set in the North East, let alone on the Lambton Railway, so he wants something that doesn't tie the engine to a specific location. It just needs to be practical and not clobber the bridge.

 

I am led to understand that the Victory Class were built to the Berne loading gauge, hence why they are so tall and wide so this may not be the only one to cause a problem on an industrial layout. It's just that I guess most people would rather modify the bridge on their layout than allow some madman with a razor saw loose on their brand-new engine. 😁

[sb67]

The weathering on that victory is coming along very nicely indeed, how did you represent the soot and ash on the top of the boiler and cab roof? It looks very realistic! 

[Yarravalleymodeller]

On 21/11/2022 at 02:19, Ruston said:

A commission to modify a Pi Victory. I think I've successfully voided the warranty on it. 😄

What the speed run record for arrival in the mail to pile of bits on the bench? 😂

[Ruston]

On 23/11/2022 at 15:39, sb67 said:

The weathering on that victory is coming along very nicely indeed, how did you represent the soot and ash on the top of the boiler and cab roof? It looks very realistic! 

Nothing special. Just washes and weathering powders sprinkled on.

 

6 minutes ago, Yarravalleymodeller said:

What the speed run record for arrival in the mail to pile of bits on the bench? 😂

Oh, this one was quite slow. He had it for almost a week before I got my hands on it.

 

But this ebay bargain buy arrived on Tuesday.

And by that evening it looked like this:

[Ruston]

Progress has been made with the green Victory. I got a pretty good colour match for the body colour but need to do something about replacing the lost lining now. It is waiting for some transfers before I can weather and detail it.

[John Besley]

On 20/11/2022 at 15:19, Ruston said:

A commission to modify a Pi Victory. I think I've successfully voided the warranty on it. 😄

 

Just spotted something interesting in the background .... what's the wing tank?

[John Besley]

3 minutes ago, Ruston said:

Progress has been made with the green Victory. I got a pretty good colour match for the body colour but need to do something about replacing the lost lining now. It is waiting for some transfers before I can weather and detail it.

 

I am intrigued... if the cabs cut down what about the dome and chimney oh and safety valves?

[Ruston]

5 minutes ago, John Besley said:

 

Just spotted something interesting in the background .... what's the wing tank?

It is a Bagnall wing tank, based on w/n 1402 of 1892. It was a 12"x18" engine. Somewhere around this part of the forum will be the original build details. It is undergoing a weight loss program. I've been removing lead from the insides to enable the fitting of DCC sound but in doing so it lost a lot of paint from the outside and has needed to be repainted.

7 minutes ago, John Besley said:

 

I am intrigued... if the cabs cut down what about the dome and chimney oh and safety valves?

Like the Lambton cabs, it's down to the shape of the arch and not just the height. On the owner's layout the chimney would just get through but the cab hit the arch at the corners. The dome only needs to clear by whatever it takes not to hit anything but the chimney ought to be lower because it only just gets through. Back pressure and all that. I'll lop a couple of mm off the chimney.

[Ruston]

I always have at least half a dozen projects on the go at any time. Some, I get very enthusiastic about and have all that I need to finish them quickly, but some are slow-burners. The inside-cylindered Peckett special, that was last seen on page 27, has progressed. It has a gearbox and motor fitted. A friend had bought and attempted to build an RT Models Sentinel but had abandoned it and gave me its mortal remains. I rescued the gearbox and rebuilt it, minus the parts to power the other axle. A small Chinese 10/15 motor has been soldered to the gearbox in my usual style.

To save having to make pickups and brake gear from scratch I bought a Hornby Keep plate for a W4. It has pickups and brakes already fitted. It did need some modification to fit as the drive gear is on the opposite side to the Hornby chassis and mechanism.

 

The cosmetics are just about finished.

[Ruston]

The final finishing touch to the Grant, Ritchie 0-4-2ST was to fit the works plates. They've been a long time in coming but they were worth the wait. They are from Silver Tay Plates and are the best quality plates that I have ever seen. I didn't imagine that every letter would be legible in such a small scale, where the plate is only 3mm across.

 

[Ruston]

Back in the Peckett chop shop.

[Nick C]

It won't be long before you've made more Pecketts than Peckett did!

[Yarravalleymodeller]

7 hours ago, Nick C said:

It won't be long before you've made more Pecketts than Peckett did!

If we hassle him nicely he might get to scratch building that christmas island peckett in a what if form for british industry. That would make for quite the sight on a layout

[Ruston]

21 hours ago, Yarravalleymodeller said:

If we hassle him nicely he might get to scratch building that christmas island peckett in a what if form for british industry. That would make for quite the sight on a layout

It would certainly make quite a sight but the OQT was quite an ugly thing and I don't have a use for one on any of my layouts in any case. I'll have to pass on that one. I wouldn't mind having an OQ or even an OX Class though.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Ruston

[Ruston]

The lowest of the low.

 

Pecketts did build some W4s that were lower, but they had a tank that itself was lower and also shorter in length, which is out of the question with the diecast body of the Hornby model. They were so low that although the running plate/footplate were not dropped, the area between the frames was, and so the fireman would have to either sit with his legs in this, or stand in it. The driver would have been seated.

 

The crew accomodation would have to be like that on this one.

The gap twixt cab top and bottom should disappear once the top is fixed in place. I had hoped to do that today but the driver figure that I have ordered from Modelu still hasn't arrived. I had also hoped to finish the weathering but the transfers that will go on the tank sides are also still in the post.

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Ruston

[Ruston]

Victory.

 

Newly outshopped for the White Peak Limestone & Tarmacadam Co. Ltd. The chimney and dome have been lowered by 1.5mm, the cab by 2mm and the cab narrowed in the upper section by approx 3mm overall in order to fit the bridge.

Rods painted red, too. Now to ruin it with weathering. 😁

 

[Tullygrainey]

What a beauty!

[Ruston]

I think that I've scratched the cut down Peckett itch enough now. This will be the last one, I promise. Having said that I do like doing them, so if anyone wants one of their Pecketts lowering, just send me a PM and perhaps an exchange of skills and beer vouchers can take place.

 

I really ought to finish building the layout for this loco but it's too darned cold in the shed. I'm even wearing a scarf and hat in the house!

I was going to have HARBORO STONE Co LTD. curved across the front of the tank, in a Port Of Par style, à la Alfred and Judy, but I still don't know fully how to use the photo software that I have now. It seemed so complicated that I gave up and went for stripes instead.

That reminds me that I still need to make the driver a seat.

 

It isn't running yet. I'm still waiting for a decoder to arrive.

[Nick C]

15 hours ago, Ruston said:

I really ought to finish building the layout for this loco but it's too darned cold in the shed. I'm even wearing a scarf and hat in the house!

Currently -5.6 in my railway shed/workshop! 

[Ruston]

The Victory is almost ready to go back to its owner. I have to paint and fit crew and then put some real coal in the bunker.

 

This view shows the new cab windows. I had to make them this shape, and follow the profile of the firebox, as there is no longer enough room for circular ones. I suppose there is but they would be very small and look a bit naff.