Johnson044 Posted April 22, 2022 Share Posted April 22, 2022 I've been given this very battered loco by the original builder, who made it from card in about 1971. Very much fallen on hard times and almost at the point of no return so hopefully nothing to lose by attempting to repair. About 8mm to 1" from what I can tell but buffer centres are 0 gauge, so I'm going to see if I can make a working model. However, when placed against my Slater's Manning Wardle Class F the MW is tiny by comparison. The loco seems to be freelance, although there are definite Beyer-Peacock features - frame shape, safety valve on flat dome- and the paintwork is beautifully executed. I'm going to try to keep all of the crimson lake and lining / lettering and maybe the buffer beam lettering but reckon the black parts are fair game for a total re-paint. Conservation ethics are a minefield! 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted April 22, 2022 Share Posted April 22, 2022 What mech will you use? Old clockwork, Big Big Train, cheapo, Chinese battery power or rewheeled Scalextric chassis? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted April 22, 2022 Share Posted April 22, 2022 Maybe it started as a 4mm drawing in RM. It was then enlarged on the new fangled photo copier. What we didn't realise then, was that there tended to be a distortion on one axis often meaning that in one plane the scale was closer to 8mm to the foot. How do I know? My very chunky J52! Best of luck, it deserves saving, if only to remind us of a time when 0 gauge RTR was a genuine pipe dream. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 22, 2022 Author Share Posted April 22, 2022 2 hours ago, 33C said: What mech will you use? Old clockwork, Big Big Train, cheapo, Chinese battery power or rewheeled Scalextric chassis? I'm using the odds and sods I've accumulated over the years (mainly from Ebay). As a starting point, I've a set of etches from a Mercian 16" Barclay, which will provide frames and rods, some aluminium 3 hole wagon wheels and some brass cylinders. i like the rewheeled Scalextric idea though! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 22, 2022 Author Share Posted April 22, 2022 1 hour ago, doilum said: Maybe it started as a 4mm drawing in RM. It was then enlarged on the new fangled photo copier. What we didn't realise then, was that there tended to be a distortion on one axis often meaning that in one plane the scale was closer to 8mm to the foot. How do I know? My very chunky J52! Best of luck, it deserves saving, if only to remind us of a time when 0 gauge RTR was a genuine pipe dream. Very possibly- a valid theory. The same ratio as OO / HO and all the baggage that goes with all that! The Revd Parley made all his 0 gauge locos in the 1920's to 8mm to 1". Can't see the scale catching on though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Asterix2012 Posted April 22, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2022 46 minutes ago, Johnson044 said: Very possibly- a valid theory. The same ratio as OO / HO and all the baggage that goes with all that! The Revd Parley made all his 0 gauge locos in the 1920's to 8mm to 1". Can't see the scale catching on though. 1 1/2 inches per mm sounds ok 37.66mm track gauge to scale double P4? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 22, 2022 Share Posted April 22, 2022 Is it just my screen and eyes or is that made from cardboard? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 24, 2022 Author Share Posted April 24, 2022 It is indeed! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 24, 2022 Author Share Posted April 24, 2022 Some gentle prising apart with a new scalpel blade. I've removed the handrails, which seem to be from plastic rod and I've started to try to re-introduce some right angles. Some 1mm x 2mm NS strip along the back of the footplate valances and some bits of brass to reinforce the cab corners and cure the distortion. I have had half an etch for a GWR Loriot kicking around for ages and this is a really good source of useful brass shapes. I've cur the biggest hole that I can into the underneath of the firebox for the motor. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 24, 2022 Author Share Posted April 24, 2022 On 22/04/2022 at 17:22, Asterix2012 said: 1 1/2 inches per mm sounds ok 37.66mm track gauge to scale double P4? ....a true scratchbuilder's scale! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Living in Dover, a walk along just about any footpath near the White Cliffs usually turns up some bits of short brass tubing in useful sizes (ok - to be pedantic, none of them are truly tubes, as they all taper very slightly). Even so - here are some spectacle rims. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Plus some other bits - springs from the Minicraft Vulcan 2-4-0T kit, a reversing quadrant and rod, some buffer beam parts from the Loriot, a brake standard that I've lengthened to suit the 8mm scale cab side sheet height and a chimney (I'll need to re-profile the base somehow to fit the larger radius of the saddle tank). 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Here's the under works so far - in truth I started this a while ago and I rather ground to a halt with the chassis so turned my attention to the body. Basically as follows: I've assembled and altered some Mercian frames and rods for a 16" Barclay that I got on ebay. The frame profile is very different to the original though. I've cut the bearing holes into slots so I can have wheels permanently on axles and drop them in with keeper plates. Wheels are some ancient aluminium 3 hole ones that I've bored out to take shouldered 3 / 16" axles (to suit the Mercian frames) and insulated with Tri-ang top hat bushes. The motor is a tiny Faulhaber (it's a really light loco and as it's too big for 7mm scale I doubt if I'll ever ask it to haul much) with some Romford 40 to 1 gears bored / sleeved to suit. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Cylinders are some brass ones with brass slide bars that I also picked up on ebay. The big problem for me was how to insulate them from the frames, so I made up some plastikard spacers screwed to both the cylinders and the frames by separate captive 10ba bolts. The motian plate is made up of N/S, with a section of copper clad paxolin sleeper in the middle, gapped to insulate. Crankpins are some lengths of brass rod that I had that someone had drilled and tapped 10BA. They are soldered to little slices of 1/4" copper tube araldited over the centre bosses to the wheels. This gives quite a strong little assembly. Rods are Mercian but I used only the front etch for the connecting rod and bought a set of rods and crossheads for a Hornby GWR 28xx 2-8-0 in 4mm, and ground off the plating and soldered them to the backs of the mercian rods. I used loctite to fit some short lengths of brass channel top and bottom. This was one of my "cunning plans" for re-using cheap 4mm parts but it's all been a bit convoluted. I've cut the original cardboard cylinders (which are simple tubes)so that I can spring them over the brass ones and preserve the lining out. I won't do that until I've painted the chassis and added brake gear though. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Here are the insulated cylinder mountings. The keeper plates are just copper clad paxolin sleeper strips with simple wire scraper pick ups. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 A trial run to see how it might fit together. 11 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted April 27, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 27, 2022 it's already looking amazing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 How is it coming along, any progress? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 Hi 33C - thanks for asking. There has been a little progress but very slow as domestic and work life are busy. Cardboard isn't my forte! I've added a bunker and reverser, some springs, handrails and spectacle lenses. It's noticeably larger than 7mm so the reverser had to sit on a little platform. Next jobs are the safety valve and a sandbox on each side. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 ...and to put the cab back together and hopefully pull it square. I found two pairs of non-matching buffers and was able to adapt one pair to resemble the other - not perfect but good enough. I've re-made the missing lower section of one of the cab steps. Matching paint for touching up the bald bits of cardboard will be interesting. Hopefully some progress over next weekend. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 1 hour ago, Johnson044 said: ...and to put the cab back together and hopefully pull it square. I found two pairs of non-matching buffers and was able to adapt one pair to resemble the other - not perfect but good enough. I've re-made the missing lower section of one of the cab steps. Matching paint for touching up the bald bits of cardboard will be interesting. Hopefully some progress over next weekend. It's looking very good, nice 'n' chunky! (but light as a feather I assume?) 🤓 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted May 25, 2022 Author Share Posted May 25, 2022 A bit more progress. Rather hurried photos and in rather brutal close-up. Needs a sand box on each side, I think. Cab pulled back together as best I can. I did think about making a new cab roof but the point of the exercise is to repair what's there and not try to make a perfect scale model. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Asterix2012 Posted May 25, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2022 Looking good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted June 9, 2022 Author Share Posted June 9, 2022 I think I've done all I'm going to do now. There are still a few less right angles than I'd like and the finish is not as I'd hoped- I do wish I hadn't varnished- but a fresh coat of new Satin varnish has improved things- and I'm glad I added the sand boxes. It waddles along but no layout yet so I'll have to wait until the next EKOGG club day for a proper trial. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson044 Posted June 9, 2022 Author Share Posted June 9, 2022 A couple more. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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