5'3" Broad Gauge Modellers

[VRBroadgauge]

Just to prove that I can actually build things please see exhibit A.

 

I've been building a Victorian Railways 1874 Beyer Peacock & Co. T class 0-6-0 (10.5mm broad gauge) from my etch of my design. It's a bit of a process which frankly scares me constantly. I've soldered the frames together and have sat the drivers in the bearings. The footplate has been positioned on top and the holes for the splashers have been filed out a bit to make sure the wheels move freely. I've just cut out one set of rods and positioned it over the crank pins. I wanted to see if my calculations were correct and the drivers rotate freely.

To my surprise freely rotating drivers were forthcoming. Beginners luck.

 

 

[VRBroadgauge]

A bit of progress on Progress Junction. This will eventually be an exhibition layout to showcase some VR broad gauge 1940’s varnish. The proposed model of the Spirit of Progress is underway with the 11 heavyweight passenger cars already mocked up with some fine 3DP work by Kevin Knight. Etches will be prepared from these masters. The streamlined pacific locomotives are having their chassis crafted by Phil Badger. 
The layout is pretty simple. A single track model of the North Eastern main line with a loop at the far end. There is a descending grade down to the loop. Goods trains will come out of the loop and up the grade. 
The gap in mid photo is for the Goulburn River bridge. There are 2 x 100’ spans and 2 x 40’ approach spans. These have been etched and are under construction. I’ve just roughed in the foam base for the scenery to see what the initial shape of the topography needs to be. 

 

These four modules are about 4.8 meters long. Along with the fiddle yard they fit into two constructed boxes. 

[VRBroadgauge]

 

These are the S class streamlined pacifics that plied the North East main line from Melbourne to Albury and through my home town of Wodonga. The Spirit of Progress was a wonderful thing. It terminated in Albury because of our break of gauge. The whole train was turned on the Y at Wodonga (one leg of which was the Cudgewa Branch line) and then cleaned in the purpose built sheds.

There were four locomotives in the class.

S300: Matthew Flinders

S301: Sir Thomas Mitchell

S302: Edward Henty

S303: CJ La Trobe

 

Tragically they were all cut up.

 

Victorian Railways S class

Type and origin

Power type Steam

Builder Newport Workshops

Build date1928

Total produced 4

 

Specifications

Configuration:
Whyte 4-6-2

Gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

Driver dia. 72+15⁄16 in (1,853 mm)

Length1928: 78 ft 6+3⁄4 in (23.95 m)
1951: 85 ft 6 in (26.06 m)

Axle load 23 LT 10 cwt (23.9 t)

Adhesive weight 70 LT 10 cwt (71.6 t)

Loco weight 1928: 112 LT 5 cwt (114.05 t)
1951: 114 LT 10 c (116.3 t)

Tender weight1928: 82 LT 8 cwt (83.7 t)
1951: 109 LT 7 c (111.10 t)

Total weight 1928: 194 LT 13 cwt (197.77 t)
1951: 223 LT 17 cwt (227.44 t)

Fuel type Coal
Oil

Fuel capacity1928: 9 long tons (9 t)
1951: 2,000 imp gal (9,092 L; 2,402 US gal)

Water cap.1928: 8,600 imp gal (39,096 L; 10,328 US gal)
1951: 12,600 imp gal (57,281 L; 15,132 US gal) water

Firebox:
Firegrate area50 sq ft (4.6 m2)

Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)

Heating surface1928: 3,691 sq ft (342.9 m2)
1951: 3,723 sq ft (345.9 m2)

Superheater:
Heating area570 sq ft (53.0 m2)

Cylinders3

Cylinder size20.5 in × 28 in (521 mm × 711 mm)

Valve gear Walschaerts / Gresley

Valve type10-inch (254 mm) piston valves

Valve travel 6 inches (152 mm)

Valve lap1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm); exhaust lap: −3⁄16 inch (−4.8 mm)

Valve lead 5⁄16 inch (7.9 mm)

Performance figures

Power output at drawbar: 2,300 horsepower (1,720 kW) at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h)

Tractive effort41,670 lbf (185.4 kN) at 85% boiler pressure

Career

Operators Victorian Railways

Numbers S300-S303

Delivered 1928-30

Disposition all scrapped

Edited February 8, 2023 by VRBroadgauge

[VRBroadgauge]

I managed to get the wheels into the tender chassis of my Victorian Railways T class Beyer Peacock 0-6-0. It’s not perfect but I’m pretty happy with the first effort. 
I’m not Jerry or Dr Nick but I am pleased that it’s all my own effort - designed the etch and put the beastie together. Add to that this particular model hasn’t been done and it’s very satisfying. I’m still learning my craft so little wins like this give great encouragement. 

[VRBroadgauge]

The T is now actually starting to look like a T. The drivers and rod are still just sitting in place but it appears that my mathematics and drawings were correct. Footplates line up as they should do. Still a long way to go but pleasing nonetheless. 2mm Finescale 10.5mm Broad Gauge (VR)

[VRBroadgauge]

This evening’s little job was to put the worm and idler gears on the muff and make a couple of 3.9mm stub axles. I then fitted said axles and gears to the T class gearbox. Reasonable free rotation but will need a couple of 0.25mm shims to prevent too much lateral movement. So far so good.

[VRBroadgauge]

More on the T. I made a couple of spacers/shims out of 0.25mm styrene which do the job nicely. The Association muffs are made for standard gauge beasties and are therefore too short. The lateral movement has been minimised and the gears still spin nicely. 
Just to prove it’s not all bunnies and rainbows there was a bit of a problem. The two bearings to the right of the gear axle are there for the rear set of drivers with the included muff and gear. The rear spacer for the chassis is fouling the gear and prevents it from turning. I hadn’t allowed for this in the design drawings. You can’t be right all the time. 
I spent the evening with a file making a slot for said gear to rotate in. I’m about half way there. 
2mm Finescale Broad Gauge VR T Class 0-6-0

[VRBroadgauge]

A bit more success. I’ve managed to insert the drivers and quarter the wheels successfully. The association jig is all kinds of awesome. Had a bit of trouble getting the muffs into position but a little jig was concocted my my friend Steve which cut down the stress and swearing. 
I had a video of the wheels rotating with the rods connected but it was too large for the format. 
I’m a happy camper. 

[Caley Jim]

You can post the video on Youtube and link to it on here. 

 

Jim 

[VRBroadgauge]

Although I have a bit more to do on the mechanism I decided to make a start on the body ( couldn’t resist). 
I’d already etched the cab so I folded it up so that I could determine whether it fit where it was supposed to. A little bit of filing was necessary but we’re somewhere near. I’ve cut the boiler from a piece of brass tube and will have to modify it to fit over the firebox. There needs to be a cut halfway through the tube, a lateral cut made in the bottom and the “wings” straightened and bent down. 
I’ll get a mate to turn up the dome and stack from brass to my specifications. 
The U van is a 3DP from artwork by Steve Bigelow on my etched chassis (got a tri-axle version on the printer). 
So far so good. 
2mm Finescale 10.5mm broad gauge VR T class 0-6-0

[VRBroadgauge]

My wagon fleet as of April 2023. 
20 No. IA wagons (Open top general purpose)
2 No. GZ wagons (Open top general purpose)
11 No. M wagons (Cattle)
5 No. IZ wagons (Open top general purpose)
16 No. K flats (Flat car)
1 No. T van (Insulated Ice Refrigerator)
6 No. U vans (Louvered general purpose)
1 No. WT water gin
1 No. Z van (Guards Van)

Total 63 vehicles

A massive thanks to Kevin Knight at the Burpengary Wagon Works for the construction of most of these along with creating all the decals that adorn these fine models. Also thanks to Steve Bigelow who has been an invaluable help with advice and support. 

Most of these have wheels but only a very few have couplers. I’ve etched drawbars to connect things together until couplers become available. 

2mm Finescale 10.5mm broad gauge VR prototypes
Scratch built from custom 0.3mm nickel silver etches with regauged 2mm Association wheels and Z scale Microtrains couplers.

Edited April 18, 2023 by VRBroadgauge
More explaination necessary

[VRBroadgauge]

Tonight’s job. Fitted and soldered six crank pin washers. Cigarette paper and oil used to great effect. After filing the end of the crank pins I managed to put four washers onto said pins first time in a row. 
All wheels spin freely. 

[VRBroadgauge]

The latest in a long line of etches. This one is of 4 No. vehicles for my VR broad gauge stable. They are a tri axle T van (ice refrigerator), a tri axle U van (louvre box), a bogie UB van (louvre box) and a clestory tri axle F wagon (horse box). 
 

This is an S flat (bogie). I’m modelling in the second war period so these will have carriers, matildas, lees, stewarts, blitz trucks etc as loads. 
 

Archbar bogies that basically fold up in one piece. 
 

Rods and a few other bits and pieces for a Maunsel U class and a King Arthur class for @Laurie2mil  

 

GWR fruit wagon chassis for @Sithlord75

 

Also included were a trial jig for pressing corrugated iron sheets, some curve boards, some detail parts for my T class, some N scale (!) signal ladders and some architectural fascia’s and gutters. 
 

That is all. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by VRBroadgauge
My ignorance of British locomotive classes...

[VRBroadgauge]

The first of many archbar bogies. Still need a couple of cut down BA14 bolts for the coil springs. 
I’m happy with the results. Construction by Steve Bigelow. Basically a one piece etch that just folded up. Apart from journals there is a reinforcement bar on the underside of the bolster to keep the bogie in square. 

[Caley Jim]

I'd call that a diamond frame bogie, but each to his own!😀

 

Jim

[VRBroadgauge]

6 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

I'd call that a diamond frame bogie, but each to his own!😀

 

Jim

We adopted the yank terminology which was the arch bar. I think this design is close to yours but not the same.

[VRBroadgauge]

Bogies fitted to UB wagon chassis. I’m happy with the bolsters. The heights are pretty well spot on. The problem I have with some of the N scale “kit” versions of bogie stock is that the heights are incorrect because the bodies are too narrow. 
Because I’m working to scale off the GA drawings I don’t have that problem. 
Most satisfying. 

[VRBroadgauge]

This is my proposed layout (as per Jerry's thread). It will be built in a purpose constructed "shed" as part of a new house that we are building in the next 12 to 18 months. Attached to the model room will be a workshop/studio, a bathroom and a guest room.

 

The space will be 12m x 7m (about 40' x 24') which is designed to fit in most of what I want (it's never really big enough).

 

The structure will be built out of Bondor panels (basically insulated cool room material) which will make it comfortable for the two extremes of weather we experience in the antipodes. I've learnt the hard way that if it's too hot or too cold nothing gets done. There's a lot to do.

 

We were talking about big spaces. Because I have a reasonably big space I'm able to model bits of this to scale. The Mitta Flats viaduct is a timber trestle with 232 20' openings. I'm able to model the existing natural surface as I have the original center line levels and plans. This is over 9.2m long but fortunately it's level and straight for the good part of it.

 

Tallangatta yard, Beetoomba yard and Cudgewa yard will all be constructed to scale off the original plans (including the topography as there are included contours. Bits of the Darbyshire 1:40 grade and the dual gauge military sidings at Bandiord and Bandolier are also to scale.

 

I wanted the scenery to monster or dominate the trains and that's what I'm trying to achieve.

 

There's a lot to do but I don't plan on doing much else. You could say that this is my final hurrah. :)

LAYOUT CUDGEWA.pdf

Edited August 25, 2023 by VRBroadgauge
Getting old

[VRBroadgauge]

 

I’ve finally got the worm in place temporarily. I can rotate the worm with tweezers and the drivers rotate at a glacial speed. My mathematics has held up. 
However, having ordered worms with the incorrect bore there is a problem. There beasties have a 1mm bore - not the required and designed 1.5mm. Upon having drilled this bore out to the correct size (during the 2mm Association AGM last evening) I foolishly used a reamer for the last little bit. I stupidly forgot about the taper. A rookie mistake. 
No press fit. I did think about loctite but I just know that the shaft would pull the glue through and weld itself to the bearings. 
Back to the shop I go. A lesson learnt. 
 

At least I know my gearbox design works. 
First time. 😁

[VRBroadgauge]

The first of my S flats beautifully constructed by the Burpengary Wagon Work’s chief Engineer @Sithlord75
I’m extremely pleased with the result. 
2mm Finescale 10.5mm broad gauge Victorian Railways. Nickel silver etch with 2mm Association finescale wheel sets. Custom decals to be applied and Z scale Microtrains couplers to be fitted. 
 

[VRBroadgauge]

 

There seems to be a liking amongst my British brethren for horse boxes. I’ve done a number of etches for various British railway companies. This little beastie is a Victorian Railways F wagon (5’3” gauge).

The Cudgewa branch of which I’m modelling used these on a regular basis. There was a station at Wabba (Wob-ba) that was never built. It had an earth platform adjacent to the main (no siding) where trains would pull up and discharge horses. The F wagon could carry 6 horses and a crew in the middle compartment. These wagons had clestory windows for some reason. This model is of the original 1925 version. There is a bogie version that carried 12 horses which I may or may not do. 
 

 

 

The positioning dowels worked a treat. Once more, my mathematics passed the test. 

[VRBroadgauge]

Why have I put up a pretty picture of some cow paddock? This is the future home of my long anticipated 2mm Finescale layout of Cudgewa. 
We’ve taken possession of 5 acres of land at Yackandandah. We’re hopeful that we will be in our new residence and super shed by this time next year. I have planned a 12m x 7m layout room with attached workshop and guest room. 
A long time dream will be realised.
 

[VRBroadgauge]

A present from my brother (who will become invested in the layout build). 
Aged new signage. 
One for the layout door and one for the front gate. 

 

[VRBroadgauge]

2024 is a big year for Cudgewa. The start of the build. There’s quite a few planets that have to line up but I’m quietly confident. 
This post is probably a bit silly but excitement trumps reason. 
A package arrived yesterday from the Association. Contained within was enough rail and about a third of the sleepers required to lay my main line. My design is point to point so I’ll be starting at the fiddle yard and progressing to the buffer stops at Cudgewa. The plan is to do the main line first and then come back and fill in the gaps. 
The pic below shows 75 metres (240 odd feet) of track (need more sleepers). 
I haven’t been this excited about modelling since I learned to etch. 
 

[VRBroadgauge]

Because I can’t do much heavy duty modeling in the next twelve or so months (moving house, selling a house, building a house), I can do some extended planning. The great John Allen of Gorre & Daphetid fame was an incredible planner. He never made a move without sorting it out well in advance. He made models of his models prior to construction and referred to them often during. 
Exhibit A of Cudgewa. I’ve designed the bench work and backdrop to suit. I’m confident most problems can be worked out before I start cutting timber.