The Lesdham & Hereford Railway - some freelance models

[Johnson044]

MEL also made up also some inner frames for the tender wheelsets (by inner frames, I mean inside the thin cosmetic outside frames, not between the wheels- the photos should explain this). A pet dislike of mine is inside bearings on tender wheelsets and, although the bearings I have are simple plain holes in 1.5mm brass rather than pin point bearings they turn very freely and the thick brass gives quite a decent bearing surface.

[Johnson044]

The tender has a way to go yet- I’ve added a spectacle plate to give the crew some protection when running tender-first and a Stroudley-esque full-width toolbox at the back may follow. These, plus a conventional brake pillar and tank filler should hopefully disguise the Webb LNWR origin a bit. 

[Johnson044]

Just before the first lockdown I took a box of wheels to Bob Fridd and he painted and lined them for me and hopefully the rest of the loco will follow one day when it’s done. The boiler is 30mm acrylic tube BTW.

 

Still a long way to go but I'm happier by far with the general form.

[magmouse]

I see what you mean about the boiler height - getting that lower and the new boiler fittings do give that 19th century feel. Same with the tender and spectacle plate.

 

Nick.

[NeilHB]

She's a beauty John, the lowered boiler and fittings make a big difference to the overall appearance, and really help to give it that Victorian style/aesthetic. 

[Johnson044]

Thanks Neil and Magmouse. Hopefully some progress over the festive break. On the other hand, shed cold and full of son's dismantled Honda. Might just commandeer a corner of a table and finish a wagon or something. Or - just maybe - stop chickening out and try to come up with a cohesive layout plan! Maybe!

 

 

[Johnson044]

Well – Christmas came and went. The guilt-fuelled frenzy of consumption stopped at the end of the day on the 25th, along with the Christmas songs on the radio, the perfume ads came to an end and the media immediately started to urge us to go out and get a new electric car, go to Weight Watchers or buy a new kitchen (but why don’t they ever hint at what’s likely to happen to the old one?) .The front gardens of Dover overflow with wrapping paper and abandoned appliances - the packaging for the replacement appliance usually nearby. But - It’s still Christmas for days yet! So – the carols and festive songs continue at least in this household. Much to be positive about. I’m not in a small boat in the Channel, a tyrant hasn’t had my house shelled and made my family homeless, the dog hasn’t bitten anyone for ages, there are loads of leftovers still to eat – and a bit of free time for a few days, so time to try to complete an old, stalled project.

[Johnson044]

I have a definite thing about 4-4-0’s, especially small, late Victorian ones. About five years ago I picked up a part-built small Sharp-Stewart example of the breed- part of the estate of the late Peter Hingley that had been passed by his family to the East Kent 0 Gauge Group for disposal.  I reasoned that if the Cambrian and Furness both had these then with a twist of fate and a little light re-writing of History the Ledsham & Hereford could have had one too.  

 

Peter had done a lot of work on the little engine but it was far from finished- he had so many projects on the go at any one time. Much of what was there was really good – the rivets had been formed accurately, the chimney was excellent and the dimensions generally were about right- but there were various aspects of the model that I found contrasted in terms of quality with the good bits. The driving wheels, of the right diameter, number of spokes etc, had been nicely turned but the crank throw was enormous- and I didn’t think I’d be able to hide the slotted nuts on the axle ends. Peter had been experimenting with split axles and the tender wheels had insulated axles of about a scale 15” in diameter so they had to go as well (the axles, I mean – the wheels will go under a future 2-2-2’s tender- one day). The frames were massively constructed and I wanted inside valve gear, so they would have to go as well.

 

This is the loco as I got her- for a very reasonable £40.

[Johnson044]

The loco gradually became shorn of all the bits I thought I should replace and in the end I kept the core of parts as follows:

Footplate, valances and cab
Firebox front
Chimney
Bogie wheels
Coupling rods
Motor and gears
Tender tank
Tender frames, steps, axleboxes 

Here’s an interim photo, at the stage she stayed at until the mixed blessing of Furlough gave me time for a sudden spate of railway activity: The new boiler is acrylic tube and the splasher beading and smokebox saddle were parts that I put in odd corners of the etches for the double-framed goods. The safety valves and one or two other parts I bought from Dragon Models, who made a kit for one of these.
 

[Johnson044]

I've found some more photos on a derelict memory stick. Here's the basic loco starting to take shape. Peter Hingley's riveted footplate shows up well, along with the chimney that he had turned up. I made a new smokebox using the EK0GG rivet press, which they kindly lent me. The dome, I think, is a GW one.

[Johnson044]

I drew up an etch for the frames and valve gear and sent it off to PPD but this coincided with the arrival of Covid and they shut down for quite a while so I was only able to start on the under works after the first lockdown came to an end. I put various other parts on the etch including bits for the tender brake gear. When I started to assemble the etched parts, which were in NS, I realised I'd made some significant errors- the shape of the motion plate, which should have been taller and with a curved top, the length of the connecting rods (fortunately I'd drawn them too long) and the Stephenson's Link motion was entirely generic as I didn't have a decent drawing and never really understood how the weighshaft assembly worked until I found a drawing for a small Sharp-Stewart GER 2-4-0, which had a similar arrangement.

 

The nickel silver soldered together beautifully. I used some plastic underhung springs that I had for the rear axle and some Laurie Griffin coil springs for the driving axle. The ashpan assembly is from plastikard and bits of plastic from the Minicraft 2-4-0 kit.

 

[Johnson044]

Lockdown and furlough gave me some time to catch up on a lot of DIY and I made quite a bit of progress with the upper works and tender using what I had to hand. I was so grateful to have my hobby. Bob Fridd couldn't be visited but he had let me in on the secrets of the paint mix for "Minter's Improved Engine Green" and, having "Caer Caradoc", "Long Mynd" and "The Lawley" to hand I tried to copy what he'd done on my other engines. Where he'd lined everything out by hand I cheated with painted decal paper, bits of transfers and black and white gel pens. Not in the same league as his work but I was quite pleased at the way things began to come together.

[Johnson044]

I made the front bogie up from the etched parts from the fret I drew up and added some white metal axleboxes / equalising beams and cosmetic outer frames from Laurie Griffin, together with some plastic springs that I had.

 

 

[Johnson044]

I tried to match the hand painted lettering that Bob had done on my other engines by cutting up some S E & CR lettering by Fox Transfers. The name and works plates are by Narrow Planet.

 

This was the stage I eventually reached in late 2020 and the loco then sat in this state until very recently- mainly due to work & family commitments but also because I rather chickened out of the final work necessary to try to get it to run. I was very, very pleased though when I entered it in it's still un-finished state in the EK0GG annual modelling competition in late 2021 and she too the best loco award.

 

Still quite a bit to do - and, I think, quite a bit of tweaking.

[Johnson044]

The state of play on Boxing Day morning- quite a bit of rust and corrosion despite a year in a warm, dry glass cabinet. I must take more care to rinse off any flux in future.

[Johnson044]

Brake shoes are Slater's, of course. The sandboxes just hang over the tops of the frames and are trapped in place by the footplate.

 

By yesterday morning primer and paint applied and a trial assembly. Pushes along quite freely but one bogie axle sticks and I can't yet fathom out why.  

[Johnson044]

The current pick ups are Chuffs / Sevenscal ones designed for their L&Y Pug kit. 

 

[Johnson044]

About as far as I'm likely to go this year, I think,

 

So- to all of you good folk that have looked in at this thread- and shown so much friendship and encouragement- I wish you all the happiest of New Years. 

 

Very best wishes to you all

 

John

[Johnson044]

Loosely assembled and with motor not yet fitted. Bogie wheels still stick and the wiper current pick ups to the tender front & rear axles are far too stiff so the tender's a bit of a drag... the fall plate came from the Hachette partworks A4 cab etch that I couldn't resist @ £1.99 and the backhead is based on a Slater's Johnson Midland one.

[Johnson044]

A couple more.

[NeilHB]

She looks superb John, simply superb! 

[Johnson044]

Thank you for the kind words Neil! If only I could get her to run properly!

[RedGemAlchemist]

On 06/01/2023 at 13:46, Johnson044 said:

Loosely assembled and with motor not yet fitted. Bogie wheels still stick and the wiper current pick ups to the tender front & rear axles are far too stiff so the tender's a bit of a drag... the fall plate came from the Hachette partworks A4 cab etch that I couldn't resist @ £1.99 and the backhead is based on a Slater's Johnson Midland one.

Good lord, that is gorgeous! Very well done Johnson, she looks fantastic and I'm certain will look brilliant with a rake of coaches behind her!

[Johnson044]

Thank you RedGem - hopefully one day I might have a railway for her to run on - when I can get her to run properly!

[sir douglas]

just catching up on other people's threads I have somehow missed this past year, amazing quality modelling Johnson