OO 30368 builds a model of 30368 for 70D

[30368]

 

Many, many years ago, when I still lived at home, we moved to the village of Old Basing and went to school in Basingstoke. On the way to school, walking from the Bus Station to school, we had to pass Basingstoke Engine shed. Each morning my brother and I would walk along the grassy bank and looked over the spear fence to check out what was on shed. One engine we knew would always be present was 700 class 30368, a long time resident of that shed, and laterly fitted with a snow plough - Basingstoke was one of the highest spots in Hampshire. 30368 was a reminder of times past and a proper LSWR survivor.

 

Hornby make a really nice model of Mr Drummond's 700 class (as modified by Mr Urie)  0-6-0. I have a number of them and was satisfied. This was fine until Phil (Mallard60022) very generousely gave me a spare PDK 700 class kit having no further use for it given the Hornby model. I have now finished Phil's H15 for him so it seemed the right thing to do next. So here goes an attempt to build a very good kit into something that equals the very high quality of ready to run models that we are blessed with.

 

The Hornby model is really first class.

 

Phil had assembled the chassis, motor and gearbox and coupling rods. I have just added the leaf and coil springs to the chassis.

 

 

KInd regards,

 

Richard B

Edited April 10, 2023 by 30368

[Mallard60022]

18 hours ago, 30368 said:

 

Many, many years ago, when I still lived at home, we moved to the village of Old Basing and went to school in Basingstoke. On the way to school, walking from the Bus Station to school, we had to pass Basingstoke Engine shed. Each morning my brother and I would walk along the grassy bank and looked over the spear fence to check out what was on shed. One engine we knew would always be present was 700 class 30368, a long time resident of that shed, and laterly fitted with a snow plough - Basingstoke was one of the highest spots in Hampshire. 30368 was a reminder of times past and a proper LSWR survivor.

 

Hornby make a really nice model of Mr Drummond's 700 class (as modified by Mr Urie)  0-6-0. I have a number of them and was satisfied. This was fine until Phil (Mallard60022) very generousely gave me a spare PDK 700 class kit having no further use for it given the Hornby model. I have now finished Phil's H15 for him so it seemed the right thing to do next. So here goes an attempt to build a very good kit into something that equals the very high quality of ready to run models that we are blessed with.

 

The Hornby model is really first class.

 

Phil had assembled the chassis, motor and gearbox and coupling rods. I have just added the leaf and coil springs to the chassis.

 

 

KInd regards,

 

Richard B

Good to see that being revived R. If I Remember Correctly it was the tender Coal Bars that made me put it away as well as the Red Box Company introducing theirs just after I bought the kit from E bay. I dread to think how that Gearbox will function!

methinks it will be a labour of much love for you AND it will turn out just as you want it as a reminder of those heady days of yore. 

By these stories I should be building 30183 (O2), as that was the Yard Pilot at Devonport King's Road from 1958 to 1960/61 and I saw that almost every School day as I walked from the Bus Stop, or just walked!

Memories, memories.

Phil

[30368]

On 11/04/2023 at 10:23, Mallard60022 said:

30183 (O2)

Hi Phil,

 

That reminds me - I started by apprenticeship at Eastleigh Works Apprentice Training School on Monday 2nd September 1963. On early port of call that first week was the Easteigh Scrap road. I remember it was a lovely sunny week and I recall vividly 02 30199 awaiting her end. The tank sides had lost a lot of the black paint and the red lead was showing through. If you have a copy of Eastleigh Steam Centre of the South Western - Barry J. Eagles - page 60 has a wonderful picture of 199 just as I remember her. Memories indeed.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

Edited April 12, 2023 by 30368

[30368]

 

Hi,

Update on the chassis. The images I had of 700 class suggested that the loc guard irons were mounted on the inside of the frame but this was not clear so a quick analysis of the excellent collection on 700 class images on Smugmug confirmed that this was the case. I also noted a series of rivet heads on the extended frames when these loco's were superheated by Mr Urie. So suitable scraps of thin brass sheet were used to make some frame overlay's.

 

Firebox ash pan soldered in position too. I will bend the guard irons into place when the chassis is complete.

 

I have assembled the chassis with the motor /gearbox mounted under the firebox, providing it clears ok, I will actually mount it towards the smokebox. With the wheels in position the next job will be the pickups and finally the brake gear.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[30368]

Chassis now ready for running in. The pick-ups are a hybrid of the wiper type on the leading and middle driver and an Alan Gibson plunger on the trailing axle due to the lack of clearance around the firebox ashpan. Seems to work fine. It is a live chassis determined by the wheels that came with the kit.

 

Firstly the gear box train is run in - forward and reverse. Phil, the gearbox clearances are just fine, I know that you built this some time ago so a good job!

 

Then the coupling rods fitted.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

30368

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by 30368

[Blandford1969]

How do you get on with the Gibson's they have a reputation for sticking over time?

[Mallard60022]

2 hours ago, 30368 said:

Chassis now ready for running in. The pick-ups are a hybrid of the wiper type on the leading and middle driver and an Alan Gibson plunger on the trailing axle due to the lack of clearance around the firebox ashpan. Seems to work fine. It is a live chassis determined by the wheels that came with the kit.

 

Firstly the gear box train is run in - forward and reverse. Phil, the gearbox clearances are just fine, I know that you built this some time ago so a good job!

 

Then the coupling rods fitted.

Kind regards,

30368

Good news R.

P

[30368]

13 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

How do you get on with the Gibson's they have a reputation for sticking over time?

 

Yes I believe so although I understand that silicon based lubricants help, I'll report back.

 

I really had no choice given the ash pan arrangement on the 700 class.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[30368]

Chassis is just about complete with brake gear fitted. Runs really well.

Boiler requires a fair amount of bending to get the profile correct. I use copper wire to squeeze the boiler together for soldering over a wooden former.

 

Chassis in plan view.

 

 

 

The firebox profile will be created after the boiler seam is soldered.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

Edited April 15, 2023 by 30368

[DCB]

Do you have a plan on how to get the motor in the boiler?   It looks to me like one of those things which would work if you could assemble  it,

Edited April 15, 2023 by DCB

[30368]

3 hours ago, DCB said:

Do you have a plan on how to get the motor in the boiler?   It looks to me like one of those things which would work if you could assemble  it,

 

Having now, mostly, assembled the boiler it seems unlikely that mounting the drive train into the boiler/smokebox will be possible due to the size of the gearbox and the need to probably extend the boiler cut out to clear the box. That would defeat the object of the exercise. I will though, give it a try.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[DCB]

Vertical motor in the firebox would avoid cutting the boiler barrel if you accepted a max load of 2 coaches or 5 wagons. I wondered if you would slip the motor down the boiler barrel to engage the drive after fitting body to chassis.   I found the only way to keep a round barrel and a gear free cab and still pull a decent train on small locos is a tender mounted motor, but then again the original Guy Williams Pendon 28XX  pulling 100 wagons is my idea of decent pulling power.

Edited April 16, 2023 by DCB

[30368]

6 hours ago, DCB said:

Vertical motor in the firebox would avoid cutting the boiler barrel if you accepted a max load of 2 coaches or 5 wagons.

 

Yes I take your point but really not an option! Tony Wright would have something to say about a loco capable of pulling only 2 coaches!

 

The high pitched boiler on the 700 creates both an opportunity and a dilemma!

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[Mallard60022]

5 hours ago, 30368 said:

Chassis is just about complete with brake gear fitted. Runs really well.

Boiler requires a fair amount of bending to get the profile correct. I use copper wire to squeeze the boiler together for soldering over a wooden former.

 

Chassis in plan view.

 

 

 

The firebox profile will be created after the boiler seam is soldered.

Kind regards,

Richard B

I suspect this is one of the reasons I put it away in a dark place! I am not afraid of chunky White Metal Boilers/Firboxes/Smokeboxes, BUT getting a Brass tube to look correct....I'd leave that to an Engineer I thought...ah, my wish has come true!

Looking good; you obviously like a challenge R?

Glad the Chassis is was easier this time.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

Vertical Motor in the Firebox and Loads of lead in the Boiler and Smokebox; balanced of course.

However if it was just a Snow Plough Engine, it would sit on Shed for 360 days a Year as 72As twins did; just sayin'!

Phil

[30368]

49 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Vertical Motor in the Firebox and Loads of lead in the Boiler and Smokebox; balanced of course.

However if it was just a Snow Plough Engine, it would sit on Shed for 360 days a Year as 72As twins did; just sayin'!

Phil

 

Thanks Phil. Yes 30368 was fitted with a snow plough and I will be looking at scratch building one later. I think the gearbox built by you will fit either one way or another. We shall see.

 

My layout aims to model the BR life of 70D and its engines so 30368, sheded there all its BR life, will eventually need a snowplough that can revert back to normal for earlier periods. The loco's that I have built (L12, S11, G6, N15X etc) reflect the need to have examples of all the loco types that were shedded at 70D between Jan 1948 until 1967.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[30368]

I am very pleased with how the boiler is coming together, PDK kits always well thought out.

 

Smokebox wrapper prepared for soldering.

 

A piece of brass wire stuffed down the chimney pilot hole helps to align the wrapper before soldering.

 

Main boiler construction now complete.

 

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

Edited April 16, 2023 by 30368

[Blandford1969]

Not sure if it helps I looked through the negatives and original slides in my collection which are already scanned and came across these couple of 30368

I hold the copyright on these and hope they are of use to you as part of making this kit

Best wishes

Duncan

 

 

[Blandford1969]

Just to confirm your thoughts here is the front framing on 30368 which confirms your thoughts as well.

[30368]

31 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

I hold the copyright on these and hope they are of use to you as part of making this kit

 

Duncan,

 

Thanks so much for these two great images, they will be very helpful. I see that 368 lost her Dub's Builders Plate, at least on the firemans side, by 1961/2. The image of the snowplough particularly useful. That's how I remember her.

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[30368]

I have now painted the chassis and reassembled with the drive train in the conventional position, back towards the cab. I have shortened the motor shaft to maximise the possibility of a detailed cab.

The boiler needs some fettling to fit over the drive train, fortunately not much.

 

Chassis runs just as well in the revised configuration.

 

The centre spasher will hide the gearbox to a great extent and on this side the reverser lever will help too.

 

 Fair bit of motor into the cab...

 

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Richard B

 

 

[Mallard60022]

5 minutes ago, 30368 said:

I have now painted the chassis and reassembled with the drive train in the conventional position, back towards the cab. I have shortened the motor shaft to maximise the possibility of a detailed cab.

The boiler needs some fettling to fit over the drive train, fortunately not much.

 

Chassis runs just as well in the revised configuration.

 

The centre spasher will hide the gearbox to a great extent and on this side the reverser lever will help too.

 

 Fair bit of motor into the cab...

Kind regards,

Richard B

Shame I didn't fit a shorter Motor. Never even thought about it at the time. Maybe I didn't have the proper Destructions; can't remember that either?

That's one heck of a gap under the Boiler Richard.

You have the patience of a very patient Saint.

Phil

[30368]

On 18/04/2023 at 15:15, Mallard60022 said:

Shame I didn't fit a shorter Motor. Never even thought about it at the time. Maybe I didn't have the proper Destructions; can't remember that either?

That's one heck of a gap under the Boiler Richard.

You have the patience of a very patient Saint.

 

The motor is fine Phil, I'm very grateful. The kit has the instructions but limited value really, anyway I never read them now....I know, you can tell.

Gap under boiler is large but no splashers yet and they will close it. It is in line with the Hornby "Mentor" model. If you really knew me you would never accuse me of patience....

 

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by 30368

[30368]

Splashers constructed and fitted. A very fiddly job.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Richard B

[Mallard60022]

That looks better. They are big Splashers...oh er misses.

Looking Good.

Meanwhile, many miles south of Basingstoke, an inexperienced 'Apprentice Track Ganger' is struggling with a dodgy bit of ground above a Tunnel and some indecently bendy bits of Terrain.

P