Nick Dunhill's Workbench - GNR Stirling Single

[nickd]

Lots of significant progress in the last few days.  I finished fitting up the impossibly complicated brake system first.  Next I made some cylinder heads in nickel-silver as the ones on the etches were in brass.  I soldered them to a sheet of NS though and drilled through the half etched 'rivet' holes.  I soldered fake fastners into the holes

 

 

As can be seen, I also added some fake fastners to the cylinder clothing at the bottom of the smokebox.

 

The next step was to make the front footplate, chassis sections and bufferbeam.  The buffers were made self contained, and fitted within the plastikard buffer plank.

 

 

Lots of fake fastners were used on the front of the chassis!

 

 

The wheels were placed in the chassis and the rear section of footplate fitted up such that it was perfectly level.  This was done on a surface plate for accuracy.  The footplate was temporarily tacked to the chassis, and the complete smokebox and front chassis soldered to it.  Some brass angle was used as a strengthener, and I may add some temporary bracing before the boiler is added to stiffen the structure.

 

On the real loco the bogie splasher is attached to the chassis, and is releaved to fit round the cylinders.  On my model the splasher is fixed to the bogie, and I cut away a small section, very similar in shape and size to the real loco, and enlarged it, bit by bit, until the loco went round a 6' rad curve!

 

 

As you can see it didn't need much grinding.

 

With a rolling chassis complete I thought it would be good to fit up the valve gear and check for free running.  I had recieved a pair of 3D printed valve blocks from Mike Hopkins at Scale Factor (he's sent quite a lot of fittings for the build,) and these were fitted to the chassis.

 

 

The eccentric straps were fitted to the eccentrics on either side of the gearbox.  The expansion links were hung on the underslung lifting links.  The inside motion worked first try, which made me very happy.  I must be getting reasonably good at it!

 

 

 

 

There's a couple of minor things to add to the chassis to complete it, then just the bodywork to complete.  Not long now.....

[nickd]

I have now made the cab and splasher assemblies.  The etches were spot on and pretty easy to assemble.  I took a lot of care when forming the footplate and the splashers therefore fitted without any drama or fakery.  Here's everything tacked together.

 

 

I then made the front guard irons and all the components for the slidebars, piston glands and crossheads.  The slidebars are simply cut from brass section, the piston glands are made using telescoping tubing and some left-over flange etchings.  The crossheads are made from scrap brass and nickel silver and some rods.  You can see in this picture the way I attached them to the piston rear using drills, rods and the crossheads as spacers and jigs.  All very satisfactory and not a 3D print in sight!

 

 

The etches for the rods came from Mick Davies and his magic CAD.  Some prototypical looking crankpin nuts were also made.

 

 

I also worked my way through a fairly lenghty list of other details such as vacuum pipes, assorted lubricators, a couple of long reach rods (reversing and cylinder drain cock.)  I added some cast cylinder drain cocks using modified Laurie Griffin castings.

 

Now I just need to put on my Big-Boy's Pants and make the boiler.  A lot of the above detail work was really just aversion therapy, as the boiler is going to be very tricky.

 

The boiler clothing on the real loco is flattened as it passes behind the back of the sand boxes and splasher.  You can see it here in the drawing.  Also if you look at the second boiler band in this photo of no 1008 you can clearly see that the curve flattens out ahead of the sand box.

 

 

 

The issues with making a boiler to fit are also exacerbated by the facts that the boiler will be prototypical diameter but the frames, and therefore splashers and sand boxes, will be closer together.  I'm fully expecting to have to make a second boiler before I get something that fits nicely.

 

If anyone could tell me what the rivet detail looks like on the top of an atlantic cab (as pic) I'd be grateful for your help.

 

[nickd]

''It's you Nick in your big shorts!''

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly there. 

 

(50 credibility points if you get the above ref, and 15 extra if you're not a Mancunian.)

[nickd]

(It was Frank Sidebottom in case you were all wondering.)

 

Well here it is nearly finished.  I've added tons of small details such as a draw beam and fall plate, the chimney (with lamp iron) etc etc.

 

 

 

 

The cab needs some nice castings for the backhead and the loco needs a pair of injectors.  Mike Hopkins from Scale Factor has promised me them early in the new year.  Mike has supplied lots of the castings for this model in cast brass and 3D print form, he has them all in his range of castings.  There are also some 3D prints from Mick Davies.  This model has been a challenge, and the handrail fought me to the end too!

 

Happy Xmas to all and I'll upgrade this blog in the new year when the loco is complete.  

 

Mike Morris GWR 155 tank next.  Anyone made one?

Edited December 21, 2023 by nickd

[nickd]

Earlier this week I got a large bag of castings from Mike Hopkins.  They were castings that were derived from 3D prints and the quality was astounding.  

 

 

There were other bits and pieces to be done, such as the whistle, injectors etc etc.  The loco is now finished.

 

 

 

There's a few more pics from Dunhill HQ here;  

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144381574@N05/

 

I have to take the loco to Modelyard in Leeds to get the decoder tuned and synced, and then strip for paint.

[nickd]

 

 

 

Here's a few snaps of the (nearly) finished loco.  Warren Haywood painted it.

[Bucoops]

Simply stunning.