Barclay BR Class 06

[k22009]

This is a 4mm kit from Mike and Judith Edge, it comes with just about everything except wheels/gears/motor.

 

So this is what the etches look like, wheels are Gibson there's a small Mashima motor and at the moment a Branchlines gearbox although that may change. Mike includes alternative cab rears, and parts for using Romford or Gibson wheels.

 

 

I marked up a drawing with all of the item numbers so i didn't have to keep referring back to the parts list when following the nstructions

 

 

Chassis first up and with this one i decided to use the swinging arms provided.

The spacers fit into half etched recesses on the inside of the frames, once i had them fitted to one side i offered up the other and along with a couple of long 1/8" rods through the axle bushesto ensure all was square it was fully soldered up. Mike uses pins for the pivot on the swinging arms but i decided to use a rod and split tubes. One change to Mike's instructions are that the bushes are needed on both the axle and jackshaft holes in the arms as the jackshaft holes as etched are much bigger than an 1/8" and the rear axle holes need opening out to fit bushes as they appear to be just under 1/8".

 

 

The front bushes will need filing down.

 

 

I'll add all of the sandboxes, brakes etc at the end so it's on with the footplate next.

[Waveydavey]

Well this is very useful as I’ve been putting off starting my JE06 for ages trying to get my head around the compensation beams. As you’ve put the bearings for the rear axle and jack shaft drive in the beams I can see that the jack shaft drive will move a little. I had convinced myself the bearing for it would be in the frame from the outside with the hole in the compensation beam enlarged to allow movement.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I built an NBL 0-4-0 with these beams. If you don't get on with them, just fit High Level hornblocks in the rear axle, along with the central pivot from the kit, and compensate in the usual way. The beams let you compensate without hornblocks. 

[Enfys_Rainbow]

Thanks for posting this - I'll follow with interest.

 

I have this on my to-do pile - although I didn't built it myself. Few bits missing that I'll have to replace.

 

Matt

[k22009]

The buffer beams are made up from several layers and are sweated together in one shot, you need to get the iron hot as the brass soon sucks the heat out of it. 

 

 

The buffer beams are soldered onto the underside of the footplate by using the assembled frames they are butted up to the backs to keep them square, fold up assemblies for the steps are added to half etched recesses in the underside. Mike suggests before adding the steps to solder in place the  grab irons as there is very little room to get to solder underneath after the steps are in place.  The jacking points have also been attached to the buffer beam fronts. 

 

 

With the valences attached the frames can be removed and lo and behold we have a nice square flat platform.

 

 

You have to chose which prototype to build from this point as the cab rear had 3 windows for the early units and 2 windows in the later. The window frames were all fitted before assembling as a unit as its easier when they are flat, but it all fits together nicely.

The cab and bonnet are assembled on a separate base that bolts down to the main footplate with 6 screws. Mike suggests grease between the 2 layers so that you only solder to the base unit rather than the footplate. However i prefer to use brass black as it's less messy but does the same job. Handrails and rivet strips added to the cab sides.  There are cab interior details to add next before the floor, doors and roof go on.

 

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

9 hours ago, k22009 said:

However i prefer to use brass black

 

Indelible felt pen for me, laundry marker etc.

 

Mike.

[k22009]

Mostly bits and pieces that are hidden inside the cab, control desk with overlays, seats, handbrake pillar, air reservoirs completed. The roof is loose mainly as i need to paint the interior and add a driver, i've added a couple of strips of scrap etch to the front and rear inside edges so that it's located in the right position so i might just leave it that way. 

The lamp irons are a bit of a fiddle, they never seem to come out as i'd hope, doors and handles also attached.

 

 

 

 

The bonnet is easily formed there are half etched recesses on the inside to position the corners, i used a 2mm rod to form the corners before just using fingers after to get it sitting level, although a loose former would have taken the guess work away (you couldn't fit one in the middle as the motor and gearbox fill the inside of most of the bonnet). The fuel tank formers fit to the cab front and into half etched slots on the inner baseplate. The front is fitted from the inside as it has the Barclay name etched onto the front i you wouldn't want to get stray solder anywhere near it, i've filed the corners to leave a small radius

 

 

[Rosie Taylor]

This is so helpful, I've had my eyes on one of these kits for ages. I love the prototype but have had to make do with a heavily modified version of the Hornby "model"

[Michael Edge]

On 18/11/2023 at 19:46, Waveydavey said:

Well this is very useful as I’ve been putting off starting my JE06 for ages trying to get my head around the compensation beams. As you’ve put the bearings for the rear axle and jack shaft drive in the beams I can see that the jack shaft drive will move a little. I had convinced myself the bearing for it would be in the frame from the outside with the hole in the compensation beam enlarged to allow movement.

The jackshaft axle doesn't move, the swinging arm has a large hole to allow it to move around the fixed axle. The bearings for the jackshaft axle should be fitted in the frames as you say - in full size this axle is the gearbox output shaft and the gearbox is bolted between the frames.

[Michael Edge]

Very nice work and thanks for your clear description of how you did it - I'm a bit puzzled about the way you have fitted the axle bushes though.

[k22009]

25 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

I'm a bit puzzled about the way you have fitted the axle bushes though.

 

I didn't realise the jackshaft axle was intended to be fixed on the model so i've fitted bushes to both locations on the swinging arms.

 

I've added the doors to the bonnet which are just soldered at the bottom, the wire locking handles are soldered from the inside which also locates the upper portion of the doors, the fuel tank has had the wrapper fitted and handrails, ladders all positioned. 

 

 

 

 

I split the coupling rods to articulate them and finally stripped evryhting down to it's assemblis so that i can eventually clean it before it gets its paint coats (that'll have to wait until better weather conditions)

 

 

 

 

It's been a really good kit, everything as expected fitted without any issues. 

[Michael Edge]

Does it still work OK with the jackshaft axle moving? It hadn’t occurred to me that anyone would do that, the swinging arms often pass around the fixed gearbox axle in our kits - the idea is to make them as long as possible in this case as the arc they travel in is not concentric with the coupling rod movement.

[k22009]

Works nicely, the jackshaft is pretty much where it's supposed to be though as the trackwork isn't bad. So although the swinging arm can move in practice it doesn't need to do much at all, and i haven't got a Mike Sharman style test track to give it a good workout.

[Michael Edge]

That's the mistake most compensation systems make - far too much movement, I'm not sure Mike was entirely to blame but he certainly paved the way. I'm glad it works, perhaps it's a good job the hole in the swinging arm was drawn concentric with the gearbox axle.....

Thanks for the publicity and excellent photos by the way.

[Daddyman]

Just found this thread and hope I'm not too late. 

 

It's not a flaw with the kit as such, but I think it requires a modification to better represent the curve between bonnet front and bonnet sides. Photos on Flickr suggest the radius is greater than can be achieved by filing a curve on the components as supplied - as most builders of this kit do. On mine, I soldered some 1mm square rod up the back of the corner seam and then filed the radius on the outside - without the 1mm rod you'd break through the metal when filing the corners.