Keyser TVR 'S Class' kit. Help!

[CEINEWYDD]

Has anybody out there have any (relevant) experience in assembling/ enhancing the Chassis for one of these???

 

I have just opened up a very second hand kit of the above, and looked closely at it.  The wheels seem to have been "improved" by inserting a brass bush in the appropriate orifice.  I have a packet of 14BA  nuts 'n bolts to use as crankpins  which is the correct size.  (There are some other missing plastic nuts, bolts, bushes, spacers, none of which should bother me - I hope.) 

 

However has anyone out there used replacement (Markits??) wheels instead of K's offering?? And what issues cropped up??

If not I will have a go at applying the well known suck it and see principle with my fingers and toes crossed.  My other hobby is being a contortionist.

 

[Steamport Southport]

Got a "mint" one a little while ago. Hardly looked at it, but I intend to replace the chassis with an Ambis one and a High Level gearbox and motor. The motor provided seems far too big for such a small prototype.

 

https://ambisengineering.co.uk/

 

I think Nucast do a replacement chassis as well.

 

Wheels will probably be replaced by Gibson ones.

 

4835 2’9”  10 Spoke Hudswell Clark

 

If you haven't seen this I would think it might be of interest.

 

https://www.colinbinnie.com/taff-vale.html

 

And you've also got Lord Mayor at the K&WVR.

 

https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/hudswell-clarke-works-no-402-lord-mayor-0-4-0st/

 

 

Jason

[Barclay]

Agreed - the Ambis chassis is in a different league to the K's one. I'm pretty sure the K's wheels are too big as well. I attach a couple of pictures to show the Ambis chassis being shoehorned into the K's body, and the final result, which I was pleased with, it took a bit of work! Wheels are Gibson, as suggested by @Steamport Southport.

 

 

Edited February 22 by Barclay

[CEINEWYDD]

Well plan 'A' was to remove the inner rod (aka the crankpin)  in the bush, and replace this with 14ba bolts. 

 

Not possible so I removed the complete bush, and adopted plan 'B' (as in a cunning plan Baldrick) which was to  use a Markits crankpin instead.  Like most cunning plans it was not feasible, in this case because the hole created by the removed bush left too little material for a Marklin's crankpin to sit safely without breaking the adjacent spokes. 

 

So plan 'C' was to create a new bush from brass tube, by drilling and using a 10 BA tap to create the right thread for the new all singing and dancing crankpin.  I was some what dismayed to find that tapping the brass tube resulted in the tube expanding so that the crankpin was a sloppy fit - i.e. it fell out!

 

NOT a happy boy!  So on to plan D, fill the hole with Milliput, drill a new hole and Tap the hole.  Currently waiting for the Milliput to set, so I can drill tomorrow and  use 14BA bolts as a crankpin........Good luck with that I hear more experienced people say.  If it does not work, plan 'E' is buy new wheels and axles.  Still worth a try though.  

[RodneyS]

I assembled one of these kits more years ago than I care to remember

If I were to do it again I wouldn't use any of the K's chassis at all.

However at that time the wheels, gearboxes and small motors were just not available.

 

As Barclay says the wheels are too big which makes the loco sit rather high.

The K's wheels changed over the years.  Mine had a D shape on the end of the axles which located in a small flat in the plastic wheel centre.  A large headed screw went into the end of the axle and holds the wheel in place.  I assume this has been altered on yours as you mention a brass bush.  Presumably you have plain axles.

 

My chassis was just two strips of brass with some holes punched in.  

The front part which holds the cylinders was white metal castings screwed to the front frame spacer.

 

I used the K's motor and a Gibson plastic gearbox giving, I think, 38:1 reduction.

It does still run but is very noisy.

 

The white metal castings in my kit were very nice and I was very pleased with the model.

It doesn't look as nice as Barclay's though !

Rodney