DLT's SR Locos - Lord Nelson Craftsman Kit

[DLT]

Like many etchedloco kits, it looks as though the tender will be the most complicated bit, with curved and flared bodywork to form from a flat etch.

Dave.

Well that was easier than expected!  In my usual state of indecisiveness I wasnt sure whether to bend the tender body first and them form the flare at the top, or form the flare first using bending bars while the whole thing was flat.  In the end I did the latter and bent the corners by hand over a piece of rod of appropriate diameter fixed in the vice (actually a drill shank)

I'll get some photos up later.

Cheers, Dave.

[DLT]

Photos of the bending setup:  I simply held the etch in the right position and at right angles to the drill, and bent it down with both thumbs.  To adjust the width (or "move" the bend) you can bend it a bit more one side, and flatten out the other side with smooth pliers.

 

 

 

 

 

The bends at the ends had to be formed by hand using the flat pliers again.  Trial and error employed here; bend a bit, have a look, bend a bit more etc.  I practiced on a left over bit of etch first.

 

 

 

Dave.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DLT

[DLT]

Soldering up the tender chassis was fairly simple, but needed care.  Fitting the valances needed constant checking to ensure that the footplate remained flat.  I got a bit of a curve at one point and had to unsolder the valance to adjust it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will try not to bore you with too many photos of every little detail this time round, but try and spend more time on the model and less on the camera.

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DLT

[DLT]

Soldering the body to the footplate was harder than bending it.  Keeping the sides straight was the awkward bit, as theres only one tab and slot per side. 
what I should have done was solder a straight strip of brass along the footplate for the sides to butt against.  Oh well, next time....

[darren01]

Hi Dave

That is looking really good!, going to be a cracking model and will look smashing running into Torrington.

Darren

[Smiffy2]

Looks fantastic. What happens at the tender corner flares?

[DLT]

Hi Dave

That is looking really good!, going to be a cracking model and will look smashing running into Torrington.

Darren

Thanks Daren,  I'm feeling prety confident about it at this stage, so full steam ahead.

 

Looks fantastic. What happens at the tender corner flares?

Thanks Smiffy,

Theres a curved etched overlay to go go around the corners.  Fittred it last night but no photos yet.  Was a bit awkward to get the flared corners curved correctly, and I've not got it perfect.  I think it looks allright though.

I'll solder the rest of the tender bit on before I photograph it again.

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

 

[DLT]

Tender bodywork is pretty much finished.

Still a few more detail bits to add around the front end, but I probably won't do these until until I've sorted out the tender chassis, drawbar and pickup arrangements.

 

I think I've got the flared corners about as good as I can, and the overlays fitted really well.  When I formed the tender body it was difficult to get the length exactly right, and I think its a wee bit long.  Certainly the flared overlays are a bit short at the front end, but I dont think it shows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

Dave.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DLT

[DLT]

The coal-plates are nicely etched and sit on top of the flared section,  but came with no means of attachment.  I added the (prototypical) internal uprights from bits of leftover etch.

 

 

Happy New Year (again)

Dave.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DLT

[darren01]

Hi Dave 

The tender looks beautiful, love the flare side's!.

Your doing an amazing job putting the 700 together, i don't think i could have got to look that good!.

Well done Dave.

Happy new year.

Darren 

[DLT]

Thanks Darren, and thanks for all the "likes" guys.

Starting on the main loco footplate now, and thn the loco chassis.

Cheers, Dav.

[DLT]

Finished the loco footplate assembly today, straightforward but fiddly and no problems.  It looks fairly simple but there are sixteen seperate pieces of brass in it.

 

 

 

 

 

I couldnt resist an attempted close-up of the superb etched bufferbeam overlay

 

 

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DLT

[2ManySpams]

Coming along nicely Dave, can you enlarge it to 7mm please ;-p

[PaulRhB]

Lovely job Dave, it looks so elegant in brass. Surprising on the tender coal boards that they didn't include brackets, a little overlook probably. I assume they were an option rather than standard or did they disappear as they got damaged over the years?

With my big fingers I always struggled with small 4mm brass so most of my etch kit builds have been 7mm.

[MickRalph]

The kit looks as if it is going together very well.  The photo you put up at the beginning of the build shows the superheated version, which is after my period - does the kit build into the original version?  The PDK website gives no indication.

 

Mick

[DLT]

Coming along nicely Dave, can you enlarge it to 7mm please ;-p

Well we've had 3D printing, how about 3D photocopying?

[PaulRhB]

Well we've had 3D printing, how about 3D photocopying?

I think we've got it already with laser scanning for DJM etc, give it a few years and you'll be able to scan a layout you like at a show and print off the basic form to scenic to your taste

[DLT]

Lovely job Dave, it looks so elegant in brass. Surprising on the tender coal boards that they didn't include brackets, a little overlook probably. I assume they were an option rather than standard or did they disappear as they got damaged over the years?

With my big fingers I always struggled with small 4mm brass so most of my etch kit builds have been 7mm.

Thanks Paul.

Making the brackets was a bit of a no-brainer, but the instructions made no mention of them.  They all have them and are visible in various photos, I found them in a T9 tender.

 

The kit looks as if it is going together very well.  The photo you put up at the beginning of the build shows the superheated version, which is after my period - does the kit build into the original version?  The PDK website gives no indication.

 

Mick

Thanks Mick, 

 

The instructions don't mention the original version (or if they do I havent found that bit) but it shouldnt be a problem to convert to the un-superheated version.  

Basically you would need to shorten the smokebox, replace the chimney, and lower the whole boiler.  The cab would need to be correspondingly lowered and the tender front altered to match.  Should be pretty sttraightforward.

I'm sure there are other detail differences but they are not obvious, even when comparing photos side by side.

 

There was an account of a scratchbuild of two original 700s by Tom Mallard in Model Railway Journal Nos. 165 & 167.  But these were scratchbuilt in P4 using some borrowed parts from Martin Finney T9 kits I think.

Well worth a read if you have access to the mags, and includes 4mm scale drawings.

 

Cheers, Dave.

[darren01]

Hi Dave 

When i first looked at the instruction i did not see any mention of building it as a non super heated boiler?.

Looking at the latest photo's you have put up the etch  for the buffer beam look very good ,but one thing did throw me was the rear buffer beam having no bolt heads showing.

I looked for a photo of the rear of the tender,but could not find one, As all the photo i looked at where ever from the front or side on.

The other thing i have been been able to find out is why they where call Black motor's?, never found anything in my books on SR loco shedding any light on why they where called this.

Looking at the last set of photo's it amazing that there are sixteen part for the boiler frames!, Looking beautiful so far! .

Your doing a wonderful job on her   

Darren

Edited January 3, 2015 by darren01

[DLT]

Hi Darren,

Photos of the rear of tenders do seem to be pretty rare, detailed close-ups even rarer!

Of the few photos I have seen of the rear of Drummond tenders, most show a plain bufferbeam with no raised rivits, so I guess the designer has gone with this.

 

I too have never heard the origin of the nickname, perhaps Graham Muz could help us out if he's reading this?

 

Cheers,

Dave.

[DLT]

I think we've got it already with laser scanning for DJM etc, give it a few years and you'll be able to scan a layout you like at a show and print off the basic form to scenic to your taste

Now that is scary!

[DLT]

Getting started on the loco chassis now, and this usually means lots of fiddling with it, staring at it from different angles etc, in order to give myself a three-dimensional picture of it in order to sort out how to fix the motor, where to put pickups etc, etc.

[Graham_Muz]

I too have never heard the origin of the nickname, perhaps Graham Muz could help us out if he's reading this?

 

Cheers,

Dave.

 

When originally introduced in 1897 the class were known as either 700's or 700 Goods (even though the first numbered in the class was actually 687!), Bradley advises that it was not until around 1903/4 that the term 'Black Motors' was first coined, but even he stated he does not know why.

 

One theory is that the 700's had a large number of parts shared with the M7 0-4-4 tanks, (boilers, cylinders and motion) which were sometimes known as 'Motor tanks' (although I do not know when this was first used as you might have thought it would have been after some were pull push fitted by the LSWR cable system in 1911,therefore after the term Black Motor was first used) The M7s were of course at the time always in green passenger livery but the 700's were always in black livery so if the Motor Tank name was in use as early as 1903 it might be a possible reason?

[DLT]

Thanks Graham, that certainly sounds plausible.

Cheers, Dave.

[MickRalph]

There was an account of a scratchbuild of two original 700s by Tom Mallard in Model Railway Journal Nos. 165 & 167.  But these were scratchbuilt in P4 using some borrowed parts from Martin Finney T9 kits I think.

Well worth a read if you have access to the mags, and includes 4mm scale drawings.

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Thanks Dave. 

 

I had forgotten this article.  It will be useful when I get round to building a Black Motor for my projected layout, which is also Torrington, in P4 and set in about 1910, complete with the North Devon Clay 3-foot gauge line.  I am (slowly) building stock for it while awaiting space for a layout, but taking precedence at the moment is stock and buildings for a layout/dioramas on the metre-gauge Tramways of the Correze lines in France.

 

Mick