Judith Edge kits

[Michael Edge]

Not much more work on the Fowler 3P this week, today I've done all the tank top detail.

 

 

The prominent tank fixing bars are etched, as are the lifting brackets. The tank fixing bars perform the same function in the model as they do in full size - check that the tanks are upright and parallel before fitting them.

Fireiron rack on the fireman's side from scrap, water gauge on the driver's side from wire filed flat on one face. The holes near th ecab are for the vent pipes, these will be left until the roof is fitted. The MR style water fillers are very flat, not really worth moulding, they are made from two etched layers with a flattened pin for the T handle. For the 4mm version I ignored the back of the tanks but thought they should be on this 7mm model, they aren't as high as the outside sheets, just underneath the fixing bars, and had to be fitted last since I needed to get the iron to the underside of the tank top to solder all the fittings on - they aren't full depth though, only about 6mm or so. I have put cleading bands on this loco, if it had been for BR livery they would only have been marked and gone on with the lining after painting but this is to be early LMS livery. Cleading band fasteners are etched from thin brass, with a pin through to represent the bolt. The front corners of the firebox are filled in with Plastic Padding and a small radius filed on the corner, a wire stay is soldered in the corner between the boiler and firebox, the filler forms round this so it can't drop out.

We'll have this loco with us at York, although I won't be working on it if anyone wants a closer look. The 4mm 3P will be on display as well.

[innocentman]

 

WP_20180322_11_12_45_Pro.jpg

 

 

 

For anyone interested in building the 4mm version of the 3P 2-6-2t, the castings and fittings are readily available out there. During my trip to York show last weekend, I managed to find all the parts I need. I have listed the parts required below: -

 

Alan Gibson

    4862 5ft2.5" 16 spoke Driving wheels

    4839 3ft3.5" 10 Spoke bogie wheels

    4M673 Vacuum Brake Ejector

    4M831 Cylinder Drain cocks (These are actually meant for an original Patriot 4-6-0 according to the AG catalogue)

    4M613 Dome

    4M605 Safety valves on a round base. (I will keep the base but replace the ross pops as they look a little small)

 

247 Developments

    SD2 Smokebox door

    CH7 Fowler Tall chimney (for locos with originals cylinders)

    BH2 Small Belpaire Backhead

 

Markits

    M4WhistLMf - Fowler Midland whistle

    M4SftyV1 - 1 pair tall Ross Pop tall safety valves

    M4WaL4.6 Silvertown Lubricator (x2)

    

Of course I'm sure there're other manufacturers out there who may also produce the same parts, but these are just the ones that I found at York

 

Andy

Edited April 3, 2018 by innocentman

[Michael Edge]

I'll put that list in with the etches, good work Andy.

[Staffordshire]

    D2999  finished, I am the proud owner !

[Steamport Southport]

Wow, that's impressive.

 

The thing that stands out for me are the windows.

 

 

 

Jason

[Daddyman]

    D2999  finished, I am the proud owner !

Well done, that man! 

[PenrithBeacon]

Really like that, well done one proud owner!

[Nimbus]

What's the secret behind such neat wasp stripes?

 

The Nim.

[richard i]

What's the secret behind such neat wasp stripes?

 

The Nim.

Wasp parents with good straight lines in their genes.

[Ruston]

Never mind all that pampered British Railways stuff, mine's a proper hard-working loco.

[5050]

You breeding quality wasps as well then Dave?

[Ruston]

You breeding quality wasps as well then Dave?

Certainly not. I'll be buying some heavy duty wasp spray to deal with the damn things this year. How's your Brush/ Beyer Peacock, Paul? Still a flatpack?  

[5050]

Certainly not. I'll be buying some heavy duty wasp spray to deal with the damn things this year. How's your Brush/ Beyer Peacock, Paul? Still a flatpack?

Yep.

 

Seems a shame to open it seeing as how it's so neatly packed...................

[Barry O]

Having seen it in the flesh brass and Nickel Silver the Fowler 3P in 7mm is an absolute peach!

 

Baz

[Michael Edge]

Continuing with the 7mm Fowler 3P

 

 

The cab roof fitted well enough, the small gap will be covered by the rainstrip angle, the roof overlaps the sides with a half etch in both.

 

 

1mm brass angle forms the rainstrip, soldered on and cleaned up.

 

 

Looking up through the hole in the floor, backhead will be left loose for painting, other items fixed in place but there are large openings in the cab side to make Ian's task a bit less difficult.

 

 

The etched coal rails fitted well, the overlap at the corner is intentional, soldered together here and filed flush later.

 

 

Now for the smokebox door, I couldn't find a casting for this so it's back to pattern making, starting with a disc of laminated plastikard in the outside jaw chuck The tool in use is a boring bar, used here to get inside the protruding chuck jaws.

 

 

First machined to the outside diameter, plastikard machines quite well but it's a bit messy.

 

 

Second diameter machined, leaving the outer rim.

 

 

Dome shape roughed out with the tool, will be finished with files/sanding.

 

 

Off the lathe, detail is added with plastikard sheet and strip.

 

 

I used to make these from brass but it was much more difficult and time consuming to solder all the detail on.

 

 

Next make the mould, the smokebox door is top left, insulating tape wrapped round the disc to contain the rubber. Most moulds are made with patterns stuck to the bench top with double sided tape, a lego box built round them and the rubber poured in, bottom left contains the sandboxes and lubricators for the 3P, the other two are replacement kit moulds. At the back is the 4mm 3P, there was some rubber left over so I built a dam round the chimney with BluTack to mould it - this is the large diameter chimney fitted with new cylinders and outside steampipes, the 7mm model is as built.

 

That's all for now, last remaining body job machining the chimney and dome - details later.

 

 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

[Chimney and dome for this loco are too big for the small Toyo lathe so it was out to the garage and the Milnes - which celebrated its 100th birthday last year (no card from the Queen though).

 

 

Brass bar big enough for the largest diameter of the chimney in the three jaw chuck, machined to outside diameter and marked for length with a parting tool, pilot hole with centre drill only at this stage.

 

 

Roughed out with the parting tool to middle diameter, stepped where it curves and height to underside of rim set now.

 

 

The easiest way to make the curves is with needle files, held very carefully in both hands (one at each end). If a file catches the chuck jaws it can easily be driven through the hand holding it - and this lathe has a 1/2hp motor so it definitely won't stall.

Top diameter turned down as well and the characteristic MR rim shape made with a file.

 

 

Bored out to inside diameter, don't leave the walls too thin or they may distort when forming to the boiler.

 

 

I do sometimes use a boring bar for this operation but on fairly small jobs the end can be belled out quickly with a hand turning tool.

 

 

The finished result, the white plastic sheet under the chuck makes it much easier to see what you are doing here.

 

 

The finished chimney after parting off.

 

 

The dome is made in the same sequence, finished as far as possible while still attached, The bore is left parallel as far as possible inside so that it can be mounted the other way out on a mandrel to finish the top. Longer parting tool this time as it's a much bigger diameter.

 

 

After annealing (heated to red and left to cool) this is how the flare at the bottom is formed by squeezing in a machine vice against a bar of roughly boiler diameter. The sides of the flare will need a little more persuasion by pressing or hammering with a bar of appropriate diameter, if you have to do a lot of work here the brass will harden again so may to be annealed again. Final fitting is done by wrapping thin wet and dry round the boiler and rubbing the chimney up and down it until all the face is sanded.

 

 

 

[Iain Popplewell]

 I love these instructional sequences Mike, great to see how it's done. One day who knows I might get round to starting my own modest workbench thread more in the hope that people will tell me where I'm going wrong.

 

However I did promise you some photo's of my  Consett A class if I ever finished it. (kit modified slightly to represent South Farne Iron Company No.1)

 

 

 

Front buffer beam cut down and dumb buffers added from brass strip. Chimney/ dome in lost wax and cab spectacles made up from brass tube. I like my polished brass you see Edwardian splendour and all that.

 

This is my second etched brass kit and I can heartily recommend this kit it goes together like a dream.

 

Hope you don't mind me disrupting your thread Mike but I expect kit makers all like to see how their kits turn out. I'm quite proud of how mine turned out.

[martyn11post]

Amazing to see the detail and stages you go through Mike.

 

Out of curiosity, what rubber do you use to make the moulds below?

 

 

 

WP_20180409_21_53_57_Pro.jpg

 

Next make the mould, the smokebox door is top left, insulating tape wrapped round the disc to contain the rubber. Most moulds are made with patterns stuck to the bench top with double sided tape, a lego box built round them and the rubber poured in, bottom left contains the sandboxes and lubricators for the 3P, the other two are replacement kit moulds. At the back is the 4mm 3P, there was some rubber left over so I built a dam round the chimney with BluTack to mould it - this is the large diameter chimney fitted with new cylinders and outside steampipes, the 7mm model is as built.

 

That's all for now, last remaining body job machining the chimney and dome - details later.

[Michael Edge]

I love these instructional sequences Mike, great to see how it's done. One day who knows I might get round to starting my own modest workbench thread more in the hope that people will tell me where I'm going wrong.

 

However I did promise you some photo's of my  Consett A class if I ever finished it. (kit modified slightly to represent South Farne Iron Company No.1)

 

DSC01695.jpg

 

DSC01703.jpg

 

Front buffer beam cut down and dumb buffers added from brass strip. Chimney/ dome in lost wax and cab spectacles made up from brass tube. I like my polished brass you see Edwardian splendour and all that.

 

This is my second etched brass kit and I can heartily recommend this kit it goes together like a dream.

 

Hope you don't mind me disrupting your thread Mike but I expect kit makers all like to see how their kits turn out. I'm quite proud of how mine turned out.

You're not disrupting at all, this thread is about our kits and you've done a fine job with this one.

[mark axlecounter]

So now I've started the princess loco you are dangling this in front of me, I am going to be poor at expo em in September Ha Ha.  

 

Mark (needing to save my penny's ) 

[t-b-g]

[Chimney and dome for this loco are too big for the small Toyo lathe so it was out to the garage and the Milnes - which celebrated its 100th birthday last year (no card from the Queen though).

 

WP_20180411_13_55_00_Pro.jpg

 

Brass bar big enough for the largest diameter of the chimney in the three jaw chuck, machined to outside diameter and marked for length with a parting tool, pilot hole with centre drill only at this stage.

 

WP_20180411_13_59_47_Pro.jpg

 

Roughed out with the parting tool to middle diameter, stepped where it curves and height to underside of rim set now.

 

WP_20180411_14_13_21_Pro.jpg

 

The easiest way to make the curves is with needle files, held very carefully in both hands (one at each end). If a file catches the chuck jaws it can easily be driven through the hand holding it - and this lathe has a 1/2hp motor so it definitely won't stall.

Top diameter turned down as well and the characteristic MR rim shape made with a file.

 

WP_20180411_14_14_41_Pro.jpg

 

Bored out to inside diameter, don't leave the walls too thin or they may distort when forming to the boiler.

 

WP_20180411_14_15_19_Pro.jpg

 

I do sometimes use a boring bar for this operation but on fairly small jobs the end can be belled out quickly with a hand turning tool.

 

WP_20180411_14_17_03_Pro.jpg

 

The finished result, the white plastic sheet under the chuck makes it much easier to see what you are doing here.

 

WP_20180411_14_18_12_Pro.jpg

 

The finished chimney after parting off.

 

WP_20180411_14_37_24_Pro.jpg

 

The dome is made in the same sequence, finished as far as possible while still attached, The bore is left parallel as far as possible inside so that it can be mounted the other way out on a mandrel to finish the top. Longer parting tool this time as it's a much bigger diameter.

 

WP_20180411_15_12_17_Pro.jpg

 

After annealing (heated to red and left to cool) this is how the flare at the bottom is formed by squeezing in a machine vice against a bar of roughly boiler diameter. The sides of the flare will need a little more persuasion by pressing or hammering with a bar of appropriate diameter, if you have to do a lot of work here the brass will harden again so may to be annealed again. Final fitting is done by wrapping thin wet and dry round the boiler and rubbing the chimney up and down it until all the face is sanded.

 

Thanks for posting those Mike. You make it look easy!

 

I have never turned a chimney or dome but I have a lathe and have some I need to have a go at, so that is most helpful.

 

Tony

[Ruston]

 I love these instructional sequences Mike, great to see how it's done. One day who knows I might get round to starting my own modest workbench thread more in the hope that people will tell me where I'm going wrong.

 

However I did promise you some photo's of my  Consett A class if I ever finished it. (kit modified slightly to represent South Farne Iron Company No.1)

 

DSC01695.jpg

 

DSC01703.jpg

 

Front buffer beam cut down and dumb buffers added from brass strip. Chimney/ dome in lost wax and cab spectacles made up from brass tube. I like my polished brass you see Edwardian splendour and all that.

 

This is my second etched brass kit and I can heartily recommend this kit it goes together like a dream.

 

Hope you don't mind me disrupting your thread Mike but I expect kit makers all like to see how their kits turn out. I'm quite proud of how mine turned out.

Very nice! Is the livery is fictional?  I just happen to have bought one of these kits last Saturday so I'm quite interested in these locomotives at the moment.

[Ruston]

Another hard-working industrial loco, built from one of Mike's kits. Ruston & Hornsby 48DS in 4mm scale.

[Iain Popplewell]

No Ruston the livery is factual, the South Farne Iron Company, although it is not widely known, was situated on the South Farne Islands just off the coast from Middlesbrough and the county of Durham. The paint is the exact formulation as used  on the 3rd Aug 1913 11.30am approx. I'm fastidious about such things.

 

 Should you wish to reproduce the above livery, Phoenix Precision Paints market South Farne Iron Company Crimson as Midland Crimson Lake.

 

Unbelievably lucky paint match that.

 

Earlier in this thread BarryO posted a very nice photo of a weathered loco painted by himself and built if I remember rightly by the man himself Mike Edge. Well worth a look and I venture to suggest maybe a more accurate rendition of what a Consett A class really looked like.

Edited April 18, 2018 by Iain Popplewell

[Barry O]

Mike built and painted it. I was "lent" some colour  photos 

 

 

add some inks and powders

 

 

and Bob is your uncle

 

 

Nice loco, lovely paint job and nice to have a happy client

 

 

But you can paint one of these (in NCB days) in light blue!

 

I too have a kit just need to get on and build it!

 

Baz

Edited April 17, 2018 by Barry O