Austin 7, Alan Gibson kit

[Iain.d]

8 hours ago, gaf2u said:

Bringing this thread back to life again as I am in the middle of building (very slowly) two more 8 coupled locos, an Alan Gibson SDJR 7F, a DJH Stanier 8F, along with having just finished an Alan Gibson Stanier Class 5. I love the Gibson kits, but both the 7F and Black 5 did prove less than straightforward.

 

The 7F kit is unusual in that the footplate and chassis are a single integrated assembly which makes combining the firebox/boiler, motor/gearbox and frames/wheels together a bit trickier than normal. I was scratching my head a little while but eventually resolved the puzzle per the picture below. My usual approach of painting chassis and wheels separately, and mating them thereafter also proved trickier, but got there in the end (with some choice language along the way. I am now stuck though as attaching the radius rod/ combination lever/union link assembly to the crosshead and expansion link mounting has demonstrated that something is wrong. In essence the combination lever pivots on the end of the radius rod, and the arc described by the top of the combination lever is greater that the clearance available inside the dummy valve box. I've tried some judicious filing, and moved the mounting point at the expansion link end but to no avail as yet. Ideas welcome. I love the model and can't wait to get it moving under it's own power. 

 

Interesting stuff, thanks for showing us. I’m keen to know how you go - I have four of these to build!
 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

[gaf2u]

To Blanford - yes, boiler assembly is attached via two screws. One from beneath into the smokebox, and one from the cab into the front of the firebox. The Firebox was quite flimsy, so I added some strenghtening pieces along the base  on each side where it sits on the footplate to help avoid it distorting if squeezed by finger pressure when lifting the loco (because the firebox isn't soldered to the footplate). You can make these out on the photo, along with the lead sheet that was cut to fit the firebox sides, and glued in situ just above the strengthening strips. The casting for the smokebox saddle was a little narrow, so shim were added each side so it sat snuggly between the frames.

 

Other items of note: the kit had no wheel balance weights, nor boiler washout plugs, so spares box and some fabricating required. Likewise added a strengthening piece beneath the rear of the cab roof. 

 

Biggest mistake I made during assembly was with the slidebar support bracket. One half fits across the frames and then a second etch is fitted on each side outside the frames afterwards, later in the build. The instructions don't specific the orientation of the initial part that fits across the frames, and I put it in the wrong way around (facing forward), and had to add the half etches to the rearward face later. This meant that the bracket was slightly further back that it should be, had it been installed with the initial part the opposite way around (facing rearwards). Seems to have worked out OK. 

 

Will let you know in due course how I resolve the valve gear conundrum.

Darren

[k22009]

13 hours ago, gaf2u said:

By the way, if anyone has a set of instructions for the Gibson Stanier 2-6-4T kit I'd be very appreciative of a copy - seem to have misplaced mine. She's next on the list.

Cheers

Darren

 

I've a Gibson Stanier 2-6-4 on the to do pile too, just checked for destructions and mine too are missing, so sadly can't help you out there.

 

Dave

[gaf2u]

Cheers Dave, appreciate your checking for me.

[gaf2u]

Finished the 7F at last - I really do put off fitting brakes until there's nothing at all else left to do, it soooo tries my patience. Running under it's own power and very well too - I'm delighted with how it runs actually. Crosses all point work, all curves etc with no issues whatsoever in both directions, and runs really smoothly with no rattling and banging over the track.

 

I did have some challenges finishing the vale gear but got there in the end. The early error with the slide bar support bracket fitted in reverse really punished me. In short this meant that the eccentric rod was too long (evidenced by the expansion link be tilted too far backwards) and the valve/radius rod was too short. 

I drilled new holes in the valve/radius rod for the mounting pin through the expansion link - took a few trial and error attempts, along with adjustments to the eccentric crank position before I could get it running freely, albeit it is not strictly prototypical.

 

Some further changes were required at the top of the combination lever, above the valve rod joint. I replaced the box representing the valve spindle crosshead with one that permitted a much longer throw or operating arc at the top of the combination lever. I slotted the combination lever through this box while off the loco, inserted a pin through the top of the combination lever to prevent it falling down out of the box, and then fitted the whole assembly to the loco (crosshead arm to the crosshead and representative valve spindle crosshead soldered to the inside of the valence. As the loco was run in this seems to operate quite well.

 

 

The finished article on Engine Wood - valve gear to be painted further, the cab inside painted, and then everything weathered. That will be God knows when...