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Austin 7, Alan Gibson kit


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Hi All,

 

Having looked at the inside motion drawings, does anyone do an inside motion kit (static or otherwise) for the GWR 4 cylinder engines? Having first hand experience of a real Castle (guess which one!), it would seem to provide vaguely the required shapes that could fill the void quite nicely.

 

Just a thought!

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

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Hi All,

 

Having looked at the inside motion drawings, does anyone do an inside motion kit (static or otherwise) for the GWR 4 cylinder engines?....

 

Ask David Geen, who distributes and sells the Malcolm Mitchell range of 4mm kits. He is able to supply complete chassis frets separately, and these include all parts for working inside motion. I think they work out at about £60 for a chassis set only. "King", "Castle" or "Star" - take your pick.

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i made a little bit more progress in the club last night..

 

i soldered the beading to the top of the tender at the front back and sides. a little bit tricky because the tender sides are so thin but made a bit easier with the RSU.

I also soldered the cast whitemetal tender dome, waterfiller and buffers, then soldered the tender tool box together.

 

I then soldered the nickel frame extensions to the loco chassis.

 

next job on the tender is to put on the whitemetal axle boxes, however you get a choice of 2 axle box covers and im not sure which to go with.

 

slow progress, each bits a bit more but im only really working on it once a week in the clubrooms.

 

here's some pics posed next to a new aquisition, a WD which replaced the Austin 7's at Aintree shed.

 

really nice model from Bachmann ,my first one and id like a few more of these. weathered by grimytimes.

 

post-27-0-83046000-1331655052_thumb.jpg

post-27-0-97872400-1331655195_thumb.jpg

post-27-0-43588100-1331655277_thumb.jpg

 

Mike

Edited by michael delamar
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I made a little bit more progress last night, soldered the whitemetal axleboxes on the tender, also the cab backhead and reversor

 

However I got a bit overconfident and slightly melted the whitemetal cab roof and lubricators, a bit too small for the rsu and should have glued them really

 

Will get some new ones at ally pally or york, maybe lost wax ones if someone does them

 

Need to also get some mini drill bits at the weekend to do the handrail knobs, a job I don't like as I tend to struggle to get them perfectly straight

Edited by michael delamar
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  • 1 month later...

im going to get back into this soon, ive been busy glazing my 502, what a long job that is.

 

 

I come across this nice shot by Ben Brooksbank of one at Aintree shed, gives plenty of detail. gives a good view of the firebox casing.

 

post-27-0-55161700-1335270565_thumb.jpg

 

 

the next job is the handrails which is something im not looking forward to, i havent got a minidrill that can hold very fine drill bits at the moment and I dont think a hand one will be much good.

 

any tips for drilling holes for handrail knobs in brass tube and keeping them straight?

 

 

I also got a couple of machined brass wakefield lubricators from 247 which need fitting,

Edited by michael delamar
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  • 8 months later...

thanks Larry

 

Im going to be finishing this and a few locos off shortly, Im just getting them all sorted out so I can work on them.

 

this is going into the works to be finished.

 

one thing is bugging me about it tho...

 

it is now EM gauge, the chassis is still 00, I could take it apart and make it a bit wider but even if I did, under the boiler there is a gap between the chassis frame and the cosmetic frame on the footplate which is the correct width.

 

Im wondering what to do, my thinking at the moment is to add a strip at a 45 degree angle at the top of the chassis to take the eye off this gap, the gap isnt in the height which is what the picture makes it look like, but the difference in width between the frame on top of the footplate, and the actual model chassis frame.

post-27-0-35584400-1358113414.jpg

 

 

 

 

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Michael,

 

The gap between the frame and footplate looks worse on the workbench with its light background than it will once painted & weathered on the layout. I would fix a bit of 1mmx 2mm angle at the top of the frame to bridge the gap but still be thin enough to not be seen in a side  on view.

 

I've got two Austin 7's finished in P4 one Jidenco one Gibson and driven off the rear axle and they pull 30 wagons ok. One is ex works with red inner frames and you will have to avoid that!

 

Tony

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Glad to see this thread revived and to see work progressing once more. The Austin Seven, in my view, is one of those locos that looked impressive full size and in any other scale as well, although when put against some other model locos they appear quite compact. When stood beside one of these locos I think the impression of great size was due to the height of the boiler and small chimney. When working hard, they certainly raised the echoes on both sides of the Pennine hills, though one wonders at this distance in time if the knocking of the axleboxes on a worn out chassis added their own accompaniment to the deep whoof of the exhaust. I hope the model below helps encourage you to a speedy completion of your Austin Seven Michael...(7mm scale)...

 

post-6680-0-54184100-1358165919.jpg

 

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  • 1 month later...

yesterday was the EM gauge society AGM and I volunteered to do a demo on loco kit building, which was a surprise as I regard myself as a beginner but it was a nice day.

I decided the Austin 7 would be the loco id work on so I left it until yesterday as I wanted something to work on and also needed a few bits for it from Gibson and 247 who where attending.

 

a few weeks back I marked out and drilled the holes for the handrail knobs, its a job I hadnt been looking forward to and left it for ages, working up from smaller holes it was still a bit tricky to ensure the holes where as straight as possible, the firebox is very thin brass but the boiler is very thick tube so care had to be taken on each bit.

 

at the show I soldered in the handrail knobs, using the RSU which I was demonstrating how to use.

 

the holes where slightly larger than necessary but not to large for them to fall inside and was useful to adjust the position of them.

I had slightly melted the whitemetal roof vent when soldering it on with the RSU so I melted that off and got a replacement lost wax one from Gibson and soldered that on.

 

ive also made an angle piece from a scrap nickel etch and attached it to the chassis to hide the gap between chassis and footplate and I think it will work well when painted, you can see the gap just in front of the firebox, I will make a lower front of the firebox that will go between the chassis to hide that gap.

 

it hasnt been cleaned yet so looks a bit messy in the pic, the green on the smokebox and tender is squadron putty filler to smooth out a few ripples, the top of the tender I struggled with as it was very thin brass...

 

post-27-0-56545700-1361123111_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

all in all a nice day, Chris Hewitt got a trophy for his swan street pub which I now own and I got one for my class 502 which are in the background.

 

and Im encouraged now and in the mood to finish the Austin 7 off, I am debating on replacing the whitemetal lubricators with brass romford ones but not so sure on them yet, they only have 3 holes in them for the pipework where it should be 4, they look a bit big too.

Edited by Michael Delamar
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edit, Brass Markit wakefield lubricators.

 

ive got to do the boiler bands which will be tape.

 

one bit of a pain, ive lost one of the boiler washout plugs that I struggled with early on in this thread, I was there when it popped out and put it in a safe place but now cant find it, Alan Gibson dont do them now and I needed a couple for the front of the firebox too so not sure whats going to happen there.

 

 

also, there is a nice shot in Shedside on Merseyside of 49508 in steam on Aintree shed on 5th November 1960, it wasnt a Aintree loco, the last Aintree ones went in 1959 so its interesting to see one that survived into the 1960s, Im not sure if this was the last one to survive?

Edited by Michael Delamar
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im making up dummy inside rods and valve gear from a scrap brass kit loco and bits in the spares box, nearly there but Im a little stuck.

 

from the drawings on page 3 if anyone can help.

 

I cant make out if the crosshead is on the inside or outside of the slidebar?

 

how are the slidebars at the rear attached to the frame? this was touched on earlier but I need a bit more advice.

 

its only dummy gear to fill the space and take the eye away from the gap between the frames but might aswel try and get it nearly right.

 

and the vertical frame spacer between the second and third axle, where exactly is that positioned? there is a few square holes in the frame sides in this area and Id like to get it in the right place.

 

thanks in advance for any help.

 

Mike

Edited by Michael Delamar
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im making up dummy inside rods and valve gear from a scrap brass kit loco and bits in the spares box, nearly there but Im a little stuck.

 

from the drawings on page 3 if anyone can help.

 

I cant make out if the crosshead is on the inside or outside of the slidebar?

Neither is the answer, I think there are 3 slidebars, crosshead is between the lower 2. They are bolted to a substantial cast or fabricated cross member about 18" wide towards the back end of the slidebars, this carries the link brackets as well

how are the slidebars at the rear attached to the frame? this was touched on earlier but I need a bit more advice.

 

its only dummy gear to fill the space and take the eye away from the gap between the frames but might aswel try and get it nearly right.

 

and the vertical frame spacer between the second and third axle, where exactly is that positioned? there is a few square holes in the frame sides in this area and Id like to get it in the right place.

There is a vertical stretcher immediately behind the cranks, i.e. about as far forward as they could get a full depth one. I think this is the one that can be seen in photographs.

thanks in advance for any help.

 

Mike

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Interesting train too - looks like a complete rake of ex GWR insulated vans (formally meat) headed by an ex MR/LMS brake with additional diagonal strapping. I wonder what traffic those vans were on and I am surprised to see a whole rake of them without lots of LMS/LNER oes mixed in.

 

Tony

useful shot, looking down, can see inside the frames near the firebox, it has no tender rails and the cab roof vent is different

 

7873441972_4318f074a7_c.jpg
Aintree by Kerry Parker (KP), on Flickr

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