RMweb Gold farren Posted February 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2013 Really enjoying the Austin 7 build is it a old kit or have Alan Gibson started doing kits again has I have downloaded their new list but nothing about their kits and thought they where going to bring them back 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Limited kit production has been happening for several years. See the Gibson web page and click on "kits". Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) ive made up the valvegear, some of it was bits from a scrap crownline standard 4 ive had in a junk box for years, lot of it cut and shut. you get the big balance weights in this kit but nothing else. I cant get a close enough shot to show, but this is all attached to the body, the rocker arms are free to move back and forth, the eccentrics are soldered to 2 washers which are trimmed around the circumference to make them look more of a hexagon shape, the 2nd axle will go through this. when it is sat on the chassis it really improves the look, because it is so low down I dont think I will bother with actual slidebars and crossheads, you wont see them, I think I will put a horizontal spacer on the top of the chassis here to make it resemble the top of the slidebars, you cant see in unless you look right down and then the chassis is narrower, there would also be the problem of having some parts on the chassis and some on the body, I may still put dummy connecting rods with a washer on each to sit on the second axle and attach the rod under the front spacer. Edited February 19, 2013 by Michael Delamar 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 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 Im interested in them too, by all means feel free to discuss them in this thread, Im pretty certain they would have originated from the ex L&Y Bankfield goods,ive seen shots of lots f various insulated vans there, maybe the same type but I would have to check. they are being reversed in that shot into the departure sidings at Aintree marshalling yard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Ive just purchased a slide from colour rail, another shot of 49668 but in colour and on Aintree shed in 1959, loco has late crest on its tender. Im not sure what loco Im modelling yet but this is a contender, the weathering will be similar to this.. http://www.colour-rail.com/Preview.aspx?ImgRef=BRM2070 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
90164 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 A couple of (not very good) pictures of my 7mm 7F, built from the Gladiator kit 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 very nice, wouldnt mind one in 7mm. wondering is it worth doing the pipes to the mechanical lubricator? I want to but not sure if it would look a bit overscale, I think its 5 pipes, need them to be very thin wire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 very nice, wouldnt mind one in 7mm. wondering is it worth doing the pipes to the mechanical lubricator? I want to but not sure if it would look a bit overscale, I think its 5 pipes, need them to be very thin wire. Fuze wire? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 thanks Larry, I was thinking on using that, only snag would be to drill the 5 tiny holes in the whitemetal lubricators now they are attached so may get some new ones, heres a pic of the Markits ones ive got which Im not overly fussed on, they have 3 holes drilled in them. what I couldnt be sure of on the drawing was weather the pipes went through the footplate or behind it, studying some shots it appears they went behind the frame, well on the front of the lubricator they did, got no shot of the rear but id imagine it to match the front. I think the new cab roof vent ive put on may not be right too. think it should be a lower flatter one? easy made from scrap but would like to be sure first. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Mike, Lubricator piopes were routed above the running plate and down behind the frames where they dissapeared in many directions. The prototype were neat pipes all clipped together. The easiest way to fit them to the lubricator is to make up a new dummy 'side' to the lubricator out of shim brass with holes pre-drilled (use a rivetting press with rivets as close as possible then open out the rivets to holes). Do all this on the bench and pre-make each side before filing the back flush and then fixing to the Lubricator boxes. it is the only way to do a neat job, a poor untidy job looks worse than no pipes. Tony 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 , a poor untidy job looks worse than no pipes. Tony that was exactly the concern, I dont want he wires to look pronounced and overscale, Id still prefer to drill through the whitemetal, If I cant get them off with the RSU cleanly Ill just get new ones. can then thread the wire through and took it behind, just need to get some fuse wire, i thought I had some, you get different thicknesses on a reel but any advice on the gauge to use for this would be welcomed cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 (edited) I've never been to eager to drill fine holes into brass, even less whitemetal. So I drill into the metal only a short distance, sink in the pipes (all running straight at this stage) and secure them with Loctite. Fine fuse fire is ideal because it is easy bent to shape wthout stressing the bond in the Lub boxes. Bending is done afterwards as neatly as a time-served plumber would do it! As mentioned earlier, the pipe runs were on top of the footplate and over the frames. Cleaners were supposed to scrape sand and ash off the running plate that had formed a gunge in the oil spillage from lubricator boxes......It's not the kind of 'weathering' that would look good in 4mm scale though. Edited February 21, 2013 by coachmann 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I mainly use 5 amp fuse wire about 0.25 mm dia), as Coachman suggests, although even finer wire from Eileen's would be more to scale - the real things are only 1/4 or 3/8" o/d. To fit the pipes neatly, on one loco I sawed the lubricator casting in two, horizontally through the cast holes/dimples, put saw nicks across one of the cut faces to locate the wire pipes, then glued the lubricator back together trapping the wires in place - mind you, these had 7 or 8 pipes each side and the chance of drilling a row of tiny holes in a straight line and equally spaced was nill. If you have access to a riveting tool, then Tony's suggestion would work well. Dave. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
90164 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 There is an article on these engines in the February 2013 Steam Days magazine, with a few photographs, including some that I'd not seen before. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 (edited) thank you chaps, much appreciated I will get some wire and give it a try, will also get that issue thanks 90164. just doing a bit of work on the chassis, Ive made a chassis spacer to go between the 2nd and 3rd axles, Ive made the front of the firebox deeper with a spacer om the chassis there to represent the front of the firebox and ive put a spacer at the front to represent the top of the slidebars with the gap to the back of the smokebox filled in too. just starting work on the brakegear, again it all looks very grubby but Im not polishing areas im not working on just to take photos. itll be cleaned up later Edited February 21, 2013 by Michael Delamar 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 (edited) just finished drilling the tiny holes for the cylinder cover handles, I think thats what it is, no holes etched , its one thing where this kit shows its age, so it has to be done by eye, then bend the wire to make the handles, very fiddly, also drilled out the larger holes for the rods that stick out, not sure what it is exactly but something to do with the cylinders anyway just need to find some thicker wire for that, if not romford crankpins are the right diameter. also done the small handrails on the footplate for the front steps behind the lubricator. looks rough so up close, but looks ok in real life, my fingers are aching drilling them out but at least its another job off the list, I dont like doing handrails, especially drilling the holes out. Edited February 22, 2013 by Michael Delamar 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted February 22, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2013 also drilled out the larger holes for the rods that stick out, not sure what it is exactly but something to do with the cylinders anyway just need to find some thicker wire for that, if not romford crankpins are the right diameter. Mike, they are the piston tail rod covers, the cover with the handles are for access to the front of the cylinders to service the piston rod glands, it also is the access, together with removing part of the footplate, for taking out the pistons. I also hate handrails! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 A lovely job, Michael. I'll have to look to see whether I added the handles and piston tail rod covers to mine. I don't remember doing it, nor the pipes on the lubricators. I've never before noticed their absence but I will now. Grrr! Ian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzyo Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Mike, they are the piston tail rod covers, the cover with the handles are for access to the front of the cylinders to service the piston rod glands, it also is the access, together with removing part of the footplate, for taking out the pistons. I also hate handrails! Hello all, sorry to be pedantic but these are the piston 'valve' tail rod covers. The pistons were below the valves on these locos just like on the 4Fs. This drawing may help you a bit. This one maybe the same one as you put up on here a while back. Austin 70140.pdf This one shows the valve gear for a 4F you can see that it has a rocking lever to the valves but on the 7F drawing it just has normal Walschaerts valve gear worked from the cross head. OzzyO. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Holt Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Ozzo is quite right, these are the valve spindle covers. However, these locos had Walschaert's valve gear, unlike the 4F's, which had Stephenson's. I seem to recall posting a drawing of the correct valve gear arrangement for the 7F's earlier in this thread (as per Ozzo's link). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 you did and very useful it was when I was making up the valve gear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 fitted the handrails, numberplate and a 27B shedplate to the smokebox door, its not attached to the smokebox yet. numberplate is plain and the numbers will be added after painting. also noticed the reverser rod needs to be positioned a bit higher up the firebox side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted February 22, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2013 In my defense Mi'Lud, I was recently looking at some North Eastern loco drawings, some of which had the valves underneath... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 (edited) some of the remaining whitemetal bits in the box, apart from bits for the tender. Ive been leaving these till the very last snifter valves, either side of the smokebox , ill leave these until its been cleaned up ready for paint as I can imagine them pinging off. tailrod covers, wont be needing those as thats what ive been making out of brass on the front of the smokebox. sandboxes for either side of the second axle, dont remember getting any lids for these for on top of the footplate, but I can use brass crankpin washers or something similar I think and solder them on. the exhauster pipe that comes out the right hand side of the smokebox and then runs underneath it to the cab I will probably make from brass rod so that it can be soldered, the problem is no exhauster/injector/ejector, ie the gubbins under the cab either side is provided so Im looking for advice on what and where to source for there. also a little valve on the left hand side of the boiler behind the smokebox, not sure what it is but should be pretty easy to make from some scrap. Edited February 23, 2013 by Michael Delamar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikks Posted February 23, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 23, 2013 Great job Mike, this monster will look absolutely superb.........love Fowler power Rgds............ Mike 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now