NORTH BRITISH 0-4-2

[Rannoch Moor]

Doc,

 

Thanks for posting - I'm stuck in the south on duty this weekend so whilst I am about to get off to the Southampton exhibition, I am separated from my soldering iron and K2 this week, so thanks for the fix!  BTW, have you successfully solved the clearance issue with your coupling rods striking the superstructure yet?  I wasn't sure from the post last week but thought it sounded hopeful...!

 

Gus

[DOCJACOB]

I'll be honest for Rannoch Moor, I'm still thinking about the clearances. The cab floor went in and that did nothing for my sanity as I find it doesn't match other bits in any way shape or form. The curve of the cab splasher doesn't match the splasher formed by the cab floor which doesn't match the bit that needed to be hacked away to allow the trailing wheel flange to clear the tank end. I think I could/should have guessed this was coming. The chassis needs to go back together but I decided to play instead with something that "does what says on the box" A Parkside Dundas LNER unfitted cattle van. Minimal "tweaks" required; microstrip for the roof and change of couplings, and more helpfully A fits B quite well.

 

The ride height and thus clearance looks to be solvable how ever and in fairness that is next weeks work. I'm trying to be logical as this is only my 3rd 7mm locomotive kit; chassis runs, details like guard irons sorted, fit chassis to body and ensure clearance, check still runs, fit pick-ups and in between all of this work out what to do about brake blocks. Current guess is whittle a block of hard wood and cut 6 pieces out.

[Rannoch Moor]

Good luck!  It just goes to show that determination and logical thought will usually present an answer.  Regarding the brakes, have you thought about soldering some NS or brass sheets together and fretting the brakes out?  I haven't tried it for loco brakes and it might take a few attempts to nail it but it might be easier than whittling?

 

Gus

[DOCJACOB]

Progress, if we can say this, is painfully slow. OK I did do something else but it really is a slog. Made a selection of plastic spacers as the instructions suggested. Made these in 40, 60 and 80 thou for starters. Then assemble locomotive without motor and one set of spacers and then marry up to a wagon to check height. Current cunning plan is to use the biggest spacer that gives a sensible ride height and then attack the footplate and remove some more metal. Obviously thats 3 assemble/re-assemble cycles for starters!

I enclose the image of the rear cab splasher for amusement. It is an exercise in non-parallel curves and would be funny if it hadn't to be sorted. I think a lot of the likely gaps will be hidden by the boiler backhead casting (too wide incidentally to fit between the splashers) that will need trimming. There is a white-metal casting that I think is meant to be the gear lever and that may hide a bit as well.

The coal bunker will need some sorting to (hopefully relatively painless) as there is no middle and I'll need to fake up a coal hole as that's missing too.

Images this time a) Loco, chassis and 40 thou spacers, B) cab splashers c) something that builds what it says on the box! Just got to fix the roof down. Two 60 thou washers awaiting trial fitting

Thanks to Rannoch for the idea about the brakes. In the origional they were wood and nothing really looks more like wood than wood? (Apologies to fans of scumbled LNER coaches) The other advantage is its an electrically dead material and I'm probably going to have enough clearance/shorting problems without adding in brake blocks. As an addendum to this I'm going to try an idea for the electrical pick ups I saw somewhere once that suggests fine wire resting on the flanges.

Still no images of one built from this kit, is that a hint?

Edited February 1, 2013 by DOCJACOB

[N15class]

The loco is taking shape nicely.

 

Your cattle wagon is nice, unfortunatly you have the brakes the wrong way around, if the lever move down the shoes move away from the wheels.

[DOCJACOB]

I'm aware I've been quiet recently, partly due to a Care Quality Comission visit to my work place but also because I've been given jobs to do by her ladyship. I strongly suspect this was retaliation for taking the micky as I wanted pieces of brass rod 2mm and 3mm diameter, since I didn't fancy a visit to town I gave her the shopping list and it was interpreted as x2 pieces of 3mm brass rod.

 

That aside I'm still a tad irritated for buggering up the brake gear on the cattle wagon!

 

Anyway back to the kit clearances; eventually plumped for 60 thou spacers as the locomotive sits at a sensible hight. As you see this just about does the trick but the coupling rods either need thinning or its scratch build time again. I'm divided on this one as thinning them to a more prototype shape is sensible but then they are brass coloured not steel colour as per the real think.

 

The boiler has now got a lot less due material to generous "hacking" for motor clearance.

 

Next job will be to get the same width (draw parallel line along the underside of the footplate?)on the front driver splasher to clear the coupling rod knuckle.

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Doc, you can make your brass coupling rods look more like steel by tinning them with solder and then burnishing them with a cotton bud.

[Sandy Harper]

Or, put some Birchwood Casey on them and wipe off when they start to look like oily steel. If they go too black just use gentle strokes with a pan scourer to lighten them.

Sandy

[DOCJACOB]

Thanks to Rob and Sandy for the helpful hints, this kits hasn't driven me to drink yet but its a close run thing!

 

Nice job on your NBR Empty Cask Wagon Rob, you mentioned the Port Wynstay resin version and here is my rather shoddy offering of the same. Shows her age as dont see the solid NBR buffers anymore? Parkside Dundas for the underframe, few scratch bits of brass and M+M compensation unit.

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Doc,

 

You must be a mind reader. I had noticed the end of it in your Pulley wagon posting and I wondered if it was the Port Wynstay version. I was only thinking after I shut my machines down this morning that I aught to ask you for a photo of it.

 

What was it like to build? I ask as I haven't really done anything with any resin kits yet the nearest that I have is a couple of loco's with resin boilers and a couple of JLRT Gresley coaches in the stash)

[DOCJACOB]

I personally find resin OK to work with, bit messy when filing but nothing horrendous. Also not had any surprise problems ambushing me during the build. I enclose 2 images of Port Wynstay GNSR 10 O/F van. I think they had a moulding problem initially so they were a bit short! They generously replaced the relevant bits but I'nm sure a picture I saw once did prove they existed in short format. I think it was LNER Wagons Cheona??? The replacement sides are as per Tatlow LNER Wagons book. At least 3 survive at Strathspey Railway though when I last saw them in 80's they were clad in silver painted sheet steel.

 

I also show an NBR 1 plank from Furness Model Company. They do a quite a few resin kits and this was a pleasant weekends work. May be not as detailed as some but I guess quite OK from normal viewing distance. Currently working on the GNSR Cattle wagon and its an interesting diversion with a cunning build technique with some "fretting out" of the resin required but nothing too traumatic. Makes a nice change as its a wagon with coach sized wheels so looks a bit different.

 

The last is a real horror from I know not where, must have aquired it in the past during a moment of weakness! Needs to meet a fish pan full of boiling water to soften and straighten it out. The buffer beams are more suited to Gauge 1 and need a trim.

 

Reasonably sortable and not in the league of the other nightmare!

[Phil Traxson]

[ I personally find resin OK to work with, bit messy when filing but nothing horrendous. Also not had any surprise problems ambushing me during the build. I enclose 2 images of Port Wynstay GNSR 10 O/F van. I think they had a moulding problem initially so they were a bit short! They generously replaced the relevant bits but I'nm sure a picture I saw once did prove they existed in short format. I think it was LNER Wagons Cheona??? The replacement sides are as per Tatlow LNER Wagons book. At least 3 survive at Strathspey Railway though when I last saw them in 80's they were clad in silver painted sheet steel. ]

 

 

 

You're quite right there were two lengths of GNSR van, unfortunately I didn't find this out until after I had been told the initial one was short and therefore remastered the vehicle. It was the Cheona book that brought this to light.

In actual fact it did need remastering as, although the length was right, the height wasn't!  This was corrected in doing the longer version but meant that when I found the short length was equally correct I coudn't use the old side moulds as they were the wrong height for the ends. Doh!!

Way down the "to do" list is a new short side pattern but as I struggle to keep pace with my present stock, plus contract casting for the likes of Invertrain and  Duncan Models, I woudn't advise holding your breath for its release.

Phil T.

Port Wynnstay Models

Edited February 12, 2013 by Phil Traxson

[DOCJACOB]

Finally managed to get back on line after major computor hardware failure. Also wife managed to find a few little jobs for me like taking some tiles off a wall, they came off nicely along with large chunks of plaster! Funny how a little job becomes a total disaster. Not much to report other than some very good quality castings from 62c Models arrived and were loosly fitted. Plan to do a bit more now having sorted the plastering!

[David4472]

Doc,

 

I recently acquired none of these kits for myself and your account of the challenges discovered will definitely prove useful.

 

Would you happen to recall which parts from the kit you replaced and from where you obtained them?

 

I appreciate its been a while since your last account of the build but I wondered if you had any further advice and photos of the build, thanks.

 

 

David

[DOCJACOB]

That’s about were it still is I’m afraid. 
 

Issues with chassis, cab valance for trailing wheels, no +ve location for condenser pipes and probably more that I’ve been pleased to forget 

 

Currently back in get round to it pile but no rush in my part. 
 

Utter nightmare that would turn my hair grey if it wasn’t already! 
 

Very best of luck!