farren’s workbench. Page 15 Going modern well mostly

[farren]

On 13/04/2023 at 22:42, Buhar said:

Hi Farren,

 

I saw your remarks on the main HM7000 thread.  That seems quite a glitch as Hornby have been priding themselves on the origins of their sound files (often with good reason).  I wonder if it's a fat-finger issue during the uploads as mixing a four cylinder with a two isn't easy if your ears are attuned.  Did you try the Duchess sound file?

 

Alan

I don’t know I’m in two minds wether to live with it or take it out and put it in something else. But a 2 cylinder princess Isn’t a Princess. 

[46256]

Hello Farren as promised, following this with interest. You didn’t hesitate with that Patriot chassis did you. Are you going with the caprotti or walschaerts valve gear? Finally what livery? Best wishes Brian

[farren]

3 hours ago, 46256 said:

Hello Farren as promised, following this with interest. You didn’t hesitate with that Patriot chassis did you. Are you going with the caprotti or walschaerts valve gear? Finally what livery? Best wishes Brian

No I thought I’d investigate it, with out going to far. Nothing done so far that can’t be undone. So having it stripped down I’ve been able to see where things need to go. And it’s not looking very workable if I had a lathe and a drill stand or a pellerdrill it could be done.
It  needs to make 3 vertical cuts in the chassis to position the cylinders and valve gear bracket. Some grinding to both the top and bottom of the chassis close to the cuts. This would make the front very vulnerable to snapping it hit or dropped.
Know I’m not saying it’s not impossible but  hand tools it’s likely to go wrong and ruin a good model. I did think of a work around could be to attach the value gear to the underside of the body. But this would be a headache to do. 
if I went for the Caprotti then that would remove the need for one cut and obviously the valve gear but I do like the idea of walschaerts valve gear. 
I’ve now got a Bachmann jubilee on the bench to check but this basically leaves most of the cylinders floating in thin air. Has the jubilee chassis ends pretty much after the cylinders. 
 

so that seems to put a stop to the use of a RTR chassis. I might revisit the idea if I ever decide to do a Caprotti in the future.
Saying that it’s just accrued to me, I’ve been trying to use the brackets has intended as in an inverted L shape. If I removed the leg it might be possible to just drill the chassis and screw the brackets onto to top of the chassis or file a mm or two to fit. Which is much better then cutting over 2/3rds through the casting. I will need to check measurements to see if they would end up in the correct horizontal plane. 
 

livery, well it’s got to be LMS Crimson,

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by farren

[46256]

Good morning 

 

I appreciate your problems with the rtr chassis having fitted comet cylinders and motion to a Hornby Stanier 264t. This was necessary as the rtr motion brackets came adrift….spares are like hens teeth. This involved lots of metal removal, one burnt out mini tool motor. I don’t have dcc , is that a problem fitting to the kit chassis if you go down that route?

 

LMS lined crimson, absolutely!

 

best wishes Brian

[k22009]

Hi Farren,

 

I'm not sure which wheelbase the Patriot chassis you have has, is it the same wheelbase as the first 2 Patriots built 5500 and 5501 or the rest 5502 to 5551? The latter are built to the same dimensions as the Royal Scots at 7'- 4 x 8'- 0 hence the name Baby Scots, only the first 2 retained the 7'- 5 x 7'- 10 centres similar to the Claughton. 

 

If you need an original smokebox/boiler/firebox for your conversion let me know i have the one below spare, the firebox front needs filing down to radius otherwise it's good to go.

 

 

[farren]

After scratching my and lot, I remember I had a spare frame in a box. So I’ve cut the front of and copied the front of the Claughton frames and made a composite frame..well. it’s made from 12 layers with shaped sides making a sandwich. Front is the glued and pegged to the Hornby spare chassis. The green putty is to soften the lip once painted I don’t think it will show too much. 
 

46256 i know other people have made dcc kits but the last lot I built the L&YR class 23 page or two back i blow the chip on the test track. The model run perfect on Ac so it’s probably my on fault when testing it. But it’s A annoying, B expensive. I’ll pluck up courage one day. 
 

K22009 you know that back wheel is just slightly off. 1/4 mm maybe I could probably get away with using the Hornby coupling rods. Leaving more spares for a second engine. 

 

 

[46256]

Some serious modification to those frames, I’ve always admired those modellers who go off piste , as it were. My first serious adaptation was trying to correct the flaws in the Lima crab. Heart in mouth, as it had cost serious money to my younger self. I have had some expensive failures mind, a Pro scale A1 for example…lesson learnt, always check squareness of a model before soldering. In that case followed by painting and lining. It never looked right….I know no sugar Sherlock. The attempt to remedy it, some time later…disaster….wheels and motor salvaged for future models. 

[farren]

Did a bit more, there’s no cut outs for the wheels which I’ll do tomorrow lights fading, so it’s basically sitting on the wheels but it show’s promise

[k22009]

Hi Farren,

 

I built one of these Jidenco versions a while back before i did my own etches, i've reinstalled the photos so you can see the build if it's useful to you. 

 

 

[farren]

1 hour ago, 46256 said:

Some serious modification to those frames, I’ve always admired those modellers who go off piste , as it were. My first serious adaptation was trying to correct the flaws in the Lima crab. Heart in mouth, as it had cost serious money to my younger self. I have had some expensive failures mind, a Pro scale A1 for example…lesson learnt, always check squareness of a model before soldering. In that case followed by painting and lining. It never looked right….I know no sugar Sherlock. The attempt to remedy it, some time later…disaster….wheels and motor salvaged for future models. 

The great thing with brass is if you get it wrong, you and just unsolder it clean it up and mess it up again and again untilll you get it right. When I started I bought some tools and brass got some Cheap scale drawings and set about totally clueless. Found some websites read a lot asked many a daft question and slowly improved. I’d know class myself as a beginner with experience. 
 

I have to admit I’m happiest tinkering with a bit of brass when modelling. 
 

There is always a worry when you take a perfectly good model and put a saw to it. 

[farren]

3 minutes ago, k22009 said:

Hi Farren,

 

I built one of these Jidenco versions a while back before i did my own etches, i've reinstalled the photos so you can see the build if it's useful to you. 

 

 

Thank you I think I’m going to be reading your topic quite a bit. I was just looking at the cab end short stop. Wondering if there’s was something I had missed or the cab rubplate was going to sort that out. Just had a quick look at the moment but saw the drawing you used. Where did you get that from? 

[k22009]

5 minutes ago, farren said:

Where did you get that from? 

 

The drawing is the one with the kit i just enlarged it so it was to 4mm scale. The GA drawings in the Essery and Toms book are much better though.

[46256]

The Pro scale A1…This ended up as scrap. The irony,  if presented with that now,  given my current skills I would delight in making it into a more acceptable model.

[farren]

Well it’s been a fun fulled head scratching and don’t forge burnt fingers day.
I discovered I had switched the datum from one end to the other when I made the plastic chassis extension. Luckily it only meant I had to fill the slots for the cylinders and recut them. The build isn’t to bad but it dose lack any aids  of a modern design. Slots drawings and better instructions. 
 

been looking at the rest of the kit. I’m going to do the the large boiler Caparotti mainly because I put the joint on the chassis to close to where the motion bracket would go. 
 

The kit seems to be missing the large boiler etch so just have to make one. Also missing the dome which hopefully an alternative can be found. 

[farren]

A much more productive day today. I think it’s starting to look like a Claughton. 

[farren]

Getting close to finishing the body, the boiler handrails and pipes need fitting along with the smoke box door hinge. Need to make a cab floor and some details.
I do like how the steam pipe comes up though the drop plate and not in front of the buffer beam on the Claughton. A simple detail to add drill a hole pop a some washer on the steam pipe on pop in the hole. 
 

 

[farren]

Well it’s was going great, the motor didn’t fit but that was easily fixed I removed the boiler forming plate and the boiler stayed in position tacked it to the body fix done. Then I noticed the wheels weren’t in gauging with the motor anymore. Only broke the peg on the motor mount and it’s stuck in the casting. So the chassis is only good for the bin. Oh joy happy day etc. 

 

dug out the kit chassis. It’s terrible, its to long, the wheels don’t line up with the cut out of the splasher cutouts unless you cut a bit of the front and back of but  if you do that the cylinders are 2-4 mm to far forward.
 

So now it’s either designed my own and cut them out or I design a set on the pc and get them etched. the first being faster the second will give a better finish,
 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by farren

[k22009]

You could order some milled frames from Colin at Gibsons LM1-104 but if your version of the kit was the same as the one i built it was the valences that were the problem being quite a bit out rather than the chassis driver positions being just a little out. Buying gibson frames won't help the alignment through the valence cut outs.

[farren]

10 hours ago, k22009 said:

You could order some milled frames from Colin at Gibsons LM1-104 but if your version of the kit was the same as the one i built it was the valences that were the problem being quite a bit out rather than the chassis driver positions being just a little out. Buying gibson frames won't help the alignment through the valence cut outs.

I was having a look at the drawing last night, and I saw you message sorry I didn’t get back sooner. If the valences are out that is something I think is beyond my cutting skills and would be a waste of brass. 

 

 I’ve upload the drawings onto the lap from the book. I’m in doubts with trying to do new etches for the this kit. so I think I’ll draw up a set for the small boiler version, 
 

on the plus side I found another chassis in one of the boxes off bits so this build will carry on. I’ve cut the chassis different to the last one. Will need to make a false sides for the front under the drop plate. The front seems better I just hope the nothing is wrong with the drive. Seems okay though. 

[farren]

Well it’s coming along, the value gear is built and fitted even tested and it all runs fine nothing catastrophic happened. The front bogie is a concern I used the Hornby one re drilled the hole about 3 mm further back in the bogie bracket and had to extend the channel in the chassis the bogie sits in by the same.  Also cut the bottom back of the cylinders out to let the bogie swing a little more. Also switch the wheels to some markits Stanier ones It’s going to be tight. I am hoping it will run on the layout. 
 

need to try and get rid of that dent behind the pipe work, must have learned on something Will doing the other side hand rails. 

Edited May 8, 2023 by farren

[farren]

Well it’s a runner needs a top coat and lining doing plus wheel weights and wheel bosses. Buffers and safety valves. Other than that it’s pretty much done. 

[farren]

The lining is going to take a few days and I haven’t been looking forward to it but so far so good. Wheel weights ands bossed are fitted. And don’t interfere with the running. 

[46256]

Good Afternoon,  looking good, may I ask what you are using to line out?. The tender looks very good indeed .

 

best wishes Brian

[farren]

58 minutes ago, 46256 said:

Good Afternoon,  looking good, may I ask what you are using to line out?. The tender looks very good indeed .

 

best wishes Brian

They are HMRS transfers, cottonbuds to wet them, cocktail sticks to move them about and a good paint brush to brush them down. Nothing special just patience and practice. And a fresh scapulblade so the blade doesn’t snag the transfer sheet. 

[farren]

I think I’ll do a plan black loco next! 
 

the yellow over run on the on the cab sides wild be corrected with a touch of black paint. And yes the holes were painted 

Edited May 14, 2023 by farren