GAP Z Class Kit

[SRman]

Well, my GAP Z arrived today. It was a little delayed as it broke GAP's mould! Chris Meachan included a note of apology and explanation of what happened.

I immediately started a cleanup of the flash and moulding pips. I then took the Stanier body off its chassis and removed the front pony truck. The rear tender coupling was removed and the wires snipped back near the decoder socket. The Socket circuit board was filed down as per the instructions and the inside of the body cleaned up with a milling tool in the Dremel.

I carefully drilled out the chimney, starting with a small pilot hole then progressively larger drills until I got to the right diameter.

The result is not quite sitting correctly yet, currently being about a milimetre (or less) high at the back. I'll sort that out before long. The wiring will be simplified as I eliminate the capacitor and remove the tails of the wires to the tender coupling.

 

Anyhow, here are a few photos of the start I have made.

 

 

 

 

Note in the first two shots the Stanier 8F body can be seen in the background In the foreground is an old Triang 'Nellie' locomotive that I have decided to upgrade and detail a little. It has gained Romford wheels and axles cascaded from my Craftsman 07 diesel shunter - that received new Markits wheels and axles. I also shaved off all the moulded handrails on the boiler and smokebox and replaced them with proper handrail knobs and wire. I had to make up a replacement baseplate from 40 thou plastic as the original disintegrated! Because I have used insulated wheels on both sides, I have to rig new and extra pickups then I may even stick a decoder into it as the chassis will no longer be live. I'll post pics of that in my workbench blog when I have better light for photography.

Edited September 24, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

A little further progress on my Z. I have been adding various bits of wire of suitable sizes for the ejector pipe, clack valves (doing the same as I did for the G16), and the handrails.
 

 

 

 

It is not runnable right now because I still have the blanking plug out of it - I will have to do the wiring mods mentioned before and maybe even shift the DCC socket board altogether for clearance reasons.

Edited September 26, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

Last pics for tonight: the Z with Bachmann sprung SR/LNER buffers added (but only push-fitted until after painting!), then with steps added. A few minor repairs are needed to the step mouldings before painting. I am going to make completely new rear bunker footsteps out of plasticard as the resin ones were a bit ragged. Sorry tha last one is a bit blurred but the light was really not good by then.


 

EDIT: substitution of a clearer photograph for the second picture.

Edited September 26, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

One more from me: the finer detailing continues on the Z. I mixed a bit of Milliput to repair the holes and gaps in the resin castings and used that to make some crude clack valves. Once painted these shouldn't look too bad. After some digging through photographs, I have worked out that the rather delicate lifting links for the valve gear were covered by boxes on the footplate after nationalisation (or possibly even just before!). I have made boxes of approximately the right size from two pieces of 60 thou plasticard laminated together.

There was also one more little wire handrail/handle on the smokebox door to do and that can also be seen in this latest photo.

 

The G16 has also had my crude Milliput clack valves added.

I also have a sheet of etched brass spectacle frames, the rear ones with coal bars on, from Mainy Trains and will use these on the Z. I have also used a set on the Triang 'Nellie' project which can be sen at the rear of the photo.

[SRman]

And yet one more shot of the detailing bits. The holes in the tank fronts are a fudge as the real items actually pass behind the tanks; on the model the tanks are integral with the boiler (a necessary compromise for the casting).



I will try to carve a little more detail into the clack valves rather than leaving them as semi-shaped blobs!

Edited September 27, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

Still tweaking and refining things on the Z, I have added the strange pipework on the front above the buffer beam and the rear bunker steps, which were cut from 20 thou plasticard.

I temporarily installed a small Gaugemaster decoder, gave it the number 950 and took it to show off at PCM's BRMA meeting yesterday. It ran rather hesitantly because of the various disturbances to wiring and valve gear and a little resin dust in the pickups but after a quick lubrication job and dust off it is now (as I type) trundling around my layout.

I still need to add lamp irons and the smokebox number plate and then, I think, it will be ready for painting in plain BR black.

 

 

I have not, as yet, figured out how I am going to affix couplings!

[SRman]

Every time I think I'm close to finishing this I discover more details that I have missed! I keep checking the photos for positioning of items; the last time was to add the lamp irons and I noticed two more handrails on the back of the bunker. The lamp irons have been done using round section wire, flattened a bit in the pliers (not enough though!). The bunker handrails were added. The smokebox number plate was added out of 20 thou plasticard.

 

"At last I can apply the first coat of primer!" I thought. I duly dismantled the body from the chassis and sprayed it with a coat of grey primer (which is still drying as I type this) and I looked at the pictures again and then I spotted the two handrails on the footplate above the front steps! Ahhh well. They'll just have to be added afterwards.

 

Anyway, here are two more pics showing where I am at now, but just before the painting started.

 

[N15class]

It is looking good. I think you need to sort the cylinders, they rather let down the hole effect.

[SRman]

Yes, the cylinders and that support bracket will have to be dealt with ... eventually. At the moment I'm happy to have something that runs nicely.That means I can take my time to work out what I want to do. If at all possible, I would also like to alter the slide bar and crosshead arrangement to better represent the single slide bar configuration of the real Z.
 

The Z is currently in the spray booth and has now received a coat of black, after adding the missing hand rails at the front and giving it another coat of grey primer last night.

[Peter Beckett]

Jeff,

Here is a shot of the Z squashing the Terrier    at PCM's BRMA meeting

Peter 

[SRman]

Thanks Peter. I turned Peter's (PCM's) siding into a preservation line up! Nice photo too.

 

Progress report for the Z follow: the first coat of undercoat grey (photo 1), handrails added over the front steps (no photo), second coat of primer grey (no photo), followed by two shots with the first coat of black (photos 2 and 3, front and back).

 

 

 

The black needs a light sanding down to eliminate a few lumps and blemishes before a second coat then some brush painting to pick out buffer beams (in red, of course!) and other details. There are still a couple of wire pipes to add around the whistle area, with the whistle and safety valves to be added last in unpainted brass.

Edited September 30, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

The locomotive has now been sanded back lightly and resprayed, followed by a quick going over with Humbrol #85 coal black satin on footplate, smokebox and tanks/bunkers, then the buffer beams and buffer shanks were painted red. I have also filed the cylinders down just a little.

 

At this rate, I'll be able to hand the thread back to Norwenglish very soon!

 

The GAP G16 4-8-0T can be seen in both photos as well.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2013 by SRman

[SRman]

Last night I added the crests and numbers, then this morning I added glazing to the cab and ground away a couple of spots inside to allow the body to sit slightly lower on the chassis. It still looks a little high but is better than it was.





The main tasks left to do involve the whistle and attached pipework and the safety valves, plus a little painting of details and some weathering.

Edited October 2, 2013 by SRman

[ozzyo]

Every time I see the title I think of a make of super glue.

[SRman]

Getting very close to being finished now! I have added the safety valves (Markits) and whistle (a Bulleid one from Markits - the only type I have to hand right now!) plus a representation of the pipework leading to the whistle area. This is only representative as some of the pipes were a bit too fine for me to cope with. I need to dig out the copper paint for the clack valve pipes and those whistle ones.

 

I added a partition of plasticard inside the back of the cab to separate the lower bunker from the cab area - visible from some angles looking into the cab.

Coal has been added to the bunker (some of it is still loose in the photos as I haven't shaken it out again) - an underlayer of IKEA coal followed by a layer of real coal.


 

 

Edited October 3, 2013 by SRman

[georgeT]

Hello SRman,  Great job you have made, really looks big and powerful, the glazing really sets it off,

 

George

[SRman]

Thanks for that, George.

Just to show it all works, here is a video I took on my mobile phone, edited a little. It also includes my pre-grouping goods train with the Bachmann SECR 'C' 0-6-0 hauling it.

[Norwenglish]

Well after a long time away, I thought I would pop my head back in, and I have to say that your work is fantastic SRman, makes me jealous that I am around 12 hours drive from all my stuff so can't get anything done (also helps inspire me even more to finish it). But hopefully there will be some progress from me while I'm home over the christmas break.

[SRman]

We'll look forward to seeing yours in due course, Norwenglish!  

 

Hopefully my blow-by-blow account will assist you to avoid any traps or errors I have made. You may also find better ways of doing things than I did. Good luck with yours, anyway.

[Norwenglish]

Well I'm finally back again, having a well deserved easter holiday from traditional wooden boat building, which means I'm again re-united with my railway modelling equipment.

So, time for an update!

I was given a chassis at christmas time which now has had the body mounted too it after some filling, grinding and swearing (after loosing one of the safety valves).

The steps and buffer's have been mounted and the body given a coat of primer.

So all that needs to be done now is order a whistle, new safety valve, work out what to do for couplings and give it a final coat of paint before adding some nice sunshine lettering decals to it.

But I will try and get some pictures of current progress up before I travel away again.

 

Unfortunately we still need something to run it on, but that's a project for the future, although it might be not too far away, as I can see the collecting here expanding once Bachmann's E4 and Dapol's B4 are released.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Norwenglish

[Norwenglish]

Finally got a picture of current progress for you guys!

 

Unfortunately I'm now 12 hours drive from all the modelling equipment etc, so no more progress until I'm home again in June.

 

Stuart

[SRman]

Looking good there, Norwenglish. A very nice job.

 

I note you have done much the same as I did for couplings. It works!

[Australian accent on] Only 12 hours drive? That's nothin'!! Wad are ya? Weak or somethin'?? [/Australian accent off]

 

Just kidding! It must be frustrating for you. I am a little frustrated myself, at the moment as I had both eyes operated on to remove cataracts a few weeks ago. I am slowly getting back to modelling with the help of temporary reading glasses from the chemist and an Optivisor-type headset but there are limitations right now. 

 

And my tools are approximately six feet away!!

Edited May 3, 2014 by SRman

[N15class]

It is a lovely looking model, but those cylinders really look out of place.

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Guys,

Lovely looking model there and well done to both Stuart & SRman for completing them so far from 'home'.

Not easy, modelling your chosen subject when removed from easy access to parts & materials (says he, modelling Bavarian outline in the UK!).

Cheers,

John E.

[SRman]

It is a lovely looking model, but those cylinders really look out of place.

 

I agree regarding the cylinders. I have filed mine down a bit but they really need replacing. I keep looking at the likes of Peter's Spares for cylinders that look the right profile but will not be too hard to slot into place while accepting the valve gear. Some of the Great Western ones look closer to the correct profile but the mountings are quite different to the Hornby 8F ones. My primary concern is to keep the locomotive operating as smoothly as it does now.

 

It is still on the agenda though, just don't hold your breath waiting for me to do it!!  

 

p.s. Thanks for the compliment.

Edited May 4, 2014 by SRman