Finescaling a Farish WD 2-8-0

[Nig H]

I have already posted some pics (on the workbench) showing how I converted a Farish WD to 2mm finescale but retaining the motion and rods as supplied with the model. In this topic, I aim to describe the second option which replaces the Farish valve gear, coupling rods etc with etched, closer to scale, parts.  

 

To prepare the model for conversion, I removed the loco and tender bodies and put the screws back in the holes they came from.

 

Electrical pickup seems to be from the loco wheels to a split frame loco chassis, from each side of the loco chassis to a split frame tender chassis via a clip attached to the plastic drawbar. The clip is attached to extensions of both loco and tender chassis. Current is also passed from the tender wheels to the tender chassis. A PCB screws onto upward extensions of the tender chassis. The PCB includes a decoder blanking piece. Wires from the PCB pass along the drawbar, and along the rear and top edges of the loco chassis carry current back to the motor.

 

I wanted to separate the loco and tender so it was necessary to unsolder the wires connecting the motor to the PCB. Its worth noting where everything goes as you remove bits, or alternatively, taking pics as you go. I wish I had!

 

The PCB can then be removed by undoing the two screws at the front of the PCB, and the tender separated from the loco chassis by easing the phosphor bronze clips over the the top of the frame extensions of the tender chassis.

 

In the photo you can just make out the loco frame extension and the clip, and the wires to the PCB from the motor.

 

 

The tender wheels are kept in place with a plastic keeper plate, screwed to the underside of the tender frame/ footplate unit. By undoing the screws you can release the split chassis and the tender wheels can be removed by prising the keeper plate away from the tender chassis block.

 

With the sceme I have come up with, most of the tender block is not needed, just the front end with the PCB mounting. The remaining section needs to be trimmed back to give clearance for the etched replacment chassis.

 

Here are some pics work proceeded.

 

Sorry for the poor quality pic. The two halves are araldited together using the spacer (the black blob left centre) to help keep the halves correctly spaced.

 

 

Holding spacers in place for soldering to the double sided PCB spacers.

 

You can see the remains of the tender block here, inside the footplate/ frame unit. This pic shows all that is kept from the model for the tender.

 

 

Nig H

[Nig H]

The last photo showed the completed etched chassis with 'Simpson springing', and wires to connect the frames to the top of the PCB.

 

Here are pics of the pony truck and the valve gear.

 

 

 

 

Nig H

[Wyvern]

Hello Nigel,

 

Would it not be easier to turn down the tender wheels in the normal manner - are they not split axle pick up?

 

Cheers

 

Guy

[Nig H]

Hello Nigel,

 

Would it not be easier to turn down the tender wheels in the normal manner - are they not split axle pick up?

 

Cheers

 

Guy

Hello Guy,

 

That's not an option I have considered as I have not turned wheels down myself, and I don't fancy it, for no particular reason. The axle is split pickup, but if you can loosen the wheels on the axle, then re-setting the back to back to 8.5mm results in the distance outside the wheel faces being greater than the distance between the cosmetic plastic frames. I don't think it would be feasible to slim down the wheels on the inside face as the flange is too thin. The only alternative as I see it would be to take some material from the outside face, and this does look like it might work. Hope this helps.

 

Nig H

[Nig H]

Here are some pics of the completed loco. Some cleaning up and painting or re-painting to do. Assembling the valve gear and getting it to run without hitting other bits wasn't easy! Not the best runner at very low speeds, but there is a lot of slop in the Farish axle bearings and this makes it more difficult to get spot on. There may be some paint or solder residue in some of the vakve gear joints as well.

 

One thing I was concerned about was haulage capability without the traction tyres. I tried a load of 125g (equal to about 30 of my mineral wagons) and the loco pulled these with no obvious problems. The loco itself weighs about 51g, the tender 9g.

 

 

 

I will replace the spoked pony truck wheels with proper disc wheels soon. I need to test whether 6.5mm wheels will pass under the arch of the frames.

 

 

Here's one for David Long. The Farish gear on an Assoc 2.3mm muff.

 

 

 

Nig H

 

[Wyvern]

That looks superb Nigel.   You mention slop in the bearings.   Is this between the wheel axle and the farish bearings or the farish bearings and the split frame in which they sit?

 

Guy

[Nig H]

That looks superb Nigel.   You mention slop in the bearings.   Is this between the wheel axle and the farish bearings or the farish bearings and the split frame in which they sit?

 

Guy

Hello Guy,

 

Thanks for the comment. I would have tried to tidy things up and improve the running but I have a number of test etches to build, and as far as this one is concerned, I am satisfied that the etch will work and that the approach I have used is feasible. The slop is between the Farish bearings and the split frame they sit in.

 

Nig H