Corbs' Cobbling - Is it electric?

[RedGemAlchemist]

Posed with a GBL caley tender, Edward needs levelling out a bit but getting there, certainly less tall-looking than before.

 

The front bogie is just for testing, it's a tad too long really.

 

IMG_4824.JPG

 

I rather like the 3 lined blue locos posed together. If I get my act together I'll make an MPD diorama where I can line more of the fleet up...

May I suggest a name idea?  Edward Daniel Leahy

Edited February 18, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[Edwardian]

Thanks! Both the E2 and the K2* are printed in FUD. I do have the 'proper' K2* chassis printed in BSF as well.

What I would say is that WSF/BSF can be brilliant as Nile proved, but it requires more prep work.

I barely did any prep on the FUD models, just cleaned them, a light sanding then filler primer, but FUD is VERY brittle and can snap easily. I've snapped bits off every one I've done. WSF is much more durable.

However I much prefer FUD.

 

*not a K2

 

That is very helpful, thank you.

 

Forgive the intrusion, but I am a 3D print virgin, as it were, so this is useful as well as interesting. The ideal locomotive for my freelance line is Knuckles's little Sharp Stewart 2-4-0 tender engine, and I was overjoyed upon its release.  IIRC they were called Small Passenger Class on the Cambrian, but the Furness had some too.  The 4-wheel tender is also perfect for the 2 ex-Cornwall Minerals locomotives I had already planned.

 

I am greatly relieved to hear that FUD has come out so well.  This probably means there is no need to choose the even pricier medium available. I wondered about the chassis, as I have never built one.  I wondered if I could save a few bob by getting a WSF chassis, but do I gather that you have built your own chassis for the Seagull?

 

Mikkel raises a good point; with what do you stick it together?

 

Thanks.  

[Corbs]

Thanks for info, Corbs. Can I ask: How well does the FUD take glue, and which kind works best?

 

I think I used cyanoacrylate to stick things on, but it's just the handrail knobs and smokebox doors that I've had to glue on as the bodyshell is one piece.

 

May I suggest a name idea?  Edward Daniel Leahy

 

That's a good idea but he already has a full name - Edward Faragher was a Manx language poet, folklorist and cultural guardian. I thought it appropriate to have him named after another local hero, like Thomas Allen, the NWR being proud of its local history and culture.

[Corbs]

I wondered if I could save a few bob by getting a WSF chassis, but do I gather that you have built your own chassis for the Seagull?

 

I did get the chassis printed in BSF and have it on my desk, I just got cold feet about getting things square etc. and fudging it up, so I opted to modify a cheap disposable chassis. There won't be much left of the Smokey Joe one by the end but oddly it's a way I find easier to work in, I find it hard to start things from scratch and would rather have the basic components there even if I do end up changing them all.

[RedGemAlchemist]

That's a good idea but he already has a full name - Edward Faragher was a Manx language poet, folklorist and cultural guardian. I thought it appropriate to have him named after another local hero, like Thomas Allen, the NWR being proud of its local history and culture.

Ah right. Yeah, makes more sense than Leahy, but interesting to see we were thinking along the same lines with artistic types.

[Corbs]

I've always got so many projects on the go, I'm mindful that things can fall behind.

Having rebuilt TK&F No.5 with an 0-6-0 chassis, the space formerly occupied by the motor was a big gaping hole.

This evening I built a cab floor from styrene strip. An old electrotren body was sawn up to donate a backhead, and finally a driver was added. Now I need to build some false frames at the back and mount a rear coupling.

All barely noticeable really but it makes me feel better!

[Corbs]

The GBL tender out of the paintshop (a fancy name for the cardboard box in the bathroom).

Needs some wheels and axleboxes. It's a temporary affair until I get a proper FR one, when this will likely get cascaded to 309 or 310. I've sawn out the horrendous fake coal and the plan is to have the battery and receiver in the tender (fingers crossed the 9v fits) under a removable coal load.

[LNWR18901910]

The GBL tender out of the paintshop (a fancy name for the cardboard box in the bathroom).

Needs some wheels and axleboxes. It's a temporary affair until I get a proper FR one, when this will likely get cascaded to 309 or 310. I've sawn out the horrendous fake coal and the plan is to have the battery and receiver in the tender (fingers crossed the 9v fits) under a removable coal load.

IMG_4870.JPG

Gosh! Your Edward model is coming along nicely! I hope we can see it running sometime soon.

[Corbs]

So do I! The new motor is in the post and I have some new shaft adapters on order.

[James Harrison]

You know, in all honesty I think that tender suits your Edward perfectly well as it is.  Had you not mentioned it isn't the proper tender for it I wouldn't have given it a second look. 

[Corbs]

Cheers mate! I think the giveaway is the toolbox but not such a big issue as you say.

 

Found the 9V rechargeable battery in a mystery drawer, tried it in the tender, and.... didn't fit.

 

BUT if you take the sticky label off it, the housing comes apart and....

 

yaay. Still functions as it should. 800mah and 9V should mean that 102 isn't restricted to shunting like 106 is, and hopefully will be able to run for a while on a layout without needing to be charged too often.

 

[Corbs]

Fingers crossed the post tomorrow brings me tasty motors or at least shaft adapters.

 

In the meantime, some tidying up on No.5. It uses the original electrotren front coupling mount, but is longer at the back, so I made some frame extensions from styrene.

 

More strip was added to mount an NEM pocket at the right height on the body, and it can once more be used as a shunting loco, or double head.

 

 

No.6 is receiving some major surgery to the cylinders and valve gear to bring it up to the same standard as No.7 pictured here. Unfortunately it meant scrapping the original frame extensions at the front but new ones are in progress.

 

[Corbs]

No.6 with new cylinders and valve gear

 

The TK&F large hopper wagon has also gained some running boards to make it more different to its tri-ang origins

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Corbs

[Corbs]

I wasn't happy with the Margate-era cylinders so changed them for some China-made ones.

 

No.5 and 7 now sport Westinghouse brake pumps, the TK&F being air-braked. No.6 soon to follow!

Just one more TK&F loco to build, which will be 'coffee pot' No.1, the last remaining vertical boiler tank loco. Will be quite a challenge!

Edited February 28, 2018 by Corbs

[RedGemAlchemist]

I wasn't happy with the Margate-era cylinders so changed them for some China-made ones.

 

No.5 and 7 now sport Westinghouse brake pumps, the TK&F being air-braked. No.6 soon to follow!

fullsizeoutput_2839.jpeg

Just one more TK&F loco to build, which will be 'coffee pot' No.1, the last remaining vertical boiler tank loco. Will be quite a challenge!

Hmm. I'd been thinking of potentially attempting a vertical boiler tank myself. Interested to see how you manage it.

[Corbs]

So am I, not got a clue yet!

[LNWR18901910]

Any progress on Edward yet?

[HonestTom]

Re the coffeepot, I've been wondering about the concept myself. I had some vague ideas including using a Bachmann 'Gandy Dancer' or 'John Bull' mechanism and I played with the idea of using a Hornby/Dapol pug chassis with the motor hidden inside an oversized boiler/tank, but nothing's been entirely satisfactory (but I'm a complete bodger). If someone came up with an HO/OO equivalent of the Kato 103 underfloor mechanism, they'd make their fortune.

[BernardTPM]

If someone came up with an HO/OO equivalent of the Kato 103 underfloor mechanism, they'd make their fortune.

Tenshodo motor bogie?

[Corbs]

Tenshodo motor bogie?

I was looking at these earlier and trying to find out if it was possible to fit driving wheels with rods to the bogies. Some people have done it but I haven't found a kit.

The motors I have would fit, and I was intending to make it RC with a cylindrical battery atop a vertical motor, but we'll see.

[Corbs]

Now the TK&F locos are out of the way, and the Furness 4-4-0 is waiting on some parts, I've got some space on my workbench.

 

My stepfather is going to be building a layout in my old room, and has been on a mission to get his old stock out of storage.

 

There were 2 airfix 61xx prairies, and I thought it would be nice to breathe some new life into one of them for his birthday present.

 

 

I've placed an order for plates with Narrow Planet with a custom shed code, so I hope they get here in time!

 

Gave it a bit of a run on the rolling road and it's noisy but works like any other DC loco.

 

Something I think that makes any loco look more up to date is replacing moulded handrails. I've never really done this before properly so here goes...

 

Cut the old ones off with a sharp blade, a bit at a time.

 

Used a tiny drill bit in a pin vice to drill new holes using the outline of the moulded ones as a guide.

 

Cut wire roughly to length, tweezers came in very handy here, then threaded the knobs and used a soldering iron to gently melt them in to the plastic (as they initially sat proud of the surface)

 

At the front, I shaped some 0.45mm handrail wire using a marker pen, then bent the angles in the vice to make the boiler handrail, The replacement knobs here are from a Hornby Pug (those on the cab are from Nairnshire Modelling Supplies)

There was a missing grab rail for the front steps, so I re-used some of the Airfix knobs and handrail as it was a rough match.

The smokebox door had the moulded dart handles removed with the same method, then a hole drilled and a Caley Coaches set of handles fitted (slightly trimmed).

 

Some more primer and this is the current state of affairs. I've run out of knobs for the time being so I've fillered over some of the bunker holes and now waiting for the primer to go off so I can sand them properly. The rear of the cab and the little sticky up bit on the bunker were carefully cut out of the moulded coal and glued back in.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Corbs

[Corbs]

Damn it! Just checked the reference photos again and the horizontal handrails don't have knobs! Think I'll have to remove them today and replace with bent wire, otherwise I'll see it every time now.

 

Edit: started the process now

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Corbs

[Mike 84C]

When you realize how old the Airfix models are now they have very good detail, even by today's standards. I liked the 61's as a loco, shovelled a few tons of coal into their fireboxes in my youth.

  Stepdad will be really chuffed! pun intended!

[Corbs]

Yes the rivet detail especially is very good.

 

I was itching to get the handrails done today. The filled-in holes are in need of more smoothing but the handrails themselves do work better than the knobbly ones. I built a new false floor for the bunker out of scraps of styrene.

 

Some rather fragile lamp irons made from styrene, think I will use brass strip next time.

The whole loco has had various coats of filler primer, then sanding, then a bit of black, more sanding.... etc.

 

 

In between that, I've done something which was long overdue. My Gresley 'A0' No. 704 still had very clunky 'Railroad' valve gear and it let the model down in my eyes. The brilliant ebay store of Peters Spares supplied some super detail motion. This required some surgery to the cylinder block, which has been moved forward and re-mounted.

Under test

 

and this is the finished article

 

 

I posed it with an 'NWR' tender from 705 to compare against the GNR type.

 

[Corbs]

 

Current state of the prairie. I've coloured in the wheel rims with a black marker but may end up swapping the wheels if I can.

Just a bit more sanding to do and then I can detail and add transfers etc.