Train spotting at Finsbury Square

[31A]

Thanks Jonathan.  I didn't think to look at the Alan Gibson range!

 

The Aralditing seems to have gone OK; just a little bit of cleaning up along the leading edges of the cab sides to make them flush with the front.  I wonder whether I should try and tweak the ejector exhaust pipe a bit, to get it to lie more parallel with the handrail.

 

 

Did I mention tricky plumbing?  This is some of it, the vacuum pipe that runs along the left had side of the platform and includes the standpipe on the buffer beam; it has some interesting bends in it.  The flexible 'bag' is made by winding 5 amp fuse wire round the 0.7mm brass wire and flooding it with solder.  Twists of fuse wire also represent the pipe joints.  The pipe pegs into blind holes in the footplate casting where the real thing was clipped and the cab end of the pipe also goes into a hole in the casting.  The plastic cab handrails have survived this far!

 

 

[31A]

Tricky Plumbing Part 2:

 

On the right hand side, the steam heat pipe runs along the platform valence behind a lagged cover that looks a bit like a bit of gutter, then emerges from the bottom of that to disappear under the buffer beam and end up beneath the vacuum standpipe.  The exact arrangement seems to vary from one loco to another.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgadsdon/49442330162

 

I'd got some brass half round U section which I've used as gutters on building models and had hoped to use that, but it was too big.  So, I filed a flat down one side of a piece of 1mm brass rod instead, and the heater pipe itself is a piece of 0.7mm brass rod.  I filed a vertical notch in the end of the 1mm rod and soldered a piece of 0.7mm into that, then filed it off flat on the back, and bent the pipe round to pass under the buffer beam.

 

There wasn't really any way to peg this to the valence, so I've relied on a smear of Araldite along beneath the overhang, and clamped the brass rod to that while it cured.  Seems OK so far!  Boiler/cab and running plate reunited temporarily for photographic purposes.

 

[31A]

Cabin fever.  Time to think about the vertical cab handrails.  

 

I had hoped that the original plastic ones that are attached to the footplate casting could be retained, but they didn't really line up properly with the cut outs in the new cab sides.  In anticipation that this might be the case, I had left the copper wire beading to the cab side cut outs overlong at the bottom with the intention of being able to curve these round and make supports for the upper end of the handrails.  This worked well on one side, but obviously these dangly bits of copper wire were quite vulnerable during construction and sure enough the left hand side one broke off.

 

So on that side I had to make a new U-shaped bracket for the top of the handrail, get it to line up with the beading as best I could, and solder it to the cab side.  This couldn't really be done until the two parts of the body had been reunited, as the bottom of the handrail passes into holes in the footplate part.  Soldering this in place wasn't easy; as well as being very fiddly, I guess the die cast body to which the cab sides are now attached was acting as a great big heat sink!

 

Anyway, that probably stopped the other soldered bits from coming off.

 

 

 

Having reunited the two parts of the body, I added strips of 5 thou styrene along the bottom edges of the cab side to represent the angle iron which attached the cab to the running plate.

 

Whilst doing plastic stuff, I made a new cover for the reversing rod on the side of the firebox.  This covers the front end of the reverser where it passes through the cab front; most but not all J15s had these and most but not all Hornby models do too; this one doesn't, so I carved it from a lump of 60 thou; it's a strange shape.

 

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

I don't think it's really possible to make a J15 ugly, but whomever designed that cab had a damn good go.

[mullie]

1 hour ago, jwealleans said:

I don't think it's really possible to make a J15 ugly, but whomever designed that cab had a damn good go.

They felt they needed more practice so similarly spoilt the looks of some E4 2-4-0s and exiled them to the Pennines.

 

Great modelling. 

[31A]

In case anyone thought I'd lost interest in this project, an update.

 

There have been a few setbacks on the way, but at this time of the year there's a lot of waiting around for suitable weather for aerosol painting outdoors; also there's been a lot of painting fiddly bits and touching up, etc.

 

Anyway here goes.  Being cheap, this J15 didn't include the Accessory Pack and I had to make a vacuum standpipe for the tender buffer beam.  This time, I used some thick mains cable.  To represent the ridged flexible part, I put a steel 10BA nut into a pin vice, and used t to cut a thread on the copper wire.  This makes quite a subtle flexible pipe, in fact probably so subtle it'll disappear under the first coat of paint.

 

 

Then, the setback.  The Isinglass drawing shows the front of the tender cab being level with the front of the tender side sheets, and that was how I made it.  I also made the tender cab roof as per the drawing.  Conveniently, this meant the cab could be glued to the back of the front coal plate (which is a separate piece on the Hornby model).  But, looking again at photos of the real thing, it seems the front of the tender cab was further forwards, and the cab sides extended down in front of the tender sides, to footplate level.

 

 

If I'd realised this when I started I would have made the brass cab sides long enough, but I didn't.  So, I detached the tender cab from the coal plate, glued it to the front side of the coal plate, then glued the coal plate in position further forward.  To represent the lower extensions of the cab side I stuck strips of 10 thou plasticard to the front of the tender.  Bit of a bodge; it looked like this:

 

 

But then I put the loco back together and coupled up the loco and tender to see what it looked like.  Disaster.  The tender cab clashed with the loco cab!  Looking at photos, I suppose it's possible the loco cab roof was shortened on these locos, but both the Isinglass and GERS drawings showed the roof the same length as the Hornby roof (which I intended to use).

 

After cogitating, (and not feeling inclined to re-make the tender cab) in the end I pretended I hadn't looked so closely at the phots, and put the tender cab back to where I'd first put it, per the drawings, and took off the plasticard extensions.  So I'm afraid it's a bit of a bodge up really or at least compromise.

 

Anyway, after painting and transfers, here is 65424 (as she now is) in the Finsbury Square loco yard.

 

 

 

Not easy to take photos of a shiny black engine; I'll take some more when I've done a bit of weathering.  Also, I need to get her a smokebox numberplate, as well as sort out a crew and some coal.

 

Anyway, I'm fairly pleased with the result (notwithstanding the above); it's loco that looks a bit different to the majority of J15s.

 

[Mallard60022]

Class bit of muddling.

Phil

[31A]

8 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

Class bit of muddling.

Phil

 

Thank you Phil, glad you like it.  There certainly was some muddling!

 

[Chas Levin]

Quite unusual looking Steve - to me, at any rate - as I don't see these kinds of tender fittings modelled often. Beautifully done - as others have said - and inspiring me (and no doubt others) to try something similar!

Edited November 17, 2023 by Chas Levin

[31A]

1 hour ago, Chas Levin said:

Quite unusual looking Steve - to me, at any rate - as I don't see these kinds of tender fittings modelled often. Beautifully done - as others have said - and inspiring me (an dno doubt others) to try something similar!

Thanks Chas, glad you like it.  To be honest that kind of metalwork is a bit beyond what I usually do!

[31A]

Not much modelling today, but a busy day at my local station with no less than three steam specials arriving within a couple of hours; one from Carlisle and two from King's Cross.   All behind LMS 4-6-0s!

 

First to arrive, from Carlisle:

 

 

Have Hornby got the shade of green right?

 

 

"Insurance" on the other end, soon to be used as ECS pilot:

 

 

Dragging "Scots Guardsman" backwards at a rate of knots; I wish I'd videoed this as an example of scale speed shunting!

 

 

I did video the first King's Cross arrival, which had come via Lincoln behind 44871:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0--MByi0g

 

And was closely followed by the next which had come via Retford; oh no not another Black 5 (45231):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrPTp3QqkZU

 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by 31A

[PhilJ W]

39 minutes ago, 31A said:

Not much modelling today, but a busy day at my local station with no less than three steam specials arriving within a couple of hours; one from Carlisle and two from King's Cross.   All behind LMS 4-6-0s!

 

First to arrive, from Carlisle:

 

 

Have Hornby got the shade of green right?

 

 

"Insurance" on the other end, soon to be used as ECS pilot:

 

 

Dragging "Scots Guardsman" backwards at a rate of knots; I wish I'd videoed this as an example of scale speed shunting!

 

 

I did video the first King's Cross arrival, which had come via Lincoln behind 44871:

 

https://studio.youtube.com/video/Sj0--MByi0g/edit

 

And was closely followed by the next which had come via Retford; oh no not another Black 5 (45231):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrPTp3QqkZU

 

 

The first video won't play.

[31A]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

The first video won't play.

Thank you Phil, I don't know why that should be.  I'll probably have to change some settings.  I must admit Youtube is a bit of a mystery to me!

Edited November 18, 2023 by 31A

[31A]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The first video won't play.

 

I hope it does now!

[lezz01]

Yeh it sure does.

Regards Lez.

[Barry O]

Great time seeing the layout and the Ugly J15 yesterday. Layout worked very well and looks great!

 

Baz

[31A]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Great time seeing the layout and the Ugly J15 yesterday. Layout worked very well and looks great!

 

Baz

 

Thank you Barry, glad you and John enjoyed it!  It was good having you over to visit.

[St Enodoc]

11 hours ago, 31A said:

 

Thank you Barry, glad you and John enjoyed it!  It was good having you over to visit.

We did indeed! Operating, as distinct from just running, a fine model railway is always a pleasure for me.

[LNER4479]

On 18/11/2023 at 17:52, 31A said:

Not much modelling today, but a busy day at my local station with no less than three steam specials arriving within a couple of hours; o

 

... closely followed by the next which had come via Retford; oh no not another Black 5 (45231)

 

Oi! Nowt wrong with a Black 5 (or three)

 

Glad you had a good day today. Did you manage to see your visitors from around the box mountain? 😆

[jwealleans]

This came up on Facebook over the weekend while I was away.   For anyone who wasn't already clear what a good job Steve's done on that J15:

 

 

Not the same one, but the same modification:

 

 

(Uncredited photo on Facebook: happy to credit if the owner contacts me)

 

 

[31A]

23 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Did you manage to see your visitors from around the box mountain? 😆

 

They seemed to be altogether quite impressed! 🤣

[31A]

5 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

This came up on Facebook over the weekend while I was away.   For anyone who wasn't already clear what a good job Steve's done on that J15:

 

 

Not the same one, but the same modification:

 

 

(Uncredited photo on Facebook: happy to credit if the owner contacts me)

 

 

 

Thanks Jonathan, that's a nice picture of one, not on the Stour Valley line but being a Really Useful Engine at Bury St. Edmunds!

 

[31A]

Just to round off the "Covered Wagon" saga, the front numberplate arrived today; a beautiful 3D printed transfer from Railtec Transfers.

 

I had already put a crew in the cab.  A lot of the 4mm scale figures I tried were too tall to fit under the cab roof, so the driver is an HO scale figure from Noch, and the fireman is from the Preiser "Seated Industrial Workers" set.  In reality the cab is so enclosed that the crew is hardly visible.  I didn't glaze the cab side windows as the photos I found of the real locos showed them to be left open.  I presume in reality they slid forwards to open.  I did glaze the tender cab's windows.

 

 

 

I was tempted to leave the loco in ex-Works condition as per the earlier phots, but in the end I did apply some fairly restrained weathering.

 

 

 

Here's a threesome; each one subtly different:

 

[Barry O]

Very nice!

 

Baz

[45568]

Lovely work Steve! The J15 must be one of the best of Hornby's 'little black 0.6.0s', certainly the variety catered for in the model is exemplary. A pity that the later releases didn't sell too well, I did my bit and ended up with four of them! This project has me on the lookout for a cheap donor, but care is needed to get the right starting model.

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.