rowanj Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 The K4 and K1/1 are now in service and are making my layout temporarily masquerade as somewhere urban on the Road to The Isles. These locos are well outside my normal mythical geographic area, and without the GBL series I would never have attempted them. But I'm glad I did, even though, like most of my efforts, they are best viewed from a distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I unearthed some drawings for the K4 just now, and the idea of cobbling one together in P4/S4 still appeals. Possible parts sources, some of which I already have: - Hornby B17 boiler barrel (shortened) and cab - SEF K3 etched chassis and footplate - various leftover Crownline B2 etches, mainly the cabsides - Dave Bradwell B1/K1 smokebox door (close strapping) - Dave Bradwell 3500 Group Standard tender - modified AGW 5'2" wheels Tempting.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 If you don't have the SEF chassis, a call to see if Dave Alexander still has his K4 etch for £1 might be worthwhile. Is the B17/B2 cab a decent match? Let's know how you get on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 ...Is the B17/B2 cab a decent match? Let's know how you get on. I was looking at the reverse curve at the base, and thinking about similarities..... It would have to be the SEF K3 chassis, as the valve gear has absolutely everything in it, and can be made reversible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Last year, BRM had articles from Tony Wright who adapted Bachmann's K3 to produce a K3/2 with GN tender, RH drive. A few locos kept these shorter tenders for use in Scotland, but they migrated south in the late 1950's. Though TW's modelling is way beyond my ability, I thought I'd have a go with the GBL model to produce a reasonable facsimile. There is actually nothing more to the loco than removing the handrails and steampipe, and reinstating the steampipe and reversing lever on the RH side. However these locos also had a shorter cab with deeperwindows, and this came from a SEF fret, available as a spare, along with a whitemetal roof. The GN tender also needs to be sourced. Mine is an excellent resin casting., though TW used a London Road Models etched kit. His loco runs on a SEF chassis, mine on a carved Bachmann split- chassis from a V1/3. The photos show the cab needs reseated on the RH side, and some tidying of the transfers won't go amiss. The cab steps are part of the SEF fret, and 1 has bent, so that needs straightened. As a loco sufficiently different from the "normal" K3 however, I'm not too unhappy how it has turned out, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 The K4 is very difficult to model effectively as the running plate curves are very subtle. The K4 has only 5'2" wheels so the running plate curves are much flatter than the B17 or even the 5'8" wheeled K3. I tried a B17 to K4 conversion but could not make the running plate look right. The small wheels ultimately led to the K4s downfall as they could not keep out of the way of the Glasgow Suburban electric trains like a Std 5 or Black 5 with 6 foot wheels. Sadly Gresley believed enginemen kept to the west highlands 40 mph speed limit which led to the small wheels whereas they actually went considerably faster and a 5' 8" wheels might have been more useful, but as it was the K4s were the only locos capable of taking 9 coaches unassisted over the West Highland. Sadly few people had the sense to realise that even if the K4 needed twice the maintenance of a K1 it was still a more labour and cost effective solution as it could quite literally do the work of 2 K1s at far less than twice the coal costs and with only one crew. Going back a page or two the Compound sits ridiculously high and the Director looks a little uncomfortable teetering on undersize wheels? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 I'd forgotten all about the tip-toeing Compound. I always meant to do a later photo but got diverted, It now sits better, as I hope can be seen. I'm not sure which D11 you think has undersized wheels. One runs on a Hornby D49 chassis, and the other has 26mm Romfords, admittedly 1mm too small. Interesting views on the K4 v K1. I never got to see the K4's in their element, and to be honest only got round to producing one because I had a spare GBL K3 My understanding was that the footplates were the same other than the K4 was 6" longer behind the rear driving wheel and before the curve up to the cab. There are a few excellent conversions around on the BRM and LNER sites. Good to hear from you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 This conversion will probably take some time. The hope is to backdate" D11 Butler Henderson to represent D10 Sir Edward Fraser, the last loco of the class in service when withdrawn in Nov 1955. I don't know much about the locos and photos are at a premium. The mechanism is a Hornby loco drive Schools which I got at a good price as a "spares or repair" and managed to get running. The main visual changes are the cab, which is an old-style cut out. and changes to the shape of the frame pieces from just behind the smokebox. . I also understand the tender is incorrect, but at this stage I'm going o persevere until I can research what mods are needed. Ultimately the D10 will look sufficiently different from the D11 to hopefully make it worthwhile. For my BR period, I'll also need to open out the valance above the drivers .For the cab, after originally trialling a GN style etch from the SEF K3 pack, I had decided that it would either be necessary to scratchbuild a cab or, as suggested by another poster, use the GBL D11 cab with new sides. At that point another poster who is also doing this work on a Bachmann model posted that he was using an O4 cab on his loco. At that point I remembered that in my spares box was an O4 boiler and cab left over from a conversion to an O4/8. The photo shows the new cab loosely perched on the footplate. The plastic removal is really just tint trial and error. The gap between cab and firebox closes when finger pressure is applies and should virtually disappear when glued, though I'll be surprised if I get away without some filler. The tender chassis needed a fair bit of plastic removed to get the tender to fit. Care was needed not to disturb the wiring - this loco picks up current from the tender. I filed off all Schools detail from the tender sides, and then cot off and thinned the GBL tender chassis details Reassembled, I was relieved to find that the chassis still ran. I'll post photos in due course of the mod showing the tender assembly and the cuts needed to get the body to fit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 It shows promise, but I think the cab may be a little low? That's my gut reaction, anyway. I may have a 4mm scale drawing of the D10 stowed away somewhere, if you would like a copy? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 James - that would be great. Normally I try to work from an Isinglass or similar drawing, but for this cheap one-off I don't think its economical. Cab too low - perfectly possible, though I haven't shortened it and it's the same height as the original D11 (not that that proves anything) I'm finding usable photos a bit thin on the ground, so the offer of a drawing is greatly appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 These pics show what is left of the Schools chassis to get the GBL body to fit. It's a bit scary, but I seem to have managed to keep it running without removing anything critical. The leading bogie needs fitting, and I need to find a way to hide the gap below the footplate. Once I'm sure about the running properties I'll finish the cosmetic body changes. Thanks to James I now have a drawing as a guide. At the moment, I'm sticking with the GBL tender, but if all goes well I'll see about fitting the correct one if I can find a more accurate one. I believe PDK will supply one, but at £70, it's not worth it for this project given the limitations of the donor (and the modeller) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frappington Jct Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Hi Rowanj, I'm enjoying following your build projects, it's interesting to see what can be done with the GBL models. A quick question if I may though, where did you source the resin cast you used for the GNR tender behind the K3/2? I'm looking to find one to put behind a proposed Gresley K2 project and I'm not very keen on building a brass kit Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 This is the re-profile necessary to the front frames. I think I've captured the shape but any GC experts who think differently, -I'd be glad to hear from you. Next stage is to remove the valance which had gone by BR days. After that, it's the usual cosmetics - handrails, whistle,etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Have you managed to ask Mike Edge if he might lend you some outline drawings? He produces a very good D10 kit, and the drawings would go some way to helping you create an even better hybrid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 The D10 all but complete. Cabside numbers and etched nameplates are on order from Modelmasters. I'm going to try to weather the loco pretty heavily to match the photo I have of the prototype in it's last few months of 1955, which will tone down the lining, amongst other things. I did try to get a drawing from the kit manufacturers, but am grateful to James for the helpful plan he sent me. No doubt there are errors and omissions, but for the price of the dodgy chassis and the original D11 donor I'm not unhappy to have finished up with a reasonable copy of a loco unlikely ever to see the RTR light of day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Love it! If I hadn't built a pair of the old Jaycraft kits I'd probably have gone down the same route as GBL Butler Henderson and an O4 cab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 John well worth the effort with lining out... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hi John as per my pm....can't post this on main GBL thread...however if you don't mind will show here and outline the work done. This model was originally LMS 7751, a ks kit of the LNWR coal tank. It was in the shsnd section at my local model shop. It looked a nicely made body, and would normally have been put in the kit built section...at a far higher price. I enquires why and was informed it's a non runner. An inspection revealed an original ks chassis and very poor pick up arrangements. Feeds to the motor wires revealed a powerful and free running loco. I can fix this says I let me have it a couple of days and on its return it can take its rightful place...and price. You may wonder why not buy it...well have any number of projects courtesy of GBL...my British Railways layout is based on a real station on the ex Midland lines in Brum....this loco would have been as likely to run through as 60113 Gt Northern. I have a model of that loco ...I digress. The coal tank whilst on my workbench suffered a calamity...so I had to buy it anyway..... It has gad two home made chassis that whilst free running contrived to derail, a combination of my poor track at certain points...and a very heavy body. The loco not mine...ok maybe both.. A comet collet 060 chassis..same wheelbase...markits gearbox and mashima motor plus modern markits wheels have now produced..after careful weighting with lead a well balanced powerful little loco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowanj Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 A couple of pics of the almost completed D10. I'll source a more appropriate whistle at some point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Hi John county as shown in main thread...Hornby 8f firebox added plus all the bits and pieces shown...the double chimney from 247 was the bigger GWR one...so out came razor saw and dremel...off went the capuchon ...and here we are...still being worked on. The second picture shows what will be my next project...a class a2/2 60501 coco of the North hopefully using the GBL peppercorn as a donor. The bit modelled is the front frames out of plasticard...no waiting for the said peppercorn to materialise...best wishes Brian......all these from a midland man! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 With the permission of my friend rowanj....I will endeavour to produce a passable a2/2 Pacific from a selection of GBL and Hornby spare parts...I was going to use the forthcoming peppercorn....regardless of its pedigree...ie trix...the work required ...well I've chosen another route. The photo is the result of my latest endeavours.....the cab is from GBL v2...front of roof reduced hence the hole....rear of the firebox again from v2....like a nit I initially cut too much hence the filler piece....the rest of firebox is Hornby a3... The boiler and smokebox is v2... The front frames are home made....isinglass drawing and a number of text books providing reference....will if I may update progress on this blog....it is at this stage of any conversion you fear the outcome.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I intend to purchase the se finecast a2 chassis and extend the frames....a home brew attempt was not successful it's the 6ft 6 inch coupling rods...not commercial,y available...and the universal ones of rod jeep seem to have sold out...anyway she finecast it will be Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Predictive texting.hate it almost as. Much as epoxy resin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Now looking a bit more like my intended victim...John pointed out cock o the North has curved cab plates...mine are straight...so intend to model 50505 thane of Fife instead...believe she had a banjo done at some stage hence the temporary one still lots of fillerieces and filler..sanding etc to go but a bit more presentable... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
46256 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 John a lovely side view of thane of Fife in Peter costers book shows me the dome should be more forward....just ordered a non corridor tender of e bay....onwards and upwards.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.