7mm Gladiator Royal Scot build

[scot6p]

Hi Tim, nice work you have done there, my Scot will have split axles, slaters plastic hornblocks with spring axle-boxes.

 

Len

[Tim2014]

Hi Tim, nice work you have done there, my Scot will have split axles, slaters plastic hornblocks with spring axle-boxes.

 

Len

Thanks Len. I wondering how you were going with yours. There were plenty of times I nearly tossed the CSB out the window and just went for plain springing, but I'm glad I persisted now, it clearly gives compensation *AND* springing, and trust me, my track really is agricultural so needs all the help it can get.  You're picking up power through the tender I presume? Is that for the loco, or accessories? Mine has got to have sound, even though I don't (yet) have DCC.  I've not experienced them, but I don't like the sound of plastic hornblocks.  After doing some calcs, the loco will have slaters metal as per the tender.

[Tim2014]

Looks quite imposing.

 

Another of the many classes I never saw in service, but an attractive loco class.

I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of express steam locos I've seen in steam! I had (still have actually) an Airfix 00 version which always had a hulking, powerful look about it.  It just looked good and although I had planned for a while to build a jubilee, in the end I decided I prefered the Scot.  I just hope I can do the justice to the loco and that it ends up running OK.  When I compare my pics to the real thing, I can see why some people sniff at O guage, it does look a bit narrow - but since I never run my trains with a photo book open to compare I'm not bothered at all!

[Tim2014]

After some thinking (and a bit of research on the interweb), I've got somewhere with the chassis layout.  I couldn't find a detailed 7mm/O gauge Scot build anywhere else, though I did find a couple of pics of some in various stages of construction.  Ozzy O's Anne thread has been very useful, as of course has the CLAG gallery.

 

Calling all CSB experts and now...

Here's my 'to do' list before getting the fingers burnt:

1. Loco weight and CoG?

2. CSB height/placement above the wheel centerline?

3. Where do the fixed fulcrum location points sit in relation to the length of the chassis?

4. Meteor or Slaters hornblocks?

5. Pick up locations (I have parts for Gladiator plungers or wipers)?

 

I make a likely suspended weight of 1270g and based on CLAG advice, I'm going for a COG guess near centre driving wheel.

 

The output of the CLAG spreadsheet is:

 

That actually fits quite nicely with the available space *IF* I keep the CSB very close to the axles.  I have a cunning plan for that.  This is supposed to be a representation of a SLaters hornblock unit installed in a chassis side with the bearing in place:

The CSB is the thick black line.  I figure there's no reason why the beam can't ride on the top of the bearing.  Making carriers for the hornblocks was fiddly for the tender, adds friction the way I did it and they can detach from their carriers quite easily (that was deliberate so I could remove the bearings, but the soldered brake gear means I won't be doing that regularly so there's no real benefit).  This embodies KISS (the principle, not the band) and the only problem would be if the beam flexed so much the bearing didn't provide a single point of contact.  It shouldn't.  Calcs suggest ~0.8mm of wheel deflection with a ~0.7 mm (22 SWG?) steel spring.   By keeping the beam low it stays clear of valve gear mounts and most of the awkward chassis spacers (I'll use one handy one as a fulcrum and insert another stiffener for another fulcrum).  The end fulcrums will be as per the tender from scrap brass.  I'll need to cut away the top part of the slaters hornblock to allow the beam to ride on the bearing and not foul the hornguide, but they're pretty chunky and should take that without any problems.  I'll also need a small vertical wire keeper to stop it sliding off the bearing towards the axle.

 

Meteor hornblocks are too thick to be used inside the frames with my gearbox and to be honest seem to have an AWFUL lot of play in them.  Maybe I got a bad batch?

I haven't yet looked at pick-up locations, but with the CSB so low, I should have plenty of room.

 

Yes, technically you will be able to see the CSB, but it won't be *very* visible and frankly I don't care, inside motion (of that sort) is beyond me, and frankly, probably always will be (and I'm in breathless awe of those who can create such masterpieces).

 

All fer now, please pitch in if you can see any flaws ahead!.

[scot6p]

Thanks Len. I wondering how you were going with yours. There were plenty of times I nearly tossed the CSB out the window and just went for plain springing, but I'm glad I persisted now, it clearly gives compensation *AND* springing, and trust me, my track really is agricultural so needs all the help it can get.  You're picking up power through the tender I presume? Is that for the loco, or accessories? Mine has got to have sound, even though I don't (yet) have DCC.  I've not experienced them, but I don't like the sound of plastic hornblocks.  After doing some calcs, the loco will have slaters metal as per the tender.

Hi Tim, I am doing other things at the moment (see my post). Yes I will be picking up power through the tender I won't bother with the loco as I will be adding inside valve gear. The plastic hornblocks have brass inside so should be good. I have thought about adding DCC with sound will have to see how much it costs first.

 

Len

[Horsetan]

It seems such a shame to have to paint it. Raw models like this show lots of useful details.

[Tim2014]

It seems such a shame to have to paint it. Raw models like this show lots of useful details.

Ah but I can hide some of the stuff ups with a bit of filler and paint!  Although it is another thing to stuff up.  Any recommendations on Brunswick mid-chrome green? I saw somewhere Landrover deep bronze green recommended, but it seems matching that colour is harder than the BR version!  On liveries: many of the Scot colour photos seem to show red lining on the cylinders and it looks like the same shade on the rest of the loco lining (with black), but I thought it was supposed to be orange and black. Presumably a function of aged photos/reproduction artifacts?

Edited March 26, 2015 by Tim2014

[Marshall5]

Hi Tim, the GWR or BR never used the term 'Brunswick green' which is a totally different colour.  The correct shade is Mid Chrome Green and, as you say, the nearest car colour is Land Rover deep bronze green although some people also use a Ford colour.  Sorry can't remember the name for it though. The cylinder lining was orange the same as the rest of the lining.

Cheers,

Ray.

[Tim2014]

Some progress on the loco chassis.  With the benefit of hindsight (OzzyO’s advice and a better understanding of Horsetan's Drewry chassis build, thanks to both of you!), I really should have left a bearing pair in to help with aligning the frames square.  I can see speed-bumps ahead...

I soldered the chassis sides together, then cut most of a slot, then moved to the next to keep the chassis as stiff as possible, I cut the slots before freeing the spring etches for the same reason.  The vertical etched line in the top right of the pic above in particular says 'fold here'!  A good reason to have the frames soldered together while making the cuts.

Now the springs are out. I probably could have left them in, but I wanted to be able to think carefully about how they would attach to the hornblocks (if at all) and didn't want to hold up construction.  Plus they would make soldering the hornblocks a little more awkward if left in place.

 

 

Here’s a couple of photos of the right hand coupling rods, assembled now to aid alignment of the hornblocks rather than as finished rods. 

For more prototypical appearance I need to add a suitable washer to the centre pivot, which riveted quite nicely with a brass nail (thanks Horsetan for showing the technique in your Drewry gallery) from a set I found at my local hobby shop and the fluting needs some more work.   I used ordinary electrical solder so I’ll use low melt and some filing to get a smooth transition from the main rods to the boss and fill the depressions between the etches.

The kit comes with lots of spare large and small bosses to face the mountings, I presume you only need a single one of each on the outside faces though.

 

This last pic (below) makes it look like there is a gap between the laminations, there isn't, it's just the result of slight uneveness between the etch edges and should fill nicely with solder (I hope).  Small crocodile clips made soldering these together a breeze, I was a little nervous about soldering up the motion, but I'm not too afeared now - just as well seeing as there's a bit more than on my 4F

 

Finally for now, the centre spacer ‘E’ seems to be too long in the vertical.  If the slot positions are right, it engages perfectly with the horizontal space that sits above it ‘F', but will sit just over an etch thickness below the lower line of the frames.  From the few photos I’ve seen of Scot’s Guardsman sans wheels, there is no such lower projection.  I could just file some thickness off the top, and remove some material around the slots to move it ‘up’.  Anyone who has built one of these able to comment?

You can just make out the scribed wheel center line and the CSB line (working on 0.8mm wheel deflection) together with my bodged Slaters hornblock which just needs a bit more filing to neaten it up after the dremel attack.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Tim2014

[ozzyo]

Hello Tim,

 

I'd add a boss to both sides of the crank pin holes on all of them. The knuckle pin joint looks a bit thin on the back so I think that I'd add one there too.

 

I'd just remove a bit off the top of spacer E, do you have a spacer to fit in the angled slot above the centre driver? If you do you may want to check the length of spacer F as well.

 

OzzyO.

[dikitriki]

Hello Tim,

 

I found my Rebuilt Scot yesterday - also Scot's Guardsman - and chipped it for its first running in 4 years or so. So it means it's available to inspect to answer your questions.

 

 

To answer your spacer question, I took some off the top of spacer E and filed the top of its tabs to move it up. The bottom of the horizontal part I made flush with the bottom of the mainframes, and used it as a convenient anchor plate for the grease separator.....which I don't think is included in the kit?

 

Yours

 

Richard

 

 

[Tim2014]

Hello Tim,

 

I found my Rebuilt Scot yesterday - also Scot's Guardsman - and chipped it for its first running in 4 years or so. So it means it's available to inspect to answer your questions.

 

Royal Scot 8b.jpg

 

To answer your spacer question, I took some off the top of spacer E and filed the top of its tabs to move it up. The bottom of the horizontal part I made flush with the bottom of the mainframes, and used it as a convenient anchor plate for the grease separator.....which I don't think is included in the kit?

 

Yours

 

Richard

Ah, Richard, your timing is impeccable!  That's really good to know about spacer E not being quite to size, thanks.  Based on OzzyO's advice, I've trimmed mine in exactly the same way, so one probelm solved.  You are right, for 'underneath' the 'stock' kit has brake and sanding gear, and that's it - which is more than adequate for me at the moment as the problems just keep coming.  I'd be content to build a model that looks like a Royal Scot from a distance and runs without generating real smoke from the motor and gearbox (sigh). Yes, I am a little depressed.

 

First off I stumbled across the debate regarding pick-ups with CSB.  From what I can gather, it's not as big an issue in 7mm as 4, but still, it's given me pause for thought about my choice of the PFS plunger pick-ups which take up a bit of space on the frames. I get why Len is planning split axles on his buld now - should have asked!

 

Second off, where did you put the motor (and gearbox)?  I had been planning to go fairly conventional and was going to drive the center axle (a bit like this):

 

But I've now realised (how did I miss it until now???) that's right where the main chassis frame spacer goes (sitting above the chassis side in the above pic).  I've no idea what the two nuts which are to be fixed to the base of this spacer are supposed to be for, you can just see the holes in the center of the spacer (F in the kit, I've soldered the front face (G) to it, but not the rear of it (H).  Until I know what they do, I'm reluctant to consider chopping huge chunks of spacer out (or omitting it completely).  So this is (I think) my only other option if I am to keep the spacers more or less as per the instructions, drive the center wheel AND avoid chopping holes in the bottom of the boiler (how low does that go below the level of the chassis frame top BTW?):

 

If I 'lower' (anticlockwise) the motor/gearbox, it starts to become quite visible beneath the side frames.  If I raise it (clockwise), I'm pretty sure it's going to make contact with the end of the firebox and I really don't want to be faffing around hacking bits out of that - if that's even a structural option, which I don't think it is.

So if I can call once again on your collective wisdom, gods of the modelling firmament, should I drive the rear, put the kit on ebay (not a hope , or start getting creative with spacer positions that suit my choice of CSB, motor & gearbox and pickups?

 

Specifically Richard, I don't suppose you have a pic looking up into the assembled body or down on the top of the assembled chassis - or failing that even a shot of the underneath of your chassis (that would help me know what a greasebox looks like too   I can sense I might end up with a rolling chassis only to find (probably in 10 years time) that I need to take a can opener to the body to get it to fit onto the chassis!

 

And going back to ancient history - did you run the top of the tender fireiron tunnel parallel to the tender top?

 

I think I might just start assembling the motion, at least I'll feel I'm making some progress.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Tim2014

[dikitriki]

Ah, Richard, your timing is impeccable!  That's really good to know about spacer E not being quite to size, thanks.  Based on OzzyO's advice, I've trimmed mine in exactly the same way, so one probelm solved.  You are right, for 'underneath' the 'stock' kit has brake and sanding gear, and that's it - which is more than adequate for me at the moment as the problems just keep coming.  I'd be content to build a model that looks like a Royal Scot from a distance and runs without generating real smoke from the motor and gearbox (sigh). Yes, I am a little depressed.

 

There really is no need to be depressed. Every kit has its idiosyncrasies, and the Scot is no different. Built 'out of the box' it makes a lovely model and looks just like a Scot.....so keep going.

 

First off I stumbled across the debate regarding pick-ups with CSB.  From what I can gather, it's not as big an issue in 7mm as 4, but still, it's given me pause for thought about my choice of the PFS plunger pick-ups which take up a bit of space on the frames. I get why Len is planning split frames on his buld now - should have asked!

 

Pick ups are a bit tricky. FWIW, I shorted out one side so the chassis is live and used PB wire on the other side. In addition, I shall add PB wire pick ups to the tender. If I was building it now, I would use split axle pick up on the tender.

 

Second off, where did you put the motor (and gearbox)?  I had been planning to go fairly conventional and was going to drive the center axle (a bit like this):

 

I managed to fit a big Crailcrest motor in, driving off the rear axle, together with a 4 amp decoder. It did take a bit of fitting I must admit. This meant I retained the main spacer. I suggest you investigate driving the rear axle, although you do have a large final drive which may mitigate against it.

 

But I've now realised (how did I miss it until now???) that's right where the main chassis frame spacer goes (sitting above the chassis side in the above pic).  I've no idea what the two nuts which are to be fixed to the base of this spacer are supposed to be for, you can just see the holes in the center of the spacer (F in the kit, I've soldered the front face (G) to it, but not the rear of it (H).  Until I know what they do, I'm reluctant to consider chopping huge chunks of spacer out (or omitting it completely).  So this is (I think) my only other option if I am to keep the spacers more or less as per the instructions, drive the center wheel AND avoid chopping holes in the bottom of the boiler (how low does that go below the level of the chassis frame top BTW?):

 

I'll take the body off and take some photos, but that won't be until tomorrow. The nuts on the spacer are likely to enable the valve gear to be made removable. Always a good idea. Don't be frightened about altering the spacers. You can always add others in if needed for structural integrity.

 

If I 'lower' (anticlockwise) the motor/gearbox, it starts to become quite visible beneath the side frames.  If I raise it (clockwise), I'm pretty sure it's going to make contact with the end of the firebox and I really don't want to be faffing around hacking bits out of that - if that's even a structural option, which I don't think it is.

So if I can call once again on your collective wisdom, gods of the modelling firmament, should I drive the rear, put the kit on ebay (not a hope , or start getting creative with spacer positions that suit my choice of CSB, motor & gearbox and pickups?

 

Specifically Richard, I don't suppose you have a pic looking up into the assembled body or down on the top of the assembled chassis - or failing that even a shot of the underneath of your chassis (that would help me know what a greasebox looks like too   I can sense I might end up with a rolling chassis only to find (probably in 10 years time) that I need to take a can opener to the body to get it to fit onto the chassis!

 

I'll take whatever photos you want.

 

And going back to ancient history - did you run the top of the tender fireiron tunnel parallel to the tender top?

 

Nope; I didn't know better at the time. Most of the loco was built the better part of 20 years ago, and resources have got much better since then. Nothing a full tender of coal can't cure!

 

I think I might just start assembling the motion, at least I'll feel I'm making some progress.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[Tim2014]

Cheers

 

Richard

Thanks so much Richard, I appreciate the encouragement and advice.  I will look at options for driving the rear wheels but consider alternative spacers too.  Don't rush to take the Scot to bits, but if it isn't too much trouble, photos of the 2 areas I indicated would be really helpful as there are no schematics in the kit instructions that show the relationship between the chassis and body looking up into the body or down onto the chassis.  It's an issue that prototype photos and even scale drawings haven't helped me with - aside from giving a rough indication of where the firebox-boiler join sits in relation to the center axle.

 

A quick layout of parts looks like driving the rear axle with the motor horizontal and oriented to the front of the loco could well be the way to go.  There definitely should be room in the firebox to take the motor and it should be well behind the forward 'bulkhead' of the firebox-boiler join.  I'm near certain you're right about those nut locations being for the valve gear, they are quite forward of the center axle though so some butchery of that spacer would still be an option for a center wheel drive.  I'll keep evaluating options.

 

Thinking about pickups, I'll probably go for plungers and see how the chassis runs, if it interferes with the CSB too much I will have to consider PB wipers or some of other weird and wonderful contraptions people try.

 

How'd the loco run BTW?

[Tim2014]

So maybe I don't need pickups at all. No I'm not talking about battery power (though it may come to that to counter the ants in the garden that use my rails as ant-highways.  Crushed ant is a remarkably good insulator).  Presumably I could pick up from the tender bearings (one polarity) and from the loco bearings (other polarity).  I could go split axle, but don't see the point for a tender loco. Using soft wire soldered to the relevent sides hornblocks shouldn't interfere with the CSB at all.  I'd obviously need to insulate the tender from the loco (paxolin draw bar maybe and make sure I smear the buffing area with some black silicone to give a little thickness rather than just rely on paint).  Bearings to axle connection may be slightly flaky electrically, but should be no worse than other pick up methods and mitigated by use of dry graphite lubrication.  I would short out the wheels to the axle on one side of the tender and the other side of the loco, but that seems standard practice. If (when) I go DCC I'd need to make sure the decoder sits in a heatshrink sleeve, but keeping electricity away from things that don't like it seems pretty trivial compared to pick-ups and influence on CSB.

Checked the gearbox and motor, no electrical continuity between gearbox and motor case or either of those and either wire.

What's not to like? (I've just had a nagging doubt I may be making a powered RF source...I have an signals engineer friend I will consult on that).

[dikitriki]

 

How'd the loco run BTW?

 

Sweet.....

 

 

Richard

[Tim2014]

Sweet.....

 

 

Richard

That is magnificent Richard.  Thanks for sharing, just the inspiration I need to keep going. Very nice layout too BTW, is it yours?

[dikitriki]

That is magnificent Richard.  Thanks for sharing, just the inspiration I need to keep going. Very nice layout too BTW, is it yours?

 

Thank you. The layout is mine. It's Heyside. There are a number of videos here https://www.youtube.com/user/NotS7Dikitriki/videos

 

There are bits and pieces on the layout on RMweb, but I mostly post here http://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/re-heyside-7mm-l-y-late-50s-early-60s.552/page-61#post-115350

 

Cheers,

 

Richard

[Tim2014]

I enjoyed those videos Richard, a fine layout, and they have firmly convinced me I need sound, but that's a way off yet (although I'm thinking of making the smokebox door openable/removable to allow access as it seems a logical spot for a speaker).

 

I decided to tackle the springs to make a start on *something* having checked I could fit all 3 laminations between the gearbox. They came out quite well I think, using high temp electrical solder and the DCC concepts flux, but I don't have a decent photo it seems. Learnt the hard way to keep solder out of the leaf springs.  I scraped it out with a pin held in a pair of pliers, then a dremel rotary wire brush. It's not too bad. Didn't want to risk flux and more heat to spread it thin in case it delaminated.  It's a tradeoff I suppose: solder to fill the gaps between the etches or a nice clean surface.  I'd rather clean solder off than have a gap.

 

Having got the springs in place, making sure the hornguides would fit with a little bit of 'wiggle' which took a bit of filing, which wasn't enough as I still had to take a bit off the hornguides afterwards, I realised I can mount the motor and gearbox quite easily on the center axle - the bottom of the firebox (or ashpan, my knowledge of steam engine anatomy needs improving!), hides the bit of gearbox I thought was going to be visible.  Here's s shot showing the planned mounting location:

and the finished CSB system (with a 'scap' piece of wire for the springy beam:

 

I think it's going to work OK, and the spring doesn't seem to show any sign of wanting to slide off the bearings, I'll check carefully because with this installation, once the hornguides are soldering in, they'll need to be major surgery to take out the hornblocks.  Now I just need to bite the bullet and get it all together square - it would have been SOOOOO much simpler if I'd not cut out the bearing etches! Nevermind, next time...

 

Finally, here is something that may possibly be useful.  I decided to use quite long 'legs' on the CSB fulcrum 'L' pieces.  The rationale being it would make them easier to align with the CSB line.  BUT, if you solder them in the wrong effin place, it's a lot more heat required to get them to 'slide' to where you wanted them.  In my case the middle one on one chassis side was about 0.8 mm out from where it shold be (I tried for some time to pretend one was out by +0.4 mm and the other out by -0.4mm).   I managed to get it moving, but was wary of adding too much heat lest it delaminated the spring etches which are quite close and I was using electrical solder so I didn't have to worry about them coming loose when soldering hornblock in with 145 solder.  I had a few pokes with the soldering iron which began to make a 0.8mm error look good and then, quite by accident managed to 'pin' the L against the jaw of the calipers I'd randomly grabbed to use as a stop.  A quick set to the desired distance from the rear fulcrum, a bit of heat from the iron and it slid into exactly the right spot.  You still have to sort out 'up and down', but you don't have to worry about skew, or 'left and right'.  It was so easy, I'd consider soldering a tab to the center wheel center line and using it as a reference when I do my next (!) chassis.  On the basis that a picture speaks a thousand words, hopefully this makes it clear:

Of course, no use at all if you are using handrail knobs that you accurately drilled in place before reaching for the iron.  Me, I'm not good at drilling holes in the right place (first time, anyway), nor as you can see, any use at soldering thhings in the right place first time either

Edited April 18, 2015 by Tim2014

[ozzyo]

Get a fooking bigger bit on your fooking iron to start with. you want to start with 6mm and then go smaller. Don't start with a 1mm bit and then try a 2mm bit Etc. Big is better when you are soldering.

 

I tend to only use a 6mm bit for just about all of my work, then it's just about the temp. on the iron tip. and the solder that you use, 145 deg. works for me.

 

OzzyO.

[Tim2014]

Get a fooking bigger bit on your fooking iron to start with. you want to start with 6mm and then go smaller. Don't start with a 1mm bit and then try a 2mm bit Etc. Big is better when you are soldering.

 

I tend to only use a 6mm bit for just about all of my work, then it's just about the temp. on the iron tip. and the solder that you use, 145 deg. works for me.

 

OzzyO.

Thanks OzzyO, I'll try to get one, it's a delicate thing that iron and I think really designed for electrical work, they may not make a 6mm bit.  The 3mm bit is all I've used with it (I did find a 1mm bit for it in my tool box the other day, it would have been handy on parts of the tender!).  I get what you are saying about temp, hotter and quick seems to work best in a tight spot, but I don't think I'd get a 6mm tip into most of the nooks and crannies of the spacers.  Or do you heat the outside etch in that situation and feed the solder into the joint welding style?  I worry that with all the heat stored up in bigger bit it would bleed into the surrounding area, but I guess you'd run it at a lower temp than I'm doing with the 3mm bit.  That makes a lot of sense: I have to run at a hotter temp to make up for the heat loss out of the smaller thermal mass of the bit, whereas a bigger bit will keep the temp I want for longer before the work conducts it away.

 

Do you subscribe to the '145 for pretty much everything' crew?  I reckon I might use it for everything bar filling and whitemetal in the future - though it has been reassurring knowing there a 50 deg difference between the melting points when I was soldering in the hornblocks today (with 145).

 

I got the chassis powered down track today (holding a battery wired direct to the motor and not coupled!).  Runs a lot sweeter than my last (first 0-6-0 chassis.  There were a couple of tight spots, but I think it's just the axles bedding in.  There's a huge amount of inertia in it, I think it's going to run really well as long as I can keep avoiding pitfalls.  There's a lot of run out in one of the Slaters wheels though

 

You'll have to wait for pics though, I want to get it checked closely and coupled first to check the CSB all works as it should.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Tim2014

[JeffP]

Is the wheel on tight enough? No burrs on the axle end?

 

If it's not right, contact Slaters, they will replace it.

[N15class]

As above for removing burrs from the axle squared ends. But the backs of the wheels need sanding down on a flat surface too. Also check the screw fits properly. I have only ever had one wheel that would not run true.

[ozzyo]

Hello Tim,

 

I do tend to use 145Deg. for just about every thing, I may use 188Deg. for the frame spacers etc.

 

I use the 6mm tip for just about all work from soldering wires onto pick-ups to soldering the bridge pieces onto the drilling jig that I've just done. The soldering station that I use is by Antex (690 SD). The tip temperatures that I tend to use are as follows, 350Deg. for 188, 315Deg for 145 and a Max of 250Deg. for low melt. If the solder does not run at these temperatures I just turn the heat up a bit, on the drilling jig the large piece of brass was 5/8" X 1/4" X 3", For this I did have to turn the wick up to Max. (450Deg.) it did take a bit of heating up but I got it done.

 

Re the Slater's wheel the above should sort it out, about the only thing that I do to Slater's wheels is to use 10BA screws for the crank pin fixing along with a tapped crank pin bush.

 

OzzyO.

[Tim2014]

Thanks folks - awesome news: I got the chassis coupled up and it is smooth as silk (so much it makes me think I should perhaps rework the tender). I can blow it along a wooden table top fairly easily (it's not light!) and it runs down a sheet of glass with no obvious tight spots and the smallest of inclines.  Does DCC do brakes???!

 

Second point is I rechecked the wheels and I think the problem was just burrs on the axles. I added a few more strokes of a file and seated the machine screws firmly home and 'voila' all true.  I think another factor was I didn't have spacers on the outside frames so the bearings were probably sliding laterally along the axles under power which may have given the appearance of run out relative to the frame.  Anyway, the bit I was most worried about now seems over.  I'll chop the slaters 'nibs' off the horblocks to check the CSB and maybe post a vid.

 

Thanks for the advice on the 10BA bolts OzzyO, I had read your post on that on another thread and procured some with the express intention of using them.  I'm resolved now to use 145 solder a lot more and find a new 6mm bit.  Sounds like I need to check out the Anne thread too So little time...!

Edited April 20, 2015 by Tim2014