Steve's Caledonian loco work bench

[agt613]

Yes, not to mention the WP! This also raises the issue of thickness. At their prototype measurements, the lining white-black-white (got it wrong last post) was less than 2" wide in all. In 00, I'm sure that's less than current transfers by a factor of about two. The WP would look more like a Magpies shirt than a blue thing with some lining on. Oh, you didn't mention the buffer shanks, either.

[Londontram]

Hi chaps sorry there's been a bit of a gap for a few weeks but I've been tied up with other projects mainly in inkscape drawing carriage projects and a few other modeling jobs but I've done all I want to in that direction for the moment so I can concentrate on the 104 tank again for a bit.

 

Having cut the parts out for the running plate I wanted to do a couple more jobs on the chassis before going any further and this is what I did today.

 

   The Hornby chassis has a very large block in front of the motor to help give the chassis weight the only down side of this is it effectively blocks the chance for the area under the boiler to be open and see through. So the chassis was stripped down to the basic block and a section was cut out leaving just enough to mount the motor. You can see the before and after views in the first two pictures, once cut the chassis in front of the motor is reduced to a depth of just 10mm

The right of the two cast recesses on the block to be removed seen here on the first picture show where the cuts were made which was up to the end of this recess.

The cuts were made with a standard hack saw and the cut areas were dressed with a file to finish them off.

 

While the chassis was stripped there was just one more job I wanted to do and that was drill a hole in the rear of the chassis to let the wires from the bogie pick ups pass through the chassis. The bogie is a modified Hornby one shortened and with a recess filed in the bottom of it so a piece of copper clad board can be glued in place to mount the pickup wires on. The idea is to pass the pick up wires through the center mounting rivet and up through this new hole which is directly above the rivet. The hole was drilled as big as I could make it so that as the bogie is deflected from side to side going through points and bends it doesn't pinch the wires as even when deflected the rivet hole is still within the area of the large hole in the chassis. Does that make sense? any way here's a couple of pictures which might show what I mean.

 

Here's the large hole the two smaller holes are a left over from the original rear axle springs all since removed when it was converted to a 0-4-4

In the last picture the chassis is back together on its wheels and you can see the new hole in the rear of the chassis right over the mounting rivet of the bogie, you can also see how the cut down chassis looks now which should give a nice bit of day light under the boiler the remaining part of the motor mount will fall just inside the tank area when the loco body is built.

Thanks for looking Steve

Edited February 8, 2016 by Londontram

[N15class]

A fair bit of butchery there. It has made a lot of difference.

Edited February 7, 2016 by N15class

[Nelson Jackson]

Just been catching up on a few recent posts, and I will be following your class 104 project with much interest! Your chassis conversion gives me much confidence that it is indeed doable to give some light under boilers, which gives me an idea for a project of my own, I'll keep you updated if anything comes of it.

Keep the excellent posts coming,

Nelson

[46256]

Steve goodness me the butchery....fair play to have the confidence to " adapt" a chassis.....real admiration

[Londontram]

Thanks chaps the good thing about the Hornby chassis is it will take a fair amount of abuse and the good thing is if it all goes wrong you can get them off ebay for less than a tenner.

     It all a bit of a voyage of discovery and I don't know if it will all work, for the bogie I can short out one set of wheels so I only need to fit pickups to one side so that will cut down the drag on the wheels a bit and means I'll only need to route one wire up through the center rivet hole and the hole in the chassis. In the future when funds allow I'd like to swap the wheels especially the pony truck ones for something finer. But don't forget my original idea was due to my circumstances to build the locos on a tight budget as much as I could.

[Londontram]

Right then after a bit of a break from loco building (Don't worry I have been modeling but more to do with some coach projects more of which later) I made some progress on the 104 tank. I left it last time having built the steps in brass plate and soldered them to the running plate valance - that was one side so to start with today I did the second side. The next job was to mark out the running plate and once done the corners were drilled out and the holes joined up with a sharp craft knife. Heres a picture of the running plate marked out with the holes drilled but before the unwanted areas were cut out.

When the running plate was cut out and checked for fit the buffer beams and valance were glued in place and in this next picture an engineering set square is being used to make sure the buffer beam is at the right angle.

After this was left to set the front mounting was made in the same way as the one on the jumbo and the rear of the chassis had an extension added which when dry will be drilled out so a screw can pas through this into a reinforced area on the running plate.

When set the final job was to test fit the running plate and check the running plate and buffer beams for position and height, I'm leaving it there today be will start the body build next time including cutting down one of my spare GBL single bodies to get the smoke box and boiler for this build.

The running plate test fitted.

 

Thanks for looking in sorry for the long gap since the last post but the other jobs are done for now so I can concentrate on this again. Steve

 

Edit add - PS remember the front of the chassis cut down in one of the last posts have a look at the last picture in this post and you can see that it was worth the effort to get the clearance under the boiler as the top of the chassis is now level with the running plate.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Londontram

[Buhar]

 PS remember the front of the chassis cut down in one of the last posts have a look at the last picture in this post and you can see that it was worth the effort to get the clearance under the boiler as the top of the chassis is now level with the running plate.

Good to see the update, Steve. Does that chassis modification suggest you've decided against showing the working inside valve gear on this build?

[Londontram]

Got to take the boss shopping so not a big update today. The first job was to get the buffers height right and I had to put a 15 thou shim under the running plate at the front and file about the same off the rear chassis extension to get the running plate right then the holes for the buffers were marked out and drilled and a set of buffers fitted (Richard I pinched your set of T9 ones so I owe you a set)

 

The next job was to cut up (butcher) a single body so I set to with the razor saws which soon made short work of it. Have you noticed my scratch building seems to consist of lots of body and chassis butchering - all good fun but you've got to have vision.

 

     On the 782 tank I had to cut the boiler twice and remove sections from either side of the dome to get the chimney dome and safety valves to all line up but it seems that the 104 class had the safety valve set further back (by 5mm on the plans) so as it stands its only 1mm to far back so with all the hassle of cutting gluing and filling the boiler I think I'll leave it where it is this time so a section was removed from between the chimney and dome and when cleaned up will be rejoined, most of this will be behind the side tanks but I'll need to cut away the plastic under the boiler and but a new boiler bottom on it.

   In the first picture is the cut boiler with the section removed.

    In the next picture is the two bits to be used just sat on the running plate, OK so I'm just playing here but you can see the buffers have now been fitted to the buffer beams.

 

Some people may wonder at the waste of the single body just to supply bits for a boiler but fear not folks all is not lost, with careful cutting and when its been cleaned up and shortened - lady's and gentlemen I give you the first part of the next jumbo.

You may recall I always intended to do two jumbos a black Drummond one and a blue Lambie one well this is how the first one started as the running plate is the correct width and comes with the cab and rear steps already fitted so this will be put away for the future.

 

[agt613]

Brilliant. As you say, it's the vision to do it that's the important bit. Would I be allowed to put a picture of my 55 class Oban Bogie on here? It's almost finished.

Keep up the good work, Graham

[Londontram]

Please do Graham I'd love to see it and I'm sure the other would as well, I've always fancied a class 55 and seeing yours might tempt me.

[agt613]

Please do Graham I'd love to see it and I'm sure the other would as well, I've always fancied a class 55 and seeing yours might tempt me.

 

Here it is taken on my ancient phone. It shows up glitches in lining rather horribly though! At least I can correct them. I started building it in 1969, I think, when Tony East of the Harrogate club made the chassis for me. I must have had a blueprint back then. Recently I have improved some of the detailing, especially the smokebox front and done the paint job. The paints are reduced 15% with matt white to give (I hope) a realistic scale colour viewed from a distance. Because it has a Triang x04 motor, there are gaps under the boiler which shouldn't really be there nowadays. I made the tender so that it pivots on the rear wheels and leans all its weight on the cab floor. The front two wheels are on a separate chassis free to move up and down.

 

Hope you like it, Steve.

 

Graham

 

I've still got to fit the Westinghouse pump when it's lined

Edited March 2, 2016 by agt613

[Londontram]

Wow what can I say, that looks the dogs do dars. I don't know about faults with the lining but if I can get the finish on mine that good I'll be more than happy.

   Stick my neck on the block time but the Caledonian weren't over successful with 4-6-0 designs this is no great secret.

   They were with out doubt brilliant with 4-4-0 locos like the Dunalastair's for example but never quite made the leap to what at the time was a fairly new wheel arrangement but I'll risk the back lash and say I think the class 55 was one of the few Caley 4-6-0 designs that did all that was asked from it excelling on the sharply curved and hilly Callender and Oban line which it was originally built for.

 

Edit add - You do realize its your fault, I'll have to push on and finish Cardean now after seeing that

Edited March 2, 2016 by Londontram

[Mad McCann]

Oooft!

I think I've just had a moment gents! :-)))

 

Lovely model, Graham.

[uax6]

The Caley only really got decent (working!) 4-6-0's when they bought the Highland Rivers, and even then they couldn't copy them very well!

 

Andy G

 

(Ducking for cover!)

[Sandy Harper]

The Caley only really got decent (working!) 4-6-0's when they bought the Highland Rivers, and even then they couldn't copy them very well!

 

Andy G

 

(Ducking for cover!)

Yeahhh! for the Highland.

 

Sorry, got carried away there a bit.

Sandy

[Mad McCann]

Probably not entirely fair, lads.

The 60s were good, strong pullers and climbers. They just were'nt 'runners'.

Still good enough to hang on until 1953.

[Londontram]

Had two or three busy days so I only managed to get up stairs and do a bit of modeling for a few hours this afternoon. The only real job on the 104 today was to take the rough cut boiler sections and remove all the moulded hand rail detail and clean up the two faces to be joined.

    Once this was done the two sections were joined with super glue with a strengthening strip on the inside of the boiler. After it had set it was trial fitted which you can see in this picture, I had to file off some of the inside of the boiler with a round file to clear the top of the motor but as you can see in this picture it looks about the right height and position and certainly looks OK against the plans.

 

I'm afraid that's all I had time for today but thanks for looking Steve

Edited March 4, 2016 by Londontram

[Londontram]

Just looking at the last post and in that picture the 104 at first glance looks like some throw back to the 1840s with no cab and exposed wheels, perhaps I should stand a couple of gents on the foot plate in frock coats and top hats.

[Londontram]

Three jobs tackled today the first was to fit a self tapping screw to the front mount and at the rear after building up some layered strengthening strips on the running plate they were drilled through and a small BA nut and bolt were fitted the nut on the inside will be soldered to a small strip of brass which will be glued and trapped by plasticard so it stays put when the screw is removed. I would show a picture but I just down loaded one then some how managed to delete it from everywhere.

 

Now Fess up time as I made a balls up when I was cutting the boiler off the old single running plate I managed to take a big chunk out the smoke box door with the razor saw so I made the decisions to cut and file the smoke box door completely away and I'll make a new winged front plate and smoke box door.      

    Some of you may recall I did this for the Cardean by rough cutting it from plasticard and then putting it in a dremmel and sanding it to shape so I'll do the same with this one.

 

The last job was to cut out the tank and cab sides which was done by my usual method of cutting out paper templates from the plans and sticking them on to the plasticard with a pritt stick and cutting and filing to shape. I've started to cut out the cab front plate but have had to call it a day today (Wife needs me for something) so that's only rough cut at the momment.

 

Anyway here are a couple of pictures the first showing the cab and tank side sat in place and in this picture you can just see where I've filed and sanded off the old damaged smoke box door.

 

In the second one taken from the rear you can just see the built up mounting point with the retaining screw.

If you recall the 104 tank was the only Caledonian tank loco that didn't have a recessed cab side which was usually a feature of Caley tank locos this gave the 104 class a unique and somewhat more modern look than the other Caledonian tank locos

Edited March 6, 2016 by Londontram

[Mad McCann]

Another gem in the making, Steve!

[Londontram]

Well one hopes if I stand well back and throw enough filler at it it might come out all right. I will cover the build but by its very nature its going to be very similar to the 782 0-6-0 tank build.so don't expect any great revelations with this build

 

With spring just round the corner I'm looking forward to being able to get some top coats on the other locos as well especially now all my etched number plates have come from 247 developments.

 

Any way thanks for looking in. Steve

[Londontram]

Today's job was to cut out more of the cab parts these being the front and back of the cab and the bunker back once cut this was all glued together and before set was made nice and straight and square. Here's the pictures.

Above and below the tank and cab parts now in place. The bit of plasticard laid across the chassis infron of the tanks is just a scrap of plasticard to act as a spacer while the tank sides set as they kept trying to curl in.

The rear bunker back now in place.

I've left it all to set now and will come back to it later

Edited March 10, 2016 by Londontram

[gr.king]

I've not looked in on this interesting fettling of Caledonian models for a while. It's nice to see the unconventional "adaptive" loco building work continuing with barely a pause for breath.

 

If more of us had a go at this sort of thing perhaps there would be fewer moaners complaining about the unavailability of exactly the RTR model that they would like, or shrieking in horror at the ever rising costs of new-generation RTR items or the alternative of an elaborate kit plus umpteen non-included mechanical parts and cosmetic fittings.....

[Londontram]

Thanks. your right more people should have a go and not only are you getting something that's not going to be available in RTR but its great fun and very satisfying too. One more picture from today here using one of the few essential tools for scratch building a good set square seen in this picture making sure that every thing is OK before the glue has fully set.

There's a lot more detail to go in the cab yet like a planked floor and a backhead which will come from another one of the stripped GBL locos but it does show the simple construction using plasticard.

  Thanks again for looking Steve