RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Please!! I'll figure out what there is and be in touch later........well after Tim's seen it....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I'll figure out what there is and be in touch later........well after Tim's seen it....... *sighs* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 Attended Scalefour North and came back with two chassis kits from Dave Bradwell. As I had expected, they are rather fabulous. On top of that, a decision taken to do all this in P4 was made and it's certainly been worth my while doing so. I've edited previous posts in this topic to reflect that.... So, what does one get in the bag.... Two etches, the smaller of which caters for the first batches of locos. Since the main subject of this thread is a GNR-built example, I'm using the frames and a few other parts off this extra etch. It seems to do what most well-designed kits do and fall off the etch rather too quickly and easily. The result of a couple of evening's work.... The whole thing fits very nicely into the bodyshell and only needed the fronts of the frames modifying as per the instructions for building the chassis in EM, thanks to my work in sorting out the sandboxes. Details of that on the previous page! More to come as and when! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidw Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Really looking good. I look forward to seeking it later in the month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 ....a decision taken to do all this in P4 was made and it's certainly been worth my while doing so.... At last. He's seen the light! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 46444 Posted April 27, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 27, 2015 Lovely work Tim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 At last. He's seen the light! I know - took my time but there you go! I think clean slates have that effect on one..... Lovely work Tim. Thankyou! It's a lovely kit to work with too, which makes it all the more easier. Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 You'll be building a Bradwell B1 chassis before you know it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 You'll be building a Bradwell B1 chassis before you know it! Highly unlikely, given I don't have any need for one However, I hear rumours of a V1/V3 in the pipeline from him, so I may well resurrect my dormant project if/once it comes to fruition. There is something really satisfying about chassis kits such as these, in that they just fall together. I might see what I can fashion together for the missing helical springs on the centre axle, but that's a little further down the line. Like the other driving axles, it'll need to be removeable to allow the wheelsets to drop out of the frames (that's another thing I like about this chassis!). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 You'll be building a Bradwell B1 chassis before you know it! .... or if you really want a challenge the 9F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 ....I know they are expensive and the components and assembly may appear to be a trifle daunting ..... That's putting it mildly. It's the fact that you need to buy an expensive dedicated tool (which cannot be used with any other make of wheel) which puts me off. Ultrascale is more than sufficient, even if the timescales are a bit long and there's a possibility of you dropping dead before the wheels are ready....! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimbus Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 On a question of wheels, Dave Bradwell's exquisite kits surely deserve the finest 4mm. wheels available to compliment the quality of such workmanship as found in his chassis and loco kits. These are available from the Exactoscale range introduced by Len Newman and Bernard Weller some years ago, now available from C&L Finescale. I quite agree, but I have doubts about C&L's commitment to maintaining, let alone developing the range. One of Dave's finest kits is the WD, and Len told me that he had the necessary wheel drawings several years ago, but there is no glimmer of these appearing in the Exactoscale range. Realistically, any additions would be unlikely without Len's continued technical involvement. The Nim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 ..... I have doubts about C&L's commitment to maintaining, let alone developing the range. ..... Given that one or two Exactoscale products did not make it under C&L's aegis, either because they were lost in the takeover transition or because they were withdrawn early, it is as well to keep an eye on what happens. All of the inside motion parts that Exactoscale used to sell in Bernie Weller days, the etched slidebars, rods, brass turned eccentrics and crank castings, were lost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 Interesting debate on wheels. For reasons of cost, quantity and indeed sanity, I'm using Gibson wheels for this and indeed the rest of the N2s that will make up the eventual fleet. Had I been doing a solitary example, then I may well have opted for something different. When you're doing half a dozen, it's quite a different ballgame! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Interesting debate on wheels. For reasons of cost, quantity and indeed sanity, I'm using Gibson wheels for this and indeed the rest of the N2s that will make up the eventual fleet. .... AGW were my original choice. I then came across a set of Ultrascales, so snapped those up. The AGWs will be kept as spares. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 ....the wheel press is £38, not exactly a fortune, is it compared to a decent RTR coach?... It is if you can only use it with one (limited) range of pretty expensive wheels. Since I've managed never to pay more than about £17 for a decent RTR coach (and have acquired a growing number of Bachmann Mk.1s, as well as a Hornby Hawksworth Brake 3rd, and a Maunsell, by sticking to this limit), the wheel press looks even less value for money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 A little more progress. Not huge leaps, but enough to keep me going for the moment. The chassis has seen a few additional parts fitted, including the remainder of the cab and small items such as guard irons and the handbrake bits under the cab. Since the kit is primarily aimed at the LH drive locos, I've had to swap the cab interior parts over and do various bits of resultant filing to them in order to get them to fit in place. It is just possible to see the hole left for the handbrake standard. To think I have to do this to two more locos eventually.... The rear fixing plate has been fettled to fit and will shortly be secured inside the bodyshell. For now, it's attached in the chassis such that everything can stay together. Rather than rely on a single thickness of n/s etch, I've sweated to pieces of scrap to give a bit more meat for the bolts to go into. A view of the underneath of the chassis, showing the spring screws in place. I will probably use some tacky wax to stop them from rattling around as they're a tad loose (two made a bid for freedom, but got caught). Whether they remain loose once the springs and wheels are in place is quite another thing, so I'll see if the wax will still be needed. Pony truck also in place, for now, but will get a washer soldered to the bottom and then the wheels adding in. Lastly, the cab rear is ready to fix onto the back. I used some scrap fret between the guard rails and the rear to space things out before sodlering them in place. Standard trick, but worth mentioning anyway! Got other things to get on with in the run-up to ExpoEM, so I might not get a chance to do much more to this one until afterwards. We shall see anyway! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 So much for my closing remark above.... Somehow I ended up building the other chassis yesterday - I was bored! On account of how quick (by comparison) this one has got itself to a stage behind the other one, I've decided to make this topic cover the build of a "not quite matching" pair of N2s. This one belongs to a complete polar opposite to the other one, in being a 2685 series loco; 69591, of 34C Hatfield. An identity, incidentally, has been chosen for the other; 69538, of Kings Cross. By being a LH drive loco, it means I can show the versatility of the chassis kit in how it fits all class members. End-on view of both chassis, showing the slight differences between the two. Setting the hornblocks up in them as a pair will probably be a lot easier anyway, so there's another advantage of my slight change of plan. Finally, here are how the two stand at the present moment. Note, too, that I've blackened the handrails on 69538. I've got a dome for 69591, which will get sent off for casting up soon, though I'm still on the hunt for an old Hornby J52 body that I can rob for the dome. If anyone has one of those kicking about, I'd be very grateful, please! Right, that's enough for now...! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Could you do a chimney and a dome? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Could you do a chimney and a dome? As mentioned before, I'm leaving the chimney pretty much as it is, since it matches the 12 3/8" chimney well enough (to my eyes at least). If I were needing the 16 3/8" form, then I'd replace it. Not having the various drawings of the GN-style dome to hand, I wouldn't really be able to produce one of my own from scratch. I'd far rather make use of something that's out there and needs little attention, in order to produce what I need. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I received samples of the N2 doors yesterday. They are rather good..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 I received samples of the N2 doors yesterday. They are rather good..... Glad to hear! That master I made took a fair bit of work...... Meantime, A second set of wheels arrived today, along with various other bits (thanks chris p bacon!). Also snapped up a cheap N2 body this lunchtime. Just to find two more and I've got my six.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted May 6, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 6, 2015 Glad to hear! That master I made took a fair bit of work...... Meantime, A second set of wheels arrived today, along with various other bits (thanks chris p bacon!). Also snapped up a cheap N2 body this lunchtime. Just to find two more and I've got my six.... Thanks Tim. Enjoying reading the build, be interested to see what you do with all those bits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Further progress. Bit of playing around with brake blocks this time. The RSU came into play for the short lengths of 1.5mm diameter tube that the brake hangers fit into. Fairly easy to make, which is just how I like it to be! In-progress view of 69591's chassis, showing the tubes. The brake gear is designed to be removeable so as to allow the wheelsets to be dropped out for maintenance. I like that idea a lot and I'm glad more kit/chassis manufacturers are doing it. Gearboxes and motors will be obtained this weekend at ExpoEM, so there should be some more progress on both locos soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portchullin Tatty Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 How are these getting on Tim; I happen to know you have done rather more...................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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