J27 in a hurry - Now completed along with first atempt at weathering.

[Guest Max Stafford]

A two-stage box is definitely the way forward. Mine uses a 60:1 High Level Roadrunner and a smoother runner I cannot imagine. If I was to make one change, it would be to get the 2mm shaft version with a 14x24 Mashima. All the power you would ever need in a heavy

0-6-0! I'm about to re-fit my NB J37 with this package!

 

Dave.

[5XP]

A two-stage box is definitely the way forward. Mine uses a 60:1 High Level Roadrunner and a smoother runner I cannot imagine. If I was to make one change, it would be to get the 2mm shaft version with a 14x24 Mashima. All the power you would ever need in a heavy

0-6-0! I'm about to re-fit my NB J37 with this package!

 

Dave.

 

 

I absolutely agree with you Max you cant beat the Highlevel/Mashima combo for low noise and smooth running as well as being probabley the simplist gearbox to assemble and set up.

Ive used the Highlevel Roadrunner+ for the J27 but I have bored out the worm in my lathe from 1.5 to 2mm because the gearbox was what I already had.

In an effort to save time waiting for stuff Ive utilised everthing from my own stock hence the decision to fit a Mashima 1624 (1424)

I know this is rather silly considering its size and power but it fits (just) and along with having power in reserve it will be smooth with out risk of overheating.

Ive had some real nightmares with the Mashima 12 series of late and now refuse to fit them,so in place I fit 10 series which are more powerful or if room allows I use the 14/16 series.

 

Darren.

[Guest Max Stafford]

Strangely it does appear that the 1024s are superior to the 12 series. Did the rear of the case keep popping off yours?

 

Dave.

[Mallard60022]

[

Thanks Mallard the reverser is just scrap etch as the supplied example is a little to well fed.

Go on buy one or two.... you know you want to! They really are a nice little kit.

 

TWO! Good grief; now you have got me thinking! I still have not made any more progress with my Edge ES1, DA Q6 and the (not so) Little Engines O1 mentioned on here a few times! Then there is the DMR K1 I bought at Donny etc. etc. Hope they don't end up on Ebay 'cause I've popped my big end before getting to sort them!

Now, remind me, what is DA's address and the code for the J27!!!!!!! (Not really)

Like the drive choice from MS by the way.

Sincerely, 36E

[5XP]

[

Thanks Mallard the reverser is just scrap etch as the supplied example is a little to well fed.

Go on buy one or two.... you know you want to! They really are a nice little kit.

 

TWO! Good grief; now you have got me thinking! I still have not made any more progress with my Edge ES1, DA Q6 and the (not so) Little Engines O1 mentioned on here a few times! Then there is the DMR K1 I bought at Donny etc. etc. Hope they don't end up on Ebay 'cause I've popped my big end before getting to sort them!

Now, remind me, what is DA's address and the code for the J27!!!!!!! (Not really)

Like the drive choice from MS by the way.

Sincerely, 36E

 

Here we are: Dave Alexander

 

 

Well ten minutes ago I finished the loco chassis and ran it for the first time and thankfully no issues were brought forth on its maiden voyage down the test track.

I think I've turned it into a monster truck with the largish Mashima but by god its got some grunt.B)

I did have a bit of an issue with the Scalelink wheels when fitted to the Romford axles in the fact the the back to back was only 14mm ?????? so I then had to gently ream some spacers to fit over the Romford squares to enable the back to back to be eased out to 14.6, nothings ever blo*dy easy when your in a hurry.

In an effort to shovel things along I chemically blackened the chassis which has rather pleasingly made it look quite work weary and dirty but it doesn't show well in the picture.

The wires hanging out the back are for the plug to connect the tender pick ups.

Although not visible in the photo I have blackened the axles and the brass gear as its driven on the centre axle via a Mashima 1424/Highlevel Roadrunner+ as to make it all less noticeable under the boiler.

I also discarded the whitemetal lump that was the guard irons and substituted them with bits of scrap etch.

 

 

 

 

Darren.

[DLT]

 

 

Well ten minutes ago I finished the loco chassis and ran it for the first time and thankfully no issues were brought forth on its maiden voyage down the test track.

I think I've turned it into a monster truck with the largish Mashima but by god its got some grunt.B)

I did have a bit of an issue with the Scalelink wheels when fitted to the Romford axles in the fact the the back to back was only 14mm ?????? so I then had to gently ream some spacers to fit over the Romford squares to enable the back to back to be eased out to 14.6, nothings ever blo*dy easy when your in a hurry.

In an effort to shovel things along I chemically blackened the chassis which has rather pleasingly made it look quite work weary and dirty but it doesn't show well in the picture.

The wires hanging out the back are for the plug to connect the tender pick ups.

Although not visible in the photo I have blackened the axles and the brass gear as its driven on the centre axle via a Mashima 1424/Highlevel Roadrunner+ as to make it all less noticeable under the boiler.

I also discarded the whitemetal lump that was the guard irons and substituted them with bits of scrap etch.

 

 

 

 

Darren.

 

Hi Darren,

 

This kitbuild is looking great, a very interesting thread. Can I ask you about pickups? I know you have them on the tender, but I can't see any on the loco; are there any? Or will you be relying on tender only?

 

Cheers,

Dave.T

[5XP]

Hi Darren,

 

This kitbuild is looking great, a very interesting thread. Can I ask you about pickups? I know you have them on the tender, but I can't see any on the loco; are there any? Or will you be relying on tender only?

 

Cheers,

Dave.T

 

Thanks Dave very kind of you, yes it does have pick ups on the loco as I could never just rely on the tender alone I was just merely complimenting the loco pick ups by adding to the tender as well as its expected to be a regular performer at exhibitions.

I guess I did a good job of hiding them also if they are not visible in the picture......B)

I'm going to try your system on one of my bigger locos sometime when I get around to starting one of them as it looks very durable and neat.

 

 

Darren.

[DLT]

Thanks Dave very kind of you, yes it does have pick ups on the loco as I could never just rely on the tender alone I was just merely complimenting the loco pick ups by adding to the tender as well as its expected to be a regular performer at exhibitions.

I guess I did a good job of hiding them also if they are not visible in the picture......B)

I'm going to try your system on one of my bigger locos sometime when I get around to starting one of them as it looks very durable and neat.

 

 

Darren.

 

Thats a very neat and discrete set of pickups Darren, I must admit my preference is usually for classic wiper pickups when possible.

Its the abundance of stuff on the underside of the chassis (springs and springhangers, complicated brakegear etc) that has led me to go for the backscratchers; on my current loco build there simply isnt room for normal wipers.

In contrast my outside framed narrow gauge locos (which have no brakegear as it would be invisible) have conventional wipers as there is plenty of space between the wheels, and backscratchers wouldnt work with outside frames.

 

Cheers,

Dave.

[5XP]

Thanks Dave I had no springs to contend with as the chassis is fairly basic in that respect it was just a matter of jigging them down alongside the gearbox.

 

Well today went ok and in between watching a rather disappointing F1 season opener on a far to long and dull track at Abu Dhabi and preparing the car for its MOT I'm well on the way to completing the loco which is just as well as times nearly up.

 

The glazing was fitted along with couplings and smokebox plates although I have struggled to get the Methfix transfers to take to the tender sides so destroyed a couple of sets in doing so.:icon_what:

In stark contrast I had no such problems with the cabside numbers so work that one out because I cant!

Ive also fabricated up a fixed fallplate to conceal the crude loco/tender coupling and fitted the safety valves and whistle.

It just needs a spot of weathering and some coal added to the tender which I should be able to get done over the next couple of evenings as I'm off on holiday on Saturday morning.

 

These two views for those that are interested are of the pick ups and loco/tender connecting plug which is fixed to the tender underside.

 

 

View showing fixed fall plate.

 

Smokebox plates showing York 50A home shed.

 

 

 

 

Darren.

[Rob Pulham]

Lovely

[Mallard60022]

The glazing was fitted along with couplings and smokebox plates although I have struggled to get the Methfix transfers to take to the tender sides so destroyed a couple of sets in doing so.:icon_what:

In stark contrast I had no such problems with the cabside numbers so work that one out because I cant!

Ive also fabricated up a fixed fallplate to conceal the crude loco/tender coupling and fitted the safety valves and whistle.

It just needs a spot of weathering and some coal added to the tender which I should be able to get done over the next couple of evenings as I'm off on holiday on Saturday morning.

 

 

Congrats Darren. Looks the business. Hope mine will look as good (remember I should be wanting two!!!!!!!).

Sincerely, Phil 36E

[5XP]

Well its finished just in the nick of time! so thank you very much for the encouragement and kind comments while it was being constructed as it certainly played a part in finishing it in time so it can run at York in Easter.

Its the by far the fastest loco build I have ever managed:rolleyes: but in part it was an fairly simple and clean kit to build and I cant recommend Dave Alexander enough as he super helpful and always responds quickly to emails.

 

I'm not entirely sure if I would use Scalelink wheels again I will have to wait and see depending on kit type and wheel size required.

 

This is my first attempt at weathering anything at all! along with only the second loco I've airbrushed so I still have a lot to learn in both these respects but I'm certainly happy with the results despite the fact that there's a little faffing involved in cleaning up equipment after use but I have got into the habit of doing this straight after use so not to leave it in till its to late or I cant be bothered.......

 

I sprayed the loco with Tetrosyl grey primer before spraying with two coats of Phoenix Precision Dull Black (P975)

I kind of just made the weathering up as I went but I started with dry brushing the loco and tender with matt white to age the black and for water streaks/stains and then applied Phoenix Precision matt Brake Dust (P963) to the brake and running gear dry brushing again.

I then mixed a weak mix of brake dust and thinners and airbrushed over the loco and tender to give it the grimy well use and abused look.

I may have over done this as perhaps its a little to dirty for mid to late fifties....

 

I will let you all be the judge on this so fire away if you have any criticisms or questions as I too am just a beginner too in a lot of respects.

 

I may only get a few posts in on the forum in the next couple of days before I go on holiday so if you are at the York Show in Easter please come and say hello at Rowntree Halt as it would be nice to put some faces to the usernames.

 

Here is the finished loco with coal added and weathering applied:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darren.

[jamieb]

Hi Darren.

 

Finished loco looks good.Interested to know what your reservations are about Scalelink wheels as I've contemplated them as a cheaper alternative to Markits.

 

Jamie

[5XP]

Hi Darren.

 

Finished loco looks good.Interested to know what your reservations are about Scalelink wheels as I've contemplated them as a cheaper alternative to Markits.

 

Jamie

 

Hi Jamie dont let me put you off as the only fault I could really comment on was that when they were paired with my Romford axles the back to back measurement was only 14mm so I had to make some spacers to fit over the Romford axle square to open out the back to backs which was a bit of a pain.

 

I dont know why this is nor do I have time to find out why at present as maybe I had a faulty set or maybe this is just how they are.

 

My reservations only really stem from the lack of wheel sizes and spoke styles as I think they are very well made wheels with no flash on the plastic centres as well as the rim being nicely turned and true but I do think that the centres are a little plain and generic regarding the crank throw, boss style and spoke cross section but if this doesnt worry you then they are a good cheap alternative to the much wider range of Markits wheels.

 

Darren

[Mallard60022]

This is my first attempt at weathering anything at all! along with only the second loco I've airbrushed so I still have a lot to learn in both these respects but I'm certainly happy with the results despite the fact that there's a little faffing involved in cleaning up equipment after use but I have got into the habit of doing this straight after use so not to leave it in till its to late or I cant be bothered.......

 

I sprayed the loco with Tetrosyl grey primer before spraying with two coats of Phoenix Precision Dull Black (P975)

I kind of just made the weathering up as I went but I started with dry brushing the loco and tender with matt white to age the black and for water streaks/stains and then applied Phoenix Precision matt Brake Dust (P963) to the brake and running gear dry brushing again.

I then mixed a weak mix of brake dust and thinners and airbrushed over the loco and tender to give it the grimy well use and abused look.

I

I may only get a few posts in on the forum in the next couple of days before I go on holiday so if you are at the York Show in Easter please come and say hello at Rowntree Halt as it would be nice to put some faces to the usernames.

Here is the finished loco with coal added and weathering applied:

Darren.

 

I will just have to come and admire this at York. I think it looks really good. I'll probably be helping Geoff from Comet for a few hours over the three days so I'll try and get along before the throngs descend (or ascend as it is York!!!) on us!

Otherwise, if you are passing the Comet stand, ask if Phil is around,

Sincerely,

36E

[5XP]

Thanks Phil I will do If I dont see you first at Comet this is on my hitlist for spares.

 

See you there,

 

Darren.

[griffgriff]

Super work there... fast work too.

 

... speed and accuracy - I'm positively green with envy :icon_mrgreen:

[jamieb]

Darren

 

Just checked some old Romford wheels I've got in the spares box and they have a raised boss at the back of the wheel.Would I be right in thinking the Scalelink wheels dont have this and are instead flat? Otherwise,I don't see how the BtoB could be different using standard length axles.As far as wheel patterns , no. of spokes, etc, maybe there will be variety in time if the wheels take off in popularity.Basically it's the same situation that Romford use to be in before Markits went for more prototypical accuracy and doubled the price!

 

Jamie

[5XP]

They do have a raised boss but its not as pronounced as the Markits/Romfords equivalent and the rims are offset inward slightly so the plastic spoke portion of the wheel is set in from the back of the wheel rim despite the fact that the wheel rim and plastic centre is flush on the frontside of the wheel.

[DLT]

Terrific finish Darren, Can I ask how you did the smokebox numberplate? Last time I looked I couldnt find any numbers small enough.

 

Many thanks,

Dave.T

[5XP]

Super work there... fast work too.

 

... speed and accuracy - I'm positively green with envy :icon_mrgreen:

 

Thanks griffgriff but it did come at a price as I stopped work on my house and due to the coming home from work and spending all night working on it I fell out with the wife and lost all my brownie points..........

 

I did have to make a few compromises as time was short so there are a few things I would to have liked to have done better or different but I did achieve my aim and it will run at York.

 

Terrific finish Darren, Can I ask how you did the smokebox numberplate? Last time I looked I couldnt find any numbers small enough.

 

Many thanks,

Dave.T

 

Thanks Dave, I cheated and used one of 247's plates.

 

Darren.

[Horsetan]

....I fell out with the wife and lost all my brownie points..........

 

I'm sure she'll have worked out a way to get you to make up for it

[davidw]

Very good build

[mikemeg]

Terrific finish Darren, Can I ask how you did the smokebox numberplate? Last time I looked I couldnt find any numbers small enough.

 

Many thanks,

Dave.T

 

On the HMRS transfer sheet for LNER wagons, there is a set of numbers which are 4" high and are correct for smokebox door number plates. I've used these on all of the locos which have needed BR smokebox door plates. Normally I make a smokebox door plate from .010" plasticard, thinned to perhaps .006" or .007" and then painted black. Once the paint is dry, then these numbers can be fixed (mine are all methfix) starting with the middle number and then working left and right. Once numbered, then the smokebox door plate is fixed to the smokebox with a layer of black paint and again left to dry.

 

Attached photo shows a J39 with its smokebox plate made and numbered this way.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[sugar palm]

hi darren seen the photos of the J27 looks good when weathered youve done a good job quick hope it goes down well at york been a york engine hope to see it then michael K1 going to paint shop this week end