great central Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 A bit of an introduction: As some will know I have been involved with Nottingham MRS' Deepcar from it's very beginnings. The group has stayed pretty much constant over the years, Graham Clark joining us at about the time we were starting on the OHLE. Graham came from the Riverside club in Essex, who were almost pioneers in near scale, working OHLE, and showed us how it should be done. It must be admitted up to then we weren't too sure! Our interest in matters Woodhead (and OHLE) is still the prime motive behind our group although a steam era layout is being built. Anyway, Graham already had a good few O gauge diesels and decided a while ago to build an OHLE exhibition layout for himself, the obvious choice was something Woodhead, problem being the lack of a decent class 76 or 77 kit in O gauge. Undaunted he set about scratchbuiling one with the intent of it forming the basis of a kit,as he needed quite a few locos. As we saw the emerging prototype, it attracted considerable interest within the group, so much so that Graham offered kits to those who wanted one, four of us taking them on. The kit takes the form of etched brass cabs, bogies and underframe with resin body sides, roof and bogie details. A series of articles is planned in Railway Modeller featuring the development and building by Graham of the kit, and his layout, hopefully with my loco as well, will make it's debut at the Nottingham show next March. I'm afriad that Graham has no intention of marketing the kit, but some of us are now actively discussing a club layout as well! Time (and space) will tell on that though. As I progress, which will slow down next week when I'm back at work, I'll post pictures with a bit of text. Although I've done resin kits before, the DC kits class 76, yes this is all Charlie Petty's fault, I've done very little etched brass, especially where it involves punching out a 'few' rivets! First picture is of the brass bits of the kit: The resin body sides and roof: I took the kit to work, having a two hour break between jobs allowed me to get a bit of rivetting done! As luck would have it a rivetting tool came up for sale on here a few weeks ago and has already more than paid for itself, becoming the club's most used tool overnight. The first true construction I tackled was the bogies, the whole frame being one etch which folds around to make the complete bogie fitted with Slater's wheels, the buffer beam and rear strengthening being soldered in. I also set about making up and fitting the motor mounts following Graham's instructions, or so I thought. First mistake! I thought it a bit odd that I had to open out the hole in the motor mounts to take the 'bushes'. When i went to fit the gear shafts I realised something was wrong as the hole in the 'bushes' were a bit on the large side! I'd used the headlight turnings!!! Graham had given me the bushes seperate from the rest of the kit and I've 'put them somewhere safe! Anyway I set about the cabs instead, having to salvage the, by now filed down, headlight surrounds and fit them to the cab front. The cabs went together rather well, the top beading is a long rivetted strip that goes right round the cab and the door surround is anothe seperately fitted etched strip, even the vacuum hose pipe outlet is a seperate little ring with 4 rivets pressed into it! Next job is to fit the infilled light plate complete with miniscule shade. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galtee More Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I recognise that table ! Impressive kit, isn't it ? Can't wait to see the 'fleet' of 76s at next year's show. Keep up the good work. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted September 22, 2010 Author Share Posted September 22, 2010 Things have slowed a bit now I'm home, work and househo;d things getting in the way Anyhow, after the 'error' regarding the gearbox bushes, I decided to make a start on the cab interiors. A large one piece etching is folded up to make the floor and bulkhead with the control desks soldered on the front edge. Mistake no 2 coming up follow instruction for first one about mounting the desk bottoms 10mm in from the front edge, so that the top edge is just below the windscreen, totally forgot on the second one until I offered it up to the cab, d'oh. Unsolder and redo! Not yet fully detailed but the main desks in place. Also folded and soldered in the bogie mounts on the main frame section. diffucult to get a decent picture of this as it's long and thin. After realising that my motor bushes were in a 'very safe place' I ordered some replacements from Branchlines, Graham had offered to turn some up for me but I figured I could get them quicker from Branchlines. This is not a reflection on Graham mererly the fact that due to work our paths sometimes don't cross for several weeks. After placing my order late on Wednesday, my bushes arrived Friday morning, usual speedy service and I set about building the motor/gearbox up. The motor is a 7 pole Canon, probably from a photocopier, bought for £1.20 from a spares shop, the gears are a random drive set using suitable ratios from the same source, the whole lot costing less than a Fiver, I understand. The bushes are in an etched hole within the mounting plates, of course due to mistake no.1 I had to align the bushes in the centre of an over large hole in two of the plates. They both seem to run ok, the next stage being to finally press on the bevel gears on the end of the shaft to their correct spacing and fit them to the bogies, then we'll know whether I've completely screwed it up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 ^^ Wahey! Bevel gears! B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep101 Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 i think i mite have to press on with mine some more now.......all this talk of 5 months to go!! dave p Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted September 26, 2010 Author Share Posted September 26, 2010 I needed some very fine metal strip to form the headlight shades from, I knew I'd got some somewhere (another safe place ), but after looking round Loughborough show this afternoon I was pointed to some 'Craftsman boiler band material' by Rural railways trade stand. Having purchased a pack I set off home happy in the knowledge that I could now get the headlights done. About 10 minutes after leaving the show I realised where the stuff was at home. There was some in the Craftsman A5 kit I started a while back! After comparing the two I decided that the kit stuff was finer and better suited to my needs. I formed the shade first then soldered it to the lamp cover before trimming to size. While on holiday I came across some really good precision scissors in a 'junk' shop for the princely sum of 50p, they are perfect for cutting the etches out. Picture is blurred, the coin is a 5p to give an idea of the size of the things, don't think my camera can cope with things this small! Next to fit the lamp front to the surround, I used low melt solder to reduce the risk of unsoldering everything else in the area, the front being held in position on a cocktail stick. Best pack up and go to bed now, up at 03.30, pah, work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep101 Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 GC, did bend the wire , then solder it in place, or did you, or bend it and then snip it into smal bits then solder it, looks a bit fiddly to do the latter? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 I knew that progress would slow when I was back at work, a week of afternoons last week doesn't do any good for modelling time in an evening, then earlies this week. I have today and tomorrow off so I'm trying to do a bit in evenings. The motor/gearboxes are finally fitted in the frames, although I'm not too happty with alignment of one of them, a bit more fiddling tonight I fear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmisterporter Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Very interesting GC I shall be watching this build. One query though, with the motor horizontal in the bogies how does the bogie attach and swivel? On second thoughts don't tell me, I shall no doubt be enlightened in due course. Geoff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 Very interesting GC I shall be watching this build. One query though, with the motor horizontal in the bogies how does the bogie attach and swivel? On second thoughts don't tell me, I shall no doubt be enlightened in due course. Geoff. The bogie is fitted to the body with a folded section which is screwed to a pair of lugs on the underside of the frames, with a whcking great bolt to a transom on the bogie, all of it folded and soldered. I must admit it took me a bit of head scratching to figire out how to fold the shaped piece which fits under the motor. Hope the picture makes it a bit clearer, I've removed the motor to show the pieces involved. New supervisor looking over the cabs before they're attached to the frames, that's the kit box lid she's sitting in. The newest addition to the flock, two men turned up on the doorstep on Bank Holiday saturday asking if we'd lost a kitten as it was following them through the woods, been dumped by some kind soul I don't doubt. Cabs fitted to frames, it begins to look like a loco now, pickups fitted and temporarily wired as separate units. That's another decision to be made. These locos are designed with DCC working in mind, with all lights switchable and raising/lowering pantographs. I don't do DCC.................yet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davep101 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 go for the dcc option, i think it will be well impressive, a whole line up of 76s all with there own working lamps and pans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted October 16, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 16, 2010 A great thread that I'm going to watch. I loved the photo of the new supervisor. My wife thought it was one I'd taken of our cat Minnie. The loco looks good and the 76's had a real presence. I used to go out to Penistone from Huddersfield on a Wednesday afternoon when I was at Poly. The sight of the double headers coming down the hill with MGR's with their pantographs very high in the platform area and rocking in opposite directions was great to watch. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 go for the dcc option, i think it will be well impressive, a whole line up of 76s all with there own working lamps and pans! Does that mean the club will be investing in some DCC gear....? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 Does that mean the club will be investing in some DCC gear....? Not neccessarily at the moment..................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galtee More Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 A great thread that I'm going to watch. I loved the photo of the new supervisor. My wife thought it was one I'd taken of our cat Minnie. The loco looks good and the 76's had a real presence. I used to go out to Penistone from Huddersfield on a Wednesday afternoon when I was at Poly. The sight of the double headers coming down the hill with MGR's with their pantographs very high in the platform area and rocking in opposite directions was great to watch. Jamie Jamie, I think you need a trip to Nottingham next March for a 'fix' ! There will be Woodhead themed layouts in 7mm, 4mm and 2mm scales and now, I'm hoping, N gauge too, together with a display. Great Central's new 76 will be, along with several classmates built by other club members from the same kit. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted October 22, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 22, 2010 Jamie, I think you need a trip to Nottingham next March for a 'fix' ! There will be Woodhead themed layouts in 7mm, 4mm and 2mm scales and now, I'm hoping, N gauge too, together with a display. Great Central's new 76 will be, along with several classmates built by other club members from the same kit. Ian I'll put it in my diary as I wnat to have a neb at how you do your OHLE as I'm busy planning mine for Lancaster Green Ayre. Jamie. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 Not much progress this week, work really, really gets in the way! Seven straight after midnight finishes, doesn't help with modelling projects. Only upside was a very bitty job on Tuesday, lots of sitting around, so took the opportunity to clean up the bogie detail castings, managed to break two of them! You can get a few odd looks, but more interested compliments, sitting in the messroom with a sheet of sandpaper flat on the table, rubbing 'bits of plastic' Then, of course, there's the resulting white powder! Anyway, they are now ready for fitting to the bogies, hopefully get them done on Monday evening got a 17.30 finish, two rest days and a week of earlies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 I'll put it in my diary as I wnat to have a neb at how you do your OHLE as I'm busy planning mine for Lancaster Green Ayre. Jamie. Thanks for your interest Jamie, as Ian say there will be several overhead layouts, so several different views on OHLE construction methods, which you can adapt for your own use. Is Lancaster going to be an exhibition layout? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted October 23, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 23, 2010 Thanks for your interest Jamie, as Ian say there will be several overhead layouts, so several different views on OHLE construction methods, which you can adapt for your own use. Is Lancaster going to be an exhibition layout? Yes it is there is a thread in the Layouts section here (I don't seem to be able to put links in). It's going to take at least 4 or 5 years and will have overhead plus two Midland EMU's. For overhead sire I'm using the same cutting wire as JSW on new Street, and etched brass and wood for the OHLE plus turned brass insulators that a friend is machining for me. I've got to get a master done for the registration arms which will be cast in brass. I've got the CAD drawings done got most of the portals and fittings but hill have to do a special etch for one main lattice portal at the west end of the platforms. At the moment we are concentrating on building baseboards and getting the track laid and tested. Then we will go though them all and wire them up and thorouglhly test run the layout before getting on with the scenery. There are a couple of short videos on You tube. Cheers Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bri.s Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 ill be going i havent seen deepcar for years,love all things em1,em2 and woodhead route got a few em1,s myself but in n gauge just got a msl kit of tommy to build ,not on the same scale as you lol.cant wait to see the 0 gauge em1s and the layout must be some size Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted November 20, 2010 Author Share Posted November 20, 2010 Crumbs, it's been nearly a month since I did much on this, or anything else for that matter! Anyway a few days by the seaside helped, been struggling with motivation like Dave (max stafford). Shiftwork really does play havoc with things. looking at my last post I see it didn't quite go to plan! Anyhow some of the bogie details now fitted, still some more to do but the smaller bits will need a bit more fettling and some minor repairs, largely due to the problems with getting all the air out of a small mould. they still look the business though. I then decided that I would fit the body sides, this would then, hopefully, spur me on because there is now a loco to look at. Graham suggested using epoxy to fit the sides holding them in place with clothes pegs and bulldog clips. Can I find any bulldog clips, nah! Another of our group had superglued his sides in place initially then, put an epoxy fillip in. I decided to try the latter, since once the sides were aligned I didn't want to risk them moving as the epoxy sets. A while ago I bought a 'poundshop type' pack of four small bottles of superglue. very thin and extemely runny, gets everywhere in seconds, but boy does it stick!! Held the side in place with clothes pegs and just ran the glue into the joint. I glued a short section at a time checking alignment after the first bit, one side wasn't quite right, just amnaged to break the joint without any damage and re-align. Satisfied that all was ok I ran the glue along the whole joint, less than a minute later it's set like rock! Very much inspired I sat the roof in place just to see how it fitted, one end was very good, the other will need a bit of work. Nothing serious though, needs the roof section pushing in behind the rivet strip and a little bit of filling. The following morning I mounted the body on the bogies and took it outside for photos in the sun, I think it looks quite impressive. a lot of work still to do, icluding building up the pantographs, but well pleased up to now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 That's coming on nicely B) B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HealeyMills Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Absolutely superb! Even though its been a month your build seems to be progressing very well. I guess when you get to the stage of fitting the bogies onto the body things start to come alive and you start get a feeling of satisfaction. Really love watching this develop please keep us updated with the build. Class 76's by the sea... whatever next! Cheers Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted November 20, 2010 Author Share Posted November 20, 2010 Class 76's by the sea... whatever next! Cheers Lee It was for the little known proposal to extend the 'wires' down the M&GN to the new deepwater harbour at Great Yarmouth, shame the line closed around 50 years before the harbour development, bit like the GC and the Channel Tunnel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 That's really looking the part now - it's a shame the kit isn't for general consumption as I could be tempted with a few of those - I really like the mixed media where a lot of the difficult work of forming curves etc is taken away by the use of resin. Just keep plodding along , the work you've done in this latest update looks great , and I look forward to seeing the finished article. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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