West Country Conversion to P4 part 3 - rolling chassis
A couple of successful evening sessions has seen the rods made up and fitted. The upper keeper plate was fitted and happily the chassis ran up and down on the test track under finger pressure and when relatively slightly sloped. Huge sigh of relief as always!
I've also fitted 60 thou black plasticard overlays to the chassis block. Some bits have yet to be hacked off (rear pony) and won't be until the last moment so I don't take too much off.
We're now in the realms of having to choose the prototype so this one will be Watersmeet 34030 as it was a long term Exmouth Junction resident. There were so many variances between the different engines and one of them is the knuckle position in the rods. This one will be behind the con rod which (if I've understood it right) matches the 21C101-31 engines. Others were forward, until some of them were modified.
The front rod is only a single thickness on the crankpin to allow for the crankpin nut to be clear the con rod/slide bar.
The Irwell Press book really is a must if you're contemplating doing one of these. It also gives a couple of very useful front end shots of the bogie. I decided I needed to do something about where I'd got to so far and added some detail from plasticard and 8BA brass studding. This configuration was one of a later series of modifications, meaning Watersmeet is going to be a 1962 condition with the cut down tender. The original raves were not cut down until 1960 according to the Irwell book.
Next it's the cylinders and con rods. I'm going to use the Hornby con rod. Gibson bushes have been fitted. I've found some brass tube and will see if I need to sleeve the piston rod.
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