Ontracks Taff Vale & GWR 0-6-0T Locomotives

[Neil]

I've an idea that the loco is particularly suited to light railway, the closest match I can think of is Pontypool of the West Somerset Mineral Railway. Obviously there are differences but the character is similar if one doesn't feel brave with plasticard and craft knife.

[Dickon]

 I'm kit bashing this loco into something a bit closer to the Taff Vale E Class.  The Spanish cab clips in place, so I have replaced it with a cut down cab from Airfix/Dapol Pug.  The pug cab is about the right height and width but is too long so I have cut 6 mm from the lower front panels in front of the door and a corresponding amount from the panel below the roof.  I've removed the moulded-in Airfix cab handrails and will replace them with wire.  The bunker is plasticard as the Electrotren one is too low and too short.  I've shortened the pug firebox to give more space in the cab.  The second image shows the new cab, as yet without a back, temporarily held together with masking tape with the Spanish cab alongside for contrast.

 

I've pared the raised nameplates off the sides of the saddle tank and fitted hand rails along just above the bottom of the tank as in the photos of the original Taff Vale loco..

 

The steam dome was easy to re-position mid way along the tank as it is held in place by a single self tap screw.  You can fit conventional safety valves or a GWR valve cover in place of the Hornby dome depending on the era you are modelling.  I have gone for the GWR look.

 

I would like to remove the outside cylinders and connecting rods, but I can't see how to remove the cylinder block with out disturbing the printed circuit board above it.  I'd be grateful for advice if anyone has already managed to do this.

 

I've fitted buffers from an old Triang Jinty at the correct spacing to suit a rake of Slaters PO wagons and am well on my way to a nice little freelance loco with a pretty good resemblance to the Taff Vale original.

 

Add lamps, tool boxes, crew and a heavily weathered paint job and she will be ready for work.  But why couldn't they have got her right in the first place?

[Mike Bellamy]

 

.  But why couldn't they have got her right in the first place?

 

 

That's because it was never designed to be a OO loco - it is after all a HO model of a Spanish prototype repainted and sold (wrongly in my opinion) as a OO loco.

 

 

.

[Dickon]

That's because it was never designed to be a OO loco - it is after all a HO model of a Spanish prototype repainted and sold (wrongly in my opinion) as a OO loco.

 

 

.

Yes, but is it not reasonable to expect a model purporting to be based on a particular prototype to at least bear a passing resemblance to the original? 

[relaxinghobby]

On my Ekectrotren 'Santurce' saddle tank I am fiddling with the cab and buffers to make it more 4mm looking, trying an old Airfix pug cab as in Dickon's post above........ and a slightly taller cab from a Hornby E2/Thomas body the one where the cab clips in. I have also cut a few mm off of the front this to fit it onto the footplate.

 

 

This the taller cab in the photos, it will need a front spectacle plate.
The hardest part will be fitting a cab front around the saddle tank to give a neat join.
I may just lift up the height of the original cab as I like it's up and over style.

[Dickon]

On my Ekectrotren 'Santurce' saddle tank I am fiddling with the cab and buffers to make it more 4mm looking, trying an old Airfix pug cab as in Dickon's post above........ and a slightly taller cab from a Hornby E2/Thomas body the one where the cab clips in. I have also cut a few mm off of the front this to fit it onto the footplate.

 

p7060527.jpg

 

p7060528.jpg

 

This the taller cab in the photos, it will need a front spectacle plate.

The hardest part will be fitting a cab front around the saddle tank to give a neat join.

I may just lift up the height of the original cab as I like it's up and over style.

Rather than cutting the spectacle plate of the pug cab to fit over the curved top of the Electrotren saddle tank, I cut through the saddle tank just in front of the heavy flange at the back of tank.  This allows a slightly longer cab with the pug spectacle plate fitting flush with the  back of the boiler/saddle tank.  Hope this is helpful.  Dickon

[relaxinghobby]

I'm having trouble with the cab, it does not glue very easily. The plastic is not touched by solvent cement and joints made with

super glue brake again easily. For instance trying to file the window holes larger the crescent of white plastic keeps falling off.

 

I've found the back of the tank and boiler back head just pop out with a little bit of leverage, the glued joint is very weak.

 

I may copy Dickon's method and saw the end of the saddle tank off and put a flat cab front up behind it.

 

Whilst I've got the body off I see there is room for some more weight in addition to the Hornby/Electrotren weight that is already in the tank.

[Nile]

Have you tried Plastic Weld? It's better than MEK with harder plastics.

[Dickon]

Have you tried Plastic Weld? It's better than MEK with harder plastics.

I had no problem attaching the Airfix cab to the Electrotren boiler and footplate with Humbrol Precision Poly Cement

[relaxinghobby]

 

 

Endless trouble trying to glue stuff to the cab, not even super glue sticks very well. I don't know what type of plastic it is made from.

I expect I can' t successfully glue the cab to the footplate. So I've filled the front with on big plastcard keyhole shape in black, with lots of reinforcing strips inside. The white wide T shape plugs into the back of the saddle tank where I have removed the boiler backplate. There are two screws under the back of the bunker to hold the cab down.

[Adams442T]

p8110600.jpg

 

 

Endless trouble trying to glue stuff to the cab, not even super glue sticks very well. I don't know what type of plastic it is made from.

I expect I can' t successfully glue the cab to the footplate. So I've filled the front with on big plastcard keyhole shape in black, with lots of reinforcing strips inside. The white wide T shape plugs into the back of the saddle tank where I have removed the boiler backplate. There are two screws under the back of the bunker to hold the cab down.

 

There is a specific type of superglue especially for plastics. Usual cyanocrylates will not form a lasting bond on any plastics. If you haven't already been using this type it may be worth seeking out.

 

One of the trade names is Poly-Zap and/or PT-22.  I've used it for many years, but of course it has the usual adverse factors that affect all cyanoacrylates, headaches, sticking fingers together, etc., etc.......

[relaxinghobby]

Thanks Adams442T I'll look out for some Poy - Zap or PT32.  Meanwhile the parts seem to have stuck when the glue is left to harden for a few days, maybe

3 or 4 days is best.

 

 

At last I've got the handrails on using Markits short knobs. I least like this part of modelling because the parts are so small and difficult to handle. You can't pick them up without tweezers and they are so easily to drop and loose. I by far prefer the earlier stages, planning and cutting out materials, a model progresses quickly at the earlier stages and seem to take shape and begins to look the real thing. Not the fiddly later stages.

Next job will be to make some window frames for the cab, I shall try wrapping some soft copper or brass wire around a suitable rod , tube or anything that is the right diameter to match the window holes

[relaxinghobby]

 

 

Now all the parts are screwed back together and a crew painted and installed.

They are the heavier white metal rather than plastic ones. About the only chance 

to add any extra weight to the loco as all the internal spaces in the loco body are full.

Some dry brushing with dark brown and grey acrylics to dampen down the new look

of the loco, especially the shiny metal wheel rims and valve gear.

[Londontram]

Sorry to resurrect this thread after so long but can some one that owns one of these let me have the basic dimensions of the chassis mainly the wheel size and wheel spacing to the nearest mm would be fine thanks. Steve

[47137]

Wheels 14 mm diameter.

Wheelbase 21.5 mm at the front, 23.5 mm at the back.

 

The drive is to the front axle.

The NEM pockets are to the correct height.

There are no traction tyres.

Gross weight is 105 grams.

 

It's difficult to say more without taking the body off, this is held on by two cross-head screws smaller than my smallest screwdriver.

 

- Richard.

[Londontram]

Thank you Richard that's more than enough. I was looking for a short wheel base small six wheel outside cylinder chassis for a possible project and I see these pop up on ebay from time to time so I'll go and crunch the numbers and see if this could do. I like the idea of the drive to the front axle as it leaves scope to maybe shorten the rear axle spacing a little. Thanks Steve

 

Edit - Just done some calculating and the project I'm thinking of needs a chassis with 4ft wheels or 16mm and the axle spacing is 5ft + 5ft which is 20mm + 20 mm so the wheels on the model are a little smaller but the wheel base is a touch longer so it sort of equal's its self out, I guess you could bring the rear axle in a couple of mm but one must ask ones self how much effort one would want to put into it and how much lee way you could live with on wheel size etc. Hmm I think I'll have to think on this one.

 

Here's the loco I was thinking of the Caledonian 498 class 0-6-0 "Dock" shunter

[it's-er]

Londontram - I like your prototype in the photo above. Do you know where this is? And where were these locos used (I don't imagine Great Yarmouth)?

 

As for making a model as you propose, isn't that what Sam Moss ar post 17 on this thread has done? - see his photo there. I'd be interested to know if it is more or less the same locomotive, or actually something a bit different

 

John

[Londontram]

Londontram - I like your prototype in the photo above. Do you know where this is? And where were these locos used (I don't imagine Great Yarmouth)?

 

As for making a model as you propose, isn't that what Sam Moss ar post 17 on this thread has done? - see his photo there. I'd be interested to know if it is more or less the same locomotive, or actually something a bit different

 

John

Being a Caledonian loco they were all based in Scotland as far as I know none coming south of the boarder, the caption on this one says on shed at  Polmadie they were as a rule mostly based at dock yards.  The body in post 17 does look at first glance like a model of this and even I had to do a double take. I see its the Hornby Nelly body.

 

If I go along with this I will scratch build the body as the Caledonian loco had a very distinctive step in on the cabs which were narrower than the side tanks which also had a very caricaturistic curve on the top edge of the tanks as well

[Poor Old Bruce]

Being a Caledonian loco they were all based in Scotland as far as I know none coming south of the boarder, the caption on this one says on shed at  Polmadie they were as a rule mostly based at dock yards.  The body in post 17 does look at first glance like a model of this and even I had to do a double take. I see its the Hornby Nelly body.

 

If I go along with this I will scratch build the body as the Caledonian loco had a very distinctive step in on the cabs which were narrower than the side tanks which also had a very caricaturistic curve on the top edge of the tanks as well

 

I believe one was tried around Burton-upon-Trent at one time but without success (they weren't called 'Beetlecruchers' for nothing). It would be nice to think it was also tried on the Cromford and High peak line as well but that is just fantasising.

 

I presume you are aware that Caley Coaches do a kit for a 498.

[Londontram]

 

 

I presume you are aware that Caley Coaches do a kit for a 498.

I am thanks and as I'm now disabled after an accident I'm also very aware of my bank balance too and my days of spending £100 plus on a loco kit have long long gone plus I enjoy chopping things around as you might have seen from some of my other threads

[47137]

Thank you Richard that's more than enough. I was looking for a short wheel base small six wheel outside cylinder chassis for a possible project and I see these pop up on ebay from time to time so I'll go and crunch the numbers and see if this could do. I like the idea of the drive to the front axle as it leaves scope to maybe shorten the rear axle spacing a little. Thanks Steve

I just noticed - Golden Valley Hobbies say they have a limited number of the Electrotren "TVR no. 264" model in stock 

http://www.goldenvalleyhobbies.com/index.php?page=product&prodID=3556&catID=&fromSearch=true

 

- Richard.

[Butler Henderson]

Bit of a long shot this but has anyone turned theirs into an inside cylinder loco and hence have the valve gear and cylinders spare? Have been trying to find a supply of spares but since Ontracks lost their commission they seem to be non existant.

[Butler Henderson]

Had an email from Sean at Golden Valley Hobbies, seems they have spares of most parts including the cylinders but not the valve gear. Have contacted Hornby International to see if they can help.