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Hi Rossco, That's a very nice looking build for your first kit. Have you looked at my Finney A3 build in the kitbuilding section. That should help, and below a couple of shots of the piping. You appear to have the front mechanical lubricator too far forward and the oil pot to it's rear, too far back. You need to swap them around. Hope this helps. Cheers, Peter

Hi Simon, Ignore my comments. I meant to quote an earlier post and did not realise there was a second page to the thread. I see it has been pointed out that the tender is in fact something of a hybrid. It's a shame as you have put a lot of effort into improving it. Whatever you do to rectify the error will involve repainting so it's a bit of a dilemma. Hope you can find a solution that you are happy with. Cheers, Peter

It looks like a non streamlined tender as fitted to the non streamlined locomotives. I think DoH only ran in this guise with a de streamlined tender with slightly extended sides at the rear an with a ladder at the back. Cheers, Peter

I have now completed all the detailing apart from the glazing and cinder screens, which will be added after painting. First the brake crank to piston joint looked spindly after beefing up the cross beams etc. I soldered on some additional pieces from waste etch and added a some rod to represent the pin. Here is the 1st one being done and this shows how I looped the etch first, drilled through for the rod then soldered in place. The holes were then drill through and the rod added/ Here's the first one completed which shows what a difference it makes. And a view from the side. On the track. And the other side. The injectors (Ragstone) and pipe work has been added with the main steam pipe detachable to allow removal of the cartazzi axle box. The holes in the snifting valve casting were barely visible, so I took it off and drilled them out with an 0.5mm drill. A bit large possibly but they will look smaller after painting and will be visible. The back plate is now completed. And in the cab. A couple of boiler bands were not up to scratch so I replaced them. Here's the one at the fire box boiler joint. And the one in front of the dome. I then had a bit of a photo fest on my brother's railway. Next the pick ups and motor. Cheers, Peter

Some recent work on the Duchess parts not at the painter's. First the wheels, buffer heads, couplings and bogie axles have been chemically blackened. The axle nuts have still to be done. The boiler backplate has been painted but I need to add the dials. And from the other side. Cheers, Peter

Many thanks Warren.

Thanks Mick. Ah, the Ivatt tank from Oakville. A baptism of fire! One mainframe axle hole out of line, one mainframe larger than the other and needing filing all round to match, various other etchings not fitting, valve gear holes over etched and appalling white metal castings, etc, etc. Still, it stood me in good stead for the College Models Ivatt 4F which you bought later. I'm sure you were trying to put me off. Cheers, Peter

Thanks Hilux. As an experienced builder having built kits from Oakville (appalling) to Gladiator (very good), this is the best kit I have ever built. It's quite complex and fiddly in placec but I would say it is also the easiest kit I have built. The fit of the etched parts is excellent and the castings are superb. A brilliant kit and highly recommended when it is reintroduced by Finney 7. I have the A4 from F7 and BR Std 4 tank from MOK. I will build the Std 4 next as I want to compare the different design approach from this other HiFi kit manufacturer to Finney's. Thanks again to you and everyone else for all the positive ratings over the build. Cheers, Peter

The running plate detail is now complete with the addition of the oil boxes, lubricators and sanding gear rods. The etched sanding rod pivot has been replaced with a casting from Ragstone. Here's a view of the smoke box showing the oil boxes, atomiser and pipe work. The steam pipe has also been added along with a scratch built pipe union at the bottom. There is still a pipe to be added to this which runs to the atomiser. The small union ahead of the atomiser is also scratch, as it is not provided in the kit. And the other side. And an oblique view showing the brake pipe with scratch built hose to replace the coil spring provided, and also that the buffer beam is now riveted. I found a photo on the web showing that it was riveted in 1958, so I'm hoping that is also true when it still had the original chimney slightly earlier, which is how I intend to represent it as 60058 Blair Atholl. It was a real pain punch the rivets with the beam in place but I managed in the end. Here's a head on view showing the sliding cover to the middle cylinder valve chest. At the rear end the draw bar gas been added. I have modified the fitting to allow it to pass below the drag beam rather than through the slot. If you fix the draw bar as per the instructions, it is meant to be screwed to the loco and the tender, and pass through the slots in the drag beams, and be semi permanently fixed. By mounting it lower on the loco, I have been able to add a simple pin on the tender which allows for easy attachment and separation of loco and tender. I have now modified the spoked tender wheels which came with the kit, to look like disc wheels by adding an overlay of plastic card. It's not perfect but better than spending 60 odd quid to replace them. I think they look OK when behind the frames and will pass muster when painted. And back on the loco I have modified the radial axle to make it removable. First I cut a gap in the top of the mounting brackets for the spring wire, using the slitting disc, to convert the holes to slots,came then the axle box can be mounted on the spring from underneath. It is then held in place with a simple keeper plate bolted to chassis. Here's a view of the keeper plate. And finally some gratuitous shots with the tender attached. Cheers, Peter

I have been adding further detail to the the boiler so removed it from the running plate to make things easier. Here we how it breaks down. Left hand boiler side with handrail and ejector pipe, both of which detachable for painting and lining. The wash out plugs and mud hole clamps have now been added to the fire box. Some A3s had an extra wash out plug on the slope of the fire box and this has been made from scratch. The top lamp bracket on the smoke box door. This is a PRC casting drilled at the mounting point with a pin added to locate in the door and soldered from the inside. And a couple of views of the left hand fire box. The lower shorter hand rail is permanently fixed. The castings for the steam pipes needed some profiling to get a good fit against the smoke box. I stuck some emery paper to the smoke box with double sided tape to facilitate this. The steam pipe castings. The one on the left has been fettled. Here they are after adding right angles pipe union not provided in the kit, along with the prepared castings for the lubricators and sand box filler lids. Here's the left steam pipe placed on the running plate. It won't be fixed until after the lubricators, atomiser and lubricator piping has been added. And the other side. The super heater cover and snifting valve have also been added. And the left hand side. I noticed that I had incorrectly fitted the front cylinder relief valves on the outer face of the cylinder covers. I have removed them, drilled through the covers and refitted them so that they are now "counter sunk" . The gaps in the frames for the 2:1 levers are not symmetrical as per the kit. The one on the right where the single lever passes through should be smaller than the left side. If you add a strip to the frames to reduce it then the cylinders and valve gear will no longer be removable. To get around this the infill was added to the underside of the running plate. The small length of frame at the front of the gap on the right hand side has been cut off to to allow easy fitting of chassis. Cheers, Peter

When it comes back from the painter.

Thanks Pete. Each to his own. Cheers, Peter

Here's a view inside the cylinders showing the open side of the tube used to connect the front and rear valve rods. Drain cocks and pipes added. And a view from above of the completed cylinders and valve gear. The front sandpipe although 0.9mm NS rod is quite flexible due to its length. I have added a looped bracket and soldered it to the rear bogie splasher to make it more robust. A representation of the front bogie splasher fixing brackets has also been added. Here's a view of the drain cocks. The rear keeper to the slide bars has also been added. The chassis is now complete apart from adding the motor and pick ups. Having said that, I have a pair of injector castings from Ragstone to add inside the rear frames. Moving back to the body I modified the smoke box door casting to make it removable. First I filed a couple of slots in the smoke box ring, and then soldered a bracket to the rear of the door to make a sort of bayonet fitting. This is just so I can add some rolled up lead sheet later as I wanted to get the "face" on now. I suppose for those who like to add sound chips and speakers, it would be a useful way to access the gubbins. And back together. The model is now substantially complete although I still have a myriad of detail castings and oil pipes to add along with the back plate. Cheers, Peter

Hi Pete, Looking good. Absolutely agree on soldering the boiler. For an all black loco having it detachable doesn't bring any benefit. You mention that:- "Most of the white metal will be painted first and then epoxyed in place. That way I can get a much better finish, and it's much easier to sand/wet and dry." I don't understand how that can give a better finish. If the parts are already painted and you have to then epoxy them in place, surely you run the risk of damaging the paint, either with stray glue or removing it. Can you explain please. Cheers, Peter

Progress has slowed since the last post but I have now completed the valve gear and added the cylinder wrappers and reversing lever. Here are a few photos showing the various stages. The fastenings on the slide bars have been represented with M0 hex nuts from Prime Miniatures. The gap will be closed with a length of 1mm x 1mm square rod. And after the remaining rods were added. The front and rear valve rods were connected by soldering a short length of tube which had been cut in half across the diameter, onto the rods. The 2:1 levers work fine with the cranks at 90 degrees, so no need to purchase 120 axles from Slaters. I checked for free running after each stage and it all runs smoothly. Here's the right hand side after the cylinder wrapper was added. And the left hand side showing the reversing rod. The front end of the rod where it joggles up under the running plate behind the valance is barely visible. I have not connected it to the arm on the lifting link so the valve gear remains reversible. Here it is in forward gear. And in reverse.The arm on the lifting link moves behind the rod which is fixed. The end of the rod extends beyond the arm but it's hardly noticeable. The rear end of the rod has been cut just inside the slot in the fire box, so if will be possible to remove the running plate for painting. Cheers, Peter

Hi Marcus, OK, its all very simple stuff but here's what I do. First of all its a lot easier if you don't have excess solder, but try as we all do we don't get it right every time. Where possible solder on the inside of joints so any excess won't be visible. However, its is still best to use the minimum required for the job and if you have enough flux and enough heat, the solder will flow. I'm not getting into a debate about the best soldering iron, but I have an Antex TCS 50 W iron that I use for 70 , 145 and I think 210 degree solder as required. I've heard good things about the gas flame ones but have not tried one yet. Before soldering, clean the metal with emery paper, garriflex block, brass suede brush or glass fibre scratch brush. Normally I only use the latter for removing solder as the fibres can get in you fingers if you are not careful. Also, clean the solder with an abrasive before you use it to remove any oxide layer or crud. So, the joint is soldered but you have excess solder that needs removing. First rinse and dry the work piece. If it's (hopefully) just a thin "tinned" layer then the garriflex block may shift it. If it's more stubborn then the glass fibre scratch brush comes into play. As mentioned earlier some types are harder and more abrasive than others. The latter are more efficient and have a silver collar as opposed to a brass one. However, having a silver collar is no guarantee that you have the harder grade. The ones I've used (pinched from my brother - thanks Mick) are from Wizard Models who get them from Gauge Master and I believe are made in Germany. If the excess is quite thick then the first thing you can do is try to thin it with the iron if possible. Add plenty of flux then quickly apply the well wiped iron and drag the solder away from the joint. Keep wiping the iron and repeating to thin the layer of solder as much as possible. Rinse well in water and dry, then attack it with the scratch brush. The next option is to use a scraper. I have three that I use, all home made or modified from other tools. For removing large excesses on the inside of joints ( I prefer not to leave it messy even if it can't be seen), I have made a chisel from an old 1/4 inch file by grinding the end with a disc in the mini drill. This is quite aggressive and can gouge the metal so needs careful use. I have a similar one made from brass rod which can be used on outside faces as it removes the solder but does not gouge the brass. Thirdly, and my favourite is a modified dental probe. If I recall, it starter out having a spatula like end about 3/4 inch long. What I did was grind a curve on one side and sharpen it. This is more effective than the brass and using the curved edge from side to side does not scratch or gouge. All these scrapers then need follow up work with the scratch brush to finish the job. Another method is to use a flat circular steel wire brush in the mini drill (like a chimney sweep's brush). At high speed this can quickly remove excess solder, but be careful, the brush will start too loose bristles and they can fly anywhere. Best not do this indoors! At the end of the session I then rinse the work piece or pieces in warm water. I will then either give it a scrub with Hob bright using an old tooth brush or one of those cheap artist brushes (the ones with course bristles and unpainted handles), or I may use Viakal lime scale remover. Two points on these products. First the Hob bright, will leave a white deposit particularly on solder in seams so need a lot of rinsing to get rid of it. That why some times I follow the Hob bright with the Viakal (which is nasty stuff so read the instructions). Again I use the brushes to scrub the surface and get in all the nooks and crannies. The thing to watch with this is that you must not leave it to dry! On brass it will stain it brown very badly. I don't know about nickel silver as I have only ever cocked it up on brass. If it does happen then I found the only way to clean it was to scrub again with Hob bright. Bottom line with both these products is to rinse well with lots of scrubbing. To improve the abrasion of the artist's brushes, I cut them shorter to around 1/2 inch or less. After every wash session I then blow dry with an old hair dryer. So that's all there is to it. It's not rocket science, just scraping scrubbing and rinsing after every session, and in some cases during the session. Even then it is difficult to keep brass clean as it tarnishes like hell compared to nickel silver. One other simple point to note. Do not have your part built work pieces or tender etc in the room when you are working on other parts of the build. Put them in a drawer or a box as the flux vapours will find their way onto the part built items and within a couple of days they will be covered in crap. I hope that's useful. I'm sure others have their own methods and favourite cleaning products, (including ultrasonic bath's and grit blasting) but please start a separate topic if you want to get into further discussions on cleaning. Cheers, Peter

Hi Marcus, I'll write a reply later when I can get on my laptop. However, as far as removing solder with a scratch brush is concerned, I would agree with Bucoops that some refills are more abrasive than others. Cheers, Peter

Hi Mick, A very nice result from a less than perfect kit. I suppose with the demise of JLTRT the kit may get some extra sales from those who want to build a class 20. Have you got the pick ups on yet and if so how does it run? I've got some very fine chain in my bag of tricks. I'll check it out when I'm back up north. It may be finer than 40/inch. Cheers, Peter

Hi Pete, Coming on nicely. I like the printers blocks, but if they can't stand heat then I guess you can't use them for holding parts square while you solder them. I have some short lengths of square section wooden rod that I use when soldering. For just checking squareness in tight space an OO back to back gauge is quite handy. Cheers, Peter

Hi David, I don't know what livery it will be in or if it will be lined. If it would be plain black then being able to remove the boiler and fire box may not bring much to the party. However, if it's lined BR green or similar, then it will be a big advantage for finishing. Can you get into the smoke box to solder a captive nut, or does the ring restrict access? It looks like a nicely designed kit. Is it one of Geoff's or one that was bought into the range? Cheers, Peter

No, you don't have to be Tim Watson to do it. Other builders have done it and if I wanted to do it, I would just do it.

Hi David, Looking good as usual. I like the firebox former and valence jig They do make it easier to fit the wrapper and especially the running plate. I understand you are making a test build for new instructions, but it looks like the design of the kit lends itself to making the cab, firebox and boiler detachable from the running plate if desired. It makes painting and lining easier if you can do that. Cheers, Peter

Thanks Deano. Hi Dave, Yes the fit of the parts is excellent, and apart from removing the cusp, there is little fettling required. For the LMS I think Martin only did the Duchess and of course no BR, but who knows what the new owners of the range may introduce in the future. There's a W1 and K1 under development and from seeing the progress with the test builds at Kettering on the F7 stand, I'm sure they will both be superb kits. No, I have no intention of adding a servo to the reversing gear. To be honest I see if as a bit of a novelty, and for me just being able to easily set it in forward, mid or reverse gear would have sufficed. That said, I had to have it workable and it will be good to be able to slide the radius rod up or down in the union link when I'm playing with it. Whoops, I mean when I'm doing some serious running on the layout! I don't know if if will need something added to keep it in the set gear when running. I've got and idea how I can put a simple clip and spring on the reversing shaft if necessary. Cheers, Peter

I visited Warren the other day and he showed me some examples going through his paint shop. Believe me, stunning as all the above photos are, they do not do full justice to his work compared to seeing them in the flesh. The superb flow out and smoothness of his paint finish is incredible and the consistency and fidelity of his lining with spring bow and ruling pen is breathtaking. Can't wait to see his work on my Duchess. Cheers, Peter

Next the connecting rods. The instructions suggest pinning them to the cross head with NS rod, but I went for tapping the outer hole 10 BA and securing with a counter sunk bolt from the inside. The crank pins were then altered from 12 BA bolts to 10 BA, and the bushes tapped out to fit. Here are a rear and front ones after modification. The rear one on the left has a JLTRT cast nut, and the front has the brass bush reversed for extra clearance. And a middle driver. The width required to clear the coupling and connecting rod big end, just matches two Slaters bushes with room for a spacing washer. The return crank has been soldered to the outer bush. And with the wheels back in the chassis and the rods fitted. The balance weights, chimney and dome have now been added. The front buffers are very nice white metal castings, with dual action as explained by this shot of the assembly diagram. I like the 14 BA nut fitting, which would have been good to have on the rear buffers instead of the 8 BA. This would have made it possible to fit the buffers at the correct width. Next the 2:1 levers. Here they are ready for fitting. And in place. The instructions suggest using NS rod for the main pivot, but I opted to tap the hole in the fixing beam 10 BA, and fix with a bolt. The valve rods will need trimming to accommdate the rear valve rods and it will be easier to do if the 2:1 set up can be taken off. Now the radius rods and expansion links. Here's the right hand unit partly constructed. The central laminated part of the expansion link with the slot, is now captive in the laminated radius rod by a length of 1.0mm NS rod. At the top and bottom are two lengths of 0.5mm NS rod which line up the the four parts of the expansion link, and represent the fixing bolts when trimmed and filed. Here are the pair completed. The expansion link and radius rod laminate were all done with 145 solder. However, for the fork joint laminate at the front, I used a higher temperature solder, and will revert to 145 for soldering the pin that will attach it to the combination lever. Hopefully the fork won't fall apart. The expansion link is then slotted into the valve gear support by springing the sides. The pivots are short lengths of 1.8mm rod, which are produced by soldering a length of rod through the holes, then cutting with the piercing saw and filing to length. Here's the right hand side with the expansion link slotted into the bracket. The pivots were too short and needed re-doing. However after much faffing around and still not getting it right, I decided to do it the other way round, and solder the pivots to the expansion link, then slot them through holes in the motion bracket. After adding the pivots to the expansion link, I separated the motion bracket from the cylinders to make it easier to fit them. Here's one added. It needed a couple of washers on the outer side and I used 12 BA washers drilled out to fit. I soldered them to some waste etch so I could hold them while drilling. And both links in place and the motion bracket soldered back onto the cylinder assembly. And with the lifting links added and the motion in reverse gear. And in forward gear. Here it is after the eccentric rod was added. The washer at the big end is to give clearance for the turned and thinned down 12 BA bolt head to rotate under the bearing cover yet to be fitted. The rod is spaced from the return crank with a washer, and after tightening the bolt to give a running clearance, it was soldered, snipped and filed smooth. Here it is in mid gear. And in reverse gear. And forward gear. The rods slide up and down nicely in the expansion links without being sloppy, so I'm quite pleased with it. Cheers, Peter