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Hi Sandy,

First the  Ace kit now  College models. It seems  you  have  moved on from self flagellation to something less pleasurable!

I built the College Ivatt 4F some  years  ago and took no pleasure  at all from the  experience. The castings were all brass and appalling.  They took so much filing to get them something like  useable, that my hands ached after every session. If I had not  been building  it for  my brother  it  would have  gone  into the  bin. To be  honest it did make  a  nice  model and  I have seen some  good  ones by other  builders over the  years, but  the  amount  of  effort required was unbelievable.

I hope this is not as bad and after what you did with the  Ace A3,  I'm sure that a fine model will result. Look forward to watching your progress.

Cheers,

Peter

I've been getting on with the brush work on the various details. I've done all the copper and brass parts and will tone them down later with a black wash. The buffer beam and interior have also been started but need further coats.

The frames reassembled.

The cab interior needs further coats but I couldn't resist a shot with the back plate in.

And the roof. Again further coats required

Here are the rear lamps before I fitted the glass beads to represent the lenses.

The bead are 1.65mm diameter so I reamed out the lamp recess with a 1.7mm drill bit to remove the paint.

And with the beads in. The buffer beam needs another coat of paint.

The front lamps.

And the body.

And a shot of the cab from t'other side.

Cheers,

Peter

No worries Dave,

I appreciate the heads up. Better to know now than later on when it's all done and dusted.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi John,

Many thanks.

Most of us are amateurs on here including me, so you're in good company.

First of all unless you put a coating on brass it will always tarnish. The thing is to clean as you go along and preferable after each soldering session.

If the etches are tarnished to start with then clean them in the flat, either chemically (scrub with hob bright or Viakal) and then rinse well and dry, of mechanically. You can use a fine grade every or Garriflex block or glass fibre pen. These last two are great for removing excess solder without damaging the brass.

Soldering clean brass is easier send you will get a better joint.

At the very least rinse the work piece after each session and every so often scrub with hob bright. This tends to leave a residue on solder lines so you need to ensure that your final rinse before painting gets rid of it. Old tooth brushes and those cheap artists brushes with the plain wood handles are great for getting into nooks and crannies.

Hope that helps and if there's anything else, just ask away.

What are you building by the way?

Cheers,

Peter

Ngtrains and Dave,

Many thanks for the heads up on the brake ejector. I've bitten the bullet and turned it around.

The hardest bit was getting the hole in the rear to line up with the pipe coming from the smoke box but I got there in the end.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the kind words.

As far as the photos are concerned, I work on the premise that the reader would prefer to see more rather than less. That's certainly what I want from a build thread.

Feel free to post some pics of your method in restraining the motor. It's always good to see how other builders do things.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Dave,

Do you have a photo that shows it?

I been thinking about turning it around, but it would be good to see a real one. I should be able to get it off without too much bother.

Many thanks.

Peter

To be honest I have no idea.

If you go back in the thread you will see how the back plate casting started out. I just modified it as best I could based on photos of other LNER loco back plates.

Looking at your photos its clearly not correct but even if I had fitted it the other way up, it would still be wrong. I could not find a single photo of the inside of the cab of an L1 and I based it on the DJH V1/V3. With a fully enclosed cab and some weathering to tone down the brass colour, I can live with it.

It probably had a heat deflector plate next to the fire hole which I have overlooked till now. Still easy enough to make one and glue it in place.

Cheers,

Peter

Having completed the  Duchess I decided it  was time I painted the L1, but  then realised I hadn't made a plate to mount the  cab dials (Laurie Griffin) to the  roof. Here they are completed.

Then on with the painting. Here's the  chassis parts in black etch primer (Clostermann) and  the  body grey etch primer (I ran out of black). The wheel rims and  fixing nuts were chemically blackened and  the  balance weights hand painted with some black acrylic (it dries quick).

A couple of shots of  the  body.

And the  bogie with the  wheels on.

Here are the frames partly re-assembled.

And the  back plate before  and  after detail painting with the  regulator still to be painted red.

And finally the  body after applying the cellulose gloss black with the  air brush.

Buffer beams and  cab interior next, then on with the lining.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Sandy,

The chap handing out the punishment reminds me of a PE teacher when I was at school.

It's just a pet hate of mine. Railway modellers, the modelling press and even the professional painters often refer to a ruling or drawing pen as a bow pen.

What is known as a full set will contain

compasses, bow compasses, spring bow compasses, ruling pens plus various attachments.

The two instruments commonly used by modellers for lining are the drawing pen, the 1st two below, and spring bow pen below them. Under those is a large 6" compass with pen attachment fitted, and at the bottom the smaller 4" bow compass with pen and this is a bow pen.

The bow pen could be used for offset lining, but as there is no screw between the legs there would be a risk of them spreading. The gap between the legs could be set with the head joint screw, but really it's much easier to use the spring bow.

These instruments are by A G Thornton and date from the 1940s or 1950s. For offset ling the Thornton spring bows are the most compact I've seen and may be advantageous where space is restricted. They are from their top end "Minerva" range as are the drawing pens and they pop up quite often on eBay. The compasses are not Minerva in this set and are know as the "British Empire" pattern as supplied to the government.

Here's the set.

Sorry for the hijack Sandy but I thought it might be of interest.

Cheers,

Peter

Ooops! Must try harder!!

 

Sandy

Consider yourself chastised!  

I am taking a short break from gluing the 'plastic box' to complete the ACE A3.

 

The lining and cab side number transfers have been added from the Fox range and the splasher beading and valance will be lined out in 'Precision Lining Orange' using a offset lining pen, There is still some detail painting to be completed, but the end is in sight!

 

DSCN3694.JPG

 

Regards

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

Brilliant!  If you  keep this up you'll be getting Ace kits a  good  reputation!

On a  pedantic note, the  "offset lining pen" is  called a spring bow pen. One of these:-

Collecting drawing instruments is my other hobby and it annoys me  when modellers get the  names wrong. Rant over.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Rob,
Ignore my question re. the 2mm rod. I've just read Nick's thread and I see you are referring to 2 x 2 mm square rod, which is drilled out.
Cheers,
Peter

Hi Pete,

There should be no problem fitting an ABC to your rear axle. You could make the same set up as mine with a spacer as a stop, but don't tape it tightly as I have done. That way the motor will move up and down on the axle. I did that on my 45XX as it had to drive the centre axle as I like that to have some vertical movement with a simple wire spring. I had reservations about it but others on here said it would work fine, and they were right. That mark on the cylinder cover is an oily finger print. It's amazing what you don't see in the flesh which is blatantly obvious in a picture!

Rob,

2mm perspex rod works out at a 3.4 inch diameter on the real thing. Were they that big?

Cheers,

Peter

Here's the video of the chassis.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Pete,

That's a nifty piece of work on the gauge glass casting.

The valves to the right and left are modified castings from the spares box, as is the one underneath the stuffing gland which came with the kit. The regulator handle is scratch built as the one provided was white metal. Drop a line to David Hill and I'm sure he will send you the missing parts.

I agree with Jeff's comments on the parts you cannot identify. The gravity lubricators are not required for the Duchess. They are for a Black 5 and as you are building yours to the same period as mine (1952 -1957) you don't need the AWS parts either. Put them in the "spares box" as you never know when you might need them in the future.

I have added an extra piece of waste etch to the rear spacer so that it can be held with tape to stop it rotating.

The pick up wire is 0.5mm phosphor bronze from Eileens Emporium. You can buy it via their website.

Unfortunately I don't have a layout and my brother's is only a branch line terminus, so even if her ladyship hitches up her skirts, she won't get anywhere near 90 mph, scale or otherwise. The chassis is running pretty nicely now and I'll post a video later.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Peter

 

Had a great day at Reading, and yes I spent far to much money, much to the delight of the traders!!!!!!!

 

Anyway talking to the nice man at Ragstone About valves, as you do, He showed me a thingie which he said went along the top of the boiler in the cab ( I now know it's called a Steam fountain and I can see why )

 

And for £6.00 I bought it.

 

Hear are just some of my goodies.DSC_0648.JPG

 

And the Steam fountainDSC_0649.JPG

 

Guess what I'm doing today.

 

I meet Dikitriki at Finney and saw his DOS Got to say WOW and also talked to Brian about their kits.

 

So hear goes.  I have been making models for over 50 years, from plastic, balsa wood, RC fixed wing to a Helicopter ( mid 80s, 40 in dia rota, 40ci Glow ) blar blar blar   

 

A year and a half in on my new O gauge modelling I feel I must say something about the kits on offer out there.  How many modellers out there who have got so frustrated over the instruction ( or lack of ) that the kit

 

ends up in a draw to be returned too but never have. My first, the Terrier I could not have done without visiting York museum and taken lots of pics of Boxhill. My second being Gladiator's DOS again with out pics and Peter's wondrous

 

build, I would have as I have already said, ended up with an average build at best.

 

The Finney kits come with instruction second to none as Brian showed me. Every part pictured, numbered and most importantly NAMED. to someone like me who doesn't know the names would have been a great help, and with a very 

 

comprehensive set of illustrated instruction you would be hard pusher to go wrong. 

 

Anyone starting out I would say Pay the money and buy a Finney if only to learn the ins and outs of the duck arse. Would I swop my Gladiator DOS for a Finney one, No I would not and hears why.

 

The Finney is all layed out for you, and I think the fire box, boiler and smoke box as a one piece resin is a cop out. The Gladiator kit allows you to personalised it, to put your stamp onto your build and good old scratch building as

 

demonstrated by Peter. 

 

As I am still on a learning curve, my third build will be a Finney V2.

 

To all companies out their GUYS LOOK AT YOUR INSTRUCTION and think of the new people like me who wish to build great models without to much frustration over the poor illustrations and the lack of identified parts/positions.

 

I hope I haven't ruffled any feathers as this is not my intention, just needed to get it of my chest.

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

Glad you  got  all the  goodies you  wanted.  I thought  about  changing the  steam fountain but decided that as  it's tucked away on top of  the  back plate, the  white metal one  would  pass muster.

Instructions can be  variable  in quality and  the  suppliers don't always refer to the  individual parts by name (e.g. the steam fountain, the cylinder relief valve etc.) only the  number. To be  honest, knowing  the  names  of  the  parts comes from experience and  research - books, books and more  books  and of  course the  internet these days.  I have  had  books  and articles from magazines for  years on various prototypes that as  yet  I have  not  built, but  the  fact  is  you  can never have  too much information.

I don't agree that the  cast resin smokebox/boiler/firebox is  a cop out.  Its just a faster way to achieve the  same objective, and if you  can afford to and  are willing to pay for it  then why not.  Personally I prefer the  etched option as I enjoy building in brass/nickel silver, and  I am not  building to a deadline, but  each to his own.

Thanks again for  the  kind words. I'm glad that you can take  something from my build to help with yours.  I did the  same with Richard Lambert's Finney build on Western Thunder.

FYI, the  ABC gearbox is  a two stage VMS2C  with a 26:1 gear ratio and 6W 12V Maxon  which will give you a top speed of around 90 mph. It's not  cheap, (£118 including postage) but  worth it in my opinion.  The chassis is  currently spinning away on some  blocks (I'm too lazy to dig out  the rollers) and I'll take  a video and post it later.

Feel free to keep posting updates on yours on here, or take the plunge and start your own thread.

Cheers,

Peter

The Maxon motor arrived yesterday from ABC, and the first thing I did was remove the gearbox and clean it in white spirit. This removes any swarf and after drying and oiling, I refitted it and gave it a run for an hour or so with an axle in place.

After fitting into the chassis, I added a small spacer at the rear of the frames for the motor to rest on. Excuse the excess solder. I'll clean that up after I remove the motor as I don't want to risk getting filings in the gears.

Here's how the motor rests on the spacer. In front of the motor is the spacer added for mounting the pick ups for the rear and centre drivers.

The front pick ups are mounted using the rear valve gear bracket screw. Here they are in place before bending the phosphor bronze wipers to shape.

And all fitted and wired up. Excuse the messy solder. I was in a rush and short of time but will tidy that up later.

Here's a side view of the motor position.

A quick run up and down a length of track suggests all is well, but I'll give it a run on the rollers for an hour each way before testing further.

Cheers,

Peter

I had an email from ABC to confirm dispatch of the motor/gearbox so hopefully I can get it installed and the pick ups added next week.

One final task was to add a strip of brass shim to edge of the bogie sliders. After I cut them back to gain clearance on the bends, it exposed a slot where the remains of the slider casting hole had been.

The strips of N/S at the pivot hole are to move the bogie forward by 1mm to give clearance between the brake hangers and rear wheels on the bends. I also moved the front steps forward slightly so there are no issues with the front wheels. Not prototypical but not noticeable.

Cheers,

Peter

Its been a while since I completed the L1 which is still waiting to be painted when I start a major painting spree after I get the Duchess finished.

In the meantime I added a 12BA nut to the base of the backplate and drilled a hole in the cab footplate so I can bolt it in place after painting. Much better than messing about with glue. I had to make a slot in the casting to allow clearance for the but. Not a pretty sight but one in place it will never be seen again.

At the same time I finally got around to replacing the cast white metal guard irons on the pony truck. They were forever getting bent during the build after the slightest of knocks, and one had finally snapped. Waste fret again provided the raw material.

And on the loco.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Peter

 

Oh so good. I'm going to Reading tomorrow with a list as long as my arm thanks to you!!!!!!!

 

Both Laurie Griffin and Ragstone will be there and will be more than willing to take my money. Still as you said, Why skimp after all that lovely hard work.

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

Don't  blame me for your lack will power.  

I was hoping to go myself but can't make it, so I won't be  tempted. You know what those unscrupulous traders are like with their Aladdin's caves, flaunting their wares and forcing us to spend money!   

Have a good one  and  I hope you can get  all the goodies you need.

Cheers,

Peter

Hi Rob,

Are these what you need? They are from Ragstone. The one on the left has been squashed as I needed oval ones for the L1.

Cheers,

Peter

The final details to add were the couplings, but the ones provided in the kit are a bit genreic, so I bought some LMS ones from Laurie Griffin. Not cheap but worth it considering the effort spent in getting all the visible detail correct.

Here they are after assembly and cleaned up.

In prototypical fashion the upper links are two separate pieces that need to be cranked outward to fit on the turn buckle. They need to be a tight fit at the hook end to prevent them spreading at the buckle, but still be able to swing. I couldn't get a satisfactory result using the cast pin and retaining washer, so replaced them with a 16 BA nut an bolt. Here they are in place on the tender.

And on the loco.

I'll chemically blacken them along with the buffer heads and wheel rims when I strip it down for painting.

Cheers,

Peter

I'm still waiting for my motor and gearbox from ABC, so with nothing better to do I decided to make the brake and water scoop operating links to the front of the tender chassis. I should also add the rods under the footplate, although the one for the brake was covered. However, I think they will only be visible when the tender is separated from the loco so may leave them off.

I also bought a storage box from Ellis Clark, as the one the kit come with is too small for the completed model. This is the large one but he also does a medium and small size for smaller locos.

It comes with various bits of foam to protect the model. Here it is with model.

To identify what's in the box I photographed the Gladiator labels, printed and cut them out, then stuck them on the box.

Cheers,

Peter

You're welcome Rob.

Be rude not to.

Cheers,

Peter