Michael Edge

Looks like a GC (or ROD) tender frame to me.

We do still sell Claytons though, slowly but steadily.

The frames àre the same for both types.The scoop wheel is part of the etch, I don't think we have any others.

We have some 2mm etches for the standard tender.

Photo might be small but it's good enough evidence for me, I'll have to alter the moulding now. I really don't like to rely on evidence from drawings alone when not confirmed by photographic evidence and a great many preserved locos have been considerably altered, especially where thin rusted platework was involved. Thanks for finding it.

They fitted one with the A1 boiler to create a spare for the others, there were no spare boilers for the Raven Pacific's.

The tender behind Morayshire is not very relevant, it doesn't have a scoop, just the round filler. It's the pickup dome and scoop gear cover I would like to see and not on a preserved loco.

I'm aware of what Butler Henderson's tender looks like but apart from being a preserved loco isn't this a self trimming tender? What I would really like to see is a good photo of the inside of a standard tender in service.

The tender looks good - have you got any actual photos of the water filler/scoop gear cover at the back? If I see a clear photo I'll alter the moulding.

Yes, that's the reason why we put the same combination in our kits. I screw the nuts up tight, run flux round them followed by the soldering iron, very little chance of soldering the screw in at least with nuts from 14BA up to 8BA. I don't usually use any grease here although I might if the nut was being soldered to thick brass which would involve a lot more heat.

The parts of the tanks inside the the cab are a separate fold up etch, these need a little modification to clear the inner cab floor. The tank tops are etched in one piece, the central bar to be removed later before fitting the boiler. This needs to be cut up and formed before fitting for the S1/2 or S1/3 The etch was designed to produce the original S1/1, for this the tank top, sides and bunker are in one piece as shown here. For the version I am building the bunker has to be fitted separately. Bunker tacked in place using the handrail holes in the footplate to get the sides at the correct distance from the tanks. I fitted the vertical handrails on the back (.4mm wire) at this point because the top end of these coincides with the bunker top. Bunker front and top fitted now, the coal door is a separate etch and can be fitted either way up for open or closed. Now for some detail, I don't like etched beading, it always looks too flat and it's easy to add with wire. This is 30swg soft brass wire, stretched slightly to straighten it (don't let it snap when doing this) and soldered on. Run the iron along the top to do this, the solder will run through, clean up under the wire with a scraper and sand the top smooth. The wire is left long in the cab openings where it will form the top handrail support. For absolute accuracy this type of beading is usually T shaped, it is possible to repeat the process on the inside but for most applications I don't think it's worth the effort. The end of the wire is formed into a loop round the handrail (.5mm wire), filled with solder and filed smooth on the top. The same process at the front of the tank for the handrail here. That's all for now on the S1, back to work building an EE1 this week.

When they turned it round they had to pay careful attention to the water level over the firebox crown so that wasn't brilliant either.

Upper section of frames and splashers next. The splasher/sandbox sides were folded out of the footplate, fronts are also etched (not all the rivets on these are needed). The upper sections of the frames fit between these, they are etched in one piece with cutouts over the wheels, might not matter for P4 but very necessary in 00. Frames bolted in for this operation to help keep the footplate flat. The splasher tops are not etched and have to be formed from sheet, curved part fitted first to be trimmed off at the top. The bar left across the footplate between 1st and 2nd drivers will form the top of the motion bracket eventually, the next one will be hidden inside the tanks. Tops added and all trimmed/smoothed off, most of the second splasher is inside the tank so not much needed here. The tank side etch for the booster locos is a bit more difficult, the one for the original locos is in one piece with the bunker side so is much easier to locate. For this ex booster loco the tank sides are separate so I've started by soldering the front end to the side ands set it against the second splasher. The reason for the change is visible here, at the cab end the tanks were lowered to make room for the cab side windows and at the leading end the two S1/3s had tanks which sloped down at the front for better visibility when buffering up. Two alternative tank fronts are on the etch. The booster locos also had the trailing sandboxes lifted up which led to the fillers being above the footplate in a recess in the tank sides. The bunker front is in temporary use to set the distance between the tanks. Fitting the other side, using a square to ensure they are aligned correctly, bunker front again used to set the width between tanks.

The U1 was tried on a train only once, it stopped short of steam more than once on the way up to Woodhead (eastwards). It wasn't very popular on the Worsbrough banking job either, at least with the firemen who realised that they were being asked to do two men's work. On the Lickey it was unpopular with guards as it was very difficult to judge buffering up to the train because of the distance between the cab and the buffers (at Wentworth Junction the trains were stationary when the bankers came on). All in all as the only six cylinder garratt ever built it was a poor effort.

Moving on with the frames the next job is to fit the cylinders. Cylinder ends are etched but have to be aligned properly as they are fitted, this is the leading end with tube passed through and held with blutack over the driving axle centre. This isn't so easy to find without a fixed axle though. Back end of cylinders fitted. It's important to check the alignment in both planes. Frames temporarily wheeled, tubes fitted for the piston rods and motion bracket in place (but not soldered in yet). I don't usually fit Gibson wheels at this early stage, preferring to fit them on the axles only once but these (4855L) are a very tight fit on the axles and won't be loosened by it. I need to wheel the frames to check that the compensation sits level and also to check it round the minimum radius of the layout, these spacers are quite wide, giving a width of 13.3mm over frames in 00 which doesn't leave much room for sideplay. I like to have no sideplay on the leading axle behind the slidebars and as little as possible on the trailing (driven axle in this case) one - maximum sideplay on the intermediate ones. The footplate supports aren't on the etch although the frame slots are but they are a fairly simple shape to cut and fit - this will be done later with the footplate in place though. Etched footplate components, splasher sides bend out of the footplate, angle fits in half etches at the sides. There are two vertical rows of rivets on the leading splasher/sandbox but 69901 only required one of these, the leading buffer beam is heavily riveted (at least by the layout date in the 1950s) the trailing one plain. There is a slight fault with the half etch at the leading end which needs to be filed or ground out. Footplate built up and frames tacked in place with a small dab of solder on each end behind the buffer beams. After checking that the frame is central the small holes in the frames spacers are drilled out to take 10BA screws for body fixing. Top view showing splasher sides folded up and nuts soldered on top, we always use steel screws and brass nuts for this job - makes accidental soldering up solid far less likely. After this the footplate supports were made and fitted between the angles but I don't seem to have a photo of this part of the job. 69901 was one of the three booster fitted locos, the two new build S1/3s had this from the start but this one was rebuilt to take it. The boosters were removed in 1943, having been out of use for some time but the special bogie remained. This had smaller wheels and originally flycranks and coupling rods for the booster drive, after removal the outside frames and axleboxes remained. I don't like using outside frames to carry the wheels so the etch incorporates these inner frames. The strecher didn't fit very well due to a miscalculation of the bend lines on it though - a combination of fold lines outside and thinning of the edges of the fold downs allowed it to just about fit. It does need to be central though as the pivot slot (for a 12BA screw) is etched in it. The frames are clearly marked T and L to show which way round it fits on the loco. Outside frames and end stretchers added, the rivet marks were left off the etched sideframes but aren't too complicated to add.

I keep forgetting about that one, it might be a popular kit and I like it anyway.

£705 for a fairly poor kit (which took 43 hours to build) would go a long way towards a scratchbuilt model.....

No, the boosters went in 1943 and I'm working round about 1952-4 for this layout at the moment. It's a pity though, I would like to see just how much power you could get out of one of these with a motor bogie under the bunker as well - there's room for a lot of lead in this.

Not mine, it was for a customer - and it was a pig of a kit to build as well.

I've started detailing the build of the GC S1 0-8-4T on my Wentworth Junction thread.

While waiting for the baseboards to start on building WJ I've been building another loco for it. This is the ex GC S1 0-8-4T, after they were replaced by EE 350hp shunters at Wath and March the whole class was concentrated at Mexborough where they tried to find alternative work for them. Several were tried out as Worsbrough bankers and I have a photo of 69901 at Dunford Bridge (must have forgotten to drop off at West Silkstone Junction). Starting with the frames, fixed axle at the rear where the motor will drive, 1st and 2nd axles are connected with the usual compensating beam, the third runs in a swinging arm and will be sprung. Small wire straps soldered over the beams to keep them against the frames. The motor is a Mabuchi (from Ebay - very powerful) on a High Level Loadhauler - I think about 60:1 ratio. There are no frame spacers with this etch, it was designed to be assembled on temporary screwed (10BA) spacers in the etched holes seen here, with some of my "universal" L shape spacers where needed. These are fitted along the frames, moving the screwed spacers (I only use two) around as I go. Using a ruler to check that the frames are straight. There's no point in checking for twist, plate frames have very little torsional strength and can be easily straightened - or twisted out of true by the loco body once the boiler is fitted. Motor and gearbox test fitted. The spacers have one hole on the centre line, one used here for the bogie pivot. The completed frame, spacer holes at each end to attach the footplate, slots for cylinder ends, motion bracket and footplate supports. The upward projections at the rear will carry the inner cab floor. That's a couple of hours work, more tomorrow.

I can't remember where the information came from but this is the best interpretation we could get of the Vivian's loco. I built this in EM gauge from the Backwoods kit, painting by Dave Studley. William Francis was lined out in similar style but I don't know what colour it was before preservation, it has been painted in a very bright yellow/brown since. The GKN loco doesn't appear to have had any lining, possibly plain green, I can't see any lining on the Sneyd colliery loco either but I don't have any good photos of this one.

7051 (HE 1697) was the first standard gauge diesel built by Hunslet and was mostly based on steam loco design, it had little in common with later "production" locos and was not repeated. The subsequent locos for the LMS were also fairly experimental, 7052 and 7053 were similar, being an enlarged version of the first one. 7054 was a further development and had the longest life in service, mostly at various Yorkshire collieries before scrapping in 1974. I haven't located the drawings for any of the last three yet but they may well be at Statfold Barn. The Fowler 0-6-0 in the above list is also a bit of a rarity, they didn't build many 6 wheel locos but the similarly styled 0-4-0 was built in some quantity.

It was there on my demo stand, you only had to ask.....

To increase cylinder volume without putting any inside the frames and halve the load on the driving crankpins.