rowanj

As a novice at loco kit building, I need instructions which are accurate and reasonably comprehensive. My first,probably too ambitious project, was a PDK B16, which,although I completed, had pretty generic instructions. I'm not averse to supporting them with other guidance and photographs,etc but instructions should be a proper starting point. I thought the PDK stuff was a little light, but I worked through it. The next kit I tackled was an ArthurK J77 where the instructions were very comprehensive. Even then, I supplemented them with photos and additional guidance. My main problem was not always knowing what the part of the loco actually was on such a detailed kit and therefore quite where it fitted. But these instructions also added to my broader knowledge of loco building for when it came to later builds. I sometimes think that some posters here are so experienced, have built so many models, and have developed their own ways to construct, that they forget that others are more in need of guidance. There is rarely a single way of doing things but accurate instructions should offer a way which,if followed, will produce a successful model,all things being equal. After that,one can start to develop personal idiosyncrasies which one finds to work better. That is not to excuse instructions which are incorrect, for that is inexcusable. And I have no doubt that writing the things is not easy. But most who enter kitbuilding are not idiots,just less experienced than the designers, and need a little help... Unless you prefer they stick to RTR??

Thanks so much for your advice. I use Halfords Satin Black, but am tempted by the suggestion of the Railmatch Weathered Black. The N5 and Q7 should be suitable recipients for a weathered finish. John

John I now have the O2 running round curves in all directions. As you suggested, and as I suspected, it was a combination of insufficient sideplay and a slight lifting of the leading bogie..The former was a first for me - the latter all too common !!. Dave Alexander was at RailexNE yesterday - the only trader selling kits, as far as I could tell. I gave in to temptation and bought a Q7. I've built his kits in the past and they have a well- deserved reputation for the quality and accuracy of his whitemetal castings. To my pleasant surprise ,the Q7 is the more modern combination of whitemetal and etched brass. The photo will explain.

Spending 3 months in a caravan in France has lots of advantages, among which is the lack of the chance to do any modelling, but plenty of time to think and plan. I have felt for some time that, now I am nearly 68, my loft layout was far too ambitious for a one-man band, and that the quality of running was not what I wanted. Therefore dismantling has begun, and an out and back with a fairly modest scenic section will be begun. Whether it will ever be finished is another matter. I have decided to base the model on my childhood spotting location. We all called this "The Powder Monkey" and is on the ECML north of Newcastle, and is more correctly known as Little Benton. Is has the advantage of being a fast double track main-line, with a series of wagon sidings alongside, laid during WW2. This will allow storage of at least some of the wagon rakes. I'll be reasonably pragmatic about loco stock, as I have a number which were never seen in service in my youth north of Newcastle,(or even in NE England). I have a decent stock of the foam underlay used under laminate flooring, and am considering this for the trackwork. Does anyone have any experience of using this? One reason for the change is a weird experience I have with the O2/3 chassis. It runs perfectly on straight track, and on RH curves, both forward and backword. But it stalls on LH curves in both directions. It doesn't seem to be a pick-up issue. The next loco project is a SEF N5.- another loco never seen north of Newcastle....

I suppose the recent posts on mobiles and manners, along with the dearth of photos of actual modelling, means that mobiles are not being used for photographic purposes. I actually find mine quite handy for that...

Hi Brian - just caught up with progress on the Garrett. You have certainly set yourself a task - I'll be interested to see how it goes. Am I reading correcly that you intend to use 2 motorised chassis in tandem? If so, I assume you will use the same motor/gearbox combo in each. Are you sure, even so, that you will get both to revolve at the same rate/speed? If not, wouldnt this cause a real problem? Or is this just a silly question? Best wishes anyway - speak soon John

The V2 is looking good, Brian

Photos of the almost completed O2/3. The idea is that is is workstained but not too shabby - fairly recently out of shops. I used the dry brushing technique recommended on the Right Lines 4 DVD . This will be the last for some time as I'm off on a 3-month jolly and my wife doesn't like soldering in the caravan. On return, a SEF N5 awaits.

As it was the Right Track DVD Series which gave me so many tips on whitemetal soldering and drybrush painting, here is ny finished canvas of the Nu Cast O2/3. OO, DCC and not likely to make the pages of MRJ in a hurry, but I enjoyed making it. The idea is that it is work - stained but not scruffy I'm looking at it now from a distance of 2 feet, and, must say, I'm not totally displeased. I hope this thread goes on indefinitely, but wish more folk would either post their work, or signpost to a thread where it can be seen.,

Thanks John. The problem with using the B1 boiler is that it is not a "circle/oval" - the moulding ends where it meets the footplate, so needs so much major reconstruction ahead of the motor/gearbox that its probably easier to use a plastic or metal tube of the correct o.d.. ( though I haven't checked to see what that would be. ). I agree, though, that the Replica deal is really good value. John

This is one side of the painted loco. Missing from the kit were the 2 sandbox castings, so they were replaced with resin ones from Graeme King, which I had in my sparesbox. Late in life, this loco got AWS, and I had the parts to fit a battery box (it's below the cab on the other side) and the plate on the buffer beam to protect the gubbins from the coupling. The 2 reservoirs on the undersides of the footplate, just ahead of the cab, were made from scrap plastic sprue. I had a minor panic when running in when the gearbox came out of gear, but luckily, it was just a part coming away from the gearbox side, easily fixed. You really do need to be ham-fisted to mess up a Highlevel Gearbox. - they are excellent. I hope to get the rest of the transfers on and fit the tender coupling in the next few days. I quite like the "ex-works" finish, but I suppose it should really be weathered .Coal will be added to the tender, and a crew.

Recent references to "stupidity" prompted me to post this, my current project of an ancient Nu-Cast O2/3. It's my first attempt at largely soldering a whitemetal kit. I "won" it on Ebay, and knew in advance that some parts were missing, but as I knew that any wheels, motor or gearbox I bought could be used elsewhere if I messed it up or the missing parts could not be replaced, I decided to chance £75. There is still work to do, but it looks like an O2/3.... Why stupidity? Well, there is a vastly superior model from Heljan......... But in my experience, I often found that folk who accused others of stupidity weren't always quite as clever as they thought they were. . Details of the build are on my thread. John

After the usual fight to get clearances , the valve gear is now fitted. I'll do a bit more tweaking, but the chassis runs nicely.The body is just perched to get a photo and I need to investigate that gap above the RH cylinder. The LH handrail was fitted above the steampipe as suggested by Manna - split pins hold the steampipe, and the handrail soldered to them, with a single handrail knob for the front. The steampipe is Heljan plastic, so you need to get in quickly ! The suggestion to look for Heljan spares has proven worthwhile., to the extent that I have had the daft idea of using them to produce a Thompson O2/4. I have a Replica B1 boiler, left over from a K5 conversion, but I'm not sure if it will work. The photos show what you can get as spares, and even if I don't go ahead with the O2/4, they will be very handy for other things. The footplate is from a GBL V2, and the only major work seems to be below the cab, which needs extending, and ahead of the buffer beam. A cab is available, but currently out of stock at Howes.

They are to RP25 profile, and IMHO look better than early Romfords once the rims and plastic centres are painted. Scalelink are great to deal with both Via Web or by phone. The last batch arrived with a bit of paper with suggestions on fitting by Tony Wright. As I say, they are generic, and not to everyone's taste, but I have had no de-railing or quartering issues with them, unlike Gibsons, which I would use if I could, but which seem intolerant of any of my trackwork deficiencies. I think W&T wheels may suffer from frequent removal and refitting to the axles and certainly care is needed soldering on crankpin washers. John

Motor fitted to chassis, and coupling rods slightly opened to give smooth running. Wheels are W&T. They are produced in all the usual sizes, but are not loco-specific like Markits. There were reports that they did not always run true on the Romford axles, but I have used them a fair bit and found them OK. They are fully insulated, so you need to be quick soldering crankpin washers as the black inserts are plastic. I suppose if one was looking for better prototype fidelity, Markits are the answer, but in my case, I just want reasonable accuracy and decent running. This set plus 4 axles was £32, I think. The motor is a cheap Jap (Mitsumi ?) bought from Ebay at 5 For £5. I've used 4 of them, and find them great. My locos don't do huge mileage, and 20 wagons is the usual limit, but there are no signs yet of damage. They all run smoothly and fit easily to a Highlevel Roadrunner Compact, or, as in this case, Compact +. and I used them on Markits single stage with no difficulty, Purists may howl, but, if there is a meshing problem from the worm, they can be tack soldered to the gearbox to give added support to the screw fixings. Next step is pickups and valve gear. The kit provides whitemetal crossheads, which I imagine would work OK, but I have a pair of brass lost wax, I think from Comet, so I'll use those. I have had real problems in the past with crossheads falling out of LNER single slidebar cylinders, and prefer if possible to use the DJH style which is a fold over and "locks in" the crosshead. As the photo shows, the Nu Cast is a single etch, but I have another set and early trials show that I can construct a sandwich which should work. If anyone knows what I'm doing wrong and why my crossheads always want to fall out, pls let me know. It isn't that the end is too long, and they don't ever seem too sloppy, or to be catching. Just my lousy technique , I suppose.

The chassis arrived, so I fitted the wheels, from W&T, to chck the fit of the body, and identify any other issues. There are some tight spots with the coupling rods fitted, but not too serious, and the chassis sits nice and square on the track. The loco body is a bit "nose up" but nothing the file wont take care of. The steampipe is from the Heljan sprue, fitted with split pins ahead of the handrails being soldered as per Manna's suggestion. The castings seem to be a bit "O2 Universal" so for the O2/3,I needed to make the cutaways at each bottom corner of the buffer beam, and file away and fill the RH smokebox where a representation of where the steampipe would enter on RH drive locos. Now that Yeadon' has arrived, no doubt other things will arise. John

My friend 46256 has sent me photos of the chassis, now with 2 sides ! He has not only cut the new side, but assembled it as well,There are some amazing folk in this hobby. I would appreciate some advice on the loco handrails on the LH side, where they are immediately above the steampipe. Is there a way to fit these using handrail knobs? I could, I suppose, use split pins but is there a better method?

Possibly more by luck than judgement, this was easy and straightforward. Tested on mirror glass and on the track, all seems well. Being 8-coupled, I don't think I'll need to bother with tender pick-ups, though if I decide to fit brakes. that will be more of a problem - wires into holes part-drilled in the frames, I imagine. I really didn't want to add any more weight to the tender if I could help it. After a first squirt of Halfords primer, it has scrubbed up pretty well, I think. Incidentally, Pebbles, I have now invested in the relevant Yeadon's. I suppose they are almost de rigeur for serious loco building. John

Many thanks for the posts. The Howes suggestion is useful - I had no idea that the spares situation was as good. They will be useful in a couple of ways. It's not so much that details are missing (though a few are) but rather that they were never supplied in the first place, given the vintage of the kits. I always intended to add as much detail as possible from the spares box, including what TW calls the "wiggly bits" I agree that Dave Ellis at SEF is helpful with spares - he supplied a K3 cab etch recently. In this case , however, most parts were never cast, though hopefully any re-introduced O2 will be updated. Arthur's photo (lovely to hear from you again ) is a nice addition to the collection when it come to detailing the loco, though a lot of that now awaits the new chassis sides In the meantime, progress on the tender, which is free -running nicely through my trackwork. The coal and rear spacer are from Bachmann tender, and will probably now be replaced if the Howes spares contain the appropriate part. ​

Remember these as the Nu Cast mathod of fixing the tender sub-chassis,? I'm going to use pin-point axles in the frames and dispense with the sub chassis. There is already plenty weight in the tender for the loco to lug around, but I'll keep it in reserve just in case. Once the lips on the frames are filed flat, the top hat bearings are an easy force fit into holes. I'm going to just have to live with the footplate, Pebbles. I can't see where or how to make any amendments. Thanks for the helpful post. At some point, I may tackle an O2/4. Google is my default search engine, D Platt and I turned up a photo of an O4/3 converted to O4/4 in 1958, attached (still?) to it's GS flared tender with vacuum cylinder. I'll l quit when I'm ahead. Comments/criticisms/tips are always welcome., John

That's very helpful...many thanks. I don't have Yeadon though I'm sure that the books are invaluable if one is making a serious attempt at the loco. I remember when you could either get one from the library or, at least, peruse most of the series in the reference section. Ah well,,, My loco will be in BR days. Can anyone confirm whether the tender should have the vacuum cylinder? I've seen them on some but not on others. There wasn't one in the kit, and the instructions don't refer to one.

Thanks, Mick - I had a feeling that might be the case, Top down photos of O2/3 tenders are at a premium. If anyone can point me at one ,I'd be grateful, as I haven't yet settled on a particular loco. John

The kit has a few pieces missing, including the front tender coal rail. The rear one is present, but has a piece removed from the centre. The tender represents a GS with flared tops I cannot tell from photos whether the rear piece fits over, or is just ahead, of the tender dome..both were options,as I understand it.,,In addition, I believe the O2/3 tender may have had a vacuum tank, again missing from the kit. I'll continue my research, but any help gratefully received.

Here is the loco body will all parts soldered and the first clean -up of the whitemetal applied. Most of the rest is detailing, so I suppose a mix of soldering, cyno and epoxy will be used. As my J21 was lurking, having been down from the loft for a "general repair", I thought I may as well photograph it too, It's a dave Alexander kit, glued together some years ago. the fit was light years better than the current O2/3 project

And now for something completely different. I purchased this ancient Nu Cast O2/3 on Ebay for £75 with a view to trying to use low-melt solder on a whitemetal kit for the first time. I suppose I should have started with a wagon, but I like building locos ....and I already have a suitable motor/gearbox. Wheels will be W&T, so the final loco will come in at c .£150. I'm really only risking melting the £75 kit. I remember building Nu Cast back in the day with great fondness. Assembled using epoxy, I still have a few trundling round the layout. In fact. I've just added details to an O2/2 and G5 and they satisfy me as layout locos. I also remember being able to go into model shops and buying many of their parts as spares. Those were the days. I'm using an Antex TCS50W variable iron, with the temperature set at 240*.with Carrs Green Label Flux. This temperature may be a bit high but seems to be the minimum to get the flux to fizz. I have some Red Label, which is designed for lower temperature on order, and will see how that goes. Solder is, of course, low melt at a nominal 70* The kit is pretty basic compared to modern ones. There is plenty of flash to clean and almost all the joints needed some filing, but the overall fit, so far, has been not too bad. This is just as well, as the metal gets hot !!! and there are no tab and slot to aid assembly as with etched kits. In addition, because of the low cost, the seller indicated that some parts may be missing. So far, these include some backhead details ,the steampipe and the tender front coalplate. These can be either fabricated or replaced from the spares box. However, there is a major issue with the chassis, The instructions refer to a whitemetal casting- typical for the time. Although most folk hate them now, I actually find them ok. They always need cleaning - usually a lot - but once bearings are fitted and they are amended to allow a modern gearbox to replace an X04 type, mine usually run well enough., though, to be fair, they don't run many miles. Late in the day, Nu Cast began replacing them with stamped brass, a la Comet, etc. This kit has one, but actually, I mean only ONE - not a pair. It's a really nice piece, but not much use by itself. To be fair, this was identified by the seller, and as luck would have it, I have a friend who I horse trade with who will produce the other side. Thank you 46256. If there is a problem, I suspect the Alan Gibson O2/1 frames may be persuaded to fit. So here is progress to date. The soldering has been a doddle, and so much easier than waiting for glue to set, Smaller details will, however be glued - I'm not that brave. Some gaps will need filling, but that's true of glue too, I'm convinced my success is as a result of building etched kits, which has developed some expertise and much confidence. i'll post more photos as the work progresses.