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ROSSPOP

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  1. ROSSPOP
    Having built all my GWR loco kits and won`t be doing anymore ever, it`s time to move over and build some coaches.
     
    I have got a token RTR GWR auto-coach from the Lionheart stable but my preference has always been to build kits as these will have my own build compromises rather than the manufacturers.
     
    Anyway, I was lucky enough to snap this Cavalier B set on ebay back in 2012 and made an initial assessment of what was needed back then.
     
    Serious construction then started last November so as to be some alternative project during the building of my last two loco kits.
     
    Cavalier kits were the biz back in 1985 and were way too expensive for me back then.
     
    you get quite a bit for your monies......................................
     

     
    Nice pre-formed and VERY thick brass coach sides.....tin plated pre-shaped roof.... fold-up etched truss framework and then all white metal underframe detailing, coach ends and bogie kits plus wheels.
     
    Having very thick gauge brass draws a lot of heat from a soldering iron and I needed every watt from my 80W Antex iron.
     
    The kit represents a GWR 60` Bow-ended B set with recessed door handles and guards door.
     

     
    Folding up the recessed door etches was hard going......
     

     
    The recessed door handles was much easier going........
     

     
    .......and I finished the recessed guards door with Milliput Filler.
     

     
    CPL Models produce some very juicy 7mm coach detailing products and I used their fold up door hinges and door stops to upgrade the kit as I went along.
     

     
    Drilling small holes in the thick coach sides caused a lot of cheap drill casualties !!!
     

     
    The next challenge was to be soldering white metal cast ends in place. For this I used Carrs 100deg low melt solder ( Carrs yellow label flux is essential) which needs no pre-tinning of the brass sides.
     

     
    I don`t possess a temperature controlled iron so in true cheap-skate style I merely switch off my 80watt iron for 1.5mins and she`s then ready for 4mins of whitemetal soldering !!!!!...... but like a full Porta Loo on a camp site you need to be in and out quick !!!!
     
    Then solder on the tin -plate roof and brass rain strip and trim everything up.
     
    The bottom edges of the coach sides have a pre-folded recess to take the pre cut `hard board` flooring. There are also pre-folded brass channel chassis frames and white metal frame ends. This assembly bolts on to the bottom of the coach end castings .
     

     
    The kit has etched thick brass fold up angle irons for the underframe trusses..... impossible to fold without making a `pigs ear` for me anyway, so I replaced with brass angle strips....much easier and better looking in the long run...
     

     
    ....and it`s not a difficult job to complete. I did use the etched centre truss support brackets supplied.
     

     
    The cast whitemetal bogie kits are not compensated and go together very well.... no brake blocks but looks the biz..
     

     
    Next I added further detailing parts from CPL Models plus some scratch handrails of my own to supe rdetail the outer coach ends...
     

     
    The kits have a simple and ingenious way of springing the buffers which are cast lostwax offerings
     
    These kits have a good supply of chassis components which need a minimum of cleaning up ready for assembly....
     

     
    I have completed both coach underframes this week....a couple of evenings work....most satisfying.....
     

    .... note the use of PCB strips for the running boards.....
     

     
    So far .... so good.........
     

     
    This week has seen the final amount of detailing prior to etch priming.........
     

     

     
     
     

  2. ROSSPOP

    Getting it all together.

    By ROSSPOP,

    Something has to be done with my languishing Churchill project this year. The trouble is I am going of the idea of having a through station and don`t relish the work to make two fiddle yards at either end.
     

     
    I`m leaning towards changing it all to a GWR country terminus complete with an Engine shed so that I can keep it all in the shed and just play trains whenever I feel like it. And of course start another layout project afterwards.
     

     
    The signal box is based on St Mary`s Crossing
     

     
    The main buildings are based on Portesham in Dorset...
     

     

     
    Do I go for it ?? just the Engine shed and cattle dock to complete. And of course a new platform........
     

  3. ROSSPOP
    With aging hands and eyesight this will be the last kit build for me as I`ve now got quite a selection of builds to play with, plus it`s time to start playing with them all.
     
    I`ve been wanting to build one of these for quite a while and took the plunge just after Christmas.   £ 400  gets you a complete kit including wheels and a motor/gearbox kit plus all the  detail parts in either lost wax or white metal including seating parts for the passenger saloon. Scorpio supply three instruction booklets, covering  the motor bogie, trailing bogie and body. It is a complex kit.
     
    As ever I kicked off with building  the motorised bogie and vertical boiler unit, starting with the coupling rods.
     

     
    There is a great set of etches in nickel silver for the bogie frames etc.  There is provision for beam compensation but I have opted for a fixed chassis as this is a complex build.
     

     
    Reading the instructions several times is essential for this kit as they flit about rather than flow in sequence.
     
    Nickel silver solders so well and I numbered the parts required at each stage.
     

     
     The etched bearing holes are accurately positioned.
     
     
    But I like to be doubly sure, as this mechanism will be difficult to be dismantled even for painting.
     

     
    I do like to have compensation with loco chassis but this would have added too much complication with the internal white metal detailing.
     

     

     
    The motion parts are very finely etched or lost wax which benefit from fettling before assembly.
     

     
     

     
    Not the simplest of ways to construct slide bars, but they do look the part.
     

     
    But after a bit of a clean up  it all comes together....
     

     
    .......................... more to follow...........................
     
     
     
  4. ROSSPOP

    The very beginning

    By ROSSPOP,

    Just like the prototype, this project began with converting Hornby`s SDJR No 45, later to become BR 40634. I utilised Hornby`s tender but used a comet basic chassis kit, however the tender never looked right to me, but at least I would`nt have to worry about the livery.
    I used a perseverence 2P loco chassis kit and a medium sized Mashima motor and a 38 to 1 Branchline gearbox. Wheels are Ultrascale. No 45 than sat in a cabinet long enough for me to change the time period from 1920`s to 1950`s so I could make use of the vast amount of RTR stock being produced by Bachmann and Hornby, rather than spending years on making all those etched SDJR coach kits I had accumulated and then having to paint them in full S&D blue livery.
     
     

     
     
    The perseverance chassis went together well, but I had to provide pickups on the front bogie. My favoured suspension has been Kean-Maygib sprung plastic hornblocks. I now use those supplied by Exactoscale
     
     

     
     
    I decided to refit No 45 with her original OO Hornby chassis and she went to the Ebay market as Hornby produced the BR version of her as 40634. She remained on the S&D until scrapped in 1962. I changed her handrails and added more where they had not been provided. I added Kean Maygib LMS sprung buffers and all lamp irons .
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     
    This time I opted for a more correct pattern tender from the Comet range, but I would have to paint and line her to match the loco body.
     
     
     

     
     
    I needed to fill the loco body with as much weight as I could muster as 4-4-0 wheel arrangements tend to be very light on their feet in model form. I used liquid lead, wrapped in a plasticard tube and fixed with superglue before fixing in the boiler . Lead strip was then cut and used to fill every nook and crannie I could find in the body as well as the chassis.
     
     

     
     
    Painted and lined using HMRS Presfix BR lining sheet.
     
     
     

     
     
    Nine years later......... All that weight added to the body prevented me fitting any kind if DCC chip. However having experimented in spray weathering using Humbrol enamels, I was able to place the Zimo MX648R and Sugar cube speaker in the tender. She now sits as BR 40634 on my workbench with Digitrains 2P soundfile on board.
  5. ROSSPOP

    Dapol`s RTR O Gauge Sentinel.

    By ROSSPOP,


    Dapol `s RTR O Gauge Sentinel
    This excellent Dapol product arrived recently................. so time for a little modelling fun.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
    She was easy to dismantle as the adhesive used is rather like Evostic  from years ago
     
    I fitted a 21 pin ESU sound decoder with Howes generic sentinel sound file as well as giving her a new identity.
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
  6. ROSSPOP
    This project is another part of my lockdown efforts.
     
    Warren Shepard`s small prairie kit was the only kit of this type available at the time of purchase and I`ve needed to replace the heavy whitemetal kit of the 45XX that I constructed back in 2009.
     
     I`ve never made this make of kit before and was encouraged in my research regarding the quality of his  lost wax castings supplied with each kit. I also studied P A D`s 2017 build of this very kit and was made aware of a few of the kit`s short Cummings ( tee! hee!).
     
    The kit has a plethora of guidlines and diagramatical illustrations but no numbered written instructions to follow. Also this is not a tab and slot designed kit. So, if you are shy of soldering and possible anealing  as well as shy of riveting  this kit is probably not for you.
     
    You are required to work a bit  to achieve a good build so I will see how things go.........................
     
    I always start with the coupling rods and for this kit a set of jointed Premier Components are supplied. That saves a few hours work...
     
     

     
    The next job is to fabricate some sprung hornblocks and I chose from my broom cupboard a set  of Slaters old style nylon honblocks as I needed an adjustable axle ride height.
     

     
    Once these had been fettled up I used some metal blackening solution to save time later on together with the preparation and blackening of a set of Slaters wheels.
     

     
    I like to have very smooth backs of the wheel treads to  reduce the braking effect of plunger pickups.
     
     
    Warrens chassis design is made from substantially thick brass etchings so I am using an 80watt bog standard Antex soldering iron with my all time favourite flux Baker`s Fluid which I have been using since the 1960`s.
     
    But before that You will need to mark and drill the brake hanger positions and rear sandbox positions which are not pre etched. I also needed to use some measured scratchings to position the axle ride height as designed for this kit before I cut out the hornblock slots.
     

     
     

     
     

     
    Time spent here will save a lot of tears later on. I also marked and drilled out the plunger pickup positions which are best placed at the axle centreline position so as not to impede the wheel suspension movement.  I also fettled and soldered up the driving wheel springs so as not to melt the nylon hornblocks.
     

     
    Having mentioned the lack of tabs and slots , there are  two chassis stretchers that are so...... but the slots are etched in the wrong places....more on this easily rectified issue later.
     
    Next is to fettle up and prepare all parts needed for the chassis assembly.
     

     
    The two cylinder block stretchers are designed to make the whole cylinder assembly completely removeable to which they are very useful parts  to keep things square during assembly and soldering up.  I needed to cut notches in two of the stretchers to accommodate the hornblock positions. The two stretchers with the incorrect slot positions were sorted out at this stage as they are both required to be the correct height for the two bogie trucks.
     
    The front stretcher I was able to solder to the rear of the chassis block to which it does have corresponding slots and tabs and does not need to be soldered to the chassis sides. Slots have to be cut to accommodate the hornblocks and the brake hanger rod and the plunger pickup positions   to make it all removeable.
     

     
    If you see what I mean.....
     

     
    Eventually you can produce a very substantial solid chassis frame.....
     

     
     
    Here you can see where the original slots are too high in the chassis sides....
     

     
    It was easy to use this datum to match the height of the front stretcher....
     

     
    Once all that was sussed.... everything else was plain sailing....
     

     
    ...with the exception of some crude springs to replace the originals that are far too strong for this application.  My easy method of jigging evrything in place for a trouble free chassis and motion.
     
    And finally a wiz- popping free running basic chassis.....

     
     
    Next a pleasant evening putting together the two identical bogie trucks from Warrens brilliant quality castings...
     
     

     
     
    The back to finishing off the cylinder block mainframe...... requiring some riveting and metal bending....
     

     
    and  a wee bit of finger burning.....
     

     
     

     
     

     
    Knowing that I have a sweet running chassis I ventured on to perhaps the most challenging parts of the kit.
     
    Warren has cunningly produced a printed riveting guide which you cut out and stick to the rear of the loco tank sides, rear, and front footplate and then apply the rivets using these guides.
    Apparently the printed guides don`t match up to the etchings and I could`nt be arsed , so I used them to mark all rivets by hand and then rivet in the usual way.......
     

     
    Job done in one evening.........
     
     
    And now.... the real build begins..........
     
     

     
    I felt the front footplate needed annealing to get that curved bend...... it was a b%$$£r to flatten out aferwards....
     

     
    ...despite a few dents for added realism I just about got away with it.......... this time....
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  7. ROSSPOP
    Well I don`t mind admitting ....it`s been a bit of a sod to get these coaches this far....
     

     
    And they don`t have the livery finish I was hoping for........
     

     
    I invested in some Fox lining transfers and despite adding a gloss finish to the coach sides I just could`nt get them to fix adequately... I even tried Micro set and sol but Fox transfers don`t like either. So I was forced to use HMRS Pressfix lining which of course if you are a GWR affectionado is wrong........
     

     
    Anyhow I`ll have to live with it as I`m crap at lining with my Bob Moores pen.
     

     
    So just the Droplights/glazing and interior detailing and they will be complete......
  8. ROSSPOP
    it`s been a bit of a while........
    But I`m aiming to get this project built over the next six weeks....
     
    So, with the loco chassis 90% complete and pending the fitting of replacement Slaters drivers I`m pushing on with the bodywork.
     
    Like most modellers I`ve replaced those vulnerable  white metal lampirons and loco whistle with lost wax castings from LGminiatures
     

     
     
    At the same time I drilled all 40 odd holes in the mazak body casting. I used a cordless drill and kept dipping the drill bits in neat washing up liquid and did`nt break a single drill.
     

     
    I thought the cab backhead was a tad too high bearing in mind the cab roof has lots of internal detailing   and there is a lot of pipework at the very top of the cast backhead to be fitted in place so i reduced the height......
     

     
     
     
     
    The most awkward part was folding the thick etched cab and keeping the window frames from buckling...........
     

     
     
    I`ve done about 90% of the chassis now........
     

     
     
     
    ...and quite a bit of fettling with the front bogie pivot and rear axle to get her to negotiate a B7 turnout.......
     
     

     
     
     

     
    as most modellers now know , the original Hatchette drivers are completely useless for turning her into a working model so I have a replacement set of proper Slaters wheels....
  9. ROSSPOP
    I suspect , like a lot of railway modellers, I could`nt see the point in struggling to build a locomotive kit to the same standard of finish as Bachmann and Hornby have been producing since my first purchase of a 4mm Bachmann Jinty, in the new highly detailed standards, back in 2005.
    For a long while I drifted away from loco kit building in 4mm, not that I ever made larger locos of 4-6-0 or 4-6-2 types, I did`nt need them for my end to end set-ups.
    It did`nt matter that nearly all of the RTR locos purchased with outside valve gear had dog leg coupling rods and trembling piston rods and linkages when powered up on the test track. Binding and poor running did`nt matter either as I needed to change the wheels to 18.83 guage in any case which immediately improved their performance.
    Having had a preference for P4 modeling since the early 1980`s there was an added bonus in that the RTR locos I was interested in had one fully sprung driver axle ,so providing a small amount of compensation and maintaining good electrical contact with the track. All such converted RTR stock has run faultlessly through my P4 pointwork.
     
    Sadly, my more recent RTR purchases have lacked the provision of a sprung driver and those with a long wheelbase have proved to be too unreliable when converted to scale profile rims ( Bachmann SDJR 7F).
     
    With the onset of retirement has come the opportunity to rationalise my 4mm loco collection and with it the realisation, to me anyway, that my kit built stock still hold their own with the quality RTR we have had available to us over the past 10years. There are a couple of provisos ,however, and that is the kit built locos superstructure should be in etched brass or nickel silver. RTR locos should have replacement coupling rods ( usually using the Alan Gibson etched replacements).
     
    Etched brass kits emulate more realistically the sheet metal fabrication of the protoype, particularly the edges of footplate and cab cutouts etc which photograph much better in closeup.
     
    Likewise, when looking at the motion parts of RTR locos the coupling rods are far too thin and unconvincing especially the crankpin boss profile. A lot of RTR locos in close up appear to have running plates a scale 1 inch thick or more and overall look `plasticky`
     
    Cast white metal loco kits , for me , do not produce a fine enough finish.
     
    So, for me, I have purchased my last RTR locomotive, sold my last whitemetal loco and constructed my last etched brass kit in 4mm scale at least.
     
     
    The last Whitemetal Kit.....................
     

     
    A Kemilway BR 3MT with portescap motor.
     

     
    Good for it`s time (1980`s) but a lot of errors in bodywork design. Has sprung compensation. A beautifully designed etched chassis kit .
    Constructed about 7 years ago and sold last year.
     
     
    Replaced by the far superior Bachmann Class 3........
     

    Replacement Alan Gibson wheel set and coupling rod set which fit the models wheelbase precisely, enabling me to re-work the movement of the working parts.
    She does`nt have a sprung driver, so has no compensation at all. Yet being a short wheelbase is very surefooted through P4 pointwork. All my other non sprung RTR converted stock has been sold.

     
    To me she is the best RTR Bachmann production......perfection would be that missing sprung driver...........
     
     
     

     
    Here she is with the last etched kit.
  10. ROSSPOP
    It was inevitable that I would also need a stone built Engine Shed to match what has been completed so far......
     
    I should mention that I used the Invertrain  Models Abbotsbury kit as a base model.  The kit as supplied will not make up into the  final assembly described here.
     
    I used the same method to begin by re-engraving the resin moulded stonework into a more pleasing appearance and used some reference material to make a more convincing looking GWR structure from photos of the original shed.  Bearing in mind the original shed was taken out of service not long after it was built and had the roof windows and doors removed. It was therefore a dilapidated shell in the 1930`s and no one knows so far what the roof style looked like back then.
     
    I used Slaters stone moulded plasticard to add some rudimentary detailing on the inside walls and I decided to remake the shed doors, sill and hinges from scratch.
     

     
    Careful attention in squaring up the sides and end mouldings before final assembly was required.  And  I re-sized the overall roof and vent to give a more finer look which was made up into a separate
    stand alone unit to aid painting and interior detailing later on.
     

     
     
    Much thought and use of the trusty Milliput has been essential in changing the stone work to hide the corner joints and making the windows more prototypical.
     

     
     
    The guttering parts of the kit and the external chimney stack were replaced with scratch built parts.  
     

     
     

     
     
    some of the roof vent parts were used but have been suitably re-sized to suit the new roof shape.
     
     
     
     
    A coat of Halford`s Acrylic Primer hides a multitude of sins.......
     

     
     

     
     
    To be continued..............................................................
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  11. ROSSPOP
    In between a few projects recently so, this weekend, I enjoyed a stress free few hours assembling this ABS Models GWR Shunters truck.
     

     
    Sometimes kits can be a labour of lurve and tribulation and this kit is no exception.
     
    a bit of a struggle from start to finish.
     
    instructions are the equivalent of `jottings in the columns of a comic` and take some fathoming out.
     
    not a lot of image info of the real things.
     

     
    A lot of pre clearing of  flash from parts before assembly.
     
     I opted for a super glue assembly using Gorilla Glue Products with just a smidgin of soldering for the handrails and stancions which are very large split pins.
     
    I even made the sprung buffers using the supplied drawing pins........
     


  12. ROSSPOP
    I`ve done all I can with reworking the stonework which seems to have been more challenging this time. One of the shed cast end pieces seems to have `soft` cast and my dental burr bit into it and nearly pierced the casting.
     
    I`m sure if I had contacted Chris at Invertrain he would have replaced it.
     
    However I`ve percevered.......
     
    Photos of the original shed are not that common and I`ve wondered whether the shed actually had a skylight.
     
    ...but I found this and something is there.......
     

     
    so... I was hoping to build a removable roof to help with painting later on, but first I wanted to reduce the roofs all round overhang and to use my slitting disc to produce a much finer edge to the roof tiles particularly at the barge board ends. Also, I wanted to position the soffits and fascia boards so that they did`nt encroach on the stone arches front and back.
     
    So, orf` I wented..... donning a face mask I `milled` down the roof edges around the tile moulding and chamfered the top edges after reducing the overall size of the roof to give a better looking profile.
     

     

     
    Then it was an easy task to superglue it all together using the end barge boards to get the roof angle square... so easy infact that I then wasted half an our slowly removing my thumb from the inside surface of the roof... very painfull....
     
    But, mission accomplished.....
     

     

     
    I`ve reworked the stone as far as I can but still need to Milli it up....
     

     
    I`m generally quite pleased with progress today.......
     

     
     
     

  13. ROSSPOP
    Being pleased with the William Clarke style station based on Portesham.....
     
    I`m having a go at his Portesham small goods shed...........................................
     

     
    Invertrain resin kit again but this time no replacement parts, just as it comes but with a lot of reworking.
     
    The stone work casting is in need of some re-doing.
     

     
     
     

     
    I like the all the parts that make up the see through roof but the whole roof needs changing......
     
    ...much work in progress......
  17. ROSSPOP
    You know how it is, you`re quietly numbing your brain spending endless hours trolling through ebay sites and then you suddenly make an impulsive purchase..........
     

     
    The expected parcel arrives and then, of course, the guilt sets in........
     
    Should I have made such a rash decision? It looked good from the pics on ebay and, to be fair, it looks good now it`s in my possession. I need to upgrade it a bit , and repaint it here and there, but overall it`s a good build.
     
    But I`m not going to show any of you until I`v finished what this parcel has started.
     
    Tucked away in the attic there are a number of railway building kits. One of those is an Invertrain 7mm kit of Portesham Station a resin complete kit in the GWR style of William Clarke.
     

     
    When I bought it back in 2008 I thought it had potential for some improvement, and still do, so spurred on by my mystery ebay purchase I`ve decided recently to assemble the kit and upgrade as I go along using easily availble parts from the O gauge trade.
     
    The first thing I elected to have a go at was remodelling the stonework with a dental burr to correct the `skew-wiff ` appearance of a couple of areas
     

     
    ....and to get rid of the `jelly mould ` look of some of the stonework.
     

     

     

     
    The next episode was to square up the resin slab sides and assemble the parts using Gorrila Gel superglue rather than the long established
    use of Araldite.
     

     
    Then to correct some of the offending stone work with Milliput and then engrave the new levelled off stonework.
     

     
    I also plan to use individual roof slates so I replaced the resin roof with plasticard.
     
    Next up was to completely replace all the canopy parts starting with the canopy support brackets. For these I sent a way for some 3D printed parts from Yorkmodelmaking.
     

     
    ....and then more engaving with the dental burr to bed them in...... I refashione the support timbering to raise the height of the canopy to make a more accurate fit.
     
    The three chimney stacks are plaster mouldings and these needed a lot of work to re- engrave and tidy up.......
     

     
    The it was time to bring it all together with a heavy spray session with Halfords Acrylic Primer....
     

     
    Then last evening I spent a pleasant 5 hours scratch building a new replacement canopy and skylight using Yorkmodelmaking Acrylic glazing sheet.
     


     

     
    Now comes the real work of hand painting the stonework.... this will take a little while me thinks......
  18. ROSSPOP
    I always wanted a Dukedog when working in 4mm, so this was a kit I could`nt resist. I`ve based her on 3216 in 1945 condition as the kit had a plain tender and matched the picture I had found.
     

     
    I purchased replacements for the dome and safety valve and leading driver chassis spring detail , together with all the cab detailing parts from HobbyDevelopments. I hate etched lamp irons so replacements were obtained from Laurie Griffin Miniatures.
     
    I chose a Slaters enclosed gearbox and Mashima1833 motor.
     
    As always, I started proceedings with making the coupling rods.
     

     
    Then assembling and preparing the frame etches to take roller bearing hornblocks. This time I used the delux version.
     

     

     

     
     
     
    Assembling the chassis using axle jig was straight forward
     

     
     
     
    For the front bogie I used Slaters hornblocks as these could be shaped to match the inner bogie side frames and allow some ride height adjustment when set up in the main chassis.
     

     
    I opted for springy wire rather than the springs as these were too fierce for the bogie application.
     

     
     
     
    I ended up with a nice fully sprung chassis and proceeded with adding wheels and motor plus breakgear to make sure all fitted well with no potential for shorting out as she eventually will have DCC sound.
     

     
    Also, I needed the motor in place in order to shape and fettle the firebox around the motor at a later stage.
     

     
    Next up, was the footplate and cab. The kit instructions a pretty straight forward here.
     

     
    The firebox is an easy build bt you do need to add extra metal fillet at the front in order to safetly shape the top edge.
     

     

     
    Then on to fitting everything around that motor, in my case , making allowances for having a sprung chassis.
     

     

     
    Then it is on to shaping and soldering up the smokebox and fitting the brass tube boiler in between. I also had to fit and modify the whitemetal cosmetic `bearings`.There was a gap to be filled with scrap brass where the rear splashers enter the front of cab.
     

     
    Care is needed to make sure of squareness in all planes before final solder.
     

     
    There is a lot of detailing work around the front boiler and bogie
     

     
    From here on in it is pure detailing...... starting with marking out and soldering the boiler bands which are supplied within the kit.
     

     
    I`ve previously mentioned replacing the dome and safety valve for better examples, but that is a personal choice.
     

     
    I also replaced the buffers with more accurate versions from HobbyDevelopments.
     

     
    I think this where better quality lamp irons come into their own.
     
     
     
    The tender construction has only one potential challenge and that is soldering the half round rod to form the tender beading.
     
    The parts make into a very neat chassis. I opted for fabricating a sprung centre axle only.
     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

    The rest of the tender build is very easy and enjoyable and overall makes into a very stable model.
     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
    Etch primer finish from Phoenix/Precision and a final coat of their satin varnish.
     


     
     
     
    I have already mentioned replacing all the cab detailing parts with those from the HobbyDevelopment range and I think this is important with an open cab loco.
     

     
     
     

    I have now fitted her with DCC Sound.
     
     
     


  19. ROSSPOP
    Well tis` all done.
     
    She left the paint shop on Friday and just needed the cab details painted up
     

     
    Then Saturday saw the arrival of her etched No and builders plates from Severnmill products.
     
    Not one of my absolute best builds and there were a lot of self inflicted problems along the way.
     
    But she does look the bizz....
     
     
     
    Any how , this month is a ten year anniversary of joining the Gauge O Guild. In 2008 I purhased a brass RTR GWR Pannier Tank from Tower Models.
     
    She looked lovely....at first but I soon fell out of love with her over quite a few issues I could not accept.
     
    So I painted her up in Wartime livery and sold her on.
     

     
    Ten years later I`ve finally replaced her.............................
     

     

     
     
     

     
    She`s a bit of a `rocker` on the rolling road which I think is due to a rogue Slaters driver as the rock is much less noticeable on the track but nevertheless has been there right from the very beginning of the chassis build.
     

     

    Cheers
     
    Johnny Rosspop
  20. ROSSPOP
    I did consider putting a speaker in the bunker, but that should have been planned for earlier in the construction.
     
    So after deliberations I settled for in between the chassis frames. Thankyou to the sugar cube !!!!!
     

     
    I simply made a couple of plasticard platforms......................................
     

     
    As Zimo decoders have protective covers I will disguise things further with black paint.
     

  21. ROSSPOP
    As this is the very last loco chassis I will be painting, I think I will write it all up.
     
    I`v already mentioned to you that I prefer to make everything easy to assemble and unassemble despite the brakeblocks and rodding all soldered into their respective places. I like using Tamiya low tack masking tape to protect the hornblocks before painting
     

     
    I`ve discovered since modelling in 7mm that Closterman etch primer provides a quality finish to the modelled chassis and does not require an additional black top-coat.
     

     

     
    I`ve also discovered a new preference of using sprung plunger pickups as standard on all my locomotive stock.
     
    I happen to like Slaters product and if used and set up properly gives excellent results.
     

     
    There are a couple of modifications I use on them. Firstly, I tweek the springs length so they are the same length as the non-threaded part of the plunger.
     

     
    I used to file the pointed ends of the plungers into a more rounded shape ,but on the last three loco kits I have left them as supplied and they perform just as well.
     
    On the most recent batch the plunger springs have been long enough not to need tweeking longer.
     

     
    The final check is that the plunger is free to move in and out of the plastic plunger, the hole in the plastic housing usually needs opening out. I use a small needle file for this.
    I also cut a flat on the housing lip to enable the assembled plunger to be gently squeezed past the brake blocks into their offset holes.
     
    IT IS ESSENTIAL to use small gauge wire soldered to the connector spades to ensure ultra free movement of the plunger springs. I use the same size flexible wire that is attached to Decoders.
     

     
    After that my next preference is to use chemical blackening to wheels and motion.
     

     
    I prefer the above products finishing off with a coat of Electrofix laquer.
     

     
    Then it`s just a case of the final reassembly of parts..........................................................................
     

     
    A canon motor and ABC multistage gear box provides the power.
     
    Then even the wheel balance weights are given the blackening treatment.
     

  22. ROSSPOP
    Spent all of last evening with two fingers and a thumb in a bowl of ice cubes!!!
     
    Never, NEVER pick up a soldering iron by the wrong end...........
     

     
    Told you me eyesight was getting bad........
     
    Current modelling progress delayed.......
     
    John
  23. ROSSPOP
    My schedule has over run by two weeks , but today completed fabricating the cab work....................................................................................
     

     
    Some of the lost wax parts look overscale to me, however, I was lucky to have some of the GWR castings from my MOK autotank assembly as spares and used these to base the cab work on preserved pannier 7714.
     

     
    I`m happy with the result which will provide a `busy` looking interior.
     
    So, at last, the kit has all been put together and I have built it in three sub units to aid final painting.
     

     
    it is`nt all perfect I`m afraid as I made a few assembly errors due to `old age` and problematic eyesight difficulties
     

     
    But I`m content as a final kit build.............................................................................................
     

     
    Just to set up the painting shed and then start the finished painted assembly, wire up and test and then bring alive with DCC sound...................................
     
    ................................. see you all later.
  24. ROSSPOP
    Nice kit so far with some innovative ways of constructing a square footplate. One complex area the pannier tanks is a quality heavy resin moulding more of which later.
     
    There are very good detailed etched overlays which saves on the riveting front. The footplate sub-unit keeps the work nice and square and is an easy fold assembly.
     

     
    I chose to remove the etched lamp irons and replace with the nice lost-wax cast versions supplied with the kit.
     

     
    I think these look better
     

     
    There is some riveting to do around the splasher surrounds.
     

     
    My 80watt iron was not hot enough to solder the detailed overlays to the cab and bunker sub units and so a flame heat was required for a successful finish, particularly the cab front and sides.
     

     
    The instructions suggest adding some of the awkward lost wax details to the sub-units before final assembly onto the footplate.
     

     
    Having searched for and studied other modellers constructions of this particular kit I was aware of the difficulties encountered with the construction of the bunker. The above corner castings(bottom right) are not quite the right size and a poor fit, so I knew it was`nt going to be a perfect build.
     
    First up is the shaping of the side overlays.................................................................................
     

     
    ............and then attaching them to the sub unit.............................................
     

     
     
     
    The following pics are my final effort.............................................................................................
     

     

     

     
    As previously mentioned a large part of construction is a blue resin moulding of the pannier tanks and boiler, which saves a lot of heartache!!
    i chose to drill and tap 8BA to attach to the footplate to be removeable for painting later on.
     

     


  25. ROSSPOP
    This coming summer I intend to return to this project once again........................
     
    She has rested in an uninsulated garden shed for two winters and one summer to test the quality of construction.
     
    This week I hoovered and cleaned the track then switched on the power for the first time. Apart from a few rail levelling issues that need minor attention it all works very well.
     
    So today saw a bit of further `playtime` starting with the arrival of the morning passenger...................
     

     
    Sorry for the shaking camera tripod!
     
    The rest of the morning saw a couple of pickup goods working the line.
     
    The `whirring` noises are the Fulgorex/Lemaco point motors I have used as they are the lowest profile mechanisms that fit my `lightweight`shallow depth modules.
     
     
     

     
     
     

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