ROSSPOP

Thanks Ade,

Dapol produce their own sound file I believe based on the preserved example . I`ve heard a badly set up example recently and it sounded too `chuffy` for me and I don`t think Dapol  sell their own example.

Howes version is far from perfect but I liked their simple effort.

I`ll produce a video soon but in the meantime this is their sound in a 4mm Sentinel.  

Mine chuffs a lot quicker per wheel revolution than this example and sounds to me about right

Listening to the prototype examples on Youtube they seem to be fairly quiet and mostly clanks and clonks with quiet fast occasional chuffs plus a lot of hissing......

The Howes version chuffs and clanks are very quiet compared to the sfety valve and injector sounds. I have increased the overall volume to its permitted maximum. 

John

Debating  whether to change the watering facilities.

So have built myself an alternative GWR water tank which will need a free standing  standard water column

Despite a diversionary loco build Sarsden has continued to move forward despite The Lockdown.

Acrylic paints arrived and used to experiment with distance and perspective.

The engine shed has acquired a purpose built coaling stage based on Moretonhampstead.

I have delayed ballasting until satisfied with finishing the point rodding and ground signals

Then time for some railway modelling fun using  ABS Models products.

9 minutes ago, bgman said:

Excellent, may I ask which Zimo decoder / sound file you have used for her please ? 

 

Grahame

Hi Graham and thanks.

I only use Zimo Mx645`s on my loco`s   And I use either Digitrain or Youchoos sound files.   

This one has Digitrains small prairie sound file which is excellent for the chuffs and whistles but I`m overly disappointed this time with the other sounds as they come over as instantly `looped`

You might want to compare with Youchoos equivalent ( if it were me I`d choose the YOuchoos 64XX sound file or their 94XX)....listen to them on their website.

JOhn

Thanks Ade,

Here is a finla sound bite now that she`s ready to play with.

Thanks G and Dan,

Still waiting for number plates to arrive so just adding the final bits and pieces.

Manage to produce working cab side sheets.

Well, she is now in `pure green` having spent ages in the paint shop.

I use Clostermann black etch primer on just about anything that moves and Phoenix GWR Green enamel.

The chassis has been reassembled and carefully wired and insulated in preparation for hard wiring a Zimo sound decoder.

And so, more pure green and a touch of red and black completes the livery work.

Now onwards  to final victory !!!

Superstructure and chassis assemblies are now completed ...enough for me anyway.   I shall prepare her for the paint shop and complete the cab backhead detailing then.

................. will be back when she is in ...pure green !!

Thanks Graham

Damaged my Lumbar spine when I was 23 and spent 4 weeks in a plaster back slab. Always looked after my back  ....so why did I lift and carry a large bag of potatoes to the car and not use my fold up trolley that I always carry in the boot????  

This is the only loco kit Graham that I have made entirely standing up !!!  ( had to get flight stockings as I`ve inherited Mother`s varicose veins...but only in one leg !!)  getting dangerously close to 70 that`s probably to blame......

Lots of extra work needed for completing the chassis.

Some of the turned brass  parts for the cylinder block are overscale and unusable. The kit does not provide a complete set of parts.  Fortunately Peter Roles (PRComponents) produces appropriate 45XX parts and these have been utilised.

I want to produce a 1930`s rendition so this has required sourcing some double hanger brake gear. LGMiniatures have run out of their specific lost wax version so I have had to use whitemetal parts from Springside castings.

I have used some odds and sods to reproduce earlier sandboxes.

Springside components have enabled me to fit their plastic brake shoes which are a loose fit between the double hangers, so very handy for preventing  electrical shorting when I get to the decoder fitting stage. 

The kit does not provide any brake pull rods so these I will fabricate this evening.

Dastardly  Sciatica has hampered my progress this week......

However, things are looking more Loco like now and I`m pleased with my choice of kit for this project

Must be something amiss with your hearing then Graham !!

I`m relatively confident at getting a good performance from those fold up single stage gearboxes, but this JH Motor is even better ( and large and powerful ) there is some noise but it is getting quieter since I`ve run it in gently for 5 mins so far. It`s such good quality that the whole thing over runs when power is suddenly stopped.    The whole unit is untethered  between the frames at the moment but there is absolutely no lifting or movement under power. I always find that by using pure DC power any binding or stiffness in motion becomes very apparent. The whole unit has been running sweetly from the outset.  Never used one before (£56 so good value I think) and the motor only draws a steady 0.4 amps  so I`m happy about the Zimo MX645.

I`d certainly invest in another.

John

This afternoon she took her first steps on an umbilical power cord having been weighted with lead in the front boiler and bunker rear.

This is the first time I have fitted an MSC JH  40.1 motor and single stage gearbox.

Quite a substantial unit for a small loco.

She still needs some final  centre wheel spring adjustment but she seems very smooth using pure DC power.

I`m back to suffering for my hobby. Those damn magnifying visors disorient my visual capabilities with a soldering iron.

Slow progress with adding some extra detailing of my own.   

I used some shim phosphor bronze to add some cladding around the boiler and firebox.

I`ve managed with some trickery to make the cab shutters actually work.

I`m waiting for a different safety valve so I will probably return to the chassis this week...

I seemed to  get a bit ham fisted wit the roof this afternoon . The front and rear cab profiles were not level and I had to resort to all sorts to get the roof sides to remain level with the top of the cab door beading.............................

.......................... any way it is done and held in place with sticky black sealant....

I had to raise the back of the roof  by adding some height to the top of the rear panel

Surprisingly the roof sliding door etch  is far too small to use so I will fabricate a replacement tomorrow.................

I think I`ve got away with the bodge..........................

8 minutes ago, ROSSPOP said:

 

 

Thankyou both...that`s  this evenings www. search planned....... but I won`t be looking to China !!

The power of the internet. Just purchased 5 x 8mm x 2mm neodymium magnets from Guy`s magnets.............£2.85 and free postage............. Elegance it will be.

John

15 minutes ago, bgman said:

 

I think you're right about that John, if not the roof is going to sit proud which would detract from the overall looks,  I have seen some fine sprung wire used to good effect, soldered underneath the roof at each corner, giving a good friction fit. An off the top of my head thought as I'm typing, how about the methods used by Dapol using small neodymium magnets discretely placed ?

 

I'm sure you will crack it.

 

G

2 minutes ago, Dave John said:

Small magnets would be an elegant solution, but you have to glue them in place. Even a fast touch with a soldering iron kills their magnetism. 

Thankyou both...that`s  this evenings www. search planned....... but I won`t be looking to China !!

6 minutes ago, bgman said:

Mmmm...shiny things !

 

Coming along nicely John, may I ask if you've got a method to make the roof removable ?

 

G

I wish I did have a method Graham..... It will be very much on how I feel on the day but probably some kind of friction hold.  I suspect those angled roof supports over the sides will have to be removed as they seem a little too high to me......

John

The  Battle of The Boiler and Backside was tackled these last few days.  There are a few errors on my part but she`s now looking like a loco.

The next couple of days I shall tackle  a removable roof with some added rivet work.............................................

Thanks Graham,

Was`nt too sure about this kit when I first checked it over but I have rather enjoyed the challenging work.

And the good news this evening is that I have competed all the finger cramping bending of parts.  So from here on in it will be plain sailing.....

Warren has produced a very nice cast firebox which is a tad too wide between the cab window edges so I have done some heavy fettling to reduce the idiosyncrasy...

There was some serious filing and fettling to the cab front panel to remove the  raised etched  fierbox  location from the original construction method.  I added some `wibbets`  for good measure..... 

I rolled the boiler fret a few days back and a little fettling was needed to match it all up to make the complete boiler...

Just many hours of pleasurable detailing to do and then back on the chassis......

So, a methodical progress is being made.............

As you can see I`m not an advocate for polishing the rivets away at the end of each session and if you use plenty of heat and all those products that are bad for you you end up with very light solder stains. Very please with the bunker as I find them sometimes very awkward beasts. The window bars were a bit of a challenge.

Some nice etchwork design will create a detailed cab interior with much close work with an 80watt iron and good old fashioned leaded solder with plenty of heat.

A very pleasant evening in the shed filing the beading into a half round profile makes a lot of difference.

I did get it very wrong when  soldered in place the two cab inner side panels and forgot to fit the flooring in place first.... so as you can see I had to cut the flooring in half and graft the two pieces back in place............. wotter !!                

8 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

Sorry if I missed it, but how is the nylon hornguide attached to the inside face of the frame?

 

 I umm`d and ah`d about it ( there is good flat surface areas to play with) and did a test with the nylon sprue first and used a fresh quality super glue, same as I did in P4 days. ( frames and hornblocks cleaned with industrial Meths first)  An obvious choice would have been a two part epoxy but that is slow and messy and so yesterday...  and I`m not totally sure about epoxy and nylon over time whereas I`ve got 40 year old albeit 4mm locos with these hornblocks stilll ok using thooper glue.... so on a `cheerie ` note I should be RIP if these fail   

JOhn

Today I got on and tackled those difficult areas of the kit, at least, difficult to me. Namely , making bends in thick gauge brass with minimal tools.

The tank sides have bends at both their extremities which need to locate in pre-etched grooves on the footplate etch....not an easy task without any pre-etched references on the parts supplied. All these had to be worked out by eye and hand...

Then there was the mighty job of fabricating the bunker with all it`s compound curves etc.  Warren has suplied some cast top corners but I found that it was easier to reduce these down a fair bit  .

...............a lot of fiddling and fettling required here , so plenty of patience req`d

After a lot of work fitting the tank sides as squarely as I could  everything seem to work out and I`m pleased and relieved this part of the construction has been achieved.................

there still needs some tidying up to do and probably some Milliput work later on before painting.   But everything ,so far , is looking square and I hav`nt lost many rivets during assembly...

The last really worrying job will be rolling the boiler......... after that is done it should be an enjoyable jog adding all the detailing.....

Thankyou 101,

A simple GWR` ish track plan...………………………..

...c;learly  I`d seen it somewhere before...…..

Time for an update as the Lockdown has forced some shed work of late...…..

Firstly the trackwork has had a dose of etch primer as I hate seeing unpainted rails or rails that have been painted and the paint is chipping off...

I`ve used Clostermans etch primer and then airbrushed a mixture of Phoenix/Precision track enamels.

Then onward with some polystyrene work

…………...and then some experimentation concerning perspective when I hand paint the background...……………….

First of the completed projects during lockdown...….

There are some smoking and non-smoking window signage to do this week...…...