RosiesBoss

G'day, Shaun, Thanks for your interest. The old 4-2-2 chassis that Tri-ang used for their Caledonian and Dean single models has pickups only on the driving and trailing wheels. I understand that later Hornby Dean singles have pickups on the front bogie wheels. I have modified both of my original Dean singles with pickups in the tenders and Bullfrog Snot applied to the driving wheels, so they can each pull an 8-coach set of modern Hornby clerestory coaches with ease. The fourth chassis of this type that I have used is now part of my motorised Kitmaster Stirling single, which only has the Tri-ang style pickups on the loco, but has a brass channel inner frame under the tender to provide stability when running. Details of that project are here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67037-motorising-a-kitmaster-stirling-single/ With a bit of care and experimentation, these old designs of chassis can be made to run surprisingly well. Don't be afraid to have a go! Regards, Rob

G'day, outcastjack, Thank you for your comments. Over the last year, I have been teaching myself how to turn small items on a midi-sized wood lathe, taking tips from books and Youtube videos. The experience gained here was useful in trying my hand with an old modelmaker's metalworking lathe which I had been given some years ago as a display piece. (I understand that it is around 100 years old.) It had been cosmetically restored, but its main bearings were very worn, so it could not produce anything of acceptable finish. I therefore shimmed the main bearings with offcuts of brass sheet, sharpened the tools, set them to the right height (same techniques as I had learned on the wood lathe) and had a go. Each piece came good on the first attempt. I worked very slowly and carefully, taking about half a day for each item and measuring regularly to ensure I got the dimensions and shapes as close as I could with my limited skills and experience. I think my apprenticeship on the wood lathe was of great help. I was happy with my first serious work on the metalworking lathe. Regards, Rob

Introduction The GWR developed a family of designs of 4-4-0 which, in their general appearance, were unique to that railway. Most were double framed, as described in Ref.1. The exception was the Churchward County class 4-4-0. After the grouping of 1922-23, several other inside-framed 4-4-0s were added to the fleet, including three classes from the Cambrian Railways. Most non-standard 4-4-0s were soon scrapped, but the prototype for this project lasted in service until 1933. My eclectic collection of GWR locos includes representatives of several standard 4-4-0s: 3283 Comet (Keyser) 3440 City of Truro (Motorised Airfix) 3713 City of Chester (Motorised GBL) 3814 County of Chester (Kitbashed Airfix) 3293 Earl Cawdor (Scratchbuilt) 3265 Tre Pol and Pen (Kitbashed Airfix) The collection also includes models of quite a few classes that ran on the more lightly-laid lines taken over from the Cambrian Railways: 848 (517 class, rebuilt Airfix) 1196 (rebuilt CR Seaham class – scratchbuilt) 1331 (ex- W & C – kitbashed Hornby) 1376 (ex-B & E – scratchbuilt body, Hornby chassis) 908 (CR small goods – kitbashed Lima/Hornby/Dapol) 885 (CR 73-class – kitbashed Mainline/Bachmann/Tri-ang) 2322 (2301 class – Hornby) 2517 (2301 class – Mainline/K’s/Airfix) 3283 Comet (Duke class – K’s) 3262 Tre Pol & Pen (Kitbashed Airfix) One of the gaps is clear, isn’t it? Yes, obviously – an absorbed CR 4-4-0 94 class! Just like my latest completed project (ex-RR 83), I could find very few photos of the class in service and the drawings in Ref. 13 were basic, to say the least. Nevertheless, I pushed on. Where possible, I like to adapt working chassis from models of generally similar prototypes, provided that the wheelbases are reasonably close. Here is a comparison of the 94 class with other 4-4-0s for which working chassis are or have been made: Front bogie Bogie to 1st driver Driver spacing CR 94-class 5’6” 7’3” 9’3” GWR County 7’0” 8’6” 8’6” GWR Dukedog 6’6” 7’3” 8’6” GWR Bulldog 6’6” 7’3” 8’6” GWR City 6’6” 7’6” 8’6” GCR Director (GBL) 6’9” 8’9” 10’0” NBR Scott 6’6” 7’7” 9’6” LMS 2P 6’0” 7’2.5” 9’6” LMS Compound 6’6” ? 9’6” LNER D49 6’6” 8’5” 10’0” Tri-ang or GEM L1 - - 10’0” SR T9 6’6” 6’9” 10’0” Tri-ang Polly/Nelly - - 8’3” Hornby Smoky Joe - - 8’3” All of the commercial chassis required some compromises. I did bid on a few chassis on eBay, but in light of the compromises to be made, their prices went too high. I also considered chassis kits from the likes of Comet, but none of these were close enough, given their prices. I decided to scratchbuild the chassis from some square-section stainless steel that found its way into my scrapbox. I thought about using loco body parts from a GBL Director model that I bought for its tender, but the boiler was just too big. On the other hand, the upper tender moulding could be butchered into a CR one, to be mated with a modified frame from a Tri-ang B12 tender, in the same way as I did for my model of 885. Therefore, most of the loco was to be scratchbuilt, with the tender a kind of kitbash. Techniques used were those inspired in Refs. 15 and 16. The only drawing of the loco I could find was that published in Ref.13 – a simple side elevation, which provided most of the main dimensions. Much use was therefore made of photos published in Refs. 9 to 14 and 18, together with the occasional image advertised on eBay. The final result may not be of museum quality, but the project has been an interesting challenge to undertake. Parts List 0.5” square-section stainless steel tube 24mm dia Romford driving wheels Romford axles, bearings & driving wheel cranks Rear bogie frame from Dublo 2-6-4T 13mm dia bogie wheels 14mm dia tender wheels Misc. sheet brass and copper Misc. polystyrene sheet Brass handrail knobs 0.4mm dia. phosphor bronze wire for pickups and handrails Stainless steel reinforcing strips from discarded car windscreen wiper blades – for coupling rods GBL Director model Tri-ang B12 tender frame Mashima 1420 motor 2nd-hand gearbox (brand unknown) Brass dome (turned up on lathe) Brass safety valve & base (turned up on lathe) Brass chimney (turned up on lathe) Brass whistles (Peter’s spares) Dean-Churchward buffers (Alan Gibson) Hornby spare smokebox door (Part L6996) Backhead from spare Airfix City of Truro kit Brass rod for feedwater and vacuum ejector pipes Printed circuit board material for pickups Hornby tension-lock couplings Misc. brass BA screws, washers and nuts 6BA nylon screw/nut/washers Humbrol enamels HMRS Pressfix transfers Wire-wound guitar E string Spent 0.22” calibre shell casing Construction Chassis An old Dublo 4MT rear bogie was taken and its wheels replaced with new insulated 13mm dia ones. A new swing-link was fabricated to attach it to the main frames. A piece of SS square-section tube was cut just over-length and holes drilled for the axles. These were undersized, to allow for a little adjustment if any were slightly off the mark. They were reamed out to accept the Romford axle bearings. The front of the frame was sculpted to accept the front bogie and wheels. The bogie was temporarily attached to the frame with an 8BA screw fitted to a tapped hole. The driving wheels and axles were fitted and the assembly tested to see if it would roll easily and negotiate the curves and points on my layout. Any tightness or pieces of frame fouling the bogie wheels were sorted out until all worked well. A second-hand idler gearbox was fitted with a Mashima MH1420 can motor and test fitted to the chassis after cutting a suitable hole in the top of the (box-section) frame. Any tightness in the assembly was eased until it ran sweetly. Coupling rods were then made from SS strips recovered from windscreen wipers. These were fettled until there was no binding in the assembly. A pickup assembly, including a greencap capacitor, was fabricated and installed on top of the chassis, under the motor. After testing to confirm the directions of travel, the pickups were connected to the motor. Test running of the completed chassis revealed that the Hornby bogie wheels first selected had oversized flanges which caused short circuits against the main frame, so these were replaced by finer ones (probably Alan Gibson). Testing with the body attached showed the model to be slightly nose-heavy, so around 10g of sheet lead was bent to shape and inserted into the chassis, below the cab. This cured the problem. The tender coupling was fabricated from scrap brass and a small length of 1/8”W threaded brass. Body Most of the body was built up from copper/brass bought cheaply from my local scrap metal merchant, who has a policy of allowing customers to browse around his warehouse to pick and choose whatever they need. He charges around $1.00 per kg for copper & brass. One can make a lot of models with 1kg of thin sheet copper or brass. (The SS for the chassis came from him also.) A basic footplate was first cut out from thicker copper sheet. This was to provide the foundation of the body. The openings for motor, gearbox, wheels and coupling rod splashers were marked out. These openings were then cut out on my scroll saw (running slowly with a fine blade) – undersized – then the footplate was test fitted to the chassis and openings adjusted until there was a good fit with no binding or fouling. Splashers for the wheels and coupling rods were soldered up from 0.005” brass sheet. A paper pattern for the cab sides was cut from a spare 4mm scale drawing of the loco and used to mark out two sides in 0.010” modellers’ sheet brass. These were cut out and adjusted until they were a perfect fit against the reference drawing. The cab sides were soldered into position on the footplate and the coupling rod splashers were soldered into place behind them. The wheel splashers were then soldered into their positions. The resulting assembly was test fitted to the chassis and carefully trimmed until there was no binding of the driving wheels. Front buffer beam, drag box beam and footplate valences were added. In the same way as the cabsides, a paper pattern for the dummy frames showing above the footplate was prepared and then used to mark out some 0.005” brass sheet. The frames were then cut out and soldered to the footplate. Two lengths of 1/8”W threaded brass were soldered to the footplate. The front one (replacing the temporary 8BA screw) to both secure it to the frames and provide a mounting point for the bogie swing-link and the rear one to both secure it to the frames and provide a location for the loco-tender coupling. Assembled to the chassis, the body now looked like this: A length of ¾” dia plumber’s copper pipe was used to make the boiler, opened up around the motor/gearbox assembly and formed into the bottom of the firebox. Small sections were also cut away to clear the driving wheels. Another short piece was cut, slit lengthwise, opened slightly and slid over the front of the pipe to represent the smokebox. A simple saddle to support the rear of the smokebox was cut from 0.010” brass and soldered into place on the footplate. A wrapper with full rivet detail (impressed from inside) was cut from brass shim to be soldered around the smokebox and to locate outside the tops of the front dummy frames, as seen in photos of 1043 taken in the early 1930s (eg in Refs. 11 & 18). The Belpaire firebox was built up from 0.010” brass sheet soldered to the copper pipe, then trimmed to shape. Branding stamped into the plumber’s pipe was filled with solder, then smoothed back. A piece of 0.010” brass sheet was cut to the shape of the front of the smokebox, including the “piano” valve cover. The remainder of the boiler/firebox/smokebox unit was then soldered together. A piece of copper sheet was cut to shape for the front of the cab and undersized openings made for windows and to clear the rear of the motor. The cab front was soldered to the cab sides and then the boiler unit was test fitted to the frames. After correcting the shape of the firebox, the cab front was marked with that shape and the windows opened up to suit. Cabside beading was made from modellers’ L-section brass and soldered into position. Cabside handrails were cut from 0.3mm dia phosphor bronze wire and soldered into position. The boiler unit was affixed to the footplate and cab with 5-minute epoxy, which had the additional role of filling any imperfections in the fit. After cleaning off any excess epoxy, remaining imperfections were filled with automotive body filler, which was rubbed back after curing. The opening in the cab front around the rear of the motor was then enlarged. The body was refitted to the chassis and any binding of wheels was corrected by filing back the offending part. The cab roof was cut from 0.010” brass, curved to shape, then soldered to the cab sides and front. The body now looked like this: Chimney, dome and safety valve were turned from brass bar, as no suitable commercial fittings were either in my scrap box or listed on-line. For these, I used the technique detailed in Ref. 16. A backhead was adapted from one in a spare Airfix City of Truro kit and fitted to the cab. The smokebox door was adapted from a Hornby spare, fitted with a new dart made from a brass handrail knob and phos bronze wire. The splashers inside the cab were tidied up with thin card. Phos bronze handrails and brass knobs were fitted to the boiler. The vacuum ejector pipe was bent up from brass wire and fitted to the driver’s side of the boiler, as shown in the photo of 1043 in Ref. 11. The reversing lever and loco steps were soldered up from offcuts of brass and copper. Buffers, vac pipe, whistles and lamp brackets finished the loco body off. The work plan for the tender was similar to that used for my earlier model of 885, which used part of a Bachmann ROD tender. The tender chassis is a largely unmodified Tri-ang B12 one, with its 16mm wheels replaced by 14mm ones, which lowers it sufficiently. The wheelbase is just right for CR 6-wheeled tenders: The tender body was assembled with reference to this GA, downloaded from the ‘net: The tender body comes from a GBL Director class model, bought for this purpose. It’s not as good as the donor ROD tender used in 885, requiring a lot more adjustment of details – but it was more readily available. The body was cut from the footplate, using the GCR lining as a guide, then a vertical slice was removed from behind the coal space, ensuring that there was enough “meat” left to provide the correct body length. Some details of the tender body were modified to conform more with the GA, then the two halves were re-joined. The coal space didn’t look right, so the shell was gutted and a new coal space was made from thin plastic sheet and glued into position. A new tank filler was made from an old 0.22” calibre shell casing and glued into place. New rear handrails and steps were fitted, together with a fall plate and small tension-lock coupling. Prior to painting, the model looked quite promising: The model was dismantled for painting and all electrical parts were masked. All components were sprayed with grey primer and allowed to dry for 24 hrs. The loco and tender chassis and driving wheels were sprayed matt black. Driving wheel tyres and coupling rods were then wire brushed with a fine Dremel tool. Brush enamel painting then began using Precision Paints pre-1928 green and a selection of Humbrol enamels. Boiler bands were made from thin strips of green PVC insulating tape, pre-painted with Precision Paints pre-1928 green and applied after the loco body’s paint had cured. Glazing, HMRS transfers and home-printed numberplates completed the model. Results 1043 is now well-balanced and can haul a prototypical load easily. She makes a sweet contribution to the small Cambrian lines group of model locos. Here she is, passing some of them at Carmarthen Junction MPD: Reflections A rough calculation of the material costs for this project indicated around A$205 (about GBP124). This amount, spread over several years while accumulating parts and then utilised over the 9-month construction period, is not bad value for money, given the satisfaction it has provided. This has not been an easy build, with lots of new challenges in the bodywork – especially in respect of the coupling rod splashers. The lack of detailed drawings meant that great reliance was made on the few photographs that were available at the time. Still, it provided experience in fabricating some new parts, which developed a few new skills, such as using the metalworking lathe. I’m happy with the result. References and Relevant Links http://www.gwr.org.uk/no440s.html http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70438-gwr-4-4-0s-on-carmarthen-junction/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110243-earl-cawdor-makeover/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96216-motorise-gbl-city-of-truro/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88895-gwr-ex-cambrian-railways-73-class-0-6-0/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/72460-gwr-1331-ex-whitland-cardigan-0-6-0st-project/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67786-gwr-1376-ex-bristol-exeter-0-6-0t-project/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70468-gwr-absorbed-locos-on-carmarthen-junction/ Anon.: “The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway – Part Three – Absorbed Engines, 1854-1921” (RCTS, 1956) Anon.: “The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway – Part Ten– Absorbed Engines,1922-1947” (RCTS, 1966) C.C.Green: “Cambrian Railways Album – 2” (Ian Allan, 1981) R.W.Kidner “The Cambrian Railways” (Oakwood Press, 1954) J.H.Russell: A Pictorial Record of Great Western Absorbed Engines” (OPC,1978) Casserley & Johnson: “ Locomotives at the Grouping – No.4 – Great Western Railway” (Ian Allan, 1966) F.J.Roche & G.G.Templar: “Building Model Locomotives” (Ian Allen, 1968) Guy Williams: “Model Locomotive Construction in 4mm Scale” (Ian Allen, 1979) John Lewis et al: “Great Western Way” (2nd ed., HMRS, 2009) Brian Stephenson (ed.): “Locomotives Illustrated 162 – The Locomotives of the Cambrian and Midland & South West Junction Railways” (RAS Publishing, Jul-Sep 2006)

G'day, all, I have believed for a long time that, on any exhibition layout, there should be something moving nearly all the time, as human eyes are drawn to movement. On my "Gennigael" terminus to fiddleyard layout, this function is provided by a slightly modified Faller fountain. This is now using its third pump since installation in 2001. In the context of a well-attended show, the pump is not excessively loud. The MDF baseboard into which the fountain was installed is still as good as new. When displayed, the fountain never fails to catch the attention of children and their parents. Details of the layout are here:http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83929-gennigael-a-fictional-mid-wales-branch-terminus/. Regards, Rob

G'day, Passed Driver, Thanks for your comments. Yes, Hornby has stretched the whole body of the Pug to fit their standard 0-4-0 chassis. There has been quite a bit of discussion about that aspect in other threads. The conversion was not as hard as it may look, apart from repairing the "Mazak rot" on the Toby chassis. Although I have still not found any drawings, the main dimensions are published by the RCTS and I have found more than 20 images put up for sale on eBay of the loco, from which I downloaded low-res copies. From those, I worked out the proportions and details for the new body. Fabrication of the new body parts from thin brass sheet was fairly simple, giving me some practice with my soldering iron. If you prefer working with polystyrene, you can achieve results just as acceptable, as seen on Post No.20 (above). This was a very inexpensive conversion. Why not have a go and build up your own experience? Regards, Rob

G'day, all, There is an alternative to cutting off the offending chimney to replace it with a cast or turned one: cover it with a spark arrestor, as seen on 2783 in Didcot in 1937. I used this approach when kitbashing my 1076 class No.1565, as described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107593-gwr-1076-class-double-framed-pannier-tank/ A photo of 2783 is currently for sale on eBay here: https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=gwr+photo&LH_PrefLoc=2&sspagename=ADME%253AB%253ATB19%253AAU%253A1&_sop=10&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xgwr+photo+2783.TRS0&_nkw=gwr+photo+2783&_sacat=0 Happy modelling! Regards, Rob

G'day, all, Thank you for your interest in my old-fashioned kitbash. I used the Craftsman LSWR/SR T1 class 0-4-4T kit for my ex-Barry Railway G Class 0-4-4T, as described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/115437-gwr-ex-barry-railway-g-class-0-4-4t/ Regards, Rob

Disclaimer This paper describes the kitbashing of a 00-scale 0-6-2T inspired by the RR Pclass, making use of components already to hand – a kind of “scrapyard challenge”. The resulting model does not pretend to be a fine-scale example, but does represent many of the Stephenson-built 0-6-2Ts which ran in the Welsh Valleys, described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_0-6-2T_locomotives. Rivet counters need read no further! Introduction As many RMWeb readers know, I have a significant collection of GWR and BR(W) models which take their turn to run on my (fictional) Carmarthen Junction layout. Some are the usual main-line ones, but there is also a group of South Wales models, many of which I have built or kitbashed: 3: Ex-Barry Railway 0-4-4T (modified Craftsman kit) 2161: Ex-Brecon & Merthyr Railway 0-6-0T (Centre Models Kerr Stuart Victory kit) 1565: 1076 class 0-6-0PT (Kitbashed Hornby/Wills) 411: Ex-Taff Vale Railway O3 class 0-6-2T (Modified Wills body on whitemetal chassis) 1670: Ex-Brecon & Merthyr Railway 0-6-2T (Rebuilt Dublo body on scratchbuilt chassis) 6667: 56XX class 0-6-2T (Mainline) 2620: Aberdare 2-6-0 (Keyser kit) 3026: ROD 2-8-0 (Keyser kit) A recent blog re the ex-TVR A-class stimulated another HD rebuild project. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/121553-taff-vale-unrebuilt-a-class-0-6-2/&do=findComment&comment=2681633 I checked through personal and on-line references, but could not find any drawings of the unrebuilt TVR A-class, so I had another look through Refs.1 & 2. Among a few old HD 3-rail models, I do have a complete HD N2 class that I restored from a seized and dusty wreck: My scrapbox also had an old HD N2 class body that someone else had repainted in black with a fictional number, as well as a matching chassis block with no motor. Checking the body against the drawings in Ref. 2, I decided that the best fit for me was the Rhymney Railway unrebuilt P class, which had the nearest appearance of side tanks and wheel splashers. Photos of the class in this condition are thin on the ground, but there are two in Ref.3. I chose to model GWR No. 83, with its original bunker, so in its condition of about 1930. The wheelbase of the RR P class was 7'3"+8'0"+6’6”. When I scratchbuilt the chassis for 1670, it took a great deal of work to get it to run reliably and smoothly. It still looks crude, being made from brass channel. In the interests of achieving smooth, reliable operation, I considered the following chassis in my scrapbox: Plastic Mainline Dean Goods (7'0"+8'0") – too flimsy to motorise Hornby 0-6-0 (7'9"+8'3") K’s chassis (8'0"+8'6") Bachmann J72 (6'9"+7'0") K’s chassis (6'9"+7'0") Brass N2 frames (7'3"+9'0") – incomplete – came with N2 body Dublo N2 (6'6"+8'0"+ 7'6") After weighing up the issues in adapting each of the above, I chose the Dublo chassis, but substituted a pony truck with better dimensions for the rear wheels, so as to achieve the correct overall wheelbase. Given that some other compromises were to occur with the body, I did not feel too bad about this. Parts List Hornby-Dublo N2 class body (bought cheaply at a “bring and buy” stall) Hornby-Dublo N2 class chassis block Hornby-Dublo N2 coupling rods Diecast pony truck (unknown origin) Hornby Type 7 motor Nylon gears (from local electrical components shop) 20mm Romford driving wheels and axles (only one side insulated) Romford driving wheel cranks 14mm trailing wheels (possibly Gibson or Romford) Brass dome (turned up on lathe) Brass safety valve base (turned up on lathe) Hornby safety valve (for pannier tank) Brass chimney (make unknown) Brass whistles (Peter’s spares) Brass/solder top feed fitting (home-made) Brass handrail knobs Brass rod for feedwater and vacuum ejector pipes 0.4mm dia. phosphor bronze wire for pickups and handrails Printed circuit board material for pickups Hornby tension-lock couplings Misc. brass BA screws, washers and nuts 6BA nylon screw/nut/washers Humbrol enamels HMRS Pressfix transfers Wire-wound guitar E string Evergreen polystyrene strip and sheet Chassis The wheels, axles and central power pickup were removed. (There were no motor parts extant.) A new Hornby Type 7 motor was fitted with a nylon worm. A Romford axle was fitted with a matching gear while being installed to the rear driving axle position. Wires were soldered to the motor before installation, to be taken through the original motor brush holes.. The motor was then fitted to the space where the original armature had been, using a piece of brass bar to support its weight with appropriate packing and Superglue to stabilize the assembly and ensure good meshing of the gears. (See photos below.) The driving wheels were drilled and tapped 10BA and Romford cranks fitted. The remaining axles and driving wheels were then fitted, with slim 1/8” i.d. washers on the rear axle, to limit sideplay and ensure good meshing of the gears. A new power pickup assembly for the front two axles was then fabricated from a piece of PC board, cut to the shape of the original insulation plate, to be held in place by the original pickup bolt. Phos. bronze wire pickup wires were bent to shape and soldered in place. A metal tag was fitted to the space originally occupied by the magnet bolts, using a nylon bolt/nut/washer, to which was soldered a greencap capacitor, a phos. Bronze pickup wire for the rear driving wheel and wires connecting the motor to the pickup assembly. The remaining motor wire was connected to the chassis. Connecting rods were then installed. A new axle hole was drilled in the replacement pony truck for the rear wheels and they were fitted, together with a slimline tension-lock coupling. The chassis now looked like this: Running trials showed that this chassis ran sweetly and could easily haul a long string of PO coal wagons. Time to move on to the body! Body The cab was completely removed, together with most handrails, smokebox dart, front sandboxes, chimney, dome and safety valves. After wire brushing, it looked like this: After filling of the obvious holes with 5-minute epoxy, rubbing back, filling again with automotive body filler and again rubbing back, it looked like this: A new cab and bunker extension unit was soldered up from brass and copper. This was fabricated with reference to the drawings of two related RR classes, published in Refs. 4 and 5. The front frame extensions were filed down to the shape of the RR loco, the space between them was filled with 5-minute Araldite, which also covered the top of a 6BA screw chosen to attach the body to the chassis. The same batch of Araldite was used to glue the cab to the body and fill the gaps between the boiler and cab, as well as between the coal rails and bunker. Before it completely cured (ie while it still had the consistency of cheddar cheese), excess epoxy was carved/filed away. A new dome and a new base for the safety valve were turned from brass rod. A Hornby safety valve (for their 8751 class pannier tank) was modified to accept a spare Romford axle nut, which had been itself modified with a second slot. This was to ensure that the installed valve body had a representation of the four valves contained in the prototype’s. A spare commercial brass chimney (possibly meant for a Grange class), together with the safety valve base/body and dome were then glued to the boiler with contact adhesive. A top feed clack valve cover was fabricated from a rectangular cross-section piece of brass tube, filled with solder and then carved to shape, using Ref. 4 for detail. Feed water tubes were then made from brass rod, bent to shape using circlip pliers to avoid snapping them around the small radius curves. What are probably the injectors, just in front of the cab, were represented with some small glass beads, “borrowed” from my wife’s stash of spares, together with some 10BA washers. In the same way, a vacuum ejector pipe was bent to shape and installed on the driver’s side, as shown in the few photos I have seen of similar unrebuilt Stephenson engines of the same period (eg Fig 571 in Ref. 2 and B&M 43 on p.10 of Ref.3). (I am yet to see photos of this side of the unrebult P class – but such fittings had to have been installed and they are not evident in photos of the fireman’s side.) The original handrail knob holes were filled and new ones drilled, as well as holes for handrails that did not require knobs. Their positions were worked out with reference to photos of the P and other related classes. Holes were drilled and opened up above the moulded top cab steps, to represent the actual last step into the cab. Pieces of thick household electrical cable were cut, shaped and glued behind the cab steps to represent the water balancing pipes. New whitemetal cast tank fillers were superglued to the tops of the side tanks. Tank vents were made from small steel nails and glued into holes drilled in the tank tops. Scale couplings and vac brake pipes were fitted to front and rear buffer beams. A smokebox door dart was soldered up from a brass handrail knob and some phos bronze wire, then fitted to a 0.8mm dia hole drilled in the smokebox door. The roof hatch and rainstrips were made from Evergreen polystyrene rod and sheet, then glued into place with Revell Contacta Professional adhesive. The whistles were then glued to 0.8mm holes drilled into the cab roof, using impact adhesive. Lamp brackets were bent up from domestic staples and glued into place with Superglue. The model now looked like this and was ready for paint: The body was again removed from the chassis and primed with automotive grey spray primer. The wheels and pony truck were removed from the chassis, then all chassis components were painted with Humbrol 85 satin black enamel. The body was then painted with Humbrol 33 matt black, 85 satin black and 19 gloss red. Once these had cured, HMRS transfers and home-printed numberplates were fitted. All of the body (except flat black areas) was then varnished with Humbrol 135 satin clear. A day or so later, the windows were glazed and coal loaded into the bunker. Reflections This project was never about making a model accurate in all respects. Rather, it was about adapting components already to hand to capture the essence of a long-departed prototype. (Most of these parts had been snapped up as bargains as and when they became available over several years.) My wife has commented that it might have been easier to completely scatch-build the model. Had I done so, what would I do with the Dublo components? For the rivet-counters, there are many discrepancies, including: Wheelbase Overlap of front wheel splasher over smokebox Lack of front springs Rudimentary brake details Lack of cab interior details Incorrect buffer shape No "daylight" under the boiler Even so, the model works and doesn’t look too bad from a distance. It provides an interesting contrast to the otherwise standard look of GWR locos. Most importantly, it was fun to research and construct. Here it is, passing ex-TVR 411, with ex-B&M 1670 and 6667 watching on from one of the shed roads: References and Other Relevant Links RCTS “The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway – Part 10 – Absorbed Engines1922-1947 (RCTS, 1966) J.H.Russell: “A Pictorial Record of Great Western Absorbed Engines” (OPC, 1978) Mike Romans et al.: “Locomotives Illustrated 66: Great Western 0-6-2Ts” (Ian Allen, Jul-Aug 1989) Railway Modeller, Aug 1988 Railway Modeller, May 1968 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/90340-taff-vale-railway-o3-class-0-6-2t/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/115437-gwr-ex-barry-railway-g-class-0-4-4t/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107593-gwr-1076-class-double-framed-pannier-tank/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70468-gwr-absorbed-locos-on-carmarthen-junction/

G'day, Satan's Goldfish, I upgraded a couple of Tri-ang Caley coaches, as described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/102076-motorisation-of-gbl-caledonian-single-and-upgrading-of-her-coaches/ The six-wheeled bogies I used were Lima part No 9171 064, originally made to run under their H0 NSWGR sleeping cars. I found some on eBay and others at bring-and-buy stalls. Good hunting! Regards, Rob

G'day all, About ten years ago, I bought a partly finished Crownline/Lima 45XX though eBay. It was soon apparent why this project had stalled: some of the diecast weights had started to explode, jamming them inside the body and distorting the mouldings. After carefully removing these weights and replacing some with old roofing lead, I finished the conversion, repainted and relettered it. The mechanism still runs quietly, smoothly, and with plenty of tractive effort. Here is 4508, with a suitable branch line passenger train: Regards, Rob

G'day all, Some of you may be interested in the latest product from my workshop: a motorised GBL County. Construction details are posted here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119112-motorisation-of-gbl-county-4-6-0/ Regards, Rob

G'day, Neil, I faced the same challenge as you in 1981. Here's a link to the solution I chose: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67522-carmarthen-junction-engine-shed/ My shed is still in use. Regards, Rob

G'day,Cypherman (and hello again Sarah), The arrangement for the outside cranks for the City class is pretty standard for most of my double framed locos, inspired originally by several K's kits. Details of the conversion are all here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96216-motorise-gbl-city-of-truro/ As for the M7, I only ever had a bare chassis, bought "just in case" as a bring-and-buy stall years ago at one of many model railway shows I attended. (I have long adopted a policy of acquiring any and all potentially useful bits and pieces at such events. In some cases, they slept in their bin for over 30 years until they were needed.) As Sarah has explained, there have been many different chassis for the Britannia. I used the third (ie 1964) version, as described in detail here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108081-motorisation-of-gbl-britannia/ Good luck with your modelling. Regards, Rob

A belated happy Christmas and happy new year to all, with a few happy snaps of my GBL kitbashing efforts: Britannia class, using modified Tri-ang chassis: GWR City class, using Tri-ang M7 chassis: Caledonian single, with Tri-ang chassis: GWR pannier tank, using Tri-ang chassis: GWR shunters' truck: Stephenson's Rocket, using tram chassis in coach: Current project: Motorised chassis of GWR County - using GBL chassis block (more to come later): Regards, Rob

G'day, all, I have a mix of Railroad and super-detailed teaks which I have assembled to run behind my live steam 4472 and 2509. When these are running, most eyes are on the locos, not the coaches. (I've displayed them many times at my club's annual exhibitions.) When compared with the detailed coaches, the unaltered Railroad ones have certain obvious differences which I have corrected: black underframes - repainted in bauxite ugly wide couplings on bogies - cut off and replaced with slimline tension-locks plastic wheels on bogies - replaced with modern metal Hornby ones uncoloured moulded interiors - upgraded with approriate coloured paint and a few passengers My rake of teaks also includes an old BSL all-third, described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82377-lner-61ft-6in-gresley-vestibule-3rd/ I am yet to hear any of the people watching the magic of live steamers in action hauling my mixed rake complaining that some of them don't look the part behind the loco. Here is 2509 on my home layout with them in tow: To my eyes, 2001 looks great with them also: What do you think? Regards, Rob

Introduction Many contributors to this forum are aware that I have a somewhat eclectic collection of (mainly) GWR and BR(W) locos and rolling stock. This has come about over more than 40 years of accumulating what was planned to be a representative cross-section of GWR designs. (See also Ref. #1.) My modelling slowed down recently, as I had lost inspiration to build yet more locos – a combination of insufficient suitable “bits” and realisation that there are now few gaps in the collection. A couple of months ago, I was looking through the stock of Train Trader (a dealer in new and second hand model trains in Pymble, NSW) and came across a Craftsman kit for an LSWR 0-4-4T, priced at A$25. It was too good a bargain to ignore, so I bought it, as well as the Romford driving wheels I had gone there to buy. Once I got it home, I opened it and realised that it resembled two absorbed GWR 0-4-4Ts: ex-Cambrian No.20 and the ex-Barry G class. The closest match was the Barry loco. Apart from easily replaced boiler fittings, the main differences were the wheelbase (about 2mm too long) and the overall length (about 3mm too long). When the Ian Beattie drawing (Ref.7) is overlaid on the (reversed) GA in the kit (coloured red here), the comparison is obvious: General proportions were good enough, so I gathered the necessary extra “bits” and began construction. I made a mental note to fabricate new wheel splashers and cab roof, as those in the kit were too different from those seen on the Barry Railway loco. Photos indicate that, by the 1920s, bogie wheel splashers had been removed and the coal rails had been filled in. Where feasible, I decided to model the loco as close as I could to late 1920s condition, as seen I the few photos I could find. Parts List Craftsman LSWR/SR T1 class 0-4-4T kit Tri-ang X04 motor frame, spring and brushes Neomidium magnets Airfix MRRC 5-pole armature Romford 22mm dia driving wheels & axles Hornby 12mm dia bogie wheels & axles (Part No. X8084) Romford 40:1 gears Miscellaneous boiler fittings from scrapbox Tapered sprung buffers (brand unknown) Brass and nickel silver wire and sheet from scrapbox Precision Paints pre-1928 green Humbrol 60 – buffer beams Humbrol 85 – all black surfaces Humbrol 135 satin clear Construction The kit was designed to use the venerable Tri-ang X04 motor, but my example had been upgraded to include an etched kit for a gearbox frame for a more modern motor. Given that I had the remains of several X04 motors, I decided to rebuild one and set aside the gearbox kit for another project. I chose to use just the frame, brushes, spring and bearings of the motor, substituting an unused MRRC 5-pole armature, as well as a stack of disc-shaped Neomidium magnets that had a central hole to accommodate the 8BA bolt that holds the frame (pole pieces) to the magnet. Once reassembled and oiled, it ran sweetly. The driving wheels presented a challenge. I had only one insulated 22mm one and five uninsulated ones. No further insulated wheels were available locally, so I modified one of the uninsulated wheels, by removing the tyre, slightly reducing the diameter of the wheel centre, then re-assembling the wheel using rubber from the finger of a surgical glove as insulation between the parts. It works – really! I assembled the loco frame as recommended in the kit instructions. I fitted the driving wheels, motor and gears and then checked that the gears meshed well. They did – first time! I fitted my own design of pickups, made from a piece of printed circuit board and phosphor bronze wire. The remainder of the chassis went together with no problems. I then began assembly of the body shell. The only changes I chose to make (apart from the splashers) were to strongly solder 8BA nuts to the footplate, instead of tapped washers. I later superglued 8BA threaded rods into the nuts, to provide location points for tension-lock couplings. New splashers were fabricated from brass sheet left over from other etched kits. After cleaning up excess solder, but before adding the detail fittings, the body shell looked like this: I now began adding details: Connecting rod splashers Beading around cab openings Beading around bunker and cab rear Bunker coal rails and panelling Lower part of smokebox Frames under smokebox Valve cover in front of smokebox Smokebox door and dart Handrails and stanchions (I discarded the supplied split pins) Chimney, dome, safety valves, whistles Buffers, scale couplings, vacuum pipes Lamp brackets Cab roof (thin brass sheet instead of the whitemetal casting provided) Slimline tension-lock couplings I did note that, in all post-grouping images of the G Class that I found, the lamp brackets were not as usually found on GWR locos, so I used those supplied in the kit. In addition, photos displayed a handrail that ran continuously from one side of the boiler, over the top of the smokebox door, to the other side. The image of GWR 4 (Ref.4) was the only one I found that illustrated the driver’s side. This revealed a prominent large pipe running from the cab to the smokebox, parallel to the handrail. (This was evident in photos of some other Barry Railway tank engines.) Neither of these details was shown in the Ian Beattie drawing (Ref.8), but I included them in my model. That drawing also showed wheel splashers over the bogie wheels, but these had been removed by 1910 (Ref.5). Test running showed the model to be a smooth runner, but it lacked adhesion. I therefore inserted some lead ballast into the front of the boiler/smokebox assembly. Finishing I chose to finish the model in the condition the prototype would have displayed around the time of withdrawal in 1929: GWR green, with “Great Western” insignia. I believe that all previously polished brasswork would have been painted over by that time. Boiler bands, made from thin strips cut from electrical insulation tape, were applied. I separated the body from the chassis and primed it with automotive spray grey primer and then finished it with Precision Paints pre-1928 green and Humbrol satin black, with Humbrol red for the buffer beams. I partially dismantled the chassis before painting it with Humbrol satin black. After allowing time for the paints to cure, GWR insignia (HMRS Pressfix) and numberplates (home printed) were applied. The model was then varnished with Humbrol satin clear. When that was dry, “coal” was loaded into the bunker. Here is the final result: Comments The Craftsman kit was beautifully designed. Its etched chassis and body parts fitted together very well. Whitemetal fittings that I chose to use were clean, requiring very little fettling before use. Modification to resemble a Barry Railway loco was reasonably simple – the main challenges being a dearth of photos in late GWR condition. Some fittings on the G Class were located differently from the T1, so some pre-drilled holes in the bodywork had to be filled and the items glued or soldered in the revised positions. For those who might like a challenge, the upcoming Hornby SECR H class is another possible donor model that also could be kitbashed into a Barry Railway G class. References Post #115 here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/112533-the-omnipresent-western-region/page-5 http://www.semgonline.com/steam/t1class.html http://flickrhivemind.net/blackmagic.cgi?id=23291071251&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflickrhivemind.net%2FTags%2F044t%252Cuk%2FInteresting%3Fsearch_type%3DTags%3Btextinput%3D044t%252Cuk%3Bphoto_type%3D250%3Bmethod%3DGET%3Bnoform%3Dt%3Bsort%3DInterestingness%23pic23291071251&user=&flickrurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/25830408@N08/23291071251 http://www.gwr813.org/GWR4.htm RCTS “The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway – Part 10 – Absorbed Engines1922-1947 (RCTS, 1966) J.H.Russell: “A Pictorial Record of Great Western Absorbed Engines” (OPC, 1978) E.R.Mountford: “The Barry Railway – Diagrams and Photographs of Locomotives, Coaches and Wagons” (The Oakwood Press, 1987) Ian Beattie: “Barry Railway Class G 0-4-4T – drawn & described” (Railway Modeller, pp 34-5, Jan 1987)

G'day, RedgateModels, I wish you well with your makeover of CR123. I had fun with mine (described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/102076-motorisation-of-gbl-caledonian-single-and-upgrading-of-her-coaches/)and hope you achieve as much satisfaction. I've posted a link to my project as there is a list of the paints and parts I had to source for my model. I look forward to seeing your results. Regards, Rob

Congratulations for a lovely upgrade. Given the availability of cheap bodies, why not have a go at kitbashing one into another class, such as one of the double framed ones? Details of this conversion are here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107593-gwr-1076-class-double-framed-pannier-tank/ Regards, Rob

Hello everyone, What a great community we have in this forum! Earlier this year, Sarah contacted me to offer some CR coach transfers to complete the two re-worked Tri-ang/Peco/Lima models described earlier. We agreed a "deal" and the transfers arrived on 3 March. I've been a bit busy over the last couple of months, giving my old model of Earl Cawdor a makeover. Here she is, almost ready for primer: In between various paint colours, I had time to fit the transfers to the CR coaches. They look much more complete, now: Here they are, behind old No.123. Thank you, Sarah, for caring enough to offer your very welcome help. Oh yes (I almost forgot!) - I will be posting details of the aforementioned makeover soon...... Regards, Rob

G'day, Sarah, Thanks for your notes. It seems there's often more than one solution to these (self-imposed) challenges. I like your willingness to "mix and match" parts to achieve your aims. Regards, Rob

G'day, all, Here's an image of 70021 Morning Star, converted from a GBL Britannia. She's hauling the Carmarthen portion of the Red Dragon. Details of the conversion are here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108081-motorisation-of-gbl-britannia/ Regards, Rob

G'day, Edwardian, Thank you for your comments. The Hornby Toby chassis has 5'6"+5'6" wheel centres and 4'3" dia wheels. The chassis do run sweetly, but both of the chassis I bought as new spares showed metal fatigue and had to be repaired as I detailed in account of the construction of the W&C 0-6-0ST. Regards, Rob

G'day, all, Another RTR model with 6'0"+6'0" wheelbase id the Bachmann Junior 0-6-0ST. Unfortunately, the wheels scale out at 4'7.5". Be aware also that at least two gear sets exist for the model that are incompatible with each other, so replacement of the supplied wheelsets with other wheels should be done with some care. I have found that, in one set, the axle-mounted gear is off-white, 10.02 mm dia, with 19 teeth. The other gear set's corresponding gear is 10.08mm dia, black and has 20 teeth. In good order, the model runs silently and sweetly, so may provide a suitable RTR chassis for some projects. Regards, Rob

G'day, brian777999, There is a lot of good advice found here: http://www.gwr.org.uk/protriang.html http://www.gwr.org.uk/proc22.html In the 1970s, I gained a lot of useful painting experience by lining a set of these coaches to be a better match with the Tri-ang Dean Single. Although still not completely accurate, the coaches were much improved: Much later, I re-bogied a 2nd/3rd coach and refinished it in 1934 livery: Next, I kitbashed a 10-compartment 3rd from two brake 3rds and whitemetal bogies: I also made an 8-compartment 3rd in the same manner: Further projects have included an ex-MSWJR brake 3rd (detailed here http://www.gwr.org.uk/nomswjr7.html): And an ex-Cambrian Railways composite (described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/91150-cheap-cheerful-cambrian-railways-composite-coach/): Approximations of a GNR 6-wheeled 3rd and a PBV (described here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67037-motorising-a-kitmaster-stirling-single/): The old Tri-ang models are still easily found both on-line and at “bring and buy” stalls. They can be adapted into a host of different models – not just those of the GWR. They offer an inexpensive way to get some real modelling experience. Have a go! Regards, Rob

Introduction My church’s model railway club has been hosting an annual exhibition since 1987. For most of those shows, we have provided a “U-drive” display for visiting children to drive for free. In 2008, a new display was used, based upon a modified donated Roco pre-formed baseboard, Peco Setrack and other pre-loved rolling stock. My wife inspired a novelty approach, aimed at attracting young children but also intriguing their parents. Many animals appeared, including many penguins. I acquired three ancient Lionel giraffe wagons and installed in-track magnets to trigger their operation. Trials showed that most small locos that could handle the sharp curves could haul no more than two wagons up the hills. Indeed, a Tri-ang “Nellie” only managed one – even after re-wheeling with Romford wheels! So I fitted a second-hand unidentified American 0-6-0 chassis to her body and she was then happy to haul two and sometimes three wagons. During a closing-down sale of a local model shop, I bought a Bachmann Jupiter, which worked well for a couple of years until one of the driving wheel axles fractured. After repairs, it now is on “light duties”. So I could be sure of reliable operation, I bought a Bachmann GE 44-ton bo-bo diesel and repainted it in NSWGR colours. This has worked very well. New Saddle Tank I still wanted another reliable steam loco that would look cute and attractive to both children and their parents, so I bought a Bachmann Junior 0-6-0ST in time to use it for my club’s 2014 show. Cosmetic Changes I didn’t like it in black livery, so I chose to repaint it in yellow – a primary colour more likely to appeal to my target audience. This was completed just a few days before our 2014 show. Apart from colour, the only other change was to fit it with X2f couplers to suit the vintage (collector item) Lionel wagons. Use “Jennifer” looked and worked well at the 2014 show, taking turns with “Polly” and 7923. Problem As I prepared and tested things for our 2015 show, I found that the model emitted a strange clicking sound when operating – especially when under load and climbing. I suspected a piece of grit in the gears, but these were free of foreign bodies. After carefully stripping the chassis (for the very first time), I eventually traced the sound to a missing tooth on the gear mounted on the centre (driven) axle. Solution As the model was still less than 12 months old and still under warranty, I wrote to Bachmann UK to see if they could help, suggesting that, as I lived in Sydney, Australia, it might be cost-effective for them to supply a replacement gear, rather than air-mail the model to and from the UK. Imagine my surprise when a full wheel-set turned up in the post! Unfortunately, despite looking similar, the new gear didn’t fit, so I wrote again to Bachmann, detailing the differences in the gears. (Original, white gear: 19 teeth; new, black gear: 20 teeth) Meanwhile, I overhauled another second-hand (recently donated) Bachmann model to use for this year’s display, as I had run out of time to restore and use “Jennifer”. The show as a whole went well, as mentioned on pp 3 and 4 here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/104466-st-lukes-29th-annual-model-railway-exhibition-nsw-australia/ Apparently, the existence of two different gear designs in the Junior 0-6-0ST was a new issue for Bachmann, so they kindly sourced and supplied another wheel-set – this time with the correct gear. I fitted this to the model. “Jennifer” now works perfectly and awaits our club’s next display. Thank you to Richard Matthews and the service team at Bachmann UK for your patient help with this tricky challenge.