Funtleyworks

On the real thing, I'm sure the headcode lights would have separate switches.

 

 

Surely a loco fitted with SR headcode blinds hauling a train would properly show double-white at the rear, just like, say, the coupled ends of EPB's? Question then is, would it be illuminated?

 If properly following the rule book then they should be wound to black. A practice that rarely happened! 

I was once told of a tale at Waterloo. A12 car train got gapped so it was decided to bring forward the train behind which was also 12 car to give it a nudge. The operators discovered you can gap  a 24 car train

 

I was also told of a problem at Adiscombe depot, now demolished. Sometimes the unit would not roll as expected and got gapped. A very dodgy local fix was to rest a shorting bar on an adjacent third rail lined up with a shoe.The driver would select notch 1 and the shunter would pivot the shorting bar to touch the shoe and nudge the unit forward This tale was told to me by one of the fitters at the depot

 Usual and very frowned upon fix was to use the bar to get back on the juice, but one of my colleagues once used a light bulb to get things moving!!! Much shock and gasping was heard around the messroom and when asked why and not the bar, his reply was simple. You have to go back to get the short circuit bar!!! 

.

 

I got an e-mail from Kernow this morning saying that my 2 Green Weathered versions (1 of each) have been despatched and are due some time tomorrow. I'm very pleased with my "ordinary" green versions and can't wait for the (deliberately) "grotty-ised" ones.

For goodness sake - it's a toy train !!

 

If that's all that you have to worry about - be thankful.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

A 'toy' that cost £125. A simple question met with your rudeness. Feel free to troll away

Fantastic that they have now started to arrive!

Although I have one slight question!!

Obviously there is masses to get through of backlog orders, that's understandable, but I ordered one the early part of last year and I am still waiting, fair enough to send them out in date order, but I know of someone that ordered one on Tuesday and they now have theirs! 

Not that I am impatient, but find it a little frustrating!! 

I'm off to work soon at the docks at Southampton! I wonder if I can find the box they are in!!

Hey Tony, hopefully this will be of use to you!

 http://www.bulleidlocos.org.uk/_q1/q1ValveGear.aspx

Thanks Peter, well, a lot of that is down to the kit as it fits together so well. The advantage of nickel silver is that it hides solder so well! I tend to clean the model several times during a session and I'm a fastidious cleaner upper, with scrapers and emery sticks. My new Ersa 80- watt iron is proving a godsend, so plenty of heat and sparing with the solder...

 

Regards

Tony

Hello Tony, 

Excellent work and always coming back to check your latest posts!! 

Regards your iron, any more gen  etc? Thinking of a new one myself and just wondering if you can give any pros or cons and price? 

Many thanks 

Andrew

The weathered ones look amazing. In all honesty a truly wonderful loco. As good as the Hornby one is this looks a step up. What can we expect next Dave? A decent Crompton?!!!!

Anyone fancy a Gauge 1 (1/32) original West Country?

 

We're pursuing a number of avenues, and we have had enough initial interest in a 1/32 Bulleid light pacific to explore some proof of concept areas.

 

Tender springs and axleboxes:

 

DSC_3795.JPG

 

Cab reworked for 1/32, already at the etchers.

 

Bulleid Cab.jpg

 

We're also looking at the 47xx etches.

 

I'm not entirely sure the G1 fraternity is ready for a 1/32 Finney kit, but you never know......

 

Richard

As long as the 7mm version returns very soon though!!!! Please!!

Hi Brian.

 

Fabulous work on the TC, many many happy memories of working Waterloo - Weymouth and Waterloo - Salisbury early in my career.

 

Just a point of note, have you realised that you have currently mounted the dual high level air pipe operating cock in the 'Open' position ?

 

Whilst the star valve in the brake pipe will be forced closed the main reservoir will be venting to the atmosphere!

 

Hope this helps ..

 

Mike

Hello Mike, 

I am sure it is a slip of the buttons on your keyboard, but I think it typed that the star valve in the brake pipe will be forced closed. 

I am sure it meant to type the star valve in the main res pipe will be forced closed!!! 

Andrew

Thanks for the humour, much needed I feel!

 

I tried the 'double sized drill' method on the single washout holes (as recommended by Peter Cross) and it worked well, no ridge and a barely visible chamfer. I had tried a countersink bit a bit like Isambarduk recommended, it was probably a bit oversize for the washout holes though.  I think the cutting broaches may have 'pushed' the metal out a bit, the firebox was quite heavily annealed and maybe that was enough to squish it out as well as cut. It's also quite thick metal.

 

I've folded up the cab floor and got a reasonable fit:

SANY3381.JPG

 

but I'm stumped as to what exactly I'm supposed to do with the splasher tops.  The instructions say:"Fold up the cab floor, including the splasher sides. Fit their tops and trim them flush to the front edge of the floor." But the splasher tops seem huge compared to the gaps they need to cover and I'm worried I'm missing something obvious here...

SANY3386.JPG

 

Plus the cab floor part of the splasher sides are curved so I think I'll need to curve the splasher tops to fit them. The length is about right to come nearly flush to the cab front and extend under it in a curve that would cover the wheel in an arch that would butt between the cab front and the cab baseplate (below the level of the cab floor).  Looking at Dikitriki's post (#76) it does look like they are just waaay bigger than they need to be.  There is also a half etched line along one long edge which is the mating face I suppose.

 

Finally, a brief look at the wood rather than the trees:

SANY3380.JPG

I'm a little bothered about a small gap between the boiler and the firebox. I had thought a boiler band went over that join, but the instructions say not so I may need to resort to body filler.  I've also got to tackle the firebox leading edge curve and I don't have much to go on other than photos. Anyone know any reference dimensions or radii that I could trace onto pieces of paper to use as reference curves?

Thanks for the humour, much needed I feel!

 

I tried the 'double sized drill' method on the single washout holes (as recommended by Peter Cross) and it worked well, no ridge and a barely visible chamfer. I had tried a countersink bit a bit like Isambarduk recommended, it was probably a bit oversize for the washout holes though.  I think the cutting broaches may have 'pushed' the metal out a bit, the firebox was quite heavily annealed and maybe that was enough to squish it out as well as cut. It's also quite thick metal.

 

I've folded up the cab floor and got a reasonable fit:

SANY3381.JPG

 

but I'm stumped as to what exactly I'm supposed to do with the splasher tops.  The instructions say:"Fold up the cab floor, including the splasher sides. Fit their tops and trim them flush to the front edge of the floor." But the splasher tops seem huge compared to the gaps they need to cover and I'm worried I'm missing something obvious here...

SANY3386.JPG

 

Plus the cab floor part of the splasher sides are curved so I think I'll need to curve the splasher tops to fit them. The length is about right to come nearly flush to the cab front and extend under it in a curve that would cover the wheel in an arch that would butt between the cab front and the cab baseplate (below the level of the cab floor).  Looking at Dikitriki's post (#76) it does look like they are just waaay bigger than they need to be.  There is also a half etched line along one long edge which is the mating face I suppose.

 

Finally, a brief look at the wood rather than the trees:

SANY3380.JPG

I'm a little bothered about a small gap between the boiler and the firebox. I had thought a boiler band went over that join, but the instructions say not so I may need to resort to body filler.  I've also got to tackle the firebox leading edge curve and I don't have much to go on other than photos. Anyone know any reference dimensions or radii that I could trace onto pieces of paper to use as reference curves?

Thanks for the humour, much needed I feel!

 

I tried the 'double sized drill' method on the single washout holes (as recommended by Peter Cross) and it worked well, no ridge and a barely visible chamfer. I had tried a countersink bit a bit like Isambarduk recommended, it was probably a bit oversize for the washout holes though.  I think the cutting broaches may have 'pushed' the metal out a bit, the firebox was quite heavily annealed and maybe that was enough to squish it out as well as cut. It's also quite thick metal.

 

I've folded up the cab floor and got a reasonable fit:

SANY3381.JPG

 

but I'm stumped as to what exactly I'm supposed to do with the splasher tops.  The instructions say:"Fold up the cab floor, including the splasher sides. Fit their tops and trim them flush to the front edge of the floor." But the splasher tops seem huge compared to the gaps they need to cover and I'm worried I'm missing something obvious here...

SANY3386.JPG

 

Plus the cab floor part of the splasher sides are curved so I think I'll need to curve the splasher tops to fit them. The length is about right to come nearly flush to the cab front and extend under it in a curve that would cover the wheel in an arch that would butt between the cab front and the cab baseplate (below the level of the cab floor).  Looking at Dikitriki's post (#76) it does look like they are just waaay bigger than they need to be.  There is also a half etched line along one long edge which is the mating face I suppose.

 

Finally, a brief look at the wood rather than the trees:

SANY3380.JPG

I'm a little bothered about a small gap between the boiler and the firebox. I had thought a boiler band went over that join, but the instructions say not so I may need to resort to body filler.  I've also got to tackle the firebox leading edge curve and I don't have much to go on other than photos. Anyone know any reference dimensions or radii that I could trace onto pieces of paper to use as reference curves?

First rule of kit building. Don't always believe the instructions! Definitely a boiler band between boiler and firebox. And as for the radius of firebox then I always go by eye!! 

From someone registered as 2ManySpams!!   

You can never have enough spam!!!

Excellent news that you and your colleagues have bought the business! Looking forward to spending my pocket money soon!! As long as you bring the original West Country Pacific back soon!! Please!!!!

Thanks so much for your answers to my questions. After posting I thought the smokebox might be an anchor point.  I'll have to give it some serious thought.  I've probably not been thinking about painting as much as I should.  I have a pretty decent airbrush and mostly we get on OK.  I'd say my painting is better than my soldering (lining is a different matter) so I'm planning to do it myself and the attraction of separating the boiler is clear.  Now is the time for others to tell me I'll be fine just whacking it all together and painting once fully assembled - or not!

 

And the education about hollow axles is helpful as I intend to try my hand at a Duchess sometime in the future (my favourite looking loco by some way).  I figured it was a little too ambitious to start with one of them! Drilling an axle is beyond my machining capabilities and tooling at the moment, I lack even a drill press so I will have to either compromise, or buy in components.  I can't see myself ever making enough models to justify buying good tools and a workshop to use them in.

 

So I'll toddle off and start buffing up those coupling rods with the wet and dry then, I was sort of hoping you'd declare they were very expensive add-ons too to let me off the hook

(I'd rather have two OK locos than one superb one, though if I can improve the OK ones on the cheap with my lack of tooling and skills, even better!)

Hello Tim!

Sorry for hijacking your post! 

Without a doubt making the parts separate for painting I believe is not essential but if you can make them separate then go for it. Most of the time it is not that complicated either. The holes in the cab and firebox are already there!! I can't remember quite how I fixed the front to the frame but I think I just drilled and tapped through the smokebox. 

When it comes to painting if the boiler/firebox assembly is separate then it makes spraying easier, for example that point where the firebox meets the cab front instead of trying to spray into a 90 degree corner and overloading with it paint you just have a clear pass to make across parts. 

As for the coupling rods the Jubilees I built had them expensive premier components, and although nice I didn't really feel they were quite worth the expense!!

Hi Andrew:

 

That's a beautiful build, thanks for the added information. Could you expand a little on your Slater's wheel upgrades? With pictures? Where do you get the telescopic axlesand do you turn the wheel profile at all?

And, if you were building an LMS Duchess do you have a method for at least hinting at the hollow axles? I'm asking that because I will eventually get around to building my "City of St Albans" and I do like a hollow axle...

 

Cheers

Simon

Hello Simon

Many thanks for your kind comments. 

The axles are just 3/16 nickel silver drilled 5/32 to mount the male part of the wheel. I remove the brass hub containing the square hole then mount them on tufnol bushes. The wheels are then mounted and pinned on them. I also remove about 1mm from the back of the wheel to give the spokes a more slender appearance.  I do reduce the wheel profile to if needed for clearance problems with brakes etc and to make the wheel look nicer!! And also scale 7 profiles are catered for!! Crankpins are replaced with Derek Mundy's lovely product to! 

Hollow axles are not a problem, but I only drill about 10mm in, but you could drill all the way through if needed, but the taper pin would be visible if you looked direct at the end of the wheel. 

Have included a picture of a Finney Coronation that I built, but cant claim credit for the loco body as that was built by the customer!!! It has Harris wheels I turned with a hollow axle, but not all way through!! 

ATB 

Andrew

One more thing!!! 

The return crank is mounted on a 10BA stub just screwed onto the crank pin. 

Hello chaps

To answer the questions!

1 The only wheel that was compensated was the centre one, just floating with a spring wire on top to hold it down as per customers request. 

2 The front bogie and tender had roller bearings

3 The loco used a lot of Laurie Griffin castings and on the motion to used his parts. The plate on top of the motion bracket supports the parts that make up all of the motion. So slide bar brackets, eccentric bracket etc. thus making it all quite sturdy in frail part of the kit. It is just a .8mm piece of nickel silver cut out to fit. 

4 The connecting rods/ coupling rods are from the kit. My process is to remove all the etch cusp first then solder with 188 solder then lots more cleaning up!! The best thing is 600 wet and dry and I also use a thin oil to. 

5 The boiler firebox assy is bolted through the back of the firebox using the same holes you are supposed to use to fix it and it is also screwed underneath the smokebox saddle. Surprisingly strong when it is all screwed up. 

6 Wheels. I have probably turned 1000s of Alan Harris wheels!! And when Alan's product was lost to the hobby I looked at ways of improving Slaters wheels. So basically that nasty brass hub is removed and the wheels mounted on telescopic axles. Which then need quartering, or if the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the wheels are actually 120°!!

7 I think that's it!!!

Any more questions just ask!!! 

ATB 

Andrew

Lol Horsetan!! 

Different build but I did enjoy this little job..................NOT!! 

Hello Tim. 

Have found some more of the one I done. It was built for someone else but I have seen it painted and it look pretty good. I do like locos Au Naturale(!), they seem to have a rawness about them, but when you see them finished painted by a professional it makes you wonder if it the same build!!!

As you can see I managed to build the boiler footplate assembly separately making it easier to paint. Not to difficult a job if you contemplate it. 

The only small issue apparent using Laurie's castings with kits etchings is the combination lever is slightly to long!! 

Hope it's not to many pictures!!!! 

ATB 

Andrew

Hello Tim

The Gladiator kit is a very nice kit, although slightly let down by the casting side of things. 

Some pictures of the one I built enclosed with a few replacement casting from Laurie Griffin. 

Keep up the good work and posts!!