Funtleyworks

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

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

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!!

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!!!!

I asked Martin about producing one once. His reply? Not commercially worth it!! I would have had several!! Same response for a 57xx pannier!!

Here I hope to show how I improve on Slaters O gauge wheels. The modifications are purely a personal choice and although they are an excellent product straight out of the packet making these changes enhance them even more. As time permits I shall post pictures of these improvements.

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!!

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

Hello All!! Have to decided to let the world see what I have to offer! Haven't a clue what I am doing here so good luck to me!!! lol!!! I believe I have uploaded some picture's to a gallery somewhere!! In the meantime a couple of pics to be getting on with!!!

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!!