Woodcock29

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

A good friend once reported to me on the 'domino effect'. That is, when things go wrong, they tend to get worse and worse.

 

That's what happened to me today regarding that bl**dy awful D2!

 

It all started so well this morning...............

 

 

I was right; the green blocks were designed to hold tender-pick-up pads. 

 

 

Pleased as punch with how it had turned out, even my part-patch-repainting should be a good basis for weathering.

 

Now my test track in my workshop is a yard+ of flexible OO track (not Peco, but another, cheaper, type which is slightly wider in gauge). The loco performed faultlessly on this...........

 

However, on LB, what a disaster. It just lumped along the SMP on the scenic sections, clattering the chairs. Even on the Code 100 Peco in the fiddle yards, it just climbed over the rails.

 

I investigated. The back-to-backs on the drivers were over 15mm wide! I couldn't believe this, so took off the drivers and axles (after unsoldering all the tender-pick-up leads!). Now, I've never come across this before, but the circular sections of the axles were too long - over half a millimetre too long! They appeared to be Romfords, but they can't be. No matter, thought I; just substitute Romford/Markits driving axles from stock. No go - the drivers wouldn't then screw on tight onto the square ends. They'd been thinned-down, by about a quarter of a mil' across the tyre. Why do this? It would appear that the original builder had developed a unique new wheel/track standard. I doubt if our cat will approach me for some time, such was the explosion of profanity (she's a sensitive soul)! 

 

So, off with the rods, which at least allowed me to beef them up with shim soldered to their rears. I then fitted new Markits LNER drivers from stock (they're much better-looking, anyway), and put everything back together after re-fitting the rods. The result? Now, perfect running on both trainsets........

 

 

 

With new drivers on the M&GN.

 

 

And equally happy on the main line. 

 

I wonder is it really all worth it? The motor/gearbox combo is £80.00 and the new drivers over £6.50 each, plus the cost of axles and crankpins, all to go underneath a loco which is, at best, lacking in detail, and still a 'rescue' job.

 

Looking back, I should have said 'No'. Loudly! 

 

 

I hate to say this Tony, but Jesse's D2 appears to be sitting very high on its chassis. Both engine and tender.

Andrew

My 5024 is now on the way to Oz. The livery generally looks to be well applied on all the different versions.

Looking at the good photo of 5024 above I can now see why I thought the buffer shanks looked odd. To stop the oval buffers rotating they apear to be square in section inside the shanks. Because they're incorrectly painted red this gave them a strange look. In LNER days the shanks were black not red.

I'm still far from convinced the wheels should be lined out in red. As far as I can tell this was only applied to a few J72s. It'll be a shame to paint them black but that's what I'll be doing.

Also my earlier reservations about the chimney remain - it has too much of  taper in it towards the top. It should curve out more towards the rim. It appears also that all models have the same chimney whereas the later period models should have a slightly shorter chimney as these were later LNER replacements for the original Robinson design that was prone to cracking (ignoring the period with short flower pot chimneys in late 20s-early 30s).

Still its nice to have another RTR GC loco. It'll be nice to compare it to my 35+ year old Craftsman kit built example.

Andrew

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Oi, don't distract her from designing the GWR Insixfish!

I'm sure I got in first😀

12 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

 

Alan gave me a 'scrap' 3D-print for an LNER refrigerated van.

 

Which I sort of made-good (with limitations).

 

 

 

Tony - its interesting to see this LNER Refrigerator Van.

I've recently commissioned a 3D printed LNER Refrigerator Van from a person in Tasmania. I have seen some of her work on GWR vehicles and I thought I'd see what she can do. I have six in the post on the way to me at the moment.

I originally scratchbuilt one over 40 years ago - as seen here. Please ignore the couplings , they've been replaced!

However, as I'm now putting together a train comprising meat and perishables vans I thought 3D was the way to go. They will be in a kit form rather than one piece prints. I'm intending on fitting w/m buffers, vac and steam pipes, brass ladders and brake levers. 

The model you have appears to have wooden solebars so is a bit of a hybrid according to the info in Tatlow Vol 4A.  An initial batch were built in 1923 with timber underframes to Dia 20 (these had two ice hatches at each end), followed by Dia 21 (single hatch at each end) with steel underframes from 1924 to 1931. I might actually build one of mine with a timber underframe as a Dia 20.

Regards

Andrew  

10 hours ago, great northern said:

I think there's a large element of personal preference here Tony, apart from the fact that my skill and knowledge levels are far below yours, and my idleness quota far above. I certainly wouldn't spend that long on one image. If I found myself going that way it would be filed under "too difficult", and later erased.

 

My preference is for atmosphere, if I can get it, rather than the best possible image, which I'm not capable of doing anyway, so if there are shadows and imperfections, so be it. It is 1958, after all, so even my Mum's pre war Rolliecord, if she would let me use it, wouldn't produce great results, and that's before we even think about photos of moving locos.

 

Light conditions are a big factor too, as shown by the images below. The first of 60065 was taken when you were here, but into the afternoon, so we had lights on.

The next day I went up again, but earlier and with the benefit of full sunlight, and got this, which I much prefer.

though I think I could have muted the colour balance a little more. For those who like to follow events, this is the 2.45 Hull-KX. I actually checked this with the WTT after typing it, as it seemed a very long time for the journey, but no, it is correct. Left Hull 2.45, arrived Doncaster 4.14, a six minute stop there, three minutes at Retford, another five at Grantham, where I suspect a loco change took place, and finally rolled in to PN at 6.04, if on time. Arrive KX 7.40, just under five hours from Hull!

 

I'd be interested to see other people's preferences regarding those two images please.

Second for me.

Andrew

TG Hepburn and Keith Pirt for a later period for me.

3 hours ago, great northern said:

Tonight we shall feature a train. It is the 3.40 Down Newcastle, and it has an A4, Silver King.

 

 

I think these wide views are really good. Of course the new houses on the road and the left bridge extension finish it off nicely.

Andrew

15 hours ago, great northern said:

Can't resist this, as I never thought I'd be able to say it. It was hotter than that round here last July.

Trouble is our predicted 39 yesterday became 40.6 in reality! But then you might have got that?

9 hours ago, great northern said:

More of Mons Meg, from up on the bridge...

and the very familiar view from over by the Midland sidings.

These shots with artificial light look cold even when I boost the colour, but if I go even a little further it becomes too much.

Makes me feel cool when it's 39C here today.

Keep up the great work Gilbert.

Thanks

Andrew

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Very nice Andrew,

 

When Jesse's over here in March, I'll give him some spare valve gear frets for you. I assume the postage from Sydney to Adelaide will be less than from here? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

That would be most appreciated thanks Tony.

You're correct it won't cost much to send them from Sydney to Adelaide.

Andrew

And a couple more - almost Pendon like?

Bath Green Park - I saw this in 2008 so here are a few photos - certainly nowhere near the quality of what Tony would have taken.

Here's another P1 Tony - I built mine about 30 years ago from the Crownline kit using the Hornby A1 boiler. I should really replace the expansion links as they are rather puny - but I can't just buy replacement expansion links without a whole set of valvegear! I suppose I could buy a set of Comet V2 valvegear - is it worth £12 ?

Andrew

On 31/12/2022 at 21:31, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Phil. As others know, greenery is not my strong suit, which is why it tends to take a back seat. I think that buildings will be more likely and, perhaps, a backscene to frame the eventual vegetation. I might even do something about the secret scenic feature, which may or may not be green...

As one in the same boat - if I can move in that direction so can you eventually!

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

However, a certain other post-Gresley ECML pacific has indeed run over the route in recent years.

 

 

 

 

15th June 2013. 12 coaches unaided. A memorable (and very noisy!) day.

Indeed it did - I was on that trip - in fact all the way from KX with the two A4s to Edinburgh and return. There's no doubt whatsoever who was master of the Highland mainline that day.

Happy Christmas and have  a great 2023 Gilbert and all readers of PN.

Thanks Gibert for bringing us daily all these wonderful images from the late 1950s.

Andrew

Happy Christmas and have a great 2023 Tony and Mo and to all readers of WW.

Andrew

35 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

I've still got one somewhere!

I might still have one somewhere to!

50 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Nice model. Puts my effort in it's place-positively amateurish! I hand painted and lined it, my first attempt.  I'm not minded to touch it though, apart from renumbering into a more appropriate range.

How far out is the boiler?

 

About 1mm and a bit if I remember correctly. The boiler supplied was also about 4mm too short.  Doesn't sound like much but it affects the loco visually. The last 20 of these locos that were built had longer frames than the previous version because they used frames originally intended for further Baltic tanks. This necessitated a longer bogie.

Unfortunately the Millholme kit is a compromise between the two versions. The footplate is too long for the earlier version but too short for the later version. As I built 2, I built one of each version - cutting the two footplates and making one longer and the other shorter. You'll note the later version with longer frames in my photo above has distinctively more prominent front frames above the footplate. It also has the cab roof from the kit which is different to that on the previous version which had curved sides to it. I made a new roof for my other model. I had to source a new bogie for the longer version in my photo.

Still from your photo as its your first its a commendable effort. I've been building kits for around 50 years since my teens.

Andrew

I've also noticed that low melt solder shrinks. Does anyone know why this is? It's most noticeable where I widened the firebox on two Millholme Dreadnoughts that I built. The only way I might be able to correct it is to now is add some body filler, smooth that off and patch paint it.

Andrew

13 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Just a point about repairing holes in castings caused by clumsiness and/or too hot an iron............

 

If it's, say, a largish hole in a tender side or cab side, I solder a piece of shim brass to the rear, large enough to cover the hole with a bit of 'land' left around the 'behind' edges, the brass being pre-tinned with 145 degree solder first. 

 

I then 'puddle' low-melt on top of the brass, letting gravity level the fluid solder until its flush with the edge of the hole. Full levelling off can then be achieved by scraper/curved-blade knife/file. 

 

Just one point of note. Over time, low-melt shrinks slightly, so one can end up with a slight depression, though it's not too noticeable. I now leave a model a few months before it's painted, just in case any shrinkage manifests itself.