Focalplane

Today, Saturday, has been calm and cloudless, perfect for outdoor spraying. The 4F loco body got its black gloss ex-works finish, while the Fowler tender for the Compound got its etch primer. Did this take all day? Well a few other things helped to pass the time between coats.

I had a very useful exchange of emails with David Andrews over the Compound loco chassis construction and also spent a lot of time reading up the definitive LMS Locomotive Profile No. 13 that covers all things Compound. Wonderful engineering drawings included in this recent publication that I bought from the Midland Railway Society stand at Kettering.

I can also confirm that the next order from David Andrews will go through this coming week, for Compound #2 and the Patriot. This will probably be 55506 which has very good photographic presence on line as well as being a Birmingham frequent visitor. I can't say I remember it but being Bristol based I must have seen it at either New Street or Tamworth.

Another day and option 2 prevailed last evening.  I'll take some photos when things are tidied up and the light is good (my good camera and bounce flash are in England).  I have also started to wire the DCC but so far only the turntable deck is live.

You may be right about the card reacting and swelling, so any packing I needed to use is plasticard.

The next post will also detail how I have overcome the long ash pit construction.

I remember reading a novel a few years ago that supposed that Hitler won WWII and Germany ruled Europe and beyond.  One of the fictional asides in the story was that high speed trains across Europe ran on broad gauge track (not 7' 0-14" but perhaps wider).  I wish I could remember the title and the author but both have been erased from memory.

Paul

Three days later I finally was able to collect the bag from the airport.  Zipper pulled off, lock missing, but nobody took anything!

Some carpentry was done over the weekend and I may be able to lay some track later this week.  Progress sometimes seems very difficult to achieve.

Thank you for recording all this work with good text and photos.  I am tackling a similar project, a David Andrews' Midland Compound and have decided to add Laurie Griffin's working inside motion.  For this to work it seems I must use hornblocks, even if not sprung, just so that the cranked axle can be easily removed for fine tuning, maintenance, etc.  Having gone this far I suppose I may as well also add the springing.  I have had mixed results with sprung hornblocks in 4mm scale (Comet chassis for Royal Scot worked well) and so far my 7mm chassis have been unsprung 0-6-0s with excellent running/pickup results.

Have you considered a Poppy's 7mm Loco Builder Box?

Saw this first on Wright Writes, it is very nice indeed.  As to the colours, the variations were there in real life, not to mention the dirt (but that would be in the 1950s!)

Thanks for sharing your own experience.  Our diet is fundamentally Mediterranean (even when in the UK) with a bias toward fish and shellfish, fresh fruit and vegetables (we are fortunate to live near two market garden hotspots in France and England).  The aging process does advance with years though, regardless, but anything that will alleviate the pain and allow modelling to continue should be tried.  Else, why retire?

jago, that is a good thought!  The problem is that the soft keys sold by Slaters are relatively expensive which is why other sources have often been recommended.

The 4F is just bigger.  My first Connoisseur build was the Jinty and the 4F is no more difficult.

Thanks, Terry. I am not working on the Semi at the moment but your good tips will be available and useful for when I do. Paul

Here's the link!

Note that Jim has copies of the manuals available to download as well as a lot of good advice on kit building in general.

I certainly hope so! Otherwise I might consider Wordpress as used by several friends.

These characters have been around for years, now they have become rogues!

An interesting thread/discussion.  My 3.5 and 4mm days are not exactly over as I still own over three dozen locomotives, some kit built, some RTR, some hybrids.  But as I have explained before (ad nauseam) my joints are aging and my eyesight is not as good as it was, so I have switched to 7mm 0 gauge finescale.

So far so good.  I love the etched brass and nickel silver kits and agree that they surpass white metal castings for tender sides, frames, etc. in every way.  Easier to solder as well.  Also, some white metal castings in 4mm kits leave a lot to be desired and the fit can be a couple of mm off with disastrous results.

The attitude of some kit manufacturers can also be quite off putting which usually meant that I lost interest in the kit.  I am not naming any names because this is just my personal observation.  Buyer beware is probably all that anyone should take from this paragraph.

The 0 gauge fraternity, being so much smaller, is also quite refreshing and the various 0 gauge meets are well worth visiting.  But this is a P4 thread and I am sure the P4 fraternity is much the same.

The real point of the discussion between self-built and RTR is the sense of achievement at the end of each session at the workbench and the cumulative addition of a wide range of skills (and associated tools).  For the first time in my life I have the time and the patience to devote to modelling and RTR simply doesn't provide what I seem to be looking for.

Taking photos of one's work does seem to reveal all sorts of slight "errors" that are overlooked with tired but admiring eyes at the end of a session!  One of the rear steps, for example, is skewed.  A simple thing to remedy but I have to ask how I did not notice it before.

I am flattered that anyone would think this "professional" but I do appreciate the compliment.  Thank you!

The next installment may be a while because I have realized that, as with the Jinty, the body and the chassis need to be built in concert so that the motor is fitted at the right angle within the firebox.  My experience with the Jinty was that the rear shaft from the motor rubbed against the firebox roof and had to be shortened.

Hi Fred

I can recommend Slater's pickups but only if you follow Jim's detailed suggestions as to how they should be prepared and fitted.

I am not gong to fit inside motion to my 4F, but probably the next build which is not quite yet chosen but could be a 4-4-0!

After that a tank engine is probably on my list and I think this could be the Gladiator Coal Tank.

Good luck with your 4F. I have started on the tender of mine and it's coming together nicely. Photos later!

Jock

An interesting point!  The bridge measures exactly 60 scale feet (420 mm) so there is nothing wrong with Dave Smith's design.  So what about the Jubilee?

According to my reference book, Rowledge and Reed's the Stanier 4-6-0s of the LMS, there were four different types of Jubilee as built, Polyphemus belonging to the last group.  A diagram of the NBL built Jubilee type (Polyphemus was built at Crewe so could be different) shows the wheelbase to be 54ft 4.75in, which is 380.77mm.  This would be with the same Stanier 4,000 gallon tender.

Unfortunately I have packed away the Jubilee for a couple of months so I cannot measure it.  But there is a possible explanation - perhaps the tender to loco spacing is slightly longer than on the real thing to negotiate 72" radii?

Using your overall wheelbase the equal overhang at each end would be approximately 20mm or less than an inch.  But remember that the wheelbase is actually measured from the axle to axle, not front of bogie wheel to back of tender wheel.

That's all I can comment for now, but let me say that I really appreciate your diligence in following Legge Lane all these months!  Thank you, Paul

Rather than start a new post, just a few things were done today (Tuesday), including applying spray primer to the bridge, setting up the drive and testing that it runs on DC.  It does so very quietly and smoothly.

So what's left to do is as follows:

Paint the bridge, add brick texture to well walls and paint floor.  Paint manufacturer's plates and fix.  Wire up DCC and program motor.  Add approach roads (6) and wire to DCC bus.  Test reverse module.  I don't expect to start on this work until Spring.

Note:  If you just want to follow the 11 stages of construction, click on the 60ft Turntable Construction category and they will be filtered.

I certainly cannot disagree.  Pates were very common at New Street, particularly the un-rebuilt Fowler versions.  I already have two 4mm original Pates and one rebuilt 4mm Pate so I suppose that is enough proof of my affection for the class!

As to Halls, they were certainly around - Rose Wood Hall was often Snow Hill's pilot, as was Rood Ashton Hall.  But I am put off by the shape of their cylinders, as were a few platforms out of region!  They don't have the character of a Manor (OK, I grew up in Oswestry so there's a little bias there!).  I would prefer the Castle as a visitor, pure power in a smallish package!

As to ex-LNWR locos, the only ones that fit the time frame are likely to be a coal tank (just about), and an 0-8-0.  Both are on the wish list but exactly when is none too certain!

Baz, very nice work.  I am building a K70 de-streamlined (off and on between Gauge 0 projects) and found that the bend in the tender sides were incorrectly formed.  After adjusting them as best I could the surface has become a bit uneven but this would not have been unusual due to coaling operations, etc.  I note that Lichfield's tender has some "weathering" along the top edge of the tender - is this intentional or is it just the light?

That's great!  Here's what I googled:

http://www.dccsolutions.com.au/how-to-use-function-buttons

The option option is a bit cumbersome but I am sure it will become second nature.  Thanks very much!

It could be worse still.  The instructions suggest that the bolts would have a better appearance if inserted the other way round, with the nuts visible, as on the prototype.  However, I tried this and it required trimming the length of the bolt in order for it to fit between the "U" section.  In the process this harms the thread, making fitting the nut even more difficult.

I have a slight cheat plan for the hard to fit and hard to see inner bolts - Araldite!

I converted a split chassis Ranger to DCC several years ago and used a rather large Digitrax decoder which had to be placed in the cab.  Today I would probably fit a TCS M1 or similar, the TCS back EMF is very good for slow running.

The NCE PowerCab arrived today and has been tested. So far I like what I see but I have not taken it through all its many functions. When I do, a report will be available.

Steve

I have just ordered my third DCC Controller.  That is a steep learning curve, albeit aided by the rapid additions to the original set of NMRA rules.  My other controller is the Bachmann whatever it's called (it's in storage at the moment) which actually is not all bad.  If your Zephyr Xtra is disappointing I can only assume they have lost the plot as this should have been a major improvement in many respects.

I have also seen Digitrax fall behind in loco chip offerings.  I really like the TCS products for non-sound locos, but the Zimo and Loksound sound chips do seem to be at the top of the list of sound offerings.  But I am no expert so don't listen to me too much!

Pannier Tank

The booster capability was another plus to the NCE system, particularly as I am modelling Gauge 0 and the designer of NCE products is also a Gauge 0 modeller.  Those extra amperes have to be looked after!

I imagine that such dimension errors are quite common among all white metal kits regardless of kit maker.  My Comet Caprotti Five is stalled because when I mounted the boiler on the footplate the "gorilla" steam pipes were laterally offset by about 3mm.

By contrast my Connoisseur Gauge 0 brass etch kit went together with minimum fettling.  I am inclined to focus of brass etch kits for all new purchases.