Focalplane

I did the same thing to a split chassis unrebuilt Scot a few years ago. It was my first attempt at a DCC conversion and was not as difficult as I thought it would be. The key, as you point out, is in the insulation of the motor from the chassis. These locos are worth the effort as they run well, even better with DCC.

Hi Alan No laser cutting yet, I don't have the space for Old Town. Perhaps one day. . . . just part of the research and learning process. I have made some components and groups as well but sometimes they didn't work so well.

In an earlier post I discussed Arthur Jordan's definitive book on the S&MJR and showed a quick attempt at using the floor plan of Stratford Old Town Station for a SketchUp 3D model. Since then I have progressed slowly up the learning curve and have realized that I need to keep things simple for the time being. So, no interiors this time round. As well as Jordan's book, the good old reliable warickshirerailways.com site provides numerous photos of various vintages, including one or two in colour: http://warwickshirerailways.com/lms/smjsa174.htm The entire structure is long (except for part of the platform edge) so this is what I have to work with. First I loaded a scan of the floor plan into the xy plane of SketchUp and scaled it to match the dimension quoted: The progress so far is shown here: No canopy, no chimneys, no windows in place. In fact the details are largely lacking at the moment. But it has been rewarding to create a virtual station that no longer exists in reality.

Thanks, Alan, most helpful. Since last night's post I have been mostly awake with an ongoing Christmas virus but determined to forge ahead. I have downloaded the b9c software and the .stl export extension. I scaled down my simple turntable electric control panel in SketchUp to 4mm scale and, as you say, discovered that some of the detail was either lost or displaced. So I then scaled in b9c software and was able to load the vat (virtually) with a number of control panels. I have also been working on a SketchUp drawing of Stratford Old Town station, using a floor plan as a guide. It will be too big to print on a b9c but is a useful learning exercise. Well, I probably have 4 hours available at the moment. I'm not going anywhere!

Alan, I am most impressed, as usual. I need to delve into all this a lot more, before diving into the deep end myself. One question regarding SketchUp. Do you construct the parts in real dimensions and then scale down to 4mm:1ft? It would seem that this technique would lend itself to multiple scales as well as getting things like rivets right first time? This does presuppose that good drawings and/or the real thing is available to measure.

Looking good. I suppose I had better follow your lead with 5724!

The locomotive is starting to look like a Black 5. I have spent some time fettling the white metal firebox and boiler and they have been soldered together, giving the correct look as described in the instructions. Everything seemed to fit nicely until I tried the motor/gearbox. There are two chassis instructions included in the kit. The one that comes with the kit shows one placement, the one that comes with the frame pack shows an entirely different placement! For anyone reading this and contemplating building a Caprotti 5, make sure you follow the instructions that come with the kit! I imagine the frame pack instructions were written for anyone upgrading a Hornby Black 5. Well, the recommended placement requires quite a bit of cutting and fettling to get the motor in the vertical position, as shown here: The extended motor shaft had to be cut off (Dremel to the rescue, very carefully), part of the frame had to be cut out, and the rod for the rear brake shoes would no longer fit between the frames. This latter problem should not be a concern as I now plan to install the rear brake shoes after fitting the front two and the brake pull rods. In my experience the brake rods actually give strength to the rather fragile brake shoes. Once everything is soldered, that is. The white metal firebox and boiler allow just enough space for the motor and a small DCC chip, this after the rear shaft has been removed from the Mashima. A quick placement of the body on the chassis does give the illusion of progress, but there is a lot more to do: The gap between firebox and boiler needs to be filled, as suggested in the instructions. Since taking the photos I have fettled the connecting rods, so the next job will be to assemble the cylinders and valves. The cab details are also being prepared ready for installation, along with the splashers - unique to the inside drive Caprotti valve gear design.

Update: It appears the canopy is correct but there is a problem with the distribution of doors and windows along the platform wall. In this respect the photos do not lie. Lying in bed with the "Christmas virus" I have been spending more time on SketchUp. I have now broken the project into several sub-projects to keep things simple. Just a bit too ambitious with the total concept!

I too like the crisp nature of your models. OO gauge kits would be most welcome.

As others have said, I would have said this was a 4mm model. When it comes to very small parts on my 4mm kits I have great difficulty working with them, so your modeling would be out of my capabilities. The top feed pipe work looks great to me. Most impressive model! Thank you for the inspiration!

A belated Christmas present to myself arrived today - Arthur Jordan's classic "The Shakespeare Route" book on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway. This has additional photos not published elsewhere with particular emphasis on the Stratford end of the line (unlike the Towcester book!). But still no definitive Midland 3F sightings in the mid-1930s. The plan of the station building at Stratford Old Town prompted me to use it as a "go by" for SketchUIp practice. But as is often the case, once you get into the details the errors start to appear in the published data. The various photos on warwickshirerailways.com will help to sort out what is right and what is wrong, but even so, the many photos were taken at different times during different eras (pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR days). So, here is the progress on the virtual 3D model: The oversize canopy appears to be too long by comparison with photos. Some additional research should solve this one. While examining the book I discovered a loose piece of paper in the back which turns out to be an original East and West Junction Railway memorandum dated 3 January 1883.

Back on track with the Caprotti after a quiet Christmas with family. With the frame and running plate fettled into position I was able to solder the cylinder plate into its correct 2º sloping position. With the frame half built I decided to continue with that element of the kit and assembled the gearbox and motor: The five sequences show how the simple fold up and solder etch houses the gears. The holes for attaching the Mashina motor need enlarging and quite a lot of filing is needed to fit the bushes between the frames. The motor sits on top of the frames and can be fixed into place with some double sided tape if desired. The gearbox has yet to be tested but will turn easily by hand on the spindle so I expect it to be OK. Next I assembled the Romford wheels and began to prepare the simple motion before tackling the front bogie assembly:

Thanks, Alan, those photos really help and I am glad the extra items are relatively inexpensive. My independent research suggests you have indeed got hold of the right machine for the job. These are exciting times!

My Christmas project (when time allows) is to get back into Sketchup. Since experimenting with the Coal Hole I have allowed all I learned to lapse. So first off, a quick refresher from the videos and then this: A simple and generic electric control panel for my customized Peco turntable. EDIT: updated with colo(u)r!

I should add that Comet stretchers do not have tabs that locate into slits in the frame sides. This is unfortunate though the reason behind the design is, I think, to allow the stretchers to be located according to the needs of the model maker and the motor, gearbox, etc. to be used. I think it would be easier to build a square and true frame if there were tabs and slits. After soldering the outer sides of the frames could be filed and sanded flat prior to painting, so the end result would look the same.

At the end of the last post there were a couple of small details to be added, then the instructions suggested that I jump ahead and start to build the frame so that the running plate and frame could be tested for fit prior to installing the cylinder support, etc. I have built several Comet chassis, including the Royal Scot, so this should have been easy. But three constraints made the task longer and just a bit perplexing. But let's follow the progress: Here is the nickel silver fret and instructions: I have the Comet frame assembly jig and had purchased hornblocks so that the driving wheels could be sprung. But it soon became clear that this frame design precedes the Comet hornblock springing system (the instructions refer to third party options only). So I jettisoned the idea. The hornblocks will be used elsewhere. The frame assembly jig was attached to the parts after much broaching of the axle holes to fit the brass bushes: The jigged frame was then offered up to the running plate and a significant problem emerged: Part of the frames interfere with the front of the running plate - the offending area is highlighted with the craft knife: The instructions include a sketch which clearly shows this area of the frame sides to be correct, so I decided to carry on and then cut off the offending area later. I folded up and soldered the stretchers and began to fit them onto one side frame: I then re-attached the jig and completed the stretchers on both side frames. When I had finished and jockeyed some of the stretchers to be square and was satisfied the frame was true, I tried to remove the brass spacers of the assembly jig; one of them would not come out! It was surrounded by soldered stretchers. So I had to undo some of the stretchers and refit them after retrieving the jig. In all of this I forgot to take photos - no surprise really. But then the frame was complete (minus brakes, etc. which will be fitted later) and I marked up the front of the frame that had to be removed and cut it off with a razor saw. A good fit was obtained though the front stretcher did have to be moved to give a tight fit behind the buffer beam: It looks as though this is it before Christmas, but the model is in good shape for the return after the festivities. And my finger tips need a rest from holding hot brass. Stay tuned! Seasons Greetings to all!

Most interesting, Alan. How much space does all the associated equipment take up in your workshop? Do the oven, ultrasonic bath, etc. come with the B9? The Earl/Countess looks very good!

The kit building starts today. I am choosing to build in the sequence suggested by the Comet instructions. The first phase starts with the running plate and this is as far as I got today. Generally I have had few problems, though folding up the initial large brass running plate etch was not so easy (see first post by Mallard60022 in this category for a comment on this aspect of the kit). Everything so far is brass, so relatively high melt solder has been the order of the day. Comet have a good philosophy of creating spaces where the solder will not show, as you will see. The basic running plate etch looks like this: After folding according to the instructions: Some tack soldering has been applied to the folded side plates: Very little solder can be seen from above: But below it is a different story. The bolt is for fixing the body to the frame. Those holes are where the solder goes: Turn it over and there is very little solder to be seen and much of that will be hidden anway: Meanwhile at the front end: Next etched top plates are soldered onto the stiffened running plate sides, giving detail and additional strength: One top side has been completely soldered: And now the other: The running plate sides have been filled with solder and filed smooth: Next front detailing including the buffer beam: The AWS plate will not be used and was cut off: Next the basic cab framework was folded up: And soldered, together with outer detailed etches: And that is it for December 20th. Keeping flat plates flat and right angles at 90º are the key aspects of the build so far. Following a few small additional details to be added, the instructions suggest that the basic frame be build next so that the two can be trial fitted together.

Over on the French Railways Forum there is a photo of the 141R.1126 which is preserved and, probably, still in Toulouse. Another one is up for sale in Switzerland. Someone told me they were the same locomotive, but apparently, and thankfully for Toulousaine enthusiasts, they are different. The combination of a ?Baldwin design with French style smoke deflectors makes for a very attractive and purposeful locomotive.

Looking very good indeed. My own project is stalled for the time being until I get my airbrush booth set up in February. I am glad you got the motor problem solved - I have yet to test mine with a decent load, so your motor swap may be in the cards for me also.

Considering only a few Caprotti Black 5s were built there is plenty of research material available. One invaluable source is Wild Swan Publications' LMS Locomotive Profiles No. 7 by Hunt, James, Jennison and Essery. Additional resources I used included the equally invaluable warwickshirerailways.com with photos of Caprotti Black 5s in strange places like Birmingham Snow Hill! Excellent prototype photos have been sourced from rail-online.co.uk. With all this material to hand and a lot of time spent reading and viewing, I came up with a particular locomotive, No. 44749. No 4749 was built at the very end of LMS ownership prior to nationalization but I think started out its working life as M4749 with BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender. It featured a single chimney and Timken roller bearings. But it also looked very different from a standard Black 5. No outside valve motion as the rotary poppet valve drive was located between the frames. The cylinders and valves look very different while the steam pipes are perhaps the most diagnostic change, prompting their nickname "Gorillas". But why 44749? Because I have photographic proof that it worked through New Street Station. The photo can be viewed at rail-online.co.uk. Here is the link, complete with watermark. Buying a digital copy for £1.50 removes this and provides a high resolution photograph. Well worth the money! http://www.rail-online.co.uk/p129376112/h5522bed0#h5522bed0 Not really visible in this thumbnail is the one additional moving part, that of the lubricator arm, which is connected to the right hand side of the center driving wheel. The Comet kit provides all the parts to build any one of the first 20 Caprottis. The later ones with outside rotary driven valve gear are very different in appearance, looking more like the BR Standard Class 5s with high frames, etc. I believe someone has modified the kit to make one of these. It is worthwhile considering the prototype further as an experiment in locomotive design. Ivatt himself was very keen to see steam powered locomotion become more efficient - at the time diesel electrics were still experimental in the UK. He was not alone in this thinking. Much of what we now see from preserved examples of his work show that he was moving in the right direction, but the economics of steam locomotion in the post war years were also changing - too fast, perhaps, for him to keep ahead. No Caprotti Black 5 was preserved, but working outside geared rotary poppet valves do exist on two preserved BR Standards (73129 and 71000). 71000 was considered a failure when built but later, when the locomotive was restored, it was found that the design had not been followed during initial construction. We now know that the Duke is a very capable locomotive design.

Yes - see my next posting, already in line for posting at day's end. Do you remember who it is and if there is a link as I can't find it at the moment. But a very interesting story.

When I am resident in the UK, this will be my "projet du jour". I have a reduced workbench made from a B&Q kitchen cabinet door complete with Dremel, Antex soldering iron and the basic tools to complete a kit, except for the painting thereof. That will be done later. I bought the Comet Ivatt Class Five Caprotti kit some time ago (the receipt says February 2014) but added all the necessary extras at the time for a total cost of £220. I subsequently bought the optional horn blocks so that the driving axles could be sprung. This first entry is all about "opening the box". Progress in the coming weeks will be slowed by Christmas activities, etc., but I intend to take my time anyway and detail the progress on this blog. First of all, here is the box sitting on my small work bench: The box itself came beautifully packed and will be useful for carry and storing the locomotive when it is completed. The contents come in numerous packages. I have laid the basic kit out here. The tender is on the right, the engine on the left: Next up, the additional pieces that I ordered to complete the model, at least up to the painting stage. These include motor, gearbox, wheels, pickup, horn blocks: And last but not least, the basic instructions. There are additional downloads from Comet that are invaluable, making for a comprehensive set of instructions. Also, individual packs within the box contain their own instructions. All in all a somewhat formidable set of parts, though there is one simplification that the early Caprotti design has - no outside gearing is visible as the rotary poppet drive was installed between the frames. My next post will consider the options that are available from the kit - several different variants are covered - and my selection of an individual locomotive.

Yesterday I returned from France via Birmingham Airport. I then took the first train into New Street and walked across to Moor Street to just make it onto Platform 1 for the 2:01 p.m. train to Stratford. I was just a bit surprised that the London Midland train did not turn right after Tysleley but continued down the main line to Solihull. With limited stops the train took 40 minutes to reach Stratford. I have since studied Network Rail Timetable 71 and see that the once hourly service has been doubled by alternating trains from Birmingham to Stratford via Solihull or Shirley. Add to this the occasional direct Chiltern service to London Marylebone and Stratford's once threatened connection to the national rail network seems to be in excellent shape. Just to look back, the now successful North Warwickshire Line (renamed the Shakespeare Line for tourism) was severely threatened during the Beeching cuts. Beeching's axe did fall on the remainder of the line to Cheltenham though the GWSR heritage line is expanding north towards Broadway. The triangular junction at Hatton on the main line remains intact and Stratford even has a new station on the north side of town, aptly named Stratford Parkway, which offers excellent parking facilities and shuttle bus access which is lacking at the "town" station. All this activity demonstrates that I may be on to something with my Shipston time machine!

Three more from the South of France: First, a classic SNCF grandes lignes express, westbound through Nissan, hauled by dual voltage 22xxx class: In the opposite direction a TGV Duplex heading for Paris: And now for something completely different: This is the clock and facade at Gare de Perpignan. Salvador Dali famously declared that the station is at the center of the Universe. Well, he was certainly an eccentric and perhaps this proves the point. The original station building on the eastern side was under restoration when I took the photo a year ago, with new facilities now open on the western side. I like the font used on the clock face - could it be mirroring a certain famous mustache? Another year has passed and still no evidence of the LGV from Perpignan to Montpellier being approved. The latest news I have received from the Languedoc-Roussillon regional government is that the route will be finalised (not completed) by the end of 2015. No guesses as to when the project itself will be finished. The part from east of Nimes to west of Montpellier has passed the planning stage and this short 80 km stretch is under construction. Paris to Montpellier will take 3 hours when this is open.