Barclay

This week the bonnet has been lengthened at the back with fret waste. The assembly hasn't been attached yet so if the primer coat shows a need for filler this can be dealt with. It is also now full of lead, apart from where the motor and gearbox intrude. All up weight at this stage is 76g and it won't get a lot heavier as there is nowhere left to put it - not at the front end anyway. Putting weight in the cab achieves nothing unfortunately. This means the loco can now handle a couple of wagons happily, and while that's not very good, I am very pleased with it, it is extremely slow, smooth, and controllable, which is quite important for a loco that could only manage 9mph! That hint of rock in the back axle also keeps the pickups working, and it is proving a reliable runner. Buffers and couplings have now been fitted though I can't see any way of making the buffers operable. The cab roof isn't yet fixed in place, and won't be until after painting, but it has been drilled for the exhaust, which is the slimmest brass tube I could find, turned down as far as I dared. Nearly ready for a good clean up now, if I can stop playing with it for long enough...

The way I see it the jigs are probably more use when building a rigid chassis, because it has to be absolutely true. A compensated loco doesn't of course which sounds awful I know and you naturally do your best, but I've never felt the need for more than the pointy LRM jig axles. @Clive Mortimore, I remember Karlgarin Models with great fondness - Richard was always so helpful to this know-nothing teenager! (Still know nothing, but not a teenager any more...)

Once when working on a second hand loco a friend had bought, I managed to shear off a Romford crankpin. Not having any spares, I ground it flat with the face of the wheel, drilled right through the middle of the stump, and installed a Gibson 'pin from the back. How I got away with that I can't imagine but I wouldn't have the temerity to try it again (quit while you're ahead!)

Really good value too, given that it has barely gone up in price over the course of nearly 200 MRJ's !

That definitely would have been the sensible option!

I've been looking at this thing this morning, whilst working (honestly!), and I have started to develop doubts about the length of the bonnet. It's the proportion of it compared to the cab that looked slightly out, a little short. Measurement suggested the cab is 91% of the length of the bonnet, whereas the drawing in @Ruston's book suggests it should be about 85%. But where is the problem? The drawing also suggests that the front of the radiator should be pretty much flush with the front edge of the frames, and the kit is not so. So - moving the bonnet forward to the desired position gives a gap at the rear of about 1 - 1.5mm. This can be filled, but before I do it, do these thoughts seem reasonable? On a more positive note, more room for lead! Photo also shows cab beading now in place. Not the etches supplied but 0.33mm brass wire.

Nearly a year ago, the time has flown. Geoff was a stalwart of our Essex area group of the EM Gauge Society, and, as described above, a lovely man, his passing came as a real shock. Tower Pier survives in the hands of one of his operating team.

Absolutely - I'm not questioning the logic, just saddened by its passing!

Because for some of us, it has been a part of our lives for years - I always looked out for it every time I went through Shenfield. Even non-enthusiasts are aware of it, because it was right next to a busy platform with thousands of commuters passing it daily. And, with a few preserved lines in the County, there was always the hope that it would one day be saved. Some of us enthusiasts develop quite romantic attachments to old railway equipment, for some reason...

With a borrow of my friend Chris' 3/32" reamer I was able to get the chassis assembled, and all pretty straightforward, though as you can see, when adding the 603 to secure the gearwheel I forgot to make sure the gearbox was central - luckily it still just fits. The wheels each had 4 holes drilled in them before assembly - these Sharmans are very nice and fine. They were always a touch finer than Gibson but these look more like P4 - perhaps they are? It seems to work anyway. Since the photo was taken pickups have been added and the loco has now moved on the layout under its own power. Some weight has been added in the form of lead sheet, and it is very clear that any weight rear of the back axle is counter-productive to traction. The jury is out on whether the loco will be able to perform any useful work when it is finished! I mean it ran superbly with a brass EM back to back gauge perched on top of the bonnet but it did spoil the appearance somewhat!

Agreed - the Ambis chassis is in a different league to the K's one. I'm pretty sure the K's wheels are too big as well. I attach a couple of pictures to show the Ambis chassis being shoehorned into the K's body, and the final result, which I was pleased with, it took a bit of work! Wheels are Gibson, as suggested by @Steamport Southport.

And why I think the HO scale 4F had a reversing rod on both sides!

Is IPA available off the shelf in the UK in the same way as it seems to be in the US and Canada?

I can't quite tell from the picture whether the motor and gearbox shafts are in the same plane or not? If they are then a simple length of neoprene tube, as supplied by Branchlines, could suffice, as I used in this re-motored Tenshodo brass GP35.

Crikey - I was intending to show this build as a blow-by blow account, as usual, but just a couple of sessions have seen most of the work completed! The chassis was assembled in the usual way, using the spacers provided. Bearings in the front, for the driven axle, and a rocking tube bearing at the back to give a little compensation. There seemed little point in going the whole hog with hornblocks when the axle concerned isn't even driven, let alone connected to the other one by coupling rods. The drivetrain fits nicely - the motor will be in the cab of course but there'll be a crew to hide it (sort of), and room for plenty of lead under the bonnet. The body started with a fold up platform, to which cab and bonnet are added. The brass is a little soft and care was needed to avoid distortion, but the bonnet folded up very easily. The louvred bonnet overlays were added with superglue because I could imagine it all falling to pieces again if it was soldered. The next stage will be to wheel it up and add pickups so the running can be checked. After that I need to see what I have for the front grille, because the one supplied, as @Ruston has advised, is completely wrong. I have some proper mesh that is rather coarse, and some Scalelink etching that's much finer but may not be 'open' enough. I will submit photo's in due course and see what others think. Looking at this photo., I realise I have forgotten to add the cab beading - lucky I haven't fixed down the roof yet!

It would be amazing to see it back up again and I hope it all works out for you. I remember when we were viewing properties, the estate agent was surprised at how keen I was to view the loft, but you have to get your priorities right!

About 10 loaded coal wagons, on the level. I don't think I'll manage that. As to whether it will fit, that's a 'probably' !

I have had success with an overnight soak in white vinegar, followed by a scrub with Cif: Before & after:

I suspect it was too 'hard core' for most modern buyers, i.e. it actually worked like a camera! I have an older D200 that a friend gave me when he upgraded and while it takes a good picture the menus can be quite hard work for a traditionalist like me.

A definite change of cover style then - I like it!

I always think that one of the things that can spoil photo's in the modelling press, and on here, is colours that seem too strong. With my own model photo's I almost always dial down the colour and they instantly seem more believable. I think your Nikon Df colours are much more natural.

I'm pleased with how this turned out, but a strange thing when I was re-assembling it - the tyres are now very loose on the wheels. Does this mean the Dettol has shrunk them or very slightly dissolved them? Easily fixed in this case with a thin wrap of masking tape.

Yes I think so, and in the mid 80's you only had 20:1 gears for wheels this small, so you could probably pull wheelies with it!

Looking back through other threads I see that it's more than 2 years since the Saltport Harbour Authority acquired a new locomotive. 2 main line interlopers, not to mention a small American layout, have effortlessly used up my modelling time it seems, but now it's time to set matters straight. I bought this kit at Expo-EM a couple of years ago. I could have had the Judith Edge kit for less, and I'm sure it's at least as good, but there's always been something about the Impetus range that has drawn me - perhaps that lovely box artwork, perhaps just the fact that they were being released when I was reading those early MRJs and being deeply inspired by what I was seeing. The kit came with Sharman wheels and a Branchlines + Ultrascale gearbox, and the plan is to use those. The loco. will only have 2-wheel drive, as originally designed. I know I could do better these days, with the High Level Quad-driver gearbox, etc. but that would exclude the Sharman wheels, with their 3/32" axles, so I have decided to keep it simple and use what I have. The motor is a small Mashima open-frame example, and the power train has been set up and is running very nicely, so I'm hoping that with the right weight and balance the thing will at least be able to pull a couple of wagons! The gearbox has been cut away at the lower corners in order to preserve full daylight underneath. Reference is available aplenty, thanks to @Ruston's thread and book. The kit represents an early-ish example, with the open cab entrance, and the 'RUSTON' script painted on the front, which suits the period of my layout nicely. It's 1947 and they will soon have two diesels - they are obviously more progressive than I have previously given them credit for !

After a shunting session today I have to say that this loco is one of the quietest and sweetest running I have ever built, which is a great recommendation for that 'ebay cheapo' motor - I just need to remember where I got it now! I bought it several years ago and the ebay history doesn't go back that far. At least I have one more...