mikemeg

HIGH LEVEL MODELS J72 CHASSIS KIT Ian, Thanks for the comments. Looking at this set of etches, initially, is a little daunting but Chris's instructions do contain some very useful tips for its building :- Only cut out only those parts to be assembled next. Many of the parts are so small that they can very easily be lost if they are left lying around the work area. A lot of the soldering of the multi layer parts relies on their being lined up on the very small holes at the ends. Chris advises using wire, dipped in oil, to locate these parts while soldering; the wire being then withdrawn. I also use some very small broaches, both to open up these tiny holes and, dipped in oil, as locators while soldering them up. Like anything, this depends on a little patience, a little attention to accuracy and using a very small amount of solder on the tip of the iron. I've also found that because of the concentration needed both to locate the appropriate parts and to then solder them up and assemble them, I have to do this in much shorter sessions than I would normally. Just a function of age, perhaps. That said, I did assure Chris (of High Level) that I would build this as per the instructions (with Arthur's test builds I don't normally have instructions so tend to make it up as I go along) and that I would leave nothing of the kit off the build. So far, that has been done!! Still a very enjoyable build and once I can photograph it from far enough away to 'disguise' all the bits of muck and tiny scratches, then it should look the part!!! Cheers Mike

HIGH LEVEL MODELS J72 CHASSIS KIT The kit is designed to be driven off the rear axle. The position of the motor support frame spacer (the one with the curved top in the first potograph) really dictates where the motor should go and its orientation. Cheers MIke

HIGH LEVEL MODELS J72 CHASSIS KIT The slide bars and cross heads have now been assembled and fitted between the cylinder fronts and the motion plate, with the crossheads in different positions along their relative slidebars. The piston rods (0.9 mm wire) have also been cut and fitted. At this level of magnification then every scratch, every bit of dirt shows up to 'real advantage'. Cruel, these close ups. Cheers Mike

BUILDING THE HIGH LEVEL MODELS J72 CHASSIS KIT Quite a few years ago I did a Bachmann J72 conversion, to P4, using a MainlyTrains Chassis kit for the J72. This loco has run well with its High Level 108 : 1 gearbox and a Mashima 1020, so why do the chassis again? While talking to Chris Gibbons, of High Level, regarding an order placed on them, I was persuaded to have a go at their chassis kit for the J72, which is far more prototypically accurate for the J72. When the first twenty J72's were built, by the North Eastern, they used a fairly simple brake linkage arrangement with two pull rods, one either side of the loco to operate the brakes, as per the Mainly Trains chassis kit. Later batches of J72's built both by the LNER and by British Railways, employed a compensated brake linkage arrangement with a single, centrally located compensated pull rod. High Level's chassis kit therefore suits all J72's except the first twenty, which also had a shorter bunker (5 3/4" shorter) than the later LNER and BR batches. Chris also took the opportunity to model the cylinder and valve fronts, the motion plate and the internal motion of these locos in much more detail. The kit is designed to support compensation of the middle and rear axles, with a single rocking beam on the front axle, though it can also be built usng CSB's. The nickel silver etched sheet contains no less than ninety parts, though some (frame spacers, frame spacer overlays, brake yokes) are alternatives for OO, EM and P4. This sheet is etched in a very fine gauge nickel silver (.012") so care must be taken in cutting out the parts and in their handling once cut out, to avoid any distortion. The kit also contains a modified High Level Humpshunter gearbox and a set of 108 : 1 gears designed to accommodate the Mashima 1020 motor. The instructions, provided with the kit, are very detailed with a number of drawings showing the sequence of assembly and how the various parts relate to each other, especially on the internal motion and on the brake gear. Anyway, after a couple of days the basic chassis is assembled, using the chassis jig, with the cylinder and valve fronts all assembled and with the initial components of the internal motion (one crosshead) also fitted. Many of the parts on this kit are three layer etches - the coupling rods, the driving wheel springs, etc. so care must be exercised when soldering up these parts. So this is the state of play after that couple of days and before I launch into the internal motion and the brake gear. Some of the detail is very small so does not show up easily on the photograph but the representation of the cylinder and valve glands and the drain cock mechanism (hidden from view on this photo) is a joy to behold!! Cheers Mike

Paul, Great job. Looks and sounds the part. I do have query about using DCC sound but perhaps I can PM you with that query. Cheers Mike

Looking very good, Paul. I'm guessing that your model is circa 1925 - 30; so days when even humble goods engines were lined out and, probably, kept reasonably clean. Far cry from my 1950 timeframe, when these J24's were disappearing fast (all had gone by 1951) and when those that were left were in dreadful condition. Now time for you to build that A6!! Cheers Mike

Ah, thank God for that. It was the ones with compound expansion, larger diameter pissedons and double blast pipes, which were the real rogues - exhausting all over the place. Lacking any real haulage power (they were rated as 1H's) with very limited route availability; poor at low speeds, even poorer at high speeds, they were rapidly relegated to the more menial equine tasks, though one of them, reportedly, did win a minor selling plate at Blaydon!! They were very rapidly withdrawn and most sent to Darlington - some sent to France, for what purpose I know not - to become glue!!!!! I'll get me coat!! Very best regards Mike

Is that a Worsdell horse or a Fletcher horse? If it were the later Raven horse, then it would have been superheated - perish the thought - and might have had a snifting valve fitted; this for snifting. Lovely model though and a very unusual subject. Cheers Mike

Ken, I've been an avid follower of your thread for quite a while and, though I build 4mm etched kits, I have found your thread to be one of the most informative pieces I have ever seen on building locomotive kits. One or two folk have commented, on my own threads, about the apparent speed (their view not mine) with which I can now build 4mm etched kits. Having adopted many of your approaches and organisational tips, I could do no better than refer those same folks to your thread, here, and I hope you don't mind me so doing. Your thread has been a great help to me and, I know, is and will be a great help to other kit builders. Cheers and many thanks for a great insight. Mike

Finally, at least for my current contributions to this thread, here's a photo of another of the signal models, this time in place on the layout. This was the Hessle Haven down gantry as it appeared up until the mid 1960's, when the track layout and signalling were rationalised. Thanks are due to Mick Nicholson who very kindly rendered this photo into sepia. So, the scene from the shipyard bridge at Hessle Haven as it was in 1950 with a 4-8-0 Class T1 waiting for the road. For anyone who knew this place, in its heyday, then hopefully this photograph will bring back happy memories. Oh to be able to go back sixty five years and spend just one day back in that time, in this place. Cheers Mike

In the photo, above, there is anther signal gantry in the left middle distance. This was the Hessle Haven up starters and was in fact less than a couple of hundred yards from the up signal bridge. This is the model which represents that installation. To make these models I first made very detailed drawings from various photographs of this place, almost all of which photos were supplied by my old mate Mick Nicholson, without whose amazing collection of photos, none of this could have been done. Again, all of the lattice work, except the lattice posts, was scratchbuilt from 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm 'L' angle and strip nickel silver. To build these lattices, jigs were made to the profile of each lattice structure. This too awaits its place on the next section of Hessle Haven. The photo above shows the track layout which has to be built for this section, not forgetting the gasworks of which detailed photos are as rare as 'hens teeth'. Cheers Mike

Not a train (statement of the blindingly obvious) but a 1930's depiction of the LMS Railway's SS Picard as it sets sail for Dunkerque, from Tilbury, on a cool, clear winter's evening. This was painted a few years ago now and is based on a railway poster. Cheers Mike

Somehow, my Hessle Haven layout has a few :- 1 x J71 (in build) 2 x J72 1 x J73 3 x J77 2 x T1 1 x N10 My excuse (if I need an excuse) is that many of these were/are test builds of Arthur Kimber's kits. Hull, up until the mid/late 1950's did have literally dozens of shunting locomotives of a variety of classes. Added to those were the dozens of locomotives (N8's, N10's, N13's, A7's) which were used for trip workings between the docks and the various goods and marshalling yards. So, perhaps, a model of the railways around Hull can't have too many shunting locomotives!!! Cheers Mike

Still waiting to take ts place on Hessle Haven, this is the up signal bridge which stood in this place until the mid sixties. All of the lattice work on this is scratch built; there are no echings for these prototypes. Because of the size of this model it's not easy to photograph, hence it being photographed on its cradle. Hopefuly, later this year, this model and a couple of other scratch built bridges and gantries will take their place on the layout. This one had a span of over sixty feet but I am now finishing another signal bridge - Scarborough Londesborough Road - which had a span of nearly one hundred feet and had eleven dolls on it. They were lovely things these old Mckenzie & Holland bridges and gantries and now there is only one example left working, notwithstanding the one which has been preserved on the NYMR. Cheers Mike

So now you have a J72, then you really will have to think about adding a J71. I think I might know of an upcoming etched brass and nickel silver kit for just such a loco. Then, of course, there are the various different varieties of the J77 and there are certainly kits for those!! Are you planning to build an A6 as part of your loco stud? With Arthur's North Eastern range, 52F's T1 and upcoming A8 plus the North Eastern kits available from London Road models and Dave Bradwell's Q6, then we have almost all of the old North Eastern's classes available; a far cry from just a few years ago. Lovely conversion of the J72; really does look the part. Cheers Mike

That's a nice build of the Q5/1. Having built almost all of the kits in Arthur's range, apart from the Q5/1 and the J24, can I make this comment on the coupling rods. I've always used the two layers of etch, soldered together. After soldering the two layers together I normally just dress the rod with a fine file to remove the join line. I also slightly reduce the thickness of the rod, though not at the journals, and by rather less than the thickness of one layer of the material. This just to remove any excess solder and to burnish the rods. And I do prefer the additional bearing area at the journals, afforded by the two layers soldered together. Building these kits to P4 gauge, can be exacting in terms of clearances, especially on outside cylindered locos but then the prototypes had very tight clearances between crankpins and motion, down to 1/2" on the B15's. Certainly on the B15 and Q5/2 I used flush crankpin nuts on the front drivers, which works well and prevents any fouling. Cheers Mike

I have to confess that I do, quite often, light and orientate my photographs to look moody. My most vivid memories of steam locomotives, especially on their Sunday rest day, was in the half light of dusk with them semi silhouetted against a darkening evening sky. In this light it was so easy to appreciate the sheer size and majesty of these machines, most especially from ground level. So, in this spirit of moody half light and broody massiveness, then the A6 again. I'm just finishing another of these locos - using Arthur's kit - which has been built as a saturated loco (shorter smokebox) and will be 69798 as it was in mid 1950 but with the first British Railways livery. Cheers Mike

Thanks Paul, but it really isn't difficult to find descriptions for steam locomotives and the days of steam, for it was the most amazing anachronism. While the Americans were already venturing into space, and the Russians. While jet airliners and supersonic military aircraft were being developed, we continued to build and to use steam locomotives. Perhap it was because it was such an anachronism, in an age of amazing technological development, that we loved it so much and mourned its passing. It never ceases to amaze me how many steam locomotives survived into preservation and, now, we are building new ones. Testament to a machine which is, aesthetically, just intrinsically right and which still excites and thrills whole new generations, just as we thrilled to their sight, their sound and their smell, those many years ago. Once again, many thanks. Cheers Mike

Thanks Mick. I guess, like me, you too have a fondness for the locos of the old LNER and especially the North Eastern. Even in their final days, these things looked just lovely; clean lines, everything in proportion and just broodily massive. Regards Mike

While I finish off these three J77's, here's a picture of another ex-NER tank locomotive, the A6. This was finished in reasonably clean condition, though starting to exhibit the weather worn appearance of most locomotives in 1950. Can anyone advise me as to whether the boiler bands and valance edge were lined when this livery was first used circa 1949? I have to confess that I do love these large North Eastern tank locos and I really must add the A7 and A8 to the fleet! Cheers Mike

The wheels, gearbox and motor have now been added to the first of these Fletcher cab J77's, leaving just the brake linkage, buffers and a few other details still to be done. This loco will be 68409 as it appeared around mid 1950. So I'm very nearly done on this J77 building fest. Cheers Mike

Thanks Mick. I'm sure you will replicate it in 7mm. I do know of one or two folks who can still remember that weekly crocodile through Hull, every Saturday lunchtime. Cheers Mike

The second of the two Fletcher cab J77's has now had two sets of driving wheels fitted - the centre axle will have the geabox and motor attached. All cabside handrails have been formed and fitted and all boiler handrail stanchions have also been fitted. To ensure straightness of the boiler handrail stanchions, each is threaded onto a length of handrail wire and fixed with the handrail wire engaged in all stanchions so far fitted. Laborious, yes, but boiler handrails which aren't straight really do shout back, especially under the magnification of the digital camera. So now for the last detailing activities and then the final wheeling and powering of the two chassis. Just three of the variations of the J77, with a Worsdell cab and two Fletcher cab examples, all different! And there are at least two more visibly different variants of this class (square windows on one cab sheet, round windows on the other) which this Fletcher cab version of the kit can represent, not including the two which were rebuilt from York built BTP's, though neither of the J77 kits represents those two. I wonder if this line up reminds anyone of the Saturday lunchtime 'procession' of shunting locos from Hull's Victoria Dock to Dairycoates shed, for their weekly boiler washout. With the addition of a couple of J72's (Bachmann conversions), a J71 (when available) and a J73, then this line up should be fairly representative of those long gone days. Cheers Mike

Chassis Number one of this pair has now had two sets of driving wheels fitted - the centre set carries the gearbox and motor so have not yet been fitted. More detailing has been done on the body with he fitting of the footplate steps, reversing lever and the cab and tank front handrails. Doesn't look a lot, this, but I do take quite a time, with handrails, to get them straight and sitting at the correct distance from the platework. Chassis Number two and body number two will be done to this state, tomorrow. Cheers Mike

Thanks Mick. Yes, Arthur's kits do contain some very neat features, not least the brake assemblies, which are a lovely piece of etching. Things like the mainframe springs, brakes, etc. have that 'chunky' feel of the prototype, through the use of multiple layers of etching and half etching. Incidentally, for anyone following this thread and who is interested in building one (or more) of these J77's, Arthur has updated his own thread - North Eastern Kits - with the schedule of planned release for these models. This thread can be found under the 'Smaller Suppliers' topic area. Cheers Mike