mikemeg

Thanks Mick. I guess there's an element of nostalgia, for all of us, in making these models, though I never did see the full complement of steam shunting locos in Hull. Just a year or two too late to see that. You'll forgive me if I say that you are way too young to have seen it; yet, for all that, those days still resonate with you. So, while the smokeboxes are unencumbered by handrail stanchions, lamp irons, etc., an opportunity to fit the chimneys. For me, fitting both chimneys and domes is a very specific activity and is not just 'sticking them on'. For both chimneys and domes, I always use Araldite (the quick or slow setting variety) as this gives enough time to really seat the casting and allows any slight irregularities on the underside of the casting, to be filled with the glue. The chimney(s)/dome(s) are then left for twelve hours for the glue to cure and set, after which any glue which has oozed out of the seating is very carefully scraped off. The seating can then be filed and lightly abaded with emery to achieve the feathering. This can take up to an hour but the results are well worth the effort. Nothing mars a model more than badly seated chimney and dome. Cheers Mike

Yes, I remember Hull Brewery being taken over by Mansfield, though I never knew whether Mansfield continued to brew Hull Brewery Ales, or whether they used their own brand names. Mick, can you remember that smell of malted barley which almost always pervaded the streets around the brewery, in Hull. Anyway, more work has been done on the two Fletcher cab J77's with the completion of the smokeboxes. The smokebox wrappers are rolled using the boiler roller and are rolled to the diameter of the front former. The bottom portion of each side of the wrapper is then 'unrolled'; simply straightened out and the tight radius reverse curve is then formed, on each side. The forming of this tight radius is assisted by the presence of half etched lines, which do allow it to be formed quite easily. Finally, the smokebox front sheet is soldered up to the smokebox and everything cleaned up and burnished with the fibre glass brush. It is now becoming much easier to do everything in duplicate, so keeping the two models in step. Mind you, I think triplication might stretch the self discipline to breaking point though I did, once, scratch build three LNER 3500 gallon tenders together. So the two Fletcher cab models and the completed Worsdell cab J77 all lined up 'fer a phertergraph', as might be said in Hull. Cheers Mike

It was indeed a pint of dark mild in those days; is Hull Bewery mild still available? But circumstances, tastes and, most importantly, ability to deal with liquid volume, all change and so by a combination of choice and necessity, now I drink something of much less volume, and a very different taste. Cheers Mick Mike

Both boilers have had their circular former soldered into the front end, after soldering an 8BA nut to the rear of each of the boiler formers. The formers are soldered into the boiler around 2 mm from the end of the boiler, to allow for the accommodation of the brass ring which forms the aesthetic joint between the boiler and the smokebox. Both smokebox frames have been folded and soldered, again with an 8BA nut on the portion which sits on the footplate. My normal way of soldering these 8BA nuts is to tin the area where the nut will be positioned and then poke a cocktail stick through the hole, The 8BA nut is them screwed onto the end of the cocktail stick until it is tight against the tinned surface. Then a quick wipe around with the iron, allow the whole lot to cool and then unscrew the cocktail stick and withdraw it. This method stops any ingress of solder into the threaded part of the nut and, even if a small amount of solder does get into the threads, the 8BA screw will soon remove it. This is very much easier than trying to solder the nut with the screw in place; too easy to solder the whole lot up solid. So, day's end and supper and a glass (or two) of Shiraz now beckon. And both models are still exactly in step; perhaps I will finish them both together!! Cheers Mike

Both models have now had their cab floors assembled and fitted, as well as the cab fronts which have been soldered in place; the one with square windows, the other with round windows. What's the betting that I inadvertently mix these two, to produce two of the round/square 'hybrids'. Both cab interiors can now be done, while the cab rears are still open. Anyway, still keeping both models exactly in step, both boilers have been rolled and seam soldered, after drilling out the appropriate dome position and filling and then re-drilling the locations for the Ross pop valves, in the round window version. The hole for the 'trumpet' in the firebox, for the square window version, is already etched and simply needs just a little opening out. Neither boiler is yet fixed, both are simply held horizontal by the fit between the side tanks; a good test of whether (or not) the boiler is circular and of exactly the correct diameter! Now to detail both boilers and build both smokeboxes. Cheers Mike

The second superstructure etch has now been folded up, the roof profiled and the side tanks soldered up, after filling both side tanks with sheet lead. I actually bought a roll of lead flashing six metres long by 150 mm (6 inches) wide by 2.5 mm thick - probably enough to weight several hundred models, far more than I shall ever build - from which I cut the fillings for the side tanks, in this case 44 mm x 12 mm. I also clip out the corner of the cut pieces, to allow for the handrail brackets and the tank filler casting stems at the front of the tanks. I normally aim for an all up weight of seven or eight ounces for these 0-6-0's and 0-6-2's, so the side tanks do allow for about two to three ounces of weight to be added. The remaining weight is added to the boiler, in the shape of a rolled coil of lead sheet, and to the bunker. Some additional weight can be added between the mainframes, where these are hidden by the side tanks. It is worth adding that all lead, whether sheet or shot, is stuck in using Araldite. The problems, attendant with using PVA to stick lead, are all too well known! The difference between the two models, at least the major visible difference, is already apparent with the shape of the cab windows. So far both models are pretty well in step, but can I resist the temptation to push on with just one of them? Cheers Mike

If I hark back to one of the earlier photos of the Fletcher cab version(s) of this class and kit, then one quandry will become obvious, namely how to sequence the assembly of the cab floor and cab details. Normally, with an arc cab roof, this roof can be left off until all of the cab detailing is completed; everything being added through the vacant cab roof space. On these Fletcher cabs, as with many other loco types of this vintage, the cab roof is an integral part of the cabside and tank side platework; thus there is no vacant roof space. If both the cab front and cab rear are fixed in place, early in the assembly sequence, then adding the cab floor and cab interior details becomes very difficult, if not almost impossible. So, the assembly sequence which would seem most sensible, is to leave the assembly and fitting of the cab rear/bunker front until everything inside the cab has been assembed and fitted and painted. The cab rear details - sandboxes, locker, coal hole, window guard irons will then be fitted to the cab rear and, once this assembly is completed and painted, then the cab rear sub-assembly will be fitted. This might also illustrate why test building these kits is an essential part of their development. Cheers Mike

Thanks, Mick. As for the Patriot of 1968 that has long since disappeared and I'm not sure that I would now be at all satisfied with it, were it still around. Perhaps, in the not too distant future, I will find the time to do an unrebuilt Patriot, though now I would use an r-t-r model as the basis. One of the problems of modelling part of Hull, in 1950, is the almost bewildering array of locomotive classes which were based in or ran to and through Hull at that time. As I have oft remarked, oh to be able to spend a day in mid 1950 watching that seemingly unending procession of trains. Arthur was fortunate enough to have seen not only those days but the even earlier days of the LNER and LMS and to have seen many of those days as far back as the war years. We can only look at the myriad photographs of those times and just marvel, perhaps with a nostalgic sigh, at a very different world (though I don't think many of us would exchange our world now, for the world then) and a totally different railway. Cheers Mike

The boiler handrails have now been fitted, as have the NER tapered buffers. I also turned up some tank breathers, though these will be in the kit as castings. The white metal dome casting has been fettled and then seated on the boiler, feathering the seating as much as possible. Failing to seat the dome properly can really detract from a model. So as far as the kit goes, this is now complete. I will spend a few more hours adding additional details to this model; organ pipe whistle, sand pipes and the pipework just forward of the rear driving wheels will be fabricated and added, though I will do these as batches of three or six, when all three models are complete. Anyway, Arthur's kit for the Worsdell cab J77; a lovely little loco! Cheers Mike

Mick, According to the August 1950 stock list and shed allocations, 68440 was allocated to Hull Alexandra Dock so, perhaps, returned to Hull. 68409 came to Hull around the time that Middlesborough and Newport sheds closed, both replaced by the then new shed at Thornaby. Cheers MIke

Doug, I can't help you with the cash situation but I can say that this J77, in both versions, does look a very nice kit and does make up into a very fine model of a pretty, if somewhat idiosyncratic, locomotive. Cheers Mike

Mick, If you look at a couple of postings back, you'll see that I too found a photo of 68409; though I think this was taken at Middlesborough. This loco came to Hull some time in 1958 and, like so very many ex North Eastern Locos, finished its days there. And Mick, here's a photo just for you. In a class of 'oddballs', this one was unique, as it had an arc roofed Fletcher style cab with large, square windows, J72 type combined splashers and sandboxes and different profiled mainframes. It also had all three sets of driving wheel springs under the mainframes, unlike any other J77. Just to complete this 'litany of the unusual', the photo shows the loco derailed; I assume this was at Alexandra Dock shed though that large LMS loco immediately behind? As ever Mick, many thanks for the kind words; they are always much appreciated. Cheers Mike

Both footplates have been folded up and assembled, though there is still a little soldering to do on footplate two. On footplate number one, the splashers have been completed, as have the valance flares at the ends of the valances. These are part of the etch and simply fit into half etched sections on the fold up valances. The loco superstructure is a one piece etching and must be treated with care, especially when filing back the etching tabs after cutting this section out. I chose to bend up the cab roof before I folded up the side tanks and this operation is absolutely critical to getting the model right. On these test etches, only the tighter radius curves have half etched lines inside the roof to assist with forming these radii; Arthur is now extending this so that the whole of the roof curve has half etched lines on the inside. This to prevent a kink forming between the plain section and the half etched sections at the interection of the different roof radii. I used a 3/8" diameter rod to form the tighter curves, just above the cab cut outs, with just finger pressure to form the larger radius over the remainder of the cab roof. I did make repeated reference to the cab front as a pattern though it is not advisable to try and bend the roof against either the cab front or cab rear; these components, even when both layers are soldered together, will not take any significant pressure. So just trial and error until the curves on the roof match the pattern of the cab front or rear. I then made breather pipes from 0.7 mm wire, which were fitted into holes on the inside of the tanks, just aft of the cab front, and then bent up to follow the profile of the cab roof before emerging through holes on each side of the cab roof. The final operation, prior to fitting the superstructure to the footplate, is to cut out and fit the cabside beading to both cab cut outs. Not much to say about this other than tin the whole extent of the beading on one side and then plenty of flux on the beading as it is soldered to the half etched recesses at the edge of the cab cut outs. Slowly is the watchword for achieving a good fit on this beading! So now to bring the second model, with round windows, up to this same stage. Cheers Mike

At this point, and while I await the final castings to fit to the Worsdell cab version of the J77, let's now move on to the Fletcher cab versions. The first two batches of J77's, numbering forty locos, retained their original Fletcher cabs, though with some modifications during the rebuilds. There were a number of externally visible variations to these locos, most noticably in the shape of the cab windows. Some locos had circular cab windows; some had square cab windows and some had a mixture of both, with round windows at the front of the cab, square at the rear and vice versa, There were also variations in the safety valves fitted to these locomotives, through their lives, with some locomotives being fitted with Ross pop safety valves, while other locomotives retained their North Eastern 'trumpet' safety valve casings until their withdrawal. Additionally, some locomotives had a buffer beam extension fitted to the front, involving bolting the standard North Eastern steel/wood/steel 'sandwich' to the front buffer beam. This was done without extending the front footplate which did give the locos a look of this being an 'add on'. With this number of variations, then a photo of the chosen prototype, in the period of the chosen model, is necessary to establish what variations were fitted. I am actually building two of these Fletcher cab locos; the one to be 68429, which had round windows, Ross pop saftety valves and no front buffer beam extension. The other will be 68409,which had square windows, retained its North Eastern 'trumpet' safety valve casing and had the front buffer beam extension. The intention is to build both locos in parallel, so that each stage of the assembly is replicated across both models. Time will tell whether I achieve this!! Cheers Mike

More details have been added, in the shape of the sanding gear operating rods, extending to the tops of the front sandboxes; the blower valve on the smokebox, the cab handrails and the boiler handrail stanchions. With these North Eastern locos where the smokebox is some 9" greater in diameter than the boiler, in order to achieve a boiler handrail which is parallel to both the smokebox and the boiler, it is necessary to use two sizes of handrail stanchion (assuming that the builder uses Alan Gibson handrail stanchions, as I do). For the smokebox, then the short length is used; for the boiler, the medium length is used. The left hand smokebox fixing for the handrail is the blower valve union, which is a very tiny casting and can easily disappear into the carpet, never to be seen again! For the cab entrance handrails, Arthur, has etched small holes with raised surrounds where these handrails are intended to fit into the footplate. I normally broach these holes out to just over .3 mm, cut the handrail to length (in this case 16.5 mm) and then file an oblique point onto the .3 mm wire, so that it engages into the hole easily. For fixing these very small handrails, I use superglue, simply depositing a very small blob on a piece of scrap cardboard and then very carefully dipping both ends of the handrail into this blob. So, perhaps only .5 mm (.020") of the handrail is actually carrying the glue. I use a very similar technique to fix the handrail stanchions into the smokebox and boiler. I guess, on these test builds, there is something of a temptation to stop once the 'macro' building has been finished. I have to confess that as I do more and more of these test builds, then this temptation has diminished, to the point where I now must pursue the build to final and total completion. Taken a year or two to get to that!! And yes, this still needs a dome, which will be fitted as soon as more castings arrive. Quite a pretty little loco!! Cheers Mike

Apart from the dome, the majority of the castings are now fitted. The chimney is a brass casting and is a very nice piece of casting. The arc shaped smokebox front handrail has also been formed and fitted. I still have to add buffers and three link couplings, the boiler and cab entrance handrails, as well as sandpipes, tank vents and the detailed backhead, which will be done while I start the next two test builds from Arthur. Next up will be two more J77's, though each different, both from this one and from each other. Cheers Mike

Having now received the various castings, from Arthur, then these can now be added. The front driving wheel springs, located above the footplate, are actually fabricated from four layers of etches soldered together. Now the model begins to look like a locomotive. Cheers Mike

Mick, Agreed,the B15 is a lovely loco, though I reckon when Arthur has the etches done for the C6, then that will eclipse even this one. Cheers Mike

The brakes are now all positioned and the brake linkage has been added, along with the inside slide bars. So, apart from the final addition of the crankpin collars and the final adjustment of the journals, plus the guard irons and pick ups, then that's about it for this chassis. Cheers Mike

Mick, I have done a build of the B15, which is somewhere within this topic area. And yes, it does make up into a quite beautiful model. I've only had the final castings for this for a week or two, so once the current round of test builds is completed, then I'll finish this. Only the cab castings and the footplate mechanical lubricator, plus some sand pipes to add to achieve completion. All of Arthur's kits have been/are a joy to build but this one and the D20 just exemplify the beauty of Victorian and Edwardian NER locomotive design; they are lovely. Cheers Mike

Following the coat of primer, the chassis can now be painted with a coat of weathered black. I almost always use this weathered black on chassis, either leaving it as is or adding further weathering coats of very diluted leather and/or wood mixed with some rusty weathering powder. Once dry, then the wheels can be fitted, after having their crankpins ftted. On Gibson wheels, I normally make a countersink, on the rear of the wheel, to allow the crankpin head to sit flush with the back of the wheel. This also locks the crankpin into the wheel more effectively. Just a 3/32" drill twisted round a couple of times in the pre-drilled crankpin hole, on the back of the wheel, will make a sufficient countersink to accept the head of the crankpin. The wheels can then be fitted and gauged. On most of Arthur's chassis, when built to P4 gauge, there is quite a lot of sideplay on the driving wheels. I normally take most of this sideplay out by adding a brass washer to each side of the driving axle. Arthur does supply an etch of various washers, handwheels and boiler bands (half etched), which does include a number of 1/8" inside diameter washers, all etched in .010" brass. After gauging, the wheels can then be quartered. I don't know what the conventional wisdom is, for doing this activity, but I always locate one wheel with the crankpin at bottom dead centre, held by fingers, and then slowly rotate the opposing wheel until the crankpin is horizontal i.e. 90 degrees opposed. Obviously, the 90 degree oppositions must all be in the same orientation. Anyway, after quartering, the journals in the coupling rods were just eased off by a couple of thou, using the appropriate broach, and then the rods were test fitted to the crankpins. At this point the crankpin collars haven't been fitted and the journals are only just oversize to the crankpins. Testament to the accuracy of the chassis jig, with only a couple of thou of clearance, everything revolves without binding, so now the final stages can be undertaken with the fitting of the crankpin collars, opening up the journals to around 2 - 3 thou over the collar size, adding the crankpin nuts and, finally, trimming the crankpins to length. Best not to overdo this phase of the chassis testing so as not to damage the very fine threads on the crankpins and certainly don't try running the chassis, under power, in this state. Fortunately on this 0-6-0, as on all inside cylindered locos, there is no necessity to recess the front crankpin nut to clear slide bars, connecting rods, etc. At this stage the compensation can also be checked by gently rocking the chassis from side to side and end to end. If the chassis moves easily and restores to level under its own weight then all is well with the compensation. Next stages, once the rolling chassis is complete, is to position the brakes and then fit the brake linkage under the frames, followed by the addition of pickups and those guard irons. And I did commit to having the chassis build verified by the middle of this week so, target more or less achieved! Cheers Mike

The chassis has now had a coat of grey primer and the brakes have been fitted to the brake hangars though not yet positioned and fixed within the hangars. This will be done once the wheels and coupling rods are on and the chassis is tested for free running. The cylinder covers have also been fitted between the front of the frames to protrude, very slightly, above the footplate. So now we have an 0-3-0. Cheers Mike

Thanks Will. I do enjoy these test builds though, on here, I don't highlight any of the issues which might arise, even if they are few and far between; those are just reported back to Arthur. I guess having scratch built a few 4 mm locos, over the years, helps in this test building. Once again, the comments are much appreciated. Cheers Mike

Having now largely assembled the chassis, apart from the guard irons, it is now time to establish the positioning of the motor and gearbox assembly. I normally do this before I fix the boiler and smokebox assembly into the loco body. This chassis has had some additional weight, in the form of sheet lead, fixed between the rear and middle driving wheels to balance the loco about the centre driving wheels. Then a plasticard 'tower' is built to support the motor in its correct orientation, adding successive layers until the motor will sit in its correct position. Using plasticard for this motor support does prevent the transmission of noise to the chassis, as this stuff does deaden sound. These small 0-6-0's do require the motor to be very carefully positioned so as not to interfere with the later fitting of the backhead. So with the gearbox/motor assembly mounted on the driven axle, the position of the motor can be established, to clear both the backhead and the top of the firebox. The motor simply rests on this plasticard 'tower' such that the whole gearbox/motor assemby can rock with the movement of the compensating beams, so no attempt is made to 'house' the motor in a shaped cradle. The protruding motor shaft, not utilised, will be cropped off before the chassis is finally fitted, using the Dremel with a slitting disc. The gearbox, used on this model, is the High Level Humpshunter with a gearing ratio of 108 : 1 which does allow them to run very slowly. Cheers Mike

The brake hangar stretchers and front brake hangar brackets have now been added to the chassis, along with the small fillets which constitute the inner brake hangar brackets on the middle and rear sets of brake hangars. These have to be fitted very carefully, lined up with with wire smeared with oil to prevent them from becoming soldered up solid, then slotted through the brake hangar brackets. Anyway, everything worked to plan and the brake hangar postioning wires could then be withdrawn after these tiny items were soldered to the mainframes. The small triangular brackets, which supported the front and rear buffer beams, have also been added to the chassis. The ashpan has also been folded up and soldered into place between the mainframes. So now this is about ready for a coat of primer, after masking off the hornguides and hornblocks to avoid any primer getting into the horncheeks and preventing them from sliding freely, after which the inside slide bars will be fitted. Cheers Mike