Daskel

I thought I'd share some of the next stages of the build if only to save folk going down the same rabbit-holes I have visited recently - at least accidentally. I should mention that I'm modelling in EM gauge so may be 'enjoying' wider clearances in places. Earlier on I'd written that I'd matched a 1015/Roadrunner Compact+ combination against the drawing and the fit looked ok. In the cold light of a following dawn I realised that this test fit was for a different kit when I was choosing my next victim from the stash. I.e. not the class K. Oops. The instructions say 'It may be possible to fit' the above gearbox/motor combo driving the middle axle. I'd started down the compensation route outlined in the instructions and etched parts which point towards compensating the front and middle axle and driving the rear. So, following this I'd already fitted hornblocks to the front and middle axles and fixed bearings to the rear as can be seen in the photos above. Waving a ruler over the model left me unconvinced that the gearbox/motor combo would fit on the rear axle or it would be marginal if it did. So I decided to build enough of the body so that I could test fit the various bits and pieces. So on to Plan A. - I assembled the frame of the gearbox, i.e. everything except fitting the actual gear train. - I then built the footplate to the point where I could fit the firebox. - Next came the firebox. This gave enough parts to test fit the motor and gearbox driving the rear axle. Photos below... The above shows the motor/gearbox arranged on the rear axle. The firebox is 'centred' over the two inboard slots level with the rear of the motor mount. To get the motor into the firebox I needed the mount to 'shift' some 5mm further back. This couldn't happen as the rear part of the gearbox fouled the cab floor. I tried fitting the lower part of the gearbox 'upside down' on the motor mount but this didn't help. Here's a photo with the firebox in position. As can be seen the centre of the motor mount protrudes beyond the front of the firebox. Not good! I considered a few options - Modify the gearbox such that it didn't foul the cab floor. This didn't look promising as I think it would have left the gears proud of the gearbox and so they would foul the cab floor. - Modify the gearbox less drastically, modify the cab floor and probably the rear of the firebox. Again I didn't fancy this as it felt over complicated. - Check if driving the centre axle would work. - Use a different motor and gearbox. I looked at a few options here mostly from the smaller scales (OO-9 and 2mm). Some reasonable options here which I think could be made to work although I had a feeling that I'd end up having to build a gearbox. Also most of the axles were 2mm so I'd have to get some convertors to 1/8" that I am using. No real show-stoppers though. In the end I decided to try the centre axle approach first as being the easiest to try. Photos below... The photo above shows the motor mount approximately aligned with the slots for the firebox. (it looks like the idler axle in the gearbox isn't quite home.) I have had to remove the portions of the dummy valve gear behind the support rod I'd fitted to get this to fit. The photo below shows the gearbox on the centre axle, the motor centred on the motor mount and the firebox in place. The spindle of the motor is sticking through the hole for the safety valve. This all looks like it will fit. One more (poor) photo showing the motor in the firebox. As you can see there's not much room to spare but it looks doable. So I think I'll plug on down the driven centre axle route. I'm now wondering whether to replace the fixed rear axle bearing with hornblocks.... As you can probably see I've built some of the bodywork while ruminating over the drive arrangements, No problems in the most part but a couple of observations. I annealled all the bits that needed a curve. This included all the small parts such as the splashers and the bunker doors. ... but I forgot to mark the positions of the bends in the cab roof (there are some etched guide marks on the fret). There doesn't seem to be room to fit the rearmost wheel arch surrounds (part E61) as they foul the cab sides (E51). I couldn't find the rear wheel arch covers (E39) on the fret. Some of the half etched parts such as the cab sides (E51) need delicate handling (at least by me) as they're 0.2mm thick. The overlays appear to be the same size as the underlying parts which leaves a gap where these parts meet. I think I'd spend some time removing some material from the underlying parts if doing it again although it's not obvious how easy this would be for the bunker. Nothing too difficult to overcome. Here's a photo of it pieced together courtesy of blutack, Some fettling still required. I need to find a photo showing how the tank was positioned on the boiler. Equal gaps at each end? Hard against the firebox? Hmm.

I said that I'd share some photos if I ever got that far. After a few false starts I've settled on the chassis looking as it does in the photos. I'm sure it's only part way accurate in terms of prototype but it's ok as far as I'm concerned and will probably be better after some paint. I looked at the photos kindly supplied in the posts above and watched a few Youtube animations of Stephenson valve gear to better understand a likely layout of the various parts. My first attempt was to make the slide bars attached to the front frame spacer into an inverted 'u' with a length of brass rod simulating the piston rod. This involved cutting the outer 'bars' for both sets of slide bars at the half etch joint with the spacer. I had hoped that the brass rod soldered to the centre 'bar' and the front spacer would provide sufficient support as it was all very delicate. This proved too delicate to survive my handling. My second attempt was to make a combined slide bars and connecting rod from a piece of bullhead rail. The rail webs were filed off for the connecting rod portion but left in place to look like the slide bars. A slight bend would allow things to line up between the 'cylinder' and the centre axle. Hopefully painting would disguise the one-piece look. While I was sorting out the angles for this it dawned on me that the diagram in Daddyman's post is showing a view from the rear of the loco. I'm not sure why I hadn't realised this before but there you go. So on to attempt three. For this I used the parts in the kit. Working with the frames upside down I placed a temporary support across the top of the hornblocks. I then soldered the E13,E14 and E12 parts to the rear of the centre frame spacer using blutack to hold it all in place. The E12 parts pass through the centre slot in the spacer and were soldered into the slots in the front spacer. Removing the blutack and temporary support left the rear end of all these parts flapping in the wind so I soldered a brass rod across the frames and on the front edge of the 'big ends' of the kit parts. This set up leaves the connecting rods ending at the centre frame spacer. In an attempt to improve this I cut a set of the slide bars from one of the other frame spacers on the fret. I folded this into a 'u' and soldered a length of spare fret into the 'u'. I then cut this into two parts and soldered each part between the front spacer, the slide bar bit at the front, and the protruding tags of the kit connecting rods. If I was doing it again I would probably modify the kit parts so that I had a one piece connecting rod rather than the jointed effort I have now (which doesn't quite line up). Also I've used Gibson hornblocks as these are self-contained and I couldn't see how to make an easichas approach fit. The hornblocks are ok but their width did constrain the free space between the frames. Here are some photos

I've got a Highlevel Roadrunner Compact+ and 1015 motor planned. So far the only place I've stuck it is in the box with the rest of the kit. Seems to fit against the drawing so we shall see.

I do think that the diagram, as far as it goes, does help. Before seeing it I had decided that the E13/E14 parts were possibly representing the big end bearings. So I was going to fix one E13 'upside down' on the other E13 and fit (or attempt to) the assembly the other way round. I didn't as the clearances looked completely wrong unless I wanted a steam powered ballast plough. Looking at the photo of the L-class giblets I see what you mean about the actual appearance of the dummy gear vs. the real stuff. I' d be surprised if MW made major changes under the bonnet between the K and L classes. I think I'll procrastinate a few more days.

Thanks for sharing the diagram it helps a lot. Working from the diagram The parts marked E13 and E14 look like the parts E12 and E13 on the fret. The part marked E12 doesn't look like the other part E14 on the fret. The part marked E3 (the centre frame spacer) isn't quite the same as the E3 on the fret. Shame the diagram doesn't show how the front frame spacer E2 joins in with the fun as it has two bits which I think are slide bars. So, my plan A is to ignore the part numbers on the fret and the chassis content descriptions in the instructions and work from the diagram apart from E12. I think my fret part E14 is the linkage for the valve gear; that's what it resembles. Wish me luck. If I survive the experience I may post a photo of the results. Thanks again for your help.

I've just begun building a RT Models Manning Wardle Class K kit bought a couple of years ago. The kit includes parts for dummy inside valve gear however I'm struggling to understand the written instructions as they don't seem to tally with the parts on the etched frets, e.g references to half etched lines which don't appear on the parts mentioned. If there's anyone who has built this kit I'd welcome any wisdom as to how the valve gear parts fit together. Many thanks.