Kenton

Thanks 26power, An excellent set of very detailed photographs of one of the two preserved examples. Some of that detail is well beyond 4mm and beyond anything I will achieve. Of course not being too familiar with the original prototype condition does leave me questioning what might have been added/altered.

you still may finish it before I do ... so many other things to do it seems to only get a look in. However, I am finding this blog and the encouragement from comments on it quite a driving force. Fortunately, Easter 2010 is far enough away ...

He does some really excellent kits with super detailed instructions. His GWR hoppers are especially nice. The rest is a bit too much LSWR for my needs but you know the saying ... can't resist something in brass. That platform furniture looks really good. So often missing from layouts yet there was always a trolley or two.

Thanks for the designer's perspective on removing the window beading. I had never thought of roughly separating the parts first simply to give access to the shears. As they say "one is never too far gone to learn new tricks". In isolation, one just plods on for years with the same old techniques and the odd new tool or two, then along comes RMWeb and you find there are so many other ways of doing everything.

given the recent discussions on here regarding the GWR sentinel I think that is very exciting news

The cab window beading [34-37] can be fitted before or after assembling the cab. My preference is always to fit such items before as this enables them to be fitted flat and even before removal of the cab panels from the fret. These parts are very delicate and must be at the limit of the etching process. The cab side windows [36] are even half-etched. I found the removal and subsequent filing off of the tags very difficult to do without some distortion of the part taking place. The easiest way to solder these parts into their half-etched recesses is to lightly tin the back of each beading, place them in the recess and with plenty of flux but no more solder on the iron apply heat and let the flux do its work. Once complete the cab panels were removed from the fret and tidied up. It should be noted that with the cab side beading the larger window is positioned forward with the half-etched vertical facing outwards. Also, when filing off the remnants of those tags be aware that the cab side panels have a thin half-etched border at the top outside and the rear/forward inside edges - it may help with assembly to leaver the latter tags until after the cab is built. The doors were soldered into the side panels from behind with the hole for the door handle forward on each side. Once again it is much easier to do this while the panels are flat. The two half-etched rivets on front and back panels I believe correspond to the windscreen wiper mountings, again these should be punched before assembly. The instructions give warning of the fact that the cut-out in the bottom of the cab front panel to fit over the baseplate is not present. Suggestions are made to either file this out, or to split the baseplate (I think this weakens the design integrity) so I will simply file off a thin layer from the bottom of this panel. I also prefer to build my boxes square on a metal plate rather than the suggestion of on the baseplate bolted to the footplate - perhaps I just do not have THAT much faith in the solder stop/grease preventing solder run and locking everything up. I do however have faith in these etches being square and so am happy building the cab off the baseplate. Then soldering it to the baseplate while off the footplate. As always with this type of construction use small tack joints until the box is formed square and on the baseplate. Then finally run solder round the seams to complete. A couple of points to note are that the cab sides fit outside the cab ends and not to forget that a small amount has been removed from the bottom of the cab front. Even so, and with absolutely no fault of the kit just me rushing at the end of the day, I somehow managed to solder the cab front panel in back to front - I only spotted my gross and stupid error after completing the assembly. So after much blue air, the heat of a micro-burner and a lot of scraping to clean up, it was put back in the correct way round. In the end I'm happy enough with the result. .

Sounds like just the cue for an automation - none of this hand of god interference

... or at least it could feel like that ... The superstructure of this kit is built on its own baseplate which is bolted to the footplate. This baseplate [10] the cab floor [11] and the footplate support [12] were removed from the fret and the tags filed off. Noting that part [12] has two tabs that should not be mistaken for tags and not removed. The baseplate is attached to the footplate with seven 14BA screws and nuts through the holes etched in each part. There are nine holes but it is suggested that either the two at the cab front or the two at the back of the engine compartment are omitted, I chose to leave off the latter. I was expecting some difficulty after my previous problems with nuts on the footplate, but what really surprised me was the degree to which the holes in both the the baseplate and footplate had to be opened up to take the bolts. I can see why they were etched this way because they are so close to the edge you are left with a very narrow bit of brass at the corner, but this instruction to open out should be made while they are still on the fret and there is something substantial to hold rather than the part assembled footplate. In fact given the size of the nuts, my club fingers and the general propensity of such parts to always find their way into the lowest and most inaccessible corners of my workshop floor I think this task would have been better performed on the flat etches. Whatever you do do not hold the assembly across the battery boxes or rear steps as you drill these holes out. Moving forward, it is important to liberally coat the area of contact between the baseplate and footplate with solder mask or grease to prevent these two part becoming joined by stray solder during the following steps. Then after bolting the two parts together with the nuts uppermost the nuts were soldered to the baseplate. All seven went down without further problems this time. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of using plenty of solder stop/grease and remember how the footplate was formed, by soldering two layers together in the same inside edge that is now exposed to the flux and hot iron. Now the baseplate was carefully removed and any of the nuts protruding over the baseplate outer edges were filed clean. The footplate was then bolted back on to the frames and the inner cab floor [11] was soldered in position, there are half-etched grooves under the floor to coincide with the frames. The instructions state that the footplate support [12] should be fitted to the frames at this point. I've scrutinised the drawings but cannot identify the position of this part. By its description alone I think it may be placed across the frames at the centre. If I have this wrong it can probably be removed without too much pain. If it is correct it will provide some useful support here, though I'm a bit worried about it restricting options for motor and gearbox. .

Thanks Adam. I was limiting my reference list to "in service" rather than "in preservation". I have some considerable reservations about loco photographs take "in preservation" as all to often changes are made that are not really relevant to history - like colours and painted faces - for example that first link shows it painted blue

Thanks Adam, I will also add that to the list. I must seek out a copy for my own library. Is it showing as re-liveried in NCB or otherwise? Also, is there a date given?

Excellent :D Though not given in complaint, it was quite a serious suggestion about being able to: 1. fold the battery box and step casing from one part. 2. fold those tiny rear angles back from the inner layer of the buffer beam. (my fingers are too big, shaky and heat sensitive to hold that part vertical while using a soldering iron on it) 3. the cab step treads being tagged on the long sides and not the ends. (I admit I over shortened one of them by less than 1mm - so is my mistake - but it has such a drastic impact on the shape of the steps) you have to forgive my comments (please) they are given purely from an wide world out there kit builder's perspective ... at least I am not asking for tabs and slots yet ... I usually use a sharp scalpel on a hardwood block to cut the tags. All snips that I have tried (I'm always on the look out for better) have a tendency to distort small thin parts. As does the use of a cutting mat. In fact the removal of the window beading from the fret (coming soon) is seriously worrying me as these are thinner than the tags that attach them - superb detail that could be so easily spoiled by their clumsy removal.

Now for some detailing of the footplate.... Steps Once again start by identifying the parts on the fret the footplate angles [7a,7b], the front steps [13,14], the battery boxes [44, 45], cab steps [15,16] and the jackshaft crank guard [17]. Before removing the parts, note that the front step casing [13] has rivets to be punched. Once again I recommend a small parts tray - and a pair of magnifying goggles/headband as we are moving into the realm of parts that are less than 1sq.ft. on the prototype. Parts [7b] in particular are a challenge to hold while removing tag remnants that are almost as big as the part itself. Anyway, remove them all and clean up the fret tags - a fine file and square tipped forceps are quite useful. The footplate angles (valences) [7a, 7b] were fitted by locating them under the footplate overlay and up against the main footplate. This is quite difficult to do and a useful trick is to use magnets to hold the parts in position on a steel plate while they are soldered in place from the inside. Even so, a very slight distortion of one of the longer angles [7a] could not be straightened and will, henceforth, show up on the close-up photos. From a distance I keep telling myself it is not noticeable. These parts are held on the fret at three tags on the same side - the blade slipped as I was cutting one of them. The short angles are tiny being not much bigger than the tags that hold them in the fret. The problem here is different. You require a flat edge to solder these on their side edge - it might have been better to have the tags on an end as the etched side would have been flat and any excess in length could have been filed back. Or even better as a fold back on the inside buffer beam part. The front step casings [13] were folded up side first then bottom foot grill. Another one of the big boy's toys was employed here and will be for most of the folds in this kit. A hold and fold enables very tight and crisp folds to be made. The instructions now suggest fixing the casing in place before adding the steps and grab handle, however after trying this with one side and struggling a bit ... I decided to try to make up the complete front step sub-assembly before adding it as a single part on the other side. So the step treads [14] were folded and soldered into the half-etches with the folded flange downwards. I found that these did benefit from a light scoring of the half-etch fold line as folding a 0.75mm flange on a 2.25mm width of brass only 8mm long is testing. The hand grab was then added using 0.4mm brass wire and any wire protruding filed clean. The front step sub-assembly was then soldered in place on the frames where it fits into the slot in the buffer beam and around the step recess. In the end I think the sub-assembly worked better though it's just personal choice. The battery boxes [44] are fitted next by folding up, laminating on the overlay for the battery box door [45], and soldered rearward of the front step casing and level with its bottom step. There is a gap between the battery box and the footplate. These are handed and should be fitted with the door rivets uppermost. Now if you are wondering why such a long delay between this instalment and the last - it is because I've been turning the air blue with expletives at this part. The battery box as you can see is attached to the outside of the step casing with its edges. This means that you have to support the folded three sided box in precise alignment and hanging in mid-air with no means of support. The slightest touch moves it out of alignment and it has to be removed again. I must have been having my worst day(s) with this kit so far and I have lost count of the times I have had to remove it and try again. Surely it could have been designed as part of the fold up of the step casing? With one of them attached I also lost direct access for the soldering iron so perhaps if I was repeating the build I would also add this to the step casing before adding the sub-assembly to the footplate. The cab steps were bent from [15], which it is very easy to both twist and make up squint. After folding the bottom step to 90' the other steps [16] were soldered into the half-etched slots while on a flat surface. On the fret these steps are attached by tags at either end. This means that in the process of filing the tag off the step, it is very easy to shorten the step. This results in a set of steps with distorted shape. Very difficult to correct. If the tags were on the step front/back then this would not have been a problem. The step assembly was then soldered into the footplate taking great care not to apply too much heat to that small footplate angle which has a tendency to drop off. Of course it all looks even worse in cruel close up.. The mesh guard [17] that will lie in front of the jack cranks was then added to give some more strength to the fragile steps. It will be rather pleasant to get back to parts that are big enough to pick up with a pair of tweezers. .

Just the excuse (if one was ever needed) to build one

is that delivery by NG hoppers and departure by standard gauge?

Phil Maybe the kit was built with glue rather than soldered - some folk do such mad things If that is the case expect a lot more to fall off when the body is dipped (don't forget to strain the contents of the tray) There is something that I don't understand about the prices of kits. I expect to pay more for 7mm than 4mm - there is more brass and more detail (in theory at least) Yet you can pay many ??100s for a 7mm kit compared to 4mm and still get less parts. Also it seems to bear no resemblance to the age and quality of the kit. I would expect a modern CAD produced kit where everything fits without extra work to be more expensive than an old kit first issued in the 80's that requires effort to build. Again not the case. it sounds like you have taken on more work than it was worth with this one - but see it through as it will be worth the satisfaction.

28ten, truly lovely bit of work. So much more is possible in 7mm but makes it no less easy to accomplish. The small bits remain just as small.

Some very neat soldering - I'm impressed. You mentioned that the brass was thin. I was once told that was a plus point of Falcon kits because it makes it easier to fold and bend. It is so easy to criticise these kits (I know I'm as guilty) but it is always worth remembering that they are nearly all very old by todays standards, were drawn by hand and the instructions typed on an old portable typewriter (or something representing one) The colour of the brass really is that red ? or is it just my PC playing up again Must say Araldite is a bit like cheating though

Hi Darren No problem asking - I can't remember the exact price but I think it was about ??95 -so not exactly cheap - but it is a precision tool and is extremely well made. I used to use a copper "nail" and a hammer which sort of worked ok. London Road Models also produce a cheapish alternative which is along the lines of a sliding drop weight on a centre punch - works of course, but IMO not much better than a hammer and nail, and again I cannot remember how much it cost. At the end of the day it is always a bit of a balancing act between spending on new fancy tools and spending on another kit (I could have bought 2 more NBL-MAN 040DH kits to practice on for the price of the rivet press). But I probably start a new brass kit about every fortnight and so there becomes a point when the ease of use and end result justifies the outlay on good tools. BTW: G W Models is not on the web (the guy who runs it is a bit of a character, and can be found at most of the good expos, particularly in the south) contact details are: 11 Crosham Close, Lancing, BN15 9LE (01903) 767231 - I'm sure he can give you up to date prices. There are smaller and larger models available but as I generally build 4mm and now 7mm kits this one does the business.

But Michael, as I said above: Yes, used a 25W Antex - and in most things 4mm have never had any problems with heat output. The solder cream (Carrs range) is actually far less corrosive than most phosphoric acid fluxes - it has an organic base. The issue here was purely carelessness with the supplied nut and bolt followed by my own poor quality and brass replacements. The RSU is superior for small items on larger items as it not only acts as a third hand (you can hold a part in place with the tip, apply heat, remove heat and then remove the RSU electrode) but also because the heating is very localised. It is also great for overlays and laminations. Its biggest downfall is in the ability to seam and patch/fill with solder.

So much more satisfying having done it yourself rather than bought in, in the end anyway. Springing an 0-4-0 ? the debate rages on

Ha that is a common complaint - me2 - I've even tried annealing the brass but that doesn't seem to help as it is pretty soft quality anyway. I guess these days the washouts would be pre-etched to save all the potential of drilling out of alignment and to make the "kit" less of a scratch aid. Anyway, you have made a pretty impressive job of it

Continuing with the footplate the next addition is the buffer beams. These are made up of several layers laminated together. The front buffer beam is made up of five layers [8a-e] while the rear buffer beam is made up of 4 layers [9a-d]. the reasoning for the front buffer beam being thicker is so that more weight is added to the front of the loco. A lump of lead might have been easier and more effective? Do not remove any of the parts from the fret just yet as there are half-etched rivets to be punched out on the inner layers [8a,9d] for the reverse of the jacking brackets and on the outer layers [8e,9a] for the frame rivets. There are half-etched dimples on [8b] but I don't see why as this will become a hidden inner layer, so these were not punched. Time to get out the big boy's toy This rivet punch from G W Models is a wonderful tool to add to the bench. It comes with punch and anvils for 2mm, 4mm and 7mm rivets and can handle half-etched dimples or plain brass. With a table calibrated to 0.05mm in each direction it takes a bit of aligning - but once there you get great rivets. Beats a hammer and pin any day for consistent rivets. It is always easier to perform this job while the parts are still on the fret as it makes the part easier to hold on the table. So while here I also punched the other parts on this fret [49.54,55]. Remove the parts from the fret and tidy up the edges. Remember the parts are not interchangeable and the front and rear parts should be kept separate from each other. The outer layer does not have the handrail holes so building up the buffer beam sandwich is a two step process. Make certain that the beams are constructed correctly with the inner layer facing the correct way. When viewed from facing the outside of each buffer beam the hole for the brake stanchion should be to the right of the hole for the coupling (therefore the left when viewed from inside the frames). While holding the parts in alignment the inner four (three for trailing buffer beam) were soldered together. A small word of caution - take care not to fill the lamp bracket channels on the front buffer beam with solder. Now fit the grab handles formed from 0.4mm brass wire to the front buffer beam only. Then clean up the inside face removing any wire protruding. I am using the recommended Gibson buffers so the next step is to carefully empty the contents of the packet into a small component tray, after all there are springs involved. Then replace the springs and the buffers back into the packet, seal it and put it somewhere safe - they will not be needed for a long time. If you examine the buffer holes on the beams you will see that the inner holes are larger than those on the outer layers. This has obviously been designed so that the bush that aligns and backs the buffer casing can still sit flush when the outer layer is added to the sandwich. So these bushes were soldered into the backs of the beam outer layers and the buffer casing soldered to the front - taking care that it was square. Now the outer layer was aligned to the inner sandwich and soldered together. The edges were filed clean and square all round. With the footplate bolted to the frames (it helps to keep them vertical), the buffer beams were tack soldered at the corners in position on the footplate. Care being taken not to solder them to the frames. The frames were then unbolted and the joins were finished. Well, that just seemed to take much longer than I was expecting - my eyes need a rest. .

I hope I did not give the impression it was the fault of the kit - It most certainly was not. All down to my hamfistedness I am afraid, that and trying to do things at the wrong time of day (for me). I use an RSU for most kitbuilding soldering tasks with solder creams. Though here used my usual Antex 25W - sometimes it is just easier to wield what is at hand and i had just used that to run round the inner edges of the footplate. Having made a mess of one of the nuts and cross-threaded one of the "expensive" bolts into it - I resorted to what I had in the spares box - some poor quality brass Obviously a mistake - and now need to stock up again with some of better quality. I have had similar problems with this in the past so it is not new. Hopefully with the other's in the kit I'll be more careful.

The footplate of most loco builds is the platform for the rest of the locomotive and needs to be a substantial structure - I have seen (and built) several kits where the footplate is so flimsy that an inevitable curve is later introduced by the addition of the superstructure. I am not expecting such problems with this kit, however I am aware that there are parts in the design that may cause me some challenges - not least the use of some serious overlays (buffer beams) and the nuts and bolts (literally). Once again we start by identifying the parts on the frets. The footplate is made up of an overlay [7] which has very fine detail of the chequer-pattern floor on it and the footplate itself [6]. These need to be carefully removed from the fret, setting aside the sub-frets from the cab and engine cut-out areas. Pay particular care to removing the half-etched overlay as it is very easy to distort it. Don't be fooled into thinking that the footplate has shrunk, it is deliberately designed that way, being slightly narrower and quite a bit shorter. (Not so noticeable in the photograph). Carefully file off the fret tags and tidy up the edges before cleaning all the greasy fingerprints off. The footplate, and ultimately the whole body, will be bolted to the frames using two 12BA nuts and bolts. Use the two holes in the footplate and overlay to align them - rather obviously the chequerplate half-etch is on the outside. I used the bolts themselves but you do need to ensure that they are coated in solder mask to prevent them being soldered into their holes. Do note that the footplate is "handed", there is an extra hole on the left-hand side that needs to be matched. While being held together, and ensuring that the footplate is flat, run solder along the inside edges of the cab and engine cut-outs. There is no need to apply heat to the outside edges at this stage, though I found that the fluxing of the solder was more than adequate for it to spread though the entire overlay. The most important thing is to try not to ruin the chequer-plate etching with stray solder. The 12BA nuts were then soldered to the upper surface of the footplate - I used a toothpick to keep them aligned to the holes. Use the minimum amount of solder here as the cab and engine casing base plate has to be fitted later around these nuts. Sounds easy and looks it too - but behind that is hours of grief. Sometimes you just have to walk away from something and come back another day - well after several days actually. It took no less than nine nuts and bolts to finally get there. A combination of soldering nuts off centre, getting solder inside the threads, cross threading the bolts, snapping the heads off el cheapo bolts, having to re-tap nuts .... All that and I just know that there is a lot more of this to come. The footplate was bolted to the frames checking that the half-etch on the ends lined up with ends of the frames. They did, but all that rough handling had introduced a very slight bend across the footplate. Something I hope will straighten once the buffer beams are soldered on. .

Congratulations on becoming a grandad Doesn't that make you feel really old