Mark

This was a test build so there are various parts missing and others just loosely positioned for the sake of taking photographs. The cab roof is not fitted so that is the reason for it sloping forward slightly and the curvature may need tweaking to better fit the front and rear of the cab. If you have access to any Swindon engineering drawings which address the points you have raised earlier (Not weight diagrams as used in Russell) then I am sure there will be a lot of very interested people in them. As I said earlier where proper dimensioned drawings exist they have been used and the gaps have been filled using photographs and standard part drawings used on other classes. This project has taken nearly a decade to get to this stage after gathering as much information as possible from numerous sources. The whole point of the exercise was to get it as right as possible. That doesn’t mean odd things won’t slip through but the up front research should minimise them. Mark

The slope on the top of the firebox is 0.25mm front to back. This was based on the Mogul frame plan. As much as possible has been designed using proper works drawings with dimensions. The footplate height is the same at the front as at the rear and this can be seen easily by putting a straight edge on them in the photograph. The handrails are in the correct position and this can clearly be seen from the picture of the 3150 posted earlier in the thread. The handrails on the boiler were located using engineering drawings, the cab was drawn from engineering drawings. Numerous photographs were consulted to verify relative positions for features where no drawings were available. The artwork has been overlaid on a side view of a 3150 and all the door cutouts lined up perfectly. Great Western fireboxes are wider at the front than the rear and this can give the illusion of an excessive slope in the top when viewed from below at close quarter. The cylinders are in the correct position relative to the saddle based on real drawings. There are castings to go on the front for the cylinder covers. Consideration was given to making it flat but based on the Mogul the decision was made to leave a slight slope which at 0.25mm front to back is imperceptible. Mark

The kit has been designed by Martin Needham. Here is a picture of the test build. Mark

The most obvious body side difference is the toilet window which is more like those used on Air cons. Mark

Maybe another class 47 for a change!

The first is from a BR MK1. No idea about the second. Mark

This is an MJT coach I have coated the body sides with Ronseal (The type which needs turps as thinners) gloss varnish. It shows the effect (Along with my dire painting skills!) The first is with varnish the second is prior to adding it. Mark

The dark green line looks a bit odd under the cab side windows on the two tone green small yellow panel version. I thought it was straight all the way to the nose. Mark

On a positive note an order that I have had waiting for over a year had a £30 deposit paid when it was ordered and the old account showed the outstanding balance. Now it shows the old outstanding balance with a further £30 discount! I expect they will deal with that quickly The sound order upgrade is missing though. I have all the confirmation emails but I am sure it will be sorted in time so there isn’t any point contacting them until they have had time to sort the gremlins. Mark

I have found you can paint on Hornby glass and then when the paint is hard you can srape the surplus off with various scraps of plasticard. Provided you use a plastic which is softer than the glazing it will come out scratch free. Mark

Thanks Martin. I will keep my eyes on it. Regards Mark Humphrys

That looks like a very helpful development. Will it include special chairs used on turnouts and compounds like the slab base chairs used for common and k crossings? Mark Humphrys

I normally put a small spigot on the frames in the brake hanger hole. I then solder brass tube to the individual brake hangers which set the distance to the tread. The brakes sit tightly over the spigot and only need around 0.5mm of deflection to lift then over the spigot. I sometimes make the hangers bent inwards slightly to give some pre-load when assembled. The trick I use for getting all the tubes the same length is to cut them slightly over length and then drill a hole into a block slightly longer than required and then file the protruding tube flush to the surface. I then use another hole exactly the right depth and put the files tube in with the smoothed end down and repeat the exercise. The tube an be removed with the tip of a small round file. This allows me to mass produce short lengths of tube with exactly the same length. Others have suggested rolling the tube under a knife blade but this requires each cut to be accurately placed and the resulting part often gets catapulted to the darkest recesses of my workshop and the cut ends still need cleaning up. Mark

Thanks Chris. Yes feel free to use the pictures as you like.

Looking forward to having the range back again Chris to help relieve me of my cash! In the meantime here is the Fowler I showed you at the last S4um with some paint on it. Mark Humphrys

The out of balance force is mw^2r. m is the out of balance mass, w is the rotational speed in radians per second and r is the radius. If you use gramms for the mass then r can be used in mm. Take rpm and multiply by pi/30 to get radians per second for w. Mark

I meant fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 in China. Mark

Their last announcement with the sound upgrade was for July subject to any further Covid delays. It will turn up when it is ready but given the situation with shipping at the moment as well as Chinese Covid outbreaks I don’t think anybody can realistically give guaranteed date commitments until the container is on the Quayside in the UK. Mark

I think they have used the same whistle you get on Swiss locos which makes some sense given the pedigree. I guess the question is was there a specification requirement for a particular tone of whistle when the Great Western placed the order. If not then it is entirely plausible the Swiss would use their own tone. Mark

The usual advice is Rover Primula Yellow. However the last time I looked it seems they don’t do it any more! Mark

The method I use is to put a slot on the edge of the axle and then build the chassis and get the wheels quartered. Once I am happy I use a drill between the slot and the plastic hub of the wheel to open a corresponding slot on the wheel and then put a piece of brass wire in. Prevents the wheel from slipping on the axle and relatively easy to dismantle if necessary. Apologies for the images being upside down but the idea should be apparent. Mark

One method which has been used successfully in the past is to align the boards using door hinges and having a removable hinge pin. Mark

Looking at pictures the lion is always facing to the left hand end of the loco from the viewed side so it does face in opposite directions. In reality since there is no need to turn the loco forward is not as obvious externally as on a steam loco. Mark

Hi Fran and Gareth. It could be an optical illusion but the image of the right hand side gives the impression that the conduit has a joggle at each clipping point. The real fixings are ‘P’ clips riveted to the outside of the valence. Mark

They can also cut out specific shapes using their CNC router. You can design your own baseboard kit on cadds and get them to supply the pre-cut parts. I did some kitchen shelves several years ago and they fitted together perfectly. Mark