5XP

Despite the ridiculous prices being paid for the steam crane on Ebay and wildly inaccurate information regarding D & S the steam crane is still available from Danny from time to time. I purchased two from him not so long ago. Darren.

Impressive stuff Mick, The coach body itself is one thing but the attention to detail in the interior is something else! Darren.

The cab and backhead for this kit is rather Spartan in detail other than a whitemetal backhead you don't get much else! See what I mean: The backhead isn't really quite right as the firedoor is to low and the backhead layout is wrong, but in saying that I have no pictures of them while they were running on the GWR. The only pictures I can find are of GCR engines including the preserved example so I've used a fair amount of modellers licence regarding cab layout and detail. I started by scratchbuilding the cab splashers/sandboxes and then some toolboxes or lockers above them, I'm not really sure what they are to be honest as the could be for keeping your sandwiches in for all I know. Cutting out parts for cab splashers: I then made up a fairly crude but I think a fair representation of the screw reverser and a GCR style of centre pivot firebox door with ratchet. I'm not sure that the GWR had these but I have nothing else to use as a reference so its back to modellers licence and all that.... After fitting these items I then added various handles and hand wheels to represent the blower and other controls, the backhead is not correct so therefore the layout is far from accurate but I hope it represents things well enough: That me signing off the workbench for a day or two till I recover well enough from my operation to get back to things. London Road J21 early crest coming up next, Regards, Darren.

Things are trundling along at a steady but unspectacular pace just like the real loco once did! The lamp irons have been sweated in place and I have finished fitting all the grab handles in place along the running boards and splashers as well as the cab sides, also note that the missing handrail knob has been fixed in place. (Thanks BR(W) ) I did ponder a little on how to fix it in place as the handrails are soldered into the cab front along with the handrail knobs so if youve ever tried to remove them in that situation you will know what I mean. I chose to just cut the handrail with the Xurons exactly in the position of the missing handrail knob and simply solder it back together within the new knob. Quite simple really in retrospective.... just took me a while to get my head around what to do with it..... The Falcon Brass kit does not cater for any type of smokebox door hinge so I fabricated a later style GWR unit from scrap etch, .45 brass wire and some small bits of tube. After tinning the back of it with solder it was sweated in position with my RSU so not to have it disintegrate if I had tried to to use a conventional iron. A small step was also sweated in place on the lower face of the smokebox. The reversing rod is also another item not catered for in the kit so once again is was into the scrap etch box for a suitable piece to utilise for it, I also tried to replicate the support for the reversing rod on the side of the firebox as best as I could. I have also sweated some .45 brass wire to the cab roof to represent the rather prominent ribbing that was noticeable on the prototype. Anyway to the pictures: The fabricated hinge unit before fixing in place. Sweating it in place with the help of an RSU. Front view showing the step, lamp irons and the once missing handrail knob, photos are so cruel but do show any discrepancies, note gap in the frame end where the solder hasn't run along completely. View showing the the ribbing added to roof. Darren.

Thanks Rob, that's a Bu*ger I'm sorry we didn't actually meet but I'm sure we will see each other in the future. I shouldn't have really gone to be honest as my knee is giving me some right grief but I had to come and pick up some loco kits as well as a few bits and bobs for current and future projects. Best regards, Darren.

Oh! Ive just looked back through my copy of WD Engines by J Rowledge and your right! I dropped a bollock there didn't I, thanks for pointing it out though.B) Thank you also for you kind words as I have had to wrestle this one a little so its nice to know my efforts are appreciated. As for burning fingers I do nearly everytime I switch the iron on! Thanks, Darren.

Well as mentioned in the kitbuilding thread regarding the L & Y horsebox the layout both the horsebox and the 04 were intended for has been shelved at present so we can concentrate our efforts in finishing and taking Rowntree Halt to shows. As I have a stack of kits both rolling stock and locos for Rowntree Halt sitting in front of me excluding the three loco kits in the bag below my workbench I've just purchased at Wakefield Scalefour show.... I'm on a mission to clear a few unfinished projects as its starting to niggle with them all staring at from the shelf above. The 04 did make it to Hull show in an unpainted and undetailed state so as it is so close to being finished I hauled it back out to continue on with. It requires grab handles, whistle, lamp irons etc along with a few other bits and pieces missing or not catered for in the kit. I've started by adding the top feed along with the pipework and the also the grab handles along the running board as splashers. Also missing/not catered for in the kit is the cover or top of the cylinder or valve chest which is quite prominent on all the ROD's on the running board at the base of the smokebox. I fabricated this from a piece of flat brass bar and some scrap etch pushing out some rivets then sweating them together and filing the top edges to get a rounded profile, these were then sweated in place on the base of the smokebox/running board. This picture shows the topfeed in place along with the gaping maw where the top of the cylinder/cover should be at the base of the smokebox: The fabricated parts being sweated together and shaped: After being fitted in place: Darren.

Fine job Dave, nice to see the finished loco. Darren.

The Lowmac is an interesting one so keep them pictures coming, I also have a D & S Loriot M to do sometime this year. Thanks for the pictures of the J26 also. Darren.

Im looking forward to seeing this Ian, I have had the Nucast kit on the go in the background for the last few years but it keeps getting pushed aside for other projects. I would suggest using two Comet Stainer 2-6-4 chassis and lopping off the rear portion as the wheelbase is correct. I'm not sure about RTR chassis as the wheel spacing could be a problem along with the wheel size (5' 3" / 21mm) I suppose you could use the Fowler 2-6-4 chassis again or the Crab, but the Crab wheels being slightly bigger may cause clearance issues as well as the rim profile and balance weights being slightly different if that bothers you. Darren.

Thanks for sharing all your lovely work Dibateg, I too have been using the water based flux for few months and am about to order my second bottle. I have noticed a slight difference in behaviour when soldering after switching from Carrs Green but once you get used to it its fine and cleaning up after a session has been as easy as running the components or loco under the tap with no ill effects and a lovely clean joint.:icon_thumbsup2: I do find that the iron tip does get dirty quicker for which I now have a tendency to keep dipping the tip in the small amount of the water based flux I keep out while working and that seems to do the trick. Darren.

I think unfortunately you've been hit with the crappy design of Backwoods chassis. Is the front axle moving back and forwards along the length of the chassis? as I found this to be a very weak point and poor design in the Lyn chassis as there is just not enough bearing surface to hold it all from oscillating back and forth while in motion so it effects the quartering when in motion. I struggled for hours with this until I eventually soldered bearings into the outer frame and did away with the compensation which cured it immediately. Dont give up though keep at it as its not to hard to make some new rods, just temp solder them to a piece of scrap etch and file them up before unsoldering them. I've already been through all this so I understand how you feel. Nice job with the LR btw. Darren.

Just re-read it again and seen the loco beside the stick of solder and the peg:blush:

Lovely workmanship halfwit but at the risk of sounding daft I cant tell what scale/gauge it is, I've read through the blogs but haven't seen it or picked it up. Darren.

Yeah its here now Ivan : http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/8611-studio-scale-models-irish-j15-4mm/ Darren.

Ive now finished the loco but I have moved it over to the kitbuilding section: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/8611-studio-scale-models-irish-j15-4mm/ Darren.

Thanks Horsetan, Kenton, I did struggle a bit with the flimsy frames so I had to solder in as many frame stretchers that I could to stiffen it all up, its also no lightweight as it has 400grams of ballast alone stuffed in every nook and cranny as its expected to haul long trains. As for the motor I'm always of the opinion of fitting the largest possible motor so that power is in abundance but along with that you also get very smooth performance, I was still working on the loco on Friday morning before leaving for Hull so it had 15mins on the rolling road to check for any problems so without ever seeing a piece of track I removed out of the box at Hull and it performed flawlessly along side the RTR stuff if not smoother and quieter with the Highlevel gearbox, very happy I was its just a shame I never completed it and painted it. I'm going to have a week or two out now so I can get on with the house. Darren.

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks and encouragement but I have failed to complete the loco and paint it before the show with everything going on around me but it will be having the odd test run on Cattybrook Road for which it was built for at the Hull show. The picture below is where it stands now as I have just completed the chassis and I still have to wire up the motor, build the pony truck and add the cab roof so it will be a late night. (again) I made a terrific cock up two days ago by by milling the tops of the frames down to suit the chosen motor/gearbox (Mashima 1426/Highlevel Loadhauler 60-1) but I mistakenly usesd my origanal marks that suited a Loadhauler+ driving the rear axle so when I assembled it with the Loadhauler it fouled the front inside face of the firebox...:icon_frustrated: silly silly mistake but I suppose that's what happens when your hurrying things along...... I then had to dismantle the chassis and take to it with my Dremel to turn the motor around and drive the third axle so that's where Im at now wiring up the motor to get it mobile. I will go back and cover the build up to this point after the Hull show. Darren.

Well I'm starting to panic as the Hull show is now less than a week and I still have to finish the loco chassis plus a few other details as well as painting...:icon_eek: I woke this morning to find that the roofing felt has two serious leaks that have allowed water to come down through the floor and on to the bathroom ceiling on the second floor so I have been up trying to stem the leaks before the roofer arrived to sort it out, I did get a little revenge as I woke his wife up early this morning when I called to get him over.......:icon_grumpy: We still only have roofing felt on as they had to strip the back to recover the slates before the roof can be put back on, I just want it done now as I'm to busy with everything else going at the moment as I have been helping Jim all of yesterday to get Cattybrook Road ready for Hull next weekend. This is still what the house looks like at the moment: Any way all that aside on with the tender. Here are some of the main components: I started by forming the tender flare by rolling it with a 5mm drill bit: And using the rear part of the tender body as a rough gauge: I then marked along the top of the flare to bend up the top coal rail using bending bars: The very thin half etched overlays were then formed to shape and sweated in place after which the three sides were soldered in place on the main floor of the body: The coal chute parts were then formed up with the inner sides cut to the same shape to clear the internal weight which I have added inside the body, after that the components were soldered together with the coal space gaurds: The upper coal chute doors were bits of scrap etch from the remains of other kits. The inner frames were then added along with a start made on cleaning the body up, the tender steps were then folded up and soldered in place: The basic body now almost complete with handrails and buffer bodies added just awaiting a final clean up before the easily damaged lamp brackets are soldered in place: The chassis is a fairly basic affair with basic brake gear added and while not strictly acurate it is not that visable and being built to 00 is not really that much of a problem in my opinion: Darren.

Thanks Kenton for the address details, I still press mine out by hand and it can sometimes be a real drag when there is many to do when time is short. Darren.

Impressive stuff Kenton, the buffer beams certainly look the part after all that work. Looks to be a very clever and neat design. Darren. BTW how much did you pay for the that delectable rivet machine if you don't mind me asking?

Well worth the effort Phil, lovely workmanship. 5" gauge stuff will be a dodle after machining small lovely's like this. Darren.

Thanks Rob, Although nowhere in the league of modern designed and etched kits it really has been a pleasure so far and as long as you appreciate this it goes together alright with a bit of patience and care, the instructions are by far the major problem in the kit as there are no exploded diagrams, not all parts are mentioned and as to the parts being referred to or the orientation it takes a bit of guessing and re reading of the instructions to figure it all out:blink: There are some compromises to build it to 00 as well. I'm looking forward to seeing the Railmotor. Yep Miss Prism Carrs 145/water based flux from "Building O Gauge Online"/Antex 18 or 25 watt depending on the mood I'm in. I also use the 25 watt for whitemetal as I'm too impatient to wait for a temperature controlled iron to melt the 70 degree solder. Darren.

Well onto the boiler and smokebox, the boiler even comes pre rolled! ah the luxury from Falcon Brass. In all seriousness it is rolled nicely and is a very crisp and clean etch. I started by soldering the seam of the boiler tube then added an etched disc in the centre to hold its shape, after that I rolled up tightly two pieces of Lead (Courtesy of the roofers:rolleyes:) weighing 150 grams each which were then placed either side of the centre disc, when happy I soldered a further disc at each end to both hold the shape of the boiler and keep the Lead in place as the etches are painfully thin the loco is as light as a feather. Shown here is one half of the Lead weight prior to being placed forever into its innards: The first smokebox wrapper was then soldered in place, I deliberately trimmed the end to stop it from butting up against itself, note the centre line to line up the boiler fittings and the smokebox front: The smokebox front and outer wrapper: The smokebox front soldered in place, note the centre line corresponding with the boiler centre line, the dome is just there loitering awaiting its moment of glory... Pressing out the rivets on the outer smokebox wrapper by hand, I really fancy one of those rivet press tools that Kenton was tempting me with earlier on his blog :icon_cool: Soldering the outer wrapper in place: The chimney and dome are now soldered in place along with the brass smokebox door which is out of shot: The boiler now assembled up ready to be soldered to the footplate/cab before final details are added, I chose to Araldite the boiler tube to the firebox so not to have the four laminations of the firebox front go to sh*t and start to separate: Darren.