halfwit

A neat job on an awkward kit. I've built three so far, one for myself and two for a customer, and can honestly say that it requires a fair amount of work, but the results are worth the effort.

But, and I've said this before, its not a Summers wagon but an ICI one despite what the packaging says. The body is higher and longer than on the Summers wagons, check the position of the end of the hopper against the bogie pivot point for example.

One worthwhile improvement is to substitute Cambrian brake wheels for the flat etched ones supplied.

It'll look great once painted.

The problem with using cutting mats is that when you cut out small parts with a knife (curved bladed scalpel is my usual weapon of choice) the mat deforms under the pressure of the blade and the part being cut can bend, only slightly perhaps but still in need of straightening. I'm experimenting using an offcut of MDF as a mat, which should keep everything flat as its being cut whilst still keeping the blade keen and not slipping.

I've produced wheels for split-framed OO9 locos by removing the tyres from Parkside wheelsets and pressing them onto turned brass centres, as explained here. I know thats not much use if you haven't access to a lathe though!

I didn't think that possible! (Mind drifts to 3 truck Shay sitting in loft...)

Presumably this is 10.5mm gauge?

2mm too wide, that's a whole foot! I'd have chopped it as well. This is why I wouldn't buy someone else's work.

Just out of curiousity (I'm like that) are you fitting pick-ups to the tender?

Oddly enough I've just finished turning bogie pivots as well today.

I had the pleasure of watching this little 'layout' work at Narrow Gauge North, and found it to be absolutely fascinating (and I'm sure that I wasn't the only one as there was a crowd in front of it all day).

Chimney? Have lathe will turn...

EN3b is good as well, but avoid EN8. (I used to turn for a living). My SL is a good little machine, but does have its limits, parting off anything over 10mm dia. is a bit fraught for example. Fits on the dining table though, and is fine the work I use it for.

I thought that you had a c3?

The smallest Parkside make is 5.1mm dia., too big for you and you'd need to re-profile them anyway. I use Parkside tyres (for OO9) as I haven't got a profiling tool, and my Unimat probably isn't rigid enough to use one on. Araldite works on Acetal I've found, although its not supposed to apparently...

Cutting out daylight under the boiler - takes me back to my teenage years butchering Jintys.

4mm n.g. wheelsets eh, I'll watch with interest.

I made up some recently for a split frame chassis (outside framed) using Parkside tyres pressed onto turned brass bosses, fitted with silver steel stub axles which located into Acetal muffs. Worked quite well.

RT Models have now released etched motion and sideframes for the L&M locos designed to be used with the Farish 08.

Superb work Nick, and nicely explained.

You're right, a Hold & Fold would have done the trick on the solebars, I used mine to bend the solebars on my RT Models Hudson side tippers.

A small point though, and pardon me for being picky, but there doesn't seem to be any means of opening the doors...

Paul.

From the old forum, including references.

Paul.

Here's a photo of Port Maud.

Paul.

Fascinating stuff.

I've found a photo of your stock.

Paul.

RT Models make etched sandbox pull rods for panniers.

Paul.

Thanks for the comments and 'likes'.

Julia -  I'd like to see the 2mm version as well, I could even be tempted to build one. The 4mm version is a real kitbuilders kit, a joy to put together. A 2mm scale rake would look good behind a certain Peckett...

Mark - weathering may take some time. I rarely rush things and I don't like weathering, there's too much that can go wrong!

Paul.

BigD - note also that the outer side stanchions are set too far inwards, probably because the handrails as supplied have silly curved ends (a safety feature perhaps?, or to stop the rails coming out of the stanchions?). The inner pair are in the right place. Something to note if you're moving the rails down. They should sit 5' (20mm) above the footplate.

Today I've been carving most of the detail from the firebox backplate. Which I might yet live to regret...

Paul.

IKB - first of all which gearbox are you using?. Do you get the squeak running in one direction or both directions? Does it squeak with the rods removed?

Paul.

Thanks for the comments and 'likes', as I've said before they're always appreciated.

CK - you're quite right, but then the spectacle plates and handrails were both too high, lowering the handrails to the correct height without moving the spectacle plates throws the relationship between the plates and handrails out. Perhaps I should have left well alone...

Mark - perhaps you should be looking for a cheap secondhand loco to have a play with! I hope yours wasn't too badly damaged. The same thing happened to me many years ago when my newly finished Nonneminstre Models Hibberd Planet crashed to the floor at an exhibition. The club payed for a replacement model, which was jolly decent of them, and Peter Smith (Mr Nonneminstre) gave me some replacement parts when he heard about the accident. So mine got rebuilt and the replacement sits patiently in the loft awaiting the day I finally get round to building it.

Mikkel - now that I've set the handrails to height I couldn't bear the thought of moving them again!

Paul.

Julia stop telling fibs - we all know thats really a 4mm scale kit...

Paul.

Thanks James.

As for paint you haven't seen any of my models up close!

Paul.

Thanks Mark.

The beading is just factory finish, the primer just picks it out nicely. The bunker rear is pure Dapol with the lamp irons and bunker access door shaved off.

As for colour I'm tempted by all over dirty black with the number painted on the cab side as the only identification.

Paul.

Thanks for the comments (and 'likes').

DW - I do have a copy of the relevant Model Rail - in fact I added it to my list of references in my last Austerity blog entry. I also follow George's blog, his model looks rather good. I wish I could paint as well as him!

Paul.

The pug was 51235 and was sent to Finedon in 1954 to move a rather large 680 ton Ransomes and Rapier stripping shovel, which had been stripped down into managable parts (the jib itself was 104' long!), to BR's exchange sidings near Wellingborough station. The shovel was destined for Blisworth.

Source - Industrial Railway Record 142.

Paul.