Sandy Harper

Hi John The kit was bought some time ago by the owner which is why the Pittman was included with the kit when I received it. It looks to be a very well built item (American I think) Regards Sandy

For those of you that were following my S15 build; I have at long last managed to get it painted! It still needs numbers and logo complete. A few photographs for you. Regards Sandy

Hi Jack, Lined Olive. Sandy

Next up on the workbench is another offering from North Star Design, a Southern Schools 4-4-0. This one will be fitted with AGH wheels powered by a Pittman motor attached to an ABC gearbox. It will be finished in Southern, lined, livery as No. 928 'STOWE'. Regards Sandy

Hi Jack, Thank you. The colour came out of my paint selection, Humbrol Gloss, Why I had it, I don't know? It very closely matches a photograph I was given of a preserved Sentinel painted in green on a railway in Lincolnshire. In model form the loco is representing a contractors loco on an industrial site. From a friend who worked at the Sentinel factory in Shrewsbury, the large vents were needed due to the intense heat in the cab from the vertical boiler. Regards Sandy

I intend to put in sprung hornblocks and a compensated chassis Hi Bob, Did you really mean both springing and compensation or should it be hornblocks with compensation? You don't usually do both as you will end up with one system working against the other! Regards Sandy

And finally!! She is complete and will be appearing in person at this weekends Leigh '0' Gauge Trade Show. She will be performing on the 'Leigh Locomotive Works' layout. Come over and say hello! Regards Sandy

The U/C's are great and the process I have found to be ideal, but not necessarily for everyone, is to keep your model clean throughout your build. When finished building, scrub with Bar Keepers Friend, find someone with a grit blaster and give it a going over, then into the U/C for a couple of sessions. After that lot the brass or N/S model will be as clean as it is ever going to be and ready for undercoat. Sandy

The Sentinel just needs a couple of painting touch ups and a coat of varnish to be ready for duty at next weekends Leigh Show. (The vertical boiler seems to be a bit wonky but it is attached to a loose floor at the moment.) Sandy

I bought them as part of the kit but I think they are Roxey Mouldings offerings. Sandy

I was a bit delayed in assembling the motor/gearbox to the chassis as I was waiting for some nylon 3/16" bearings to arrive. These bearings are needed to insulate the gearbox sides from the split axle. You may recall from earlier posts that the axle, with the gearbox on it, requires two Z cuts but there is not enough room to have them both outside the area of the axle covered by the full width of the gear box sides. Hence the need to use insulated bearings. I obtained mine from Brian Clapperton at ABC Gearboxes and had previously used them on my 'Gordon Castle' split chassis build. He supplies insulated bearings as an alternative to the normal brass bearings. You just have to ask when ordering your motor gearbox. When building a 0-4-0 it is essential that all four wheels pick up. A piece of copper-clad 'Vero' board was glued to the side of the can motor to make the connections for current transfer to the motor from the chassis sides via a DCC chip and keep the wiring as tidy as possible. This combination of gearbox and motor is a neat fit inside the bonnet of the locomotive and doesn't require any additional restraining. I have had it running-in for about an hour in each direction on the rolling road, at various speeds, and it will now crawl along a length of track on the '001' speed setting of my NCE controller. I managed to get some primer on the body a few days ago, just before the recent bout of cold weather, but a top coat could be a few weeks away yet! Regards Sandy

Thank you Jack P. Unfortunatly it is still in its box awaiting some good weather to get the primer on it. Not this week!!! Regards Sandy

Thanks Paul I like your photo, but I don't think I'll do the wasp stripes!! Kind regards Sandy

Hi Mark, My railway, my model, my livery. Who needs photographic evidence anyway. It does look nice in deep wine red though! Best regards Sandy

Hi Geoff The fill in strip, which can be seen on the brass photo, is to cover the space between the ends and the roof. I did not want to reduce the sides as it would have meant loosing part of the etched strapping. Make any more sense? Regards Sandy

I think Pete used the same resolution as I did which was to fit a thin strap of brass at the top of the end and butting up against the underside of the roof. Looks like a metal strip when finished, Regards Sandy This photo was taken before my 'black' varnish was applied to give a darker shade to te red.

I also found that the sides were a little tall, so these needed to be cut down a tad As you can imagine it was exacerbated in the 7mm version!! Cheers Mark Sandy

Thanks Ken, I thought so. Sandy

Hi Al I am tending towards green at the moment but with no bunker, although there are etches in the kit, I thought it looked better without. I am still awaiting nylon bearings to arrive from ABC gears before I can test run it. Sandy

Back to the Sentinel Here she is finished and in need of a trip through the washing plant and the U/S bath! Sandy

Hi asa I think I feel one in 7mm coming on!!!!!!!!! Thats after I paint the coach and sheep van I have already finished plus the S15 and the Sentinel. And built the Schools, Dukedog and the Steam Railmotor that are lined up. So maybe 2015ish? Regards Sandy

Just by way of a pleasant diversion I thought I might share with you these photographs taken at the weekend. They are of a HR Castle which appears to be a commercially built model circa 1930. The Big Goods, conversely, looks to have been scratch built by a gifted armature around the same time. The owners brother can recall seeing both models in his fathers house around that time. Both models are Gauge 1 with the Castle fitted for outside third rail pick up. The 'Goods is fitted for stud contact and looks to be a coarser scale to the Castle. They appear to have had very little use, especially the Castle, and have lain in the back of a cupboard for many, many years! Sandy

Well done gents! A wealth of information. I even had a gent visit me at Kettering today with the gift of a couple of photos of the preserved example at a heritage industrial site in south Lincs. Thanks again Dave for the photographs. Sandy

Obviously the radius rods must run in the same direction on each axle as otherwise the axle would tend to twist when the springs were compressed. Now that makes sense! Thanks PGH. Sandy