next step is to make some paterns from the main drawings,some simply traced others done by measuring and drwing them out.these then can be stuck to the sheet ready to be cut out.
once the main bits are wroughly cut out i use some streight edges in a vice and true them up,checking with a square as nessasary,the same goes with windows and doorways too,constantly check with a streight edge and square to get a good finish.
the first bit i started was the tender chassis,the spacers were turned on a lathe,then assembled on a chassis jig,this one is a jpl one ive had for a number of years now its a cracking bit of kit! and realy makes the job a lot easyer too,some of the chaps in our club use glass sheet instead,although ive not tryed this yet.
the tender uses a simple beam compensation,the base is flat nickle sheet and the holes are for the wheel clearance,the lower chassis is bolted into place so as to make painting and assembly easyer.
this is the tender body,started as a flat sheet then folded up,attached to the lower frame and the coal shute/tender top then fixed in place once the hand rails were fitted.
heres the handrails going on and sides fixed to the lower plate i make several dummy runs when building a engine,it helps me see if bits are going to fit and get a picture of what it will look like too.
the buffer beam and buffer stocks in place as also the castings for the axle boxes and springs,these were jpl also,the rest of the tender fittings were turned on the lathe from off cuts of brass.
next bit loco chassis brass sheet for rigidity,same type of spacers used,although these will be removed once all is true and the stretchers are fixed into place.
once the stretchers were fixed in place the hornblocks were also marked out i start from the centre and work out,im too much of a coward to do all of them at once !
the footplate is from nickle silver,its also the first time ive done a curved one,a bit more difficult but not too bad,some k&s section was used for the reinforcement on the lower side,anealed on the cooker,this gives a huge amount of strenth to the lower footplate.
the cab was also done at this time and folded in shape after the windows were cut and filed into shape,then fixed to the footplate followed by the roof.
the boiler is a piece of copper central heating pipe which was luckily the right diameter,the smoke box front is also here prior to fixing into place,but due to the cut outs for the pumps either side i had to make some round spacers to go inside the front both as strength and also to act as part of the inner frame.
this is the cut outs done and the smokebox fitted to the boiler,it wasant too bad to do once i had my head round how to do it !
this is the start of the firebox and high pressure drum cover,brass inner and a copper scribed outer for the detailing(to be added later).
this was the first test assembly with the boiler wheels and pony truck,mainly for ride height and clearance on the front bogie.
i wasant sure how to cut the pannels into the firebox cover so used a copper sheet scribed to give the effect of the pannels. these are some of the loco fittings after turning on the lathe.
cyl backings fitted and slider bar castings on,these were from jpl,trimed to fit,the front connecting rod crankpin is reversed so to give a flush finish for clearance when the crosshead is moving.
this is the valve gear partially assembled,the rods were from premier components and are also jointed and are superb,i also made up the bracket that supports the assembly and fixed it to the chassis so to make removal easer for any repairs and painting.
the first side on ! and it worked,a lot of things ive made have been done by a lot of trial and even more error ! and some expleatives too !
high pressure pumps for the sides of the smoke box.
and so the pipework begins! theres lots of it too,mostly copyed from photos as this was one area the drawings fell down on,but ive found over the years that good photos are worth the weight in gold,as they are often more accurate than the original drawings ,most things especilly prototype locos are changed several times before being compleated.
spashers compleate and link for reverser now fitted.
smoke box casting,again jpl,this was the nearest in size and look for the job,looks spot on compaired to the pictures,a few more pipes fitted and links too.
the side skirts on the footplate are made from off cuts on the frets of old kits anealed and done bit by bit,whilst trying to keep them flat and kink free,took a few attempts to get right,but not too hard to do.
lubricators are sections of square rod,drilled,lenths of copper wire threded through,solderd into place and the end filled with miliput.
cyl drain pipes,a right pain to do,sepecilly with my hands of thumbs !!
vac pump fitted,and more pipes to the side too
pipework done on this side just a few ajustments to do on the other side prior to finishing and start of the painting.
this is the backhead finaly in place a right sod to do i copyed a picture to do it as i had no drawing avalable to me got as much as i could on,its all scratch built mainly from off cuts and bits of old frets except the hand wheels which are laurie griffin.
backhead painted and injector fitted.
first coat of primer.
most of the bits and pieces in vaious states of paint and assembly.
loco and tender receving top coats and lining,paint is phoenix,and humbrol applied by brush(i bottled out of airbrushing the top coat) but wanted a workstained appearance and the dull crimson lake suited the engine well,the lining was mainly done with a bob moore lining pen.
tender paintwork allmost compleate.
backhead painted and fitted.
first full assembly since painting began,there are a few pictures from the front pipework and tender front bulkhead missing,these were lost during a computer failure,if i can get them back i will attach them later,as soon as i have time i will post a better picture of the compleated loco.
motor and gearbox in cannon motor with flywheel and ron chaplin gearbox,running in commenced!
- Read more...
- 7 comments
- 3,558 views