I spent a good half an hour this morning, staring at a selection of brass tube and wire stock. I was hoping inspiration might strike as to how to make an injector, but it became obvious I was dragging myself up the wrong alley. Back to Plan B.
What I'm trying to achieve can be seen lurking behind the cab step in this cropped image. The essentials are some kind of body, with a flange, large pipe disappearing under the loco frames, another from below and to the step, and possibly another pipe following the first under the frames. Knowing that injectors chiefly have three main pipes associated with them, I had something to work on.
Taking two slightly undernourished JLTRT GWR pattern injectors, I decided to remodel them by hacking chunks off. I kept the chunks in case they might prove useful another time.
A length of 1.2mm brass rod succumbed to the flame to let me bend it more easily. I drilled out the main flange on the remains of the casting for the first major pipe to be soldered in and formed. The second and third pipes are actually one single piece of rod twisted artfully and attached to the rear of the injector body. In this shot, we are looking at the confection from below.
And here we see it attached to the step. The pipes under the loco frames don't actually get that far, for the obvious reason they would prevent the frames from being demounted in the future (as well as right now while they're on and off the body during the late construction phase). I'm hoping, following painting and weathering, they will appear to disappear under the frames even though they don't.
It hasn't taken me all day to do this one injector, I should add. It's been another one of those days where personal and domestic issues disrupted things somewhat. If I set my mind to it, I ought to be able to assemble the mirror image injector for the other side later this evening.
Then I shall be back to adding fripperies to the cab, and perhaps a few more bits around the tender front for some variety. There's a nice vacuum pipe that runs along one side of the valance, but I will wait to fit that until I've got some suitable brake pipes to match the diameters. My order from Connoisseur went off on Monday, so I hopefully won't have to wait too long. That reminds me I'm still pending an Eileen's Emporium order. Might have to chase that up...