Steve Cook
Flying Squad
A gentle reminder in my Christmas card from John Dale has prodded me into action ;D
John's Ruston 48DS kits have appeared on this forum a couple of times before, clicky here and here. I bought a couple of kits back at Shepshed in October this year, along with all of the components needed to finish (well, barring paint and transfers anyway). With other projects on hold for more bits, and an expectation of an easy build, I thought I would document the actual building of the kit. I'll not go into step by step details, the instructions do that far better than I can, but I thought some photos of the kit and general build may prove interesting for those tempted to stick a foot in the murky waters.
So what do you get for your ?85 + ?4 p&p? Well, its fairly safe to say that the box it all arrives in is not going to hold the finished model
I don't see that as any problem at all, it would be impossible to get a kit nicely packaged in a box small enough! Opening up to reveal the contents shows the customary attention to detail that JD is known for
The etches are nicely wrapped in tissue paper and all of the castings, nuts, bolts etc are in clear plastic bags. The various bits of wire are taped to the lid, whilst a decent set of comprehensive instructions await reading. Unwrapping the etches reveals a sheet of 30 thou nickel with all of the chassis components, whilst 20 thou brass has been used for all of the body bits and pieces.
The instructions detail the extra bits required to finish, namely a set of Slaters wheels, an 1833 motor with 40:1 gears, some delrin chain (@6" or so) plus two sprockets for the above. The only other thing worth mentioning is the use of a 10BA tap for the hornblock retaining straps.
Before starting, its probably worth getting hold of some prototype information, there is a good little book highlighted by John and also available from our local bookseller here (scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for The Ruston Class 48DS & 88DS Locomotives by Dave Hall). Once you have picked your prototype, its time to start, which is coincidently exactly where I am now 8)
Back anon
Steve
John's Ruston 48DS kits have appeared on this forum a couple of times before, clicky here and here. I bought a couple of kits back at Shepshed in October this year, along with all of the components needed to finish (well, barring paint and transfers anyway). With other projects on hold for more bits, and an expectation of an easy build, I thought I would document the actual building of the kit. I'll not go into step by step details, the instructions do that far better than I can, but I thought some photos of the kit and general build may prove interesting for those tempted to stick a foot in the murky waters.
So what do you get for your ?85 + ?4 p&p? Well, its fairly safe to say that the box it all arrives in is not going to hold the finished model
I don't see that as any problem at all, it would be impossible to get a kit nicely packaged in a box small enough! Opening up to reveal the contents shows the customary attention to detail that JD is known for
The etches are nicely wrapped in tissue paper and all of the castings, nuts, bolts etc are in clear plastic bags. The various bits of wire are taped to the lid, whilst a decent set of comprehensive instructions await reading. Unwrapping the etches reveals a sheet of 30 thou nickel with all of the chassis components, whilst 20 thou brass has been used for all of the body bits and pieces.
The instructions detail the extra bits required to finish, namely a set of Slaters wheels, an 1833 motor with 40:1 gears, some delrin chain (@6" or so) plus two sprockets for the above. The only other thing worth mentioning is the use of a 10BA tap for the hornblock retaining straps.
Before starting, its probably worth getting hold of some prototype information, there is a good little book highlighted by John and also available from our local bookseller here (scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for The Ruston Class 48DS & 88DS Locomotives by Dave Hall). Once you have picked your prototype, its time to start, which is coincidently exactly where I am now 8)
Back anon
Steve
