Unklian's G3 workbench .
- Thread starter unklian
- Start date
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
marvelous, can't wait to see what sort of loco you're thinking of.
jamiepage
Western Thunderer
Small layouts such as this, and Geoff Nicholls', are splendidly interesting, and great examples of what can be done with G3 modelling.
It's not all large live steam Pacifics careering around mega large outside test tracks. Nothing wrong with them at all of course, truly quite the reverse, but like all scale/ gauges there are many other ways to participate. Even a single wagon can look good on the mantelpiece!
It's not all large live steam Pacifics careering around mega large outside test tracks. Nothing wrong with them at all of course, truly quite the reverse, but like all scale/ gauges there are many other ways to participate. Even a single wagon can look good on the mantelpiece!
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
wonderful! just found several of these are preserved, through google, however it appears to be Belgian not quite French? But then again so were Tintin, Simenon and Johnie Halliday, so I'm sure the SNCF society won't mind.
Is that actually Walschearts valve gear?
Is that actually Walschearts valve gear?
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
I was wondering how many batteries in the boiler,plus a sound card, but Mike's right, I'm sure you could kit-bash a Regner Willi...
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
Yup, but I can't see the usual return crank for driving the expansion link. An eccentric inside the frames is used instead perhaps?
Charming thing though...
Steph
unklian
Western Thunderer
OK so how about this one which I am more inclined to go for. By Corpet Louvet for the Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest to give a more French lineage... ( Inside valvegear too
)
Live steam?
Not this time, although I would like to.....
Batteries are much more probable given my deadline....
I think you are dead right about the inside eccentric, probably the old keeping it out of the dirt reasoning ?
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
I'm not a fan of that spark arrester . I think it's worthwhile doing a bit of forward planning with the layout though. Once you've won the SNCF Soc prize, you won't want to scrap it, I suggest you buy a couple more boxfiles and turn it into a propr layout
unklian
Western Thunderer
Me neither Geoff, but I am sure it could be made removable. I have already had a little think about what else could be done with the layout, and I still have the original A4 files. Just a bit more track/fiddle yard on either end would improve the operation potential and increase the size of vehicles allowed. Not sure I would want to do much more as I should spend the time on the proper layout ( yes there is one started
)
)
unklian
Western Thunderer
I have made a bit of progress on the boxfile layout, despite me going off at all sorts of angles. After fixing down the first rails I chemi blacked them and set about laying some 'cobbles' in between . This is a bit of an experiment using some printed on textured paper, they come from an e-bay seller in Greece a friend recommended after using them in 7mm scale. They look OK from most angles, but at shallow angles the texture dominates and the cobble outlines disappear. It may be that I use Peter Insoles hard pencil method and 'engrave' the cobbles more. They are double sided taped to 4mm foam board which is a tight fit between the rails, so the panels are removable for more work/replacement. I have also done a bit to the turntable by bending some code 200 rail to fit in the grooves machined in the base/pit and the underside of the table itself. These will act as bearing surfaces for the ballbearing races you can see perched on the former. I have to make a central bearing and a spider of arms that keep the bearings in place between the two rails. Really I shouldn't be bothering as the table should be planked over flush with the rails and you wouldn't see inside. But what fun is that ? I shall be leaving some of the planking off for 'maintenance' .
I just had to get these Rollbocks as they are so unusual. They come from a company in Netherlands, but I got mine second hand here. Those wheels though, LGB size flanges on such little wheels looks dreadful. You can also see what I mean about the disappearing cobble effect in this picture.
Finally I have been gathering together some bits for the vertical boiler loco. I dug out these old motor gearbox units I got cheap some time ago. I was a bit disappointed at first when I opened them up to find just one gear reduction and a lump of lead. But with some swift work with a coarse piercing saw, a knife and a file I have chopped away one side of one and lost the lead .
And now it is small enough I am thinking it could be laid down below the footplate. Which would leave the boiler and tank free for batteries and radio gear .The tank is the bit with the closely spaced rivets and it wraps around the front of the boiler in a sort of horseshoe shape btw.
Wheels to modify of course and longer axles to make as the wheels were 32mm gauge to start with, Sm32 wheel profile being close to Spur II believe it or not . So much to do ... Oooer
I just had to get these Rollbocks as they are so unusual. They come from a company in Netherlands, but I got mine second hand here. Those wheels though, LGB size flanges on such little wheels looks dreadful. You can also see what I mean about the disappearing cobble effect in this picture.
Finally I have been gathering together some bits for the vertical boiler loco. I dug out these old motor gearbox units I got cheap some time ago. I was a bit disappointed at first when I opened them up to find just one gear reduction and a lump of lead. But with some swift work with a coarse piercing saw, a knife and a file I have chopped away one side of one and lost the lead .
And now it is small enough I am thinking it could be laid down below the footplate. Which would leave the boiler and tank free for batteries and radio gear .The tank is the bit with the closely spaced rivets and it wraps around the front of the boiler in a sort of horseshoe shape btw.
Wheels to modify of course and longer axles to make as the wheels were 32mm gauge to start with, Sm32 wheel profile being close to Spur II believe it or not . So much to do ... Oooer
unklian
Western Thunderer
PS. I could save a lot of bother if only I had a shrinking machine 
Live Steam 5" Gauge Cockerill Locomotive on ebay
Live Steam 5" Gauge Cockerill Locomotive on ebay
unklian
Western Thunderer
Some more bits have turned up from Peter Korzilius ( see also post #78 on this thread ) as I put my name down for more when I bought his 9 foot wheelbase chassis . This time I got some separate w-iron assemblies as well as the castings to go with them. The axleboxes/bearings are interesting as they kind of assume that you have access to a lathe. The brass core has been made with an over length bearing, which needs chucking in a lathe and boring out and then shortening, before fixing the 2 part whitemetal body over the top. Hopefully you can see how that works from the picture. This might mean there is an opportunity to try boring them out and fitting them with ball bearings too. There is a mixture of things I like and things I don't like with these parts, I like the coupling pocket for instance, but it and the hook are probably not strong enough in whitemetal. I think the axleboxes will need a fair bit of fettling to round them off so they don't look too square. Anyway we shall see, now all I have to decide is what to build them in to .
AndyB
Western Thunderer
Ian,
I started this post by requesting some more pictures - but then looked again at the slightly odd spacing on the driving wheels which I remembered seeing somewhere before (so deleted the picture request).
It was here - 4-6-0 live steam on ebay
The new owner brought the loco to the AGM in 2015. I'm sure you know who it is, but PM me if you don't.
Some measurements off the other one should enable a full rebuild to original condition.
Looks as though the GC livery is original!
Andy
I started this post by requesting some more pictures - but then looked again at the slightly odd spacing on the driving wheels which I remembered seeing somewhere before (so deleted the picture request).
It was here - 4-6-0 live steam on ebay
The new owner brought the loco to the AGM in 2015. I'm sure you know who it is, but PM me if you don't.
Some measurements off the other one should enable a full rebuild to original condition.
Looks as though the GC livery is original!
Andy
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
With those cylinders, I thought Immingham Goods, but the driving wheels are a bit small. However it does look like one of the classes of 4-6-0 fast goods locos designed by Robinson. When new it was probably quite a reasonable representation for the time.
unklian
Western Thunderer
Thank you Andy, that has positively identified the model .
As to prototype there hangs a question. All the outside cylindered GC 4-6-0s had equally divided coupled wheelbases, and initially at least much smaller boilers. The model appears to be GC front end, NER boiler and LNWR cab on an unknown chassis. The tender looks Midland or LMS to me although it is a pretty generic toy steam loco tender.
One thing is for certain, it is going to need quite a bit of work ....
As to prototype there hangs a question. All the outside cylindered GC 4-6-0s had equally divided coupled wheelbases, and initially at least much smaller boilers. The model appears to be GC front end, NER boiler and LNWR cab on an unknown chassis. The tender looks Midland or LMS to me although it is a pretty generic toy steam loco tender.
One thing is for certain, it is going to need quite a bit of work ....
geoff_nicholls
Western Thunderer
Re your boxfile layout, Ian, there's a photo of another SNCF soc competition layout, by Simon Dawson, in the new Railway Modeller.