Dog Star
Western Thunderer
Time for a health warning again... serious hacking of Slater's mouldings is immenent. Right at the beginning there was a set of photos showing the parts of the kit which were to be used and the parts which were not going to be used... well, that was not quite correct for one of the "discarded" mouldings features in this post. The brake gear needs some brake blocks of the RCH 1902 pattern and the Slater's moulding for underframe fittings has some candidates. 
One of the brake block mouldings is going to be salvaged to provide two brake blocks, as here:-
The Slater's moulding is generic across a range of PO wagon kits and has representations of the later, post 1907, RCH brake block. For a wagon built around the turn of the twentieth century the brake blocks were often handed and with a single hole for the brake hanger... so some cutting and shaping is required, as here:-
The brake blocks are drilled 0.5mm for lace pins in each joint. Assembly of the brake hanger / block / push rod requires five pins for each block/rod assembly:- two to join the push rod, two to pivot the brake block and one to join the push rod to the tumbler. Ambis Engineering provides the brake hangers whilst Exactoscale provides the push rods.
Here is a push rod and brake block assembly without the hangers (apologies for the strong natural lighting).
The brake block assembly is suspended from the middle bearers of the underframe by two brake block hangers seen in an earlier photo. Unfortunately the Slater's underframe moulding makes no provision for the Ambis brake block hangers so a "bracket", made from 40 x 100 thou styrene strip is fixed to the outer face of the middle bearing and slanted such that the brake block is square-on to the wheel tread. Lace pins attach the push rods to the tumbler, a dab of cyano secures the pin. All of the pins are inserted into the respective holes with the pin head towards the centre of the underframe, excess material is snipped off and then the end of the pin is filed square and smooth. The result is a wagon underframe with brake gear of prototypical appearance as in the following pikkies:-
Ah, yes, quite correct - the brake safety loops are missing, send for the Foreman! The parts are from Exactoscale - folded into an "U" shape with a dab of solder in the fold. The prototype loops are secured to the inner face of the Middle Bearers and to do that the prototype metal strip is twisted through 90 degrees at the top of the loop. A twist is put in the top of each model loop and then the loop is secured to the Middle Bearer with epoxy.
regards, Graham
One of the brake block mouldings is going to be salvaged to provide two brake blocks, as here:-
The Slater's moulding is generic across a range of PO wagon kits and has representations of the later, post 1907, RCH brake block. For a wagon built around the turn of the twentieth century the brake blocks were often handed and with a single hole for the brake hanger... so some cutting and shaping is required, as here:-
The brake blocks are drilled 0.5mm for lace pins in each joint. Assembly of the brake hanger / block / push rod requires five pins for each block/rod assembly:- two to join the push rod, two to pivot the brake block and one to join the push rod to the tumbler. Ambis Engineering provides the brake hangers whilst Exactoscale provides the push rods.
Here is a push rod and brake block assembly without the hangers (apologies for the strong natural lighting).
The brake block assembly is suspended from the middle bearers of the underframe by two brake block hangers seen in an earlier photo. Unfortunately the Slater's underframe moulding makes no provision for the Ambis brake block hangers so a "bracket", made from 40 x 100 thou styrene strip is fixed to the outer face of the middle bearing and slanted such that the brake block is square-on to the wheel tread. Lace pins attach the push rods to the tumbler, a dab of cyano secures the pin. All of the pins are inserted into the respective holes with the pin head towards the centre of the underframe, excess material is snipped off and then the end of the pin is filed square and smooth. The result is a wagon underframe with brake gear of prototypical appearance as in the following pikkies:-
Ah, yes, quite correct - the brake safety loops are missing, send for the Foreman! The parts are from Exactoscale - folded into an "U" shape with a dab of solder in the fold. The prototype loops are secured to the inner face of the Middle Bearers and to do that the prototype metal strip is twisted through 90 degrees at the top of the loop. A twist is put in the top of each model loop and then the loop is secured to the Middle Bearer with epoxy.
regards, Graham
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