NewportRod
Western Thunderer
I recently made an impulse purchase of a Springside Peckett 0-4-0 saddle tank, Class E from these pages. It might have been more sensible to get the excellent Minerva ready-to-run version but I figured that a kit would be easier to convert to Scaleseven and install the necessary batteries and receiver for BPRC.
Luckily there is plenty of information on the late David Smith's webpage dedicated to this class of locos and Pecketts generally on Martin Page's webpage and there was a lot of discussion on RMWeb about the class in the wake of Minerva's announcement. The purchase also nudged me into joining the Industrial Railway Society and I'm sure that I shall get more information from that source in due course.
So far I have obtained Scaleseven axles and had the wheel profiles turned to S7, receiving a very speedy service from both the Scaleseven group stores and Colin Dowling a.k.a. Eastsidepilot who is well known on these pages.
Last night I assembled the wheels, crankpins and coupling rods and, what do you know?, it ran freely without any binding on the first assembly. Emboldened by this I fitted the motor and gearbox and applied a modicum DC and the chassis continued to run smoothly. Yay!
I have put M5 washers behind the wheels to reduce the amount of sideways movement, I'll see how this works and I might want to add a few more thou of shim before I am finished. I intend to put some plasticard false frames over the brass frames to reduce the gap between the backs of the wheels and the frames to something more realistic.
When it comes to the body, which is whitemetal, my natural default would be to use low melting point solder for construction, but the Springside instructions recommend epoxy resin so I am currently in a dilemma over that point. If I do make any progress I shall let you know what happens later.
I am also undecided which particular prototype to model but I'm tempted at the moment to plump for one of the Ebbw Vale locos from 1908.
All comments and advice welcome btw.
Rod
Luckily there is plenty of information on the late David Smith's webpage dedicated to this class of locos and Pecketts generally on Martin Page's webpage and there was a lot of discussion on RMWeb about the class in the wake of Minerva's announcement. The purchase also nudged me into joining the Industrial Railway Society and I'm sure that I shall get more information from that source in due course.
So far I have obtained Scaleseven axles and had the wheel profiles turned to S7, receiving a very speedy service from both the Scaleseven group stores and Colin Dowling a.k.a. Eastsidepilot who is well known on these pages.
Last night I assembled the wheels, crankpins and coupling rods and, what do you know?, it ran freely without any binding on the first assembly. Emboldened by this I fitted the motor and gearbox and applied a modicum DC and the chassis continued to run smoothly. Yay!
I have put M5 washers behind the wheels to reduce the amount of sideways movement, I'll see how this works and I might want to add a few more thou of shim before I am finished. I intend to put some plasticard false frames over the brass frames to reduce the gap between the backs of the wheels and the frames to something more realistic.
When it comes to the body, which is whitemetal, my natural default would be to use low melting point solder for construction, but the Springside instructions recommend epoxy resin so I am currently in a dilemma over that point. If I do make any progress I shall let you know what happens later.
I am also undecided which particular prototype to model but I'm tempted at the moment to plump for one of the Ebbw Vale locos from 1908.
All comments and advice welcome btw.
Rod
