7mm 7mm Mick's Workbench - LNER A2/3 60514 Chamossaire

[mickoo]

Cheers Mick, I'm off to reread your thread and ponder

LOL, I think sometimes we tend to make things just a little too fine when in reality they were pretty darn chunky, I was surprised at how thick handrails were, quite a bit larger than I imagined. The rationale behind the beading is to prevent the engine men damaging themselves on the thin side sheeting.

Ozzys tip is quite easy to do and copper wire is plenty malleable to get in the curves, it must be easy, I did it and the effect is a game changer, I wish I'd done the windows now, and may still well do that and strip out the old etched ones.

One thing I might change next time, is to bend the wire to the right shape first, solder to the copper clad and then file flat, it was quite hard to bend the D section and it kept wanting to roll at odd angles so that it didn't sit flat on the cab sheet, it is a lot easy to bend into tight corners when it's round than when it's D shaped.

It'll be harder on the A3 because of the turn in, but in your case and on say an A4 where there is no turn and you have flat side sheets then it'll be easier to do.

 

[Rob Pulham]

I have been after a George Norton J25 for some time, for several reasons really but mainly because about twenty years ago this was first attempt at an etched brass kit in 4mm. Last Christmas I managed to pick up off eBay the aforementioned kit

Hi Mick is this the same kit as the J25 marketed by Gladiator? - Currently showing as out of stock but will presumably be available once David gets sorted with the business.

 

[7mmMick]

Hi Mick is this the same kit as the J25 marketed by Gladiator? - Currently showing as out of stock but will presumably be available once David gets sorted with the business.

It is Rob,

George's 7mm kits were a blow up from his 4mm range, the majority of his 4mm stuff is and has been for some time marketed by London Road Models and the 7mm, Fourtrack then Gladiator. Your G5 is of the same provenance. If and when I do another J25 it will be the John Fozzard etch (hopefully re released by John's son) as they're a modern equivilant and if anything like the J72 will be spot on. This kit is still a really good basis for detail though and I'm always on the look out for an N8/9 from the same range as Hull had loads of N8's in the early fifties. Jim Mcgowan's N10 will be built alongside the N8 if I can find a kit, maybe Telford with through out an N8?

Mick

 

[7mmMick]

I've now made a start on the tender, which I thought would be straight forward but in reality has caused a few headaches. A couple of quick shots prior top a decent clean up as it's back to the bench shortly. I've made additions to the basic kit by adding the tank top rivet detail and the repair plates to the tank sides. The etches supplied have no rivet detail on at all and I wanted to add it. Unfortunately the process introduced a level of distortion in the tank top which I have hopefully almost now worked out again. This was a real pain in the backside and most will be hidden by the coal but I hope the extra work and pain will be worth it in the end. The repair plates on the tank bottoms, which appeared at and probably before nationalisation, are 10thou NS with the handrail knob holes opened out to accept them so they are still parallel. The more I study NER prototypes in the late 40's, early 50's the more I see these repair plates on splashers and tender tanks etc, a cost cutting measure I suppose?



Next job is to finish the coal shute, which is not provided in the kit and start adding details. It should look like this;



Mick

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Hi Mick

I have built quite a few GCR locos over the years and they all have loads of repair patches on them. round the tender tanks and the bottom of the cabs, especially where the sand boxes are.

Nick

 

[AJC]

Hi Mick

I do like the attention to detail in the repairs and riveting. While it's understandable that it could be omitted in 4mm - especially if covered in coal - I would feel the need to put it in just as you have done. The repair panels are fairly routine regardless of the prototype I think: there are no end of pictures of pre-grouping machines with such additions - LSWR O2s on the Isle of Wight and elsewhere seem to have been more prone to corrosion than most along the bottom of their tanks and even Q1 and West Country tenders were often a mess of patches towards the end.

I guess the matter was that wholesale tank replacement was a main works job, welding a patch on could be done 'on shed'. It's the kind of detail that speaks of a living machine rather than a model-making exercise.

Adam

 

[7mmMick]

Hi Mick

I do like the attention to detail in the repairs and riveting. While it's understandable that it could be omitted in 4mm - especially if covered in coal - I would feel the need to put it in just as you have done. The repair panels are fairly routine regardless of the prototype I think: there are no end of pictures of pre-grouping machines with such additions - LSWR O2s on the Isle of Wight and elsewhere seem to have been more prone to corrosion than most along the bottom of their tanks and even Q1 and West Country tenders were often a mess of patches towards the end.

I guess the matter was that wholesale tank replacement was a main works job, welding a patch on could be done 'on shed'. It's the kind of detail that speaks of a living machine rather than a model-making exercise.

Adam

Thanks Adam,

That makes a lot of sense and as you say my aim is to achieve a convincing model of 65693 in a moment in time. For me it's the details that really count and I couldn't agree with you more about adding this detail in 7mm, it's probably the principle reason as to why I moved up from 4mm.

From what you and Nick say it seems the patch repair approach was common place across the whole network. These machines, especially the older ones really were run into the ground at the end of their lives. They certainly paid for themselves I bet.

A little more progress this afternoon, I've added some castings, used some 10thou NS for the coal space and made a start on the coal plates and strengtheners;


Still cleaning up to be done but as I press on I'll keep chipping away at this. You will see a problem glaring with the slot and tab construction on this kit, the slots are bloody huge ! For the coal plate, front fitted and rear not yet fitted, I have chosen to push them to the outside of the slots so that the inside gap can be hidden by coal. This is by no means precision engineering but a compromise which won't be seen in the end,

Mick

 

[Peter Cross]

Thanks Adam,

That makes a lot of sense and as you say my aim is to achieve a convincing model of 65693 in a moment in time. For me it's the details that really count and I couldn't agree with you more about adding this detail in 7mm, it's probably the principle reason as to why I moved up from 4mm.

From what you and Nick say it seems the patch repair approach was common place across the whole network. These machines, especially the older ones really were run into the ground at the end of their lives. They certainly paid for themselves I bet.

A little more progress this afternoon, I've added some castings, used some 10thou NS for the coal space and made a start on the coal plates and strengtheners;
View attachment 43367
View attachment 43368
Still cleaning up to be done but as I press on I'll keep chipping away at this. You will see a problem glaring with the slot and tab construction on this kit, the slots are bloody huge ! For the coal plate, front fitted and rear not yet fitted, I have chosen to push them to the outside of the slots so that the inside gap can be hidden by coal. This is by no means precision engineering but a compromise which won't be seen in the end,

Mick

The V3 I am building has the same problems with large slots. If the slot and tabs fit well I don't mind them. If not I would rather have no alignment aids.

 

[7mmMick]

A belated Merry Christmas to all. Who is this new member to WT I hear you say? I know and you're right and I want to start by offering my apologies for being so aloof this past year. My life has been upside down over the past year and I've spent most of it living on a building site in a static caravan, which has been no fun let me tell you!!! However it is all finally paying off and we're in the house and have very much enjoyed our first family Christmas in here. That said I'm hoping the river Ouse behaves itself as it's been close to flooding here yesterday, although I think we're over the worst;

WATCH: Flooding near Cawood stretches over a mile WATCH: Flooding near Cawood stretches over a mile

Anyway, the fantastic news is that I finally have my bench back, lots to set up yet and the room needs lots of tidying but you get the idea. I've been desperate for weeks to get on with something and tonight I've been on with the inside motion for my J72. And when I say on with it I mean repairing a balls up I made earlierI think that's what you call getting your eye back in



Any how, great to be back and apologies again for dropping off the face of the earth,

Best regards Mick

 

[Dan Randall]

I was wondering where you'd been hiding Mick. Anyway, welcome back and happy modelling.


Regards

Dan

 

[Dikitriki]

Great to see you back on Mick......and I hope you manage to keep your feet dry.

Richard

 

[adrian]

Glad to hear the house is getting sorted and you seem to have escaped the worst of the flooding. I hope you get some time at the workbench next year.

 

[warren haywood]

Good your back Mick

 

[SimonT]

Mick, glad to see you back in action. Hope you stayed dry. We went over the Cawood bridge after the Fenton airshow and the video rather hits home with the water running over the deck.
Simon

 

[dibateg]

Nice to see you back Mick - I'm glad that you are at last in the house. Happy New Year to you all. Keep Dry!

Tony

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Mick,

glad to hear that you have moved into the house, fingers crossed that the waters stay away and that you and yours can really celebrate the New Year as intended.

cheers

Mike

 

[Scale7JB]

Welcome back mate..

Good to see you on here again..

JB.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Welcome back Mick fingers crossed it stays dry for you.

 

[Steph Dale]

Hi matey, nice to hear that you're back at the bench. I hope the worst of the weather is over for you!

Steph

 

[7mmMick]

Thanks everyone, great to be back

The Air Show at Fenton was spot on Simon, very strange seeing the Vulcan literally fly over our house, I had great back garden seats. Hopefully i'll get some modelling done over the next few days and get a bit of progress posted,

Cheers Mick