A West Midlands Works

[Steph Dale]

Roger,
I hope the D1 is better than the E1. It should be as it's a later kit, but if not I'm sure you'll enjoy the see-through area under the cab where frames and firebox should be and the ashpan shape is worth of some further study. I've got no firm conclusions on the latter, but am fairly certain it's not as per the kit. As I say, that's for the E1.
I've given up with my E1 for the moment; when I can see a free couple of weeks I'll progress the artwork for a new chassis.
Steph

 

[Scanlon]

4701 has progressed and the delivery pipes and the ejector have been fitted. To ensure the ejector was correctly positioned and pipework faithfully copied as far as possible I used this photo from the 4709 Group

and this is my attempt

Still quite a lot to do on this loco.

31749 has also moved forward. Steph has pointed out issues with the brake gear on the tender but I'm disinclined to strip everything down. Knowing David Andrews he will have got this frame and brake gear from a reputable source although it might not be appropriate for a D1. As I have said before I am not a model maker to museum standards and can live with what I have built although I will crib some of Steph's ideas!

The tender body has now been completed bar tidying up and a few tiny etches to put in place.

Work has now moved on to the engine frames. I have not gone too far just in case fellow modellers come up with alterations which are easier to install at this stage.

As usual I started by building the rods and these established the centres for the bearings within the frames. Construction of the frames was relatively straightforward although the leading frame stretcher was difficult to get into its correct position. My chassis jig was used to ensure everything was square. A very free running chassis has been achieved.

The bogie was quite a complicated affair to build but now it is finished it looks very workmanlike. The wheels are very large and the frames have been modified at the front to allow the bogie more movement, this is allowed for in the kit. The slidebars have also been built up and are shown trial fitted in the frames. There is the chance the lower slidebars may impinge on the rear bogie wheels so I foresee the need for some creative thinking here.

So now I have the bare bones of a 4-4-0.

 

[oldravendale]

Far from the best photos in the world, Roger, but these may be of some use.



4701, withdrawn at Old Oak Common. 14 April 1964. My copyright.



4702, still very much in use. Old Oak Common. August 1961. My copyright.

As this is one of my favourite classes I have a pile of photos, but not my copyright. I have a Martin Finney kit in the stockpile. If you are interested in going through them send a message and I'll be pleased to send them to you.

Brian

 

[Steph Dale]

Roger,

I suggest you build the running plate for the D1 ASAP - you'll find it doesn't match the loco frames at the rear. It's the frame profile that's wrong and needs building up; otherwise you've got a see-through firebox.

Even if you don't change the tender brakegear (incidentally it's definitely the same for D,D1,E,E1 and L) I'd certainly try and get a set of vacuum reservoirs between the first two axles to cut out extraneous daylight. BTW - I got the straps round the reservoirs wrong on mine, it should go round both in one piece.

Steph

 

[dibateg]

I'm following with interest, I have a 4700 do next..

 

[Scanlon]

Detailing of 4701 has continued and is now almost complete. Given the size of the loco plus the very tight radii it has to negotiate trial running at almost every stage of the build has been essential. In the past week some five hours of trialling has been required! Generally the running was OK but not surprisingly a number of issues were identified which needed rectification, principally the pick-up arrangement and pony truck.

As mentioned previously the fully compensated engine frame was constructed by David Amias who had installed current collection on all driving wheels via contacts on the rear of the wheels. These could cope with the huge amount of sideplay while acting as springs to keep the alignment of the frame generally as it should be. In service they proved to be overly flexible and kept fouling the spokes and being pulled out of alignment. To overcome this issue I fitted wipers onto six of the wheel flanges. Issues with the pony truck appeared to be insufficient sideplay with the wheels rubbing on the back of the leading cylinder relief valves plus an ATC shoe I'd soldered too low and struck point blades. Both issues were easily rectified.

With a completely new pick-up arrangement another emergency trial was arranged, only half an hour would be needed. Wrong! This session lasted almost three hours. Buoyed up by the fairly good running the previous evening the loco was put on the track and moved off. Almost immediately it started to derail at the most obscure of places. Most of the derailments concerned the pony truck so it was decided to run as an 0-8-0. With the loco back on the track it ran reasonably well but a short kept recurring but where? This proved to be in the area of the third axle. It was decided to strip the engine down completely and as tender and engine frame it ran perfectly.

Next the body was put back onto the frames and bolted down. Derailment followed plus increased shorting out. Eventually this was narrowed down to the throatplate striking the back of the wheels on the third axle. Out with the Dremel and the offending areas ground down. With the loco reassembled it ran perfectly as an 0-8-0 so now to try the pony truck. 98% perfect running has been achieved but the pony derails at one location in one direction only. Very frustrating, the pony truck is quite weighty, the pivot is not restricting movement but one wheel still rubs against a relief valve. The latter is easily dealt with but why does it continue to derail? This is an ongoing issue, can anyone suggest a solution? Back at home 4701 has reached this stage, very dirty from constant handling I'm afraid.


After all these problems a change of loco was necessary so out came the D1 and further progress on the frames has been made. The kit includes inside motion which is best described as basic, however it fills a void. Here are just some of the parts

This little lot has taken over four hours to build up into what at best can only be called a representation. I am adding some more details although they won't be noticeable once the boiler is in place. The build instructions were brief but adequate although I used a GA drawing to construct the "unit".

This has been followed by detailing of the frames with springs, brake gear, sandboxes and other parts fitted. Wiper pick-ups on the flanges have been installed and trial running may start later today, overall there is a 10 wheel pick-up arrangement including the tender.

Tomorrow I plan to start building the running plate and then address the frame profile issues identified by Steph a few days ago.

 

[Dog Star]

I have, on good authority, that the GWR Night Owls are a particular favourite of a well-known WT-er and hence, one might assume, that there is an imminent re-writing of GWR Goods Services so as to record the timings for the BR(WR) fast-fitted from down south to up north with a crew change in the Heyside Loop.

 

[Scanlon]

This build is going together far too fast, a start has been made on the engine body and has reached this stage.


The basic running plate was simple to construct with the aid of set squares. This was followed by the cab which went together very well although the half etched U shaped channel for the rain strip made life a bit difficult. I was worried I would get two straight lines within the roof but fortunately this has not happened.

The biggest problem so far has been building the splashers. These are made up of two layers, one a half etch, to which the top of the splasher is added. Too much heat caused them to collapse into component parts and a frustrating hour was spent getting them into place. The running plate has now been tried on the frames and sits perfectly on them. Now to tackle the boiler and firebox.

 

[Scanlon]

Boiler building today and everything has gone together very well. Initially the only issue was the firebox which is a different construction from the usual David Andrews style. The build instructions for this component could have been better but eventually I worked out how it should be built. The boiler being parallel was simple but the half etch overlay for the smokebox caused a few minutes of consternation. There is a full thickness inner smokebox etch onto which the half etch is soldered. To line these components up the chimney hole on each is used, the trouble was the half etch hole was in the incorrect place! Usually the smokebox saddle presents difficulties but this one built up perfectly.

With all components ready they were bolted together and trial fitted. Very minor modifications were required to seat the firebox and then final fitting took place. With everything in place the body was tried on the frames and you will not be surprised to read a problem has arisen. The dummy valve gear, now nicely soldered in place is riding too high and prevents the running plate from sitting in its correct location.

The front bufferbeam should sit on the top of the guard irons but there is about a 3mm gap. This is going to be work in progress and something I'm not looking forward to!

 

[Scanlon]

Releasing the dummy valve gear did not present as many problems as I was expecting. The entire assembly has been lowered by 2mm and now everything sits correctly. My only remaining concern is this area is that the lower slidebars may interfere with the bogie, trialling will prove if this is a problem.

Otherwise there has been slow progress on this loco with only boiler bands and some of the beading put in place. This loco has a plethora of the latter all of which requires very careful assembly. In the next few days the firebox will be detailed with beading, boiler bands and fittings put in place. These photos show progress.



The Caprotti Standard 5 has been in the paint shop and will shortly go for lining.

Only a few minor jobs to complete mainly paint issues and tiny detailing to add.

4701 has also successfully completed running trials on its home layout and is now almost ready for painting.

After the D1 I have a Taff Vale auto coach to build, looking at the instructions it is going to be a challenge.

 

[Scanlon]

Since my last posting 73129 has gone away for lining and 4701 is in the paint shop.

31749 has progressed and now is starting to look like the loco it is supposed to be

Work has concentrated on detailing and now almost everything above the running plate has been fitted. The largest omission is the lubricating pipes to the cylinders. Building the steam reverser was a very complicated and time consuming task. The build instructions said to consult photos for the various pipes and control rods. I still have to fit a rod which runs from under the firebox cladding but outside of the boiler cladding to the reverser as shown in this photo

Copyright Don Benn

More progress next week.

 

[Scanlon]

The D1 is almost finished, just trial running before going away for painting etc.

and

All visible pipework has been added after consulting photos of 31749, every D1 appears to have been different especially 40 years after rebuilding and successive overhauls.

Next into the works will be a former Taff Vale auto coach.

 

[Scanlon]

Yet another rainy day in the West Midlands so I made arrangements with Dikitriki for the D1 to have a test run or four!

Trial runs on my test track are no substitute for running on a layout through pointwork and reverse curves. Initial running proved additional side to side movement was required on the bogie and an additional washer was also put on the bogie pivot to stiffen-up the springing. At the third attempt the loco performed very satisfactorily although from time to time the fallplate snagged on the tender. The only other modification decided upon was to slightly lengthen both the fallplate and the front of the tender floor to resolve the problem. A further run with six heavy coaches showed the loco will easily handle a much heavier load.

Once home I discovered a major issue with the tender floor. The fixing bolts holding the inner frames to the body were too long and had pushed the tender floor up at the very front. Little wonder the loco was not able to perform properly, this problem has been rectified by adding deep washers to the bolts. The modifications to the fallplate etc. have been made and a further set of trials arranged. So here is a final photo of the loco before painting by Warren Heywood.

The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice subtle additions to the previous photo.

 

[Steph Dale]

The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice subtle additions to the previous photo.

A bit more plumbing around the steam reverser?
Steph

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Sanding gear...

 

[Scanlon]

Steph and Dave - top marks. - Roger

 

[Ressaldar]

.............. and the route discs have been moved around too.

cheers

Mike

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

.............. and the route discs have been moved around too.

Route discs - a good thing about BR(S) and it's predecessors. At least you can tell what the train is and the route it's taking when studying photographs.

 

[Scanlon]

As I am awaiting some additional information before I can start to build the Taff Vale auto coach I decided to fill the odd hour by starting my second S15. The loco is for my own collection and will be my weekend work, built on an as and when time allows. The loco will be 30827 from the first batch of S15 4-6-0's without AWS. It differs from my earlier S15 (30842) in that it has a different cab and a Urie tender.

The kit is from the well know North Star range sold by Gladiator. The etches and castings are as usual excellent. I usually like to start with the tender and the basic body has built up very well. The tender tank had already been preformed and only required the leading corners to be formed. The instructions helpfully suggested to use the coal space etch to check the leading radii were accurately formed, which was done using a 2mm bar to create them. In doing so I observed the coal space in the flat fitted perfectly in the body, however when formed into the correct shape there is a gap at the front about 2mm wide which I will fill with a piece of scrap etch.

Forming the flares was testing, the instructions say "Fitting and forming the flares and associated beading is "interesting"(!)" and it was. Having soldered the flares to the tender tank I used my "Hold and Fold" tool the create the flare which is basically a 45° angle outward from the body, the vertical upper flare is then formed using the same tool. You soon know if the angles are incorrect because the rear coal plate will not fit snugly!



The gap under the rear coal plate will be covered by a strip of rivets, part of the detailing stage.

So I now have a very basic body waiting detailing and all the underframe equipment.

 

[Scanlon]

Construction of the Taff Vale auto coach has started. To say I am completely outside my comfort zone is an understatement but notwithstanding that I have made some progress.

This is just half of the coach, a passenger vestibule, a second seating compartment and a luggage compartment have yet to be built. The client has requested the coach in GWR condition which is considerably different from the original vehicle. Panels have to be opened out to make windows and partition walls put into different locations than originally intended. More progress on this task next week.

Back in my comfort zone the S15 build is coming along quite well. The tender is now finished




The build has been entirely straightforward with very little difficulty. Unlike my first S15 built with a Maunsell tender and MOK parts, I have used all the etches and whitemetal castings provided in the kit. Frankly other than the MOK cast parts being more "beefy" there is little difference. The SR built S15's with the Urie style tenders had standard upright handbrakes built from new, not the LSWR wheel as provided. A rummage through my spares box located one and was quickly fitted.

The frames have reached this stage




As can be seen they were built on the chassis jig. Prior to this plunger pick-ups were fitted and wired up, some of the frame stretchers were put in place on one side and both sets of coupling rods built up. Usually I find the holes for the axle bearings have to be opened up but on this build the bearings were slightly smaller in diameter. To ensure everything was square I first tacked the bearings in place and then soldered the other frame side to the stretchers. I could then solder the bearings properly in place on the jig ensuring all was square. Now to tackle the cylinders etc.