7mm At the Western End of F7

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SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
I have just started on the latest acquisition from JLTRT, a 57XX Pannier. What not another after Heathers, I hear you cry, particularly those dressed in a very fetching, if faded blue. Well there is a difference that may be of interest. First catch an eyeful of this.

DSC_3599.JPG

Here are all the components other than the castings. The reason for this thread are the grey bits on the left. Yes folks, a plastic cab. In addition the brass etch is new, although it does have the date 2007 on it. So firstly a closer look at the cab.
DSC_3608.JPG

Some very nice plastic moldings with minimal flash. Well minimal other than this.....
DSC_3615.JPG

And should there ever be any temptation to drift off during this build, there are the instructions. Here is Drawing 2.
DSC_3620.JPG

NAALTRT!

Simon
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The instructions cover building the earlier variant of the cab - the one I did. Later 57s had the Collett style of cab, which would have been a lot easier to build judging by the box contents you've shown!
 
Scale7JB

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
All looking good Simon!!

I hope to build something Western in S7 eventually, and be good to pop it on Aberbeeg... As Dan knows only too well I fancy a Night Owl or a Large Prairie (I know the 41's quite well), but I'm guessing they probably weren't that common in the valleys! ;)

JB.
 
SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Heather,
I was rather drawing attention to the fact that the instructions have very little to do with the kit in the box. It is obviously a case of MIUAYGA!

Flexible,
this will be 9682 a resident of Aberbeeg until the end of 1964, close enough for me.

Adam,
the saving of time on the back bunker alone will be many hours. However, I am not impressed by the cab doors when compared with the opening doors on the MOK 64XX. I suspect that the split of the cab roof from the front/bunker is at the level where the GWR/BR(W) painted cream above, so this build could be a case of completing the cab early on. Normally backheads get done after about six months in service.

JB,
Rule 1 applies my boy. I'm planning on running a 28XX up it at some point in the future. Why? Because I can! So bring on the Night Owl (but slowly round the bend, please).

;)Simon
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
SimonT said:
I suspect that the split of the cab roof from the front/bunker is at the level where the GWR/BR(W) painted cream above...
Click to expand...
:confused: really?

I understand why we are advised to not copy preservationists... I do not recall ever seeing the cab of ex-GWR / BR(WR) designs painted anything other than green and black.
 
Scale7JB

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
Sounds good Simon, a recreation of the much lamented day that a 47xx was tested up the hill.. :D

Twas talked about for years..

JB.
 
SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
:confused: really?

I understand why we are advised to not copy preservationists... I do not recall ever seeing the cab of ex-GWR / BR(WR) designs painted anything other than green and black.
Click to expand...
Graham,
I suspect that the preservationists have the same problem as the modellers - a lack of primary sources. I haven't looked at a preserved loco but instead looked at supposedly authoritative GW sites and found loads of black loco's with a cream top. Slinn only refers to green locos and is sparse on detail. Do you have any primary sources?

JB,
I know the story as some twerp trying a King up the hill and getting it stuck just around the corner from Ababeeg. Either way I need to now find a figure with his cap in one hand while he scratches his head. Oh and a fireman bent over in laughter.

Simon
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I have thumbed through, front to back, and back to front. I'm afraid the documents referred to don't appear to be in the blue ring binder. :/
 
SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
as I can't read and drive simultaneously
Click to expand...
But post and drive? Deep respect from a former professional multi-tasker:p:D

Did some primary research in Steam in South Wales, an exceedingly good book of colour photographs of what it says on the cover. All off-black engines possess deep black cab insides. Point taken.

Simon
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Heather has checked the binder and the specification is not there... seems that I might have removed some material before the library loaned the tome.

What I am looking for, in the Oakley Lending Library, is a copy of the GWR spec on "what to do" and "how to do it" for those companies which wished to bid for building GWR 9400 class engines. Apart from a list of drawings and a description of what would be inspected, there is a specification of what paints to be used, where and in what order.
 
SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Some slow progress as I am rather feeling my way with this build.
A trial assembly of the cab front and car roof showed that there was a problem with the cab front. The two can sides were not parallel and tuned in by about 2 to 3 degrees. This is easily fixed by placing the offending edge in the steam from a kettle (steady the Blues) that is just coming to the boil for about five seconds. The sides can be gently bent out. and allowed to cool. The roof also had a problem in that it bowed out on one side. The same treatment solved the problem.

This left the slot that was filled with grot to clear. This was easy using a small scraper. I turn my old clogged up needle files into scrappers on a grinding wheel. If you don't have a grinder a coarse diamond sharpener is more than capablwe of doing the job. Here are some of the scrappers.
DSC_3638.JPG

And here is the clean slot.
DSC_3640.JPG

There is one problem that will be more difficult to solve. The cab top is wider on the front left hand side than the cab front.
DSC_3643.JPG
The back is fine but the front needs sorting. I think that I cannot remove anything on the inside to get it to lie flat. Of course, it has to be on the side that faces the viewer with the boiler pointing up the hill. :headbang:

Time to review my options.

SimonT
 
mickoo

mickoo

Western Thunderer
SimonT said:
Some slow progress as I am rather feeling my way with this build.
A trial assembly of the cab front and car roof showed that there was a problem with the cab front. The two can sides were not parallel and tuned in by about 2 to 3 degrees. This is easily fixed by placing the offending edge in the steam from a kettle (steady the Blues) that is just coming to the boil for about five seconds. The sides can be gently bent out. and allowed to cool. The roof also had a problem in that it bowed out on one side. The same treatment solved the problem.

This left the slot that was filled with grot to clear. This was easy using a small scraper. I turn my old clogged up needle files into scrappers on a grinding wheel. If you don't have a grinder a coarse diamond sharpener is more than capablwe of doing the job. Here are some of the scrappers.
View attachment 37154

And here is the clean slot.
View attachment 37155

There is one problem that will be more difficult to solve. The cab top is wider on the front left hand side than the cab front.
View attachment 37156
The back is fine but the front needs sorting. I think that I cannot remove anything on the inside to get it to lie flat. Of course, it has to be on the side that faces the viewer with the boiler pointing up the hill. :headbang:

Time to review my options.

SimonT
Click to expand...

Simon, given that the cab is plastic...of sorts, I'd cut down the lower section following the red line with a fret saw, tease out (pre warm to ease the stresses) the lower part until it lines up with the top and slip a sliver of Plasticard down the resultant gap, you could feather it to get an almost perfect fit, apply liberally some CA then sand smooth. I opted to place the cut away from the beading to give it strength by leaving some of the cab side attached, but you could just as easily cut just under the beading and fill the resultant gap with Plasticard etc.

Dsc_3643.jpg

There appears to be no visible surface features to preserve so filling and sanding smooth should be a breeze.

The other option is to remove all the beading, adjust the opening so it's all square and then add the beading back from Plasticard strip, that may be the better option as you wont need to fill and fettle the joins on the current beading.
 
SimonT

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Mick,
Thank you for your suggestions but you're getting ahead of me in the story of the build! The extra width is where the side sheet area of the roof protrudes out beyond the lower sheet. On the real loco the side sheet does overlap the side sheet but only by the thickness of the sheet, say 3/16". The model overlap is of the order of .5mm which scales as 7/8". The photo highlights the area.

DSC_3643.JPG

The beading was intended as a future story. I can get it to align but will probably require three hands at the gluing up stage. I am keen to keep the build as close as possible to what is supplied and to not go down the scratch building route unless I really have to.

Simon
 
Steve Cook

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Sounds like a slice down the front face of the lower front cab section to me, then grafting in a slither of plasticard the width of the saw cut, plus what is required to correct the offset. Not much fun :(
Good luck :)
Steve
 
mickoo

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Ah, my bad, thought you were talking about the beading not the top cab overhang LOL I suppose the clue was in the wording 'wider' not 'longer';)
 
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