7mm Gladiator NER/LNER/BR G5

[Richard Spoors]

Your pictures give me happy memories of days in the 1950's when I would be late home from school in Jesmond, watching G5s in Monkseaton as they worked the Avenue Branch to Blyth. My first experience of seeing and understanding push pull working.

Regards

Richard

 

[Rob Pulham]

The G5 is making slow progress but it's still progress.

Progress has been slowed down partly because I initially put the brakes in upside down and secondly because I am battling holes that have been over etched or badly drawn - I do appreciate that this kit will have been hand drawn and was probably state of the art at the time.

The kit and instructions provide for 0.9mm wire for the brake hangers and associated rods even though I have increased the rod size to 1mm the holes in the etches are still so big that I am having to bush them with some Markits crankpin washers that I had in the spares box from my 4mm days.



You can probably get an idea of the size of the etched holes in the photo below


The brake hangers are still free to rotate around the cross shaft, I won't solder them solid until I have lined everything up with the wheels in place.

I have also cleaned up the castings for the chassis and might get as far as fitting them with a fair wind tonight.

 

[mickoo]

Rob, looking good....despite the obvious difficulties

I think technology is moving so fast these days, that your bound to come up with issues in kits or tolerances in kits from even a few years back, let alone one several years old.

Just look at Simons work on 3D printing that alone has leaped in quality in the last two years I've been following it.

Keep up the good work

Although I hate this thread, as it's tempting me toward a G5 of my own, which is a distraction I do not need right now

 

[Rob Pulham]

Thanks Mick, I have just been admiring Simon's handy work.

I couldn't agree more and I certainly won't condem the kit on the basis of a few over sized holes

 

[Rob Pulham]

Well the fair wind didn't blow as hard as I might have wished - I ended up doing a grand total of a pair of front footsteps....

But on the positive side it has answered a conundrum, when placing the valances on the footplate there are half etched recess for the steps (and other bits) to sit in. And because I have determined that this one needs the step braces, it looked as if the positioning of the braces (which are part of the valance etch) was out by a couple of mm. Thinking about how to deal with it is why I haven't soldered the valances on yet - Despite Mick Nicholson providing me with the drawing of where they fit.

However, last night while re-reading the instructions for the brake gear I glanced at the drawing on the opposite page of the instructions at a rather odd depiction of the front steps. This made me dig them out and study them and that revealed that the tab that folds over to solder into the half etched recess is in fact offset. So although I didn't get a chance to try the steps/valance and recess all together it look promising that it might all fit as it should.

 

[Rob Pulham]

I am still beavering away with the chassis and brakes but they are slow going..

Inspired by Mick's J25 build, I decided to make a start on the body work too.

Here's where I got last night.







This was put together with the microflame and still needs cleaning up - although it looks far worse in the photos than it does in reality.

And then the replacement rear spectacle plate.

 

[7mmMick]

Looking good Rob, it looks like you'll suff from the same problem I did with the enlargement from 4mm etches. The Bunker back is the same as the J25 tender. Those half etched recesses are far too big for the lamp irons and the handrail holes seem too big. They're ok for hand rail knobs but when it comes to just bent wire you're left with a big space. I intend to drill mine out and bush them out with some brass tube I think,

Inspiring stuff this build

Mick

 

[Dikitriki]

the handrail holes seem too big. They're ok for hand rail knobs but when it comes to just bent wire you're left with a big space. I intend to drill mine out and bush them out with some brass tube I think,

Mick

Hi Mick

Most handrails don't just go into the sheet metal, but have a collar. If that's the case, just use 16BA washers to cover the gap. Looks better too.

Richard

 

[7mmMick]

Sounds good Richard, I'll give it a go

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Mick

Most handrails don't just go into the sheet metal, but have a collar. If that's the case, just use 16BA washers to cover the gap. Looks better too.

Richard

So far I have had to bush quite a few holes.... but the fit of the upper works parts so far is good which is promising.

 

[warren haywood]

Looking good Rob

 

[Rob Pulham]

Thanks Warren.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Going to Leigh show meant a weekend in Wakefield and more time at the soldering work bench.

This allowed me to crack on with various sub assemblies for the superstructure.

The cab entrance beading fit perfectly.

A new design on me, the tank inners carry through into the cab - I wondered what they were when they were flat on the etch.. My previous encounters have had inside and outside the cab firmly separated by the front spectacle plate.





I had to cut the hopper top off for this one as neither of the potential subjects had one fitted.



lastly a couple of shots with most bits in place - I noticed that I hadn't put the lockers that fit on the rear bulkhead either side of the coal door in place until after I had taken the photos.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Sadly time at home has been a bit in short supply recently so progress on the G5 has slowed but next week I have some time off and will have the best part of 5 days at the bench (chores permitting of course).

The little I have managed to do has seen the smokebox/ front sand boxes folded up. Once again I had to fill a few over large holes but not an issue.







The biggest problem to date - and not that big a problem is that the mini splashers that fit over the front wheels adjacent to the sand boxes were too short so a couple of bits of scrap nickel etch was called into service.



I have also soldered up the boiler but it needs some attention because at the moment it isn't round....

 

[Rob Pulham]

It's been a while but I have finally got back to the G5

To ease myself back into it last night I built up the back head. With this being a straight from the box build I have just used what was supplied rather than adding additional details etc. it should still look pretty decent in an enclosed cab once painted.

 

[Rob Pulham]

One step forward and two steps back as the saying goes.

late last week I added some of the body details including the handrails in the cab doors and tank fronts. For the tank fronts I followed the instructions and the door handrails went into pre etched holes.... or so I thought when re-examining them the following day.

The instructions for the tank front hand rails have a mounting bracket which you bend and solder inside the tan front after filing a recess so that the top of the bracket is level with the top of the tank front. This resulted in the handrail leaning in both planes... So last night I took them off straightened them and then filed them so that when soldered back flat the hand rail was vertical in both planes.




I will take the slight bend out of that one too - blessed close up photos......


This rather poor shot shows that they are now straight!

One of the holes in the footplate left one of the cab door handrails askew too so that came off and was straightened too.






Tonight's plan is to start assembling some of the sub assemblies.....

 

[Rob Pulham]

Still moving slowly forwards, although in the end it took a third attempt before I got the tank front hand rail supports right

Although I had them in the right place after the second attempt I couldn't get the tank tops to sit down properly so off they came and the slot's that they sit in were deepened.



The inner tanks are now in place.







And finally having studied the photos again I realised that the I had left and overhang on the outer splasher tops to represent the beading that so many splashers had, but on the G5 they were plain with no beading so off they came and another pair made from scrap etch - easier than trying to file those that were fitted down.

 

[FiftyFourA]

Rob

Just saw this post. The Locomotion O gauge group is putting the test track up shortly (puddlejumper will have the date) and one of their members is a trustee of the Armstrong Photographic Trust and they have THOUSANDS of loco piccies, mostly of the NER/LNER areas so he may be able to help. His name is John Midcalf.

Peter

 

[Puddlejumper]

Rob, I'll ask John if it's OK to pass on his details to you. I'm sure he will be ok with it.......

Doug

 

[Rob Pulham]

Rob, I'll ask John if it's OK to pass on his details to you. I'm sure he will be ok with it.......

Doug

Yes please Doug