7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench
- Thread starter mickoo
- Start date
John Duffy
Western Thunderer
Very nice. At one point 534 ran with green background nameplates.
John
John
warren haywood
Western Thunderer
are you sure they weren’t pale blue
John Duffy
Western Thunderer
Yes. Blue Peter had blue and Bahram had brown.are you sure they weren’t pale blue
David Naysmith
Member
I noticed that the B of B loco shown in post #2922 has a cover over the tender vacuum cylinders - but these covers don't appear on the finished models in post # 3044.
So I was wondering if the full size locos sometimes ran without these covers?
So I was wondering if the full size locos sometimes ran without these covers?
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Different tenders, the cut down sided tenders had a cover over the vacuum tanks, original high sided tenders did not.
Post 2922 is 34066 in mid 1966.
Post 3022 is 34052 and 34055 in mid 1957
Three engines here, two being rebuilt post paint, one being built ready for paint.
Having said that, there will probably now be a plethora of photos of high sided tenders with covers showing up, but the photos I have of 52 & 55 shown none.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
From memory, and having spent far, far too long looking at Bulleid tender details... I've a feeling that the covers were added when the tenders were cut down. All but 5 (?) had the raves removed, so all but 5 got the covers.
I've also got a feeling that the 5 that weren't cut down also received covers late in the day when it was realised they wouldn't have the raves removed. The covers being there to prevent the cylinders being damaged by errant dropped coal would have been worthwhile.
Not easy finding late period shots of the 5 tenders that kept their raves but here's a snip of one that I think shows 34078 with raves and a cover.
Typically having gone back in my search to find details of the photo to credit, I can't find the same image again.
I've also got a feeling that the 5 that weren't cut down also received covers late in the day when it was realised they wouldn't have the raves removed. The covers being there to prevent the cylinders being damaged by errant dropped coal would have been worthwhile.
Not easy finding late period shots of the 5 tenders that kept their raves but here's a snip of one that I think shows 34078 with raves and a cover.
Typically having gone back in my search to find details of the photo to credit, I can't find the same image again.
spikey faz
Western Thunderer
Compare the colour/shade of the loco with that of the coach. Almost black!! Tender insignia completely obscured.
Mike
mickoo
Western Thunderer
As I said........
It doesn't surprise me covers were fitted, but that's the first time I've seen a photo of one
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Steady progress this week on the 2nd JLTRT Castle build, this one has a full SDK which helps you along with several pieces but several pieces are designed for the full width (S7) frames.
Most you can thin down and wedge in but sadly the rather nice bogie pivot stay you cannot. The cast slide bars and rear cylinder cover/stuffing gland is nice but is cast in a whitish/yellow brass and that's no good for the slide bar faces. I carefully cut the slide bar strap off and soldered 5 thou nickel silver strip on to the running surfaces and then fitted the strap back.
I didn't fight the rear white metal sand boxes this time, went straight for 3D and in hindsight should have done the same on the first engine.
Next up the valve gear, the coupling rods have a false knuckle joint in/on the intermediate crank pin (popular back in the day). By good fortune the rods are laminated in such a way that with some cutting and splicing you can move that to the correct place on the rods and pin accordingly.
Most you can thin down and wedge in but sadly the rather nice bogie pivot stay you cannot. The cast slide bars and rear cylinder cover/stuffing gland is nice but is cast in a whitish/yellow brass and that's no good for the slide bar faces. I carefully cut the slide bar strap off and soldered 5 thou nickel silver strip on to the running surfaces and then fitted the strap back.
I didn't fight the rear white metal sand boxes this time, went straight for 3D and in hindsight should have done the same on the first engine.
Next up the valve gear, the coupling rods have a false knuckle joint in/on the intermediate crank pin (popular back in the day). By good fortune the rods are laminated in such a way that with some cutting and splicing you can move that to the correct place on the rods and pin accordingly.
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
As I said........
It doesn't surprise me covers were fitted, but that's the first time I've seen a photo of one
It's not a very clear photo, so hard to be 100% sure but it just looks like a curved cover to me.
If I was the shed foreman and an unprotected cylinder had been damaged yet again by coal dropping on it from a height, and there was a solution already in use on the cut down tenders, I'd have fitted a cover too.
(Ps, the original post wasn't disagreeing with you)
mickoo
Western Thunderer
PPS, I know
OzzyO
Western Thunderer
Hello Mick,
love the build. Is this the part that you didn't fit? The part that has the tap in it. Thinking back a good number of years to this build I think that all I did was squeeze it a bit and clean up the the two vertical faces.
I'm surprised that you didn't use the SDK bogie they build to a nice bogie with working equalising beams with a small spring ( Slater's axel box spring) then add a spring to the bogie pivot to fit in the top hat with the square rim. They also add a nice bit of weight in this department.
My lash up for the front sand boxes.
ATB
OzzyO.
love the build. Is this the part that you didn't fit? The part that has the tap in it. Thinking back a good number of years to this build I think that all I did was squeeze it a bit and clean up the the two vertical faces.
I'm surprised that you didn't use the SDK bogie they build to a nice bogie with working equalising beams with a small spring ( Slater's axel box spring) then add a spring to the bogie pivot to fit in the top hat with the square rim. They also add a nice bit of weight in this department.
My lash up for the front sand boxes.
ATB
OzzyO.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Yes, that's the bit I didn't fit and no amount of squeezing would have worked I'm afraid, you see the original front end all comes away in one piece so the frame sections are wider than the main frame section behind so that bolster is also wider.
For my sins I've modified the frames to be the same width through out for two reasons, I struggled with the internal screws to bolt the two together in the original set up and my 3D internal motion bracket is the same width and does not have the joining plates in the way. It does mean the the front frame section is not scale width but that has the added benefit of the inside cylinder block being narrower and I can add the dished section on the inside and not limit the radius it can negotiate.
I did look at the cast bogie but some castings were quite poor and when I measured it all up found it matched the original kit front end frame width. Because mine are a couple of mm narrower then it would have looked odd poking out wider than the engine.
I don't subscribe to the scale width frames at the front when the wheels are not, the juxtaposition between the two is thrown out and it looks odd, if the wheels are narrower then the frames should be too, that way you maintain the correct visual offset between the two.
On the face of it, it's a lot of extra work and so far it has been, but the benefits come later and they far outweigh the extra work now, the redesign allows the whole motion section to be taken out of the engine to be worked on.
It also allows a much greater strip down and drastically reduces the painters time as he doesn't have to get in awkward corners or mask up. But most of all, it saves time when reassembling as there is very little motion in there and it can all be added afterward; as such there is little cleaning up of running surfaces and reduced risk of damaging the painted surfaces.
For my sins I've modified the frames to be the same width through out for two reasons, I struggled with the internal screws to bolt the two together in the original set up and my 3D internal motion bracket is the same width and does not have the joining plates in the way. It does mean the the front frame section is not scale width but that has the added benefit of the inside cylinder block being narrower and I can add the dished section on the inside and not limit the radius it can negotiate.
I did look at the cast bogie but some castings were quite poor and when I measured it all up found it matched the original kit front end frame width. Because mine are a couple of mm narrower then it would have looked odd poking out wider than the engine.
I don't subscribe to the scale width frames at the front when the wheels are not, the juxtaposition between the two is thrown out and it looks odd, if the wheels are narrower then the frames should be too, that way you maintain the correct visual offset between the two.
On the face of it, it's a lot of extra work and so far it has been, but the benefits come later and they far outweigh the extra work now, the redesign allows the whole motion section to be taken out of the engine to be worked on.
It also allows a much greater strip down and drastically reduces the painters time as he doesn't have to get in awkward corners or mask up. But most of all, it saves time when reassembling as there is very little motion in there and it can all be added afterward; as such there is little cleaning up of running surfaces and reduced risk of damaging the painted surfaces.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Some more progress on the Finney7 Princess Coronation Semi streamlined variant.
The alternative cab and smoke deflector etches are now done and signed off and I'll be doing the necessary blurb to the instructions shortly. Once the resin smokebox comes back from the casters then we'll begin packing and post public notices to that effect.
The material is brass but the cleaning and LED lighting has washed it out to look like nickel silver, which it isn't.
The alternative cab and smoke deflector etches are now done and signed off and I'll be doing the necessary blurb to the instructions shortly. Once the resin smokebox comes back from the casters then we'll begin packing and post public notices to that effect.
The material is brass but the cleaning and LED lighting has washed it out to look like nickel silver, which it isn't.
Clarence3815
Western Thunderer
Will you be doing a test-build Mick?
mickoo
Western Thunderer
There isn't one planned at the moment, though I do have an expression of interest from a client but not before we release in due course, unless he changes his mind whilst I'm doing the current one for him, alongside and slightly behind the Princess Royal teetering on the edge of the bench to do next.
To be fair the changes are minor (but important), mainly revisions to known parts and build structures so a full test build isn't worth the time soak, the extra parts have been tested for fit on the current kit though.
Clarence3815
Western Thunderer
Thank you.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Quick update on the second JLTRT Castle, most of the major parts are done so it's a case of just joining all the dots up.
The cab/firebox/boiler/smokebox are all one big lump at the moment and resting on the splashers hence the big gaps here and there, cutting the boiler clearance holes is tomorrows task.
The 3D smokebox saddle isn't quite there and needs a few tweaks for a better fit, that's in the machine overnight and hopefully all good to go tomorrow.
Hoping to wrap up by Weds as off to the US over the weekend to a big HO show in St Loius.
The cab/firebox/boiler/smokebox are all one big lump at the moment and resting on the splashers hence the big gaps here and there, cutting the boiler clearance holes is tomorrows task.
The 3D smokebox saddle isn't quite there and needs a few tweaks for a better fit, that's in the machine overnight and hopefully all good to go tomorrow.
Hoping to wrap up by Weds as off to the US over the weekend to a big HO show in St Loius.
