Small update on the Garrett.
The kit engine bed pipework is frugal and incorrect in some aspects.
As supplied there is a common smokebox manifold for both the rear engine live steam and Vacuum exhaust ejector pipework, they should be separated.
In addition I needed to find a way of fixing the smokebox to the bed plate somehow, the kit only supplies the sides for the smokebox saddle so new front and rears were fitted. I could have then placed a floor each side with a nut on the upper side, to which screws on the underside would secure too.....but I had other plans below.
The manifold is supposed to be fixed directly to the base of the smokebox, if you do that then you cannot make it irremovable for paint, I will need to do that, as well as for other work.
The result was a new plate fixed to the engine bed, this covered the ugly holes in the smokebox wrapper and allows the manifold to fixed to the engine bed.
The front end fixing was simply a small piece of wire that pokes into the smokebox front, you can just see it near the new platework, the rear end is secured by the cab with four corner screws.
The external exhaust pipework from the rear engine is incorrect, it's split in the wrong place for the ejector/injector, can never get them the right way around.....it should be where the tooth pick is. There are other issues with the elbows and there's no support bracket.
Moving on to the beginnings of the revised manifold, a new 3D print replicates the area better, I've worked up a best guess spin off look alike from the SAR GF class which is very close in many aspects. It's probably not authentic but what I had before was so dire, any upgrade here is beneficial.
The new manifold needs three ports, ejector, front and rear engine exhausts, the big hole in the bottom is for the front engine exhaust (a print of that fitting is in progress) and the ejector is plumbed in; the angled port is for the rear engine. The pipe will run to the side frame, pass through and then run down the outside of the frame to the rear of the cab before cutting back in.
I've just posed the bearing pedestal casting, it needs a little notch cut and cover to hide the pin holding the front end of the smokebox in. It's not a good print, a basic size and form fit before the final renders are fitted.
The rear engine live steam pipe is now diverted to one side and into a new elbow (recovered from the now redundant side pipe), the black dot is where the live steam fitting for the front engine will eventually be secured.
Whats throwing me at the moment is the surplus of exhaust steam pipes, I have two going to the rear ? I know the side pipe is the main exhaust pipe as all of that layout matches the GF almost part for part, what's throwing me is where on earth is the lower one that runs through the ash pan from the ejector pipework going.
The exhaust ejector pipe comes from the centre of the manifold to the transverse barrel and then kicks out and around the ashpan to the ejector, but why the extra pipe going rearward ?
