Nick Dunhill
Western Thunderer
I didn't quite finish the loco this week for reasons I will expand on below. The first task was fitting up the splashers.
This was quite tricky round the firebox and boiler and less so on the front drivers. Bits of the top inside edges have to be ground away to clear the boiler, and the real thing has angle iron sitting between the splashers and boiler clothing this was made from annealed 0.8 x 0.8 mm brass angle.
The next job was to add the pipes not yet fitted to the Westinghouse pump and fit up the handrail. It always seems to take me a long time to fit up boiler handrails. I always fill the pre etched holes as they are never in the right place, but of course the kit boiler was in the scrap bin and there were none on mine. I used the pointy measuring thingy on my vernier calipers set to the correct height for the handrail, upside down balanced on a sheet of plate glass and pushed the assembled loco past them . This scribes the height of the handrail, and in this case the handrail is in the boiler centre line so the knobs are embedded in the boiler clothing there too. I always let some tube that is the same ID as the knob shanks into the boiler to ensure the knobs can be held securely. It's always tricky making the rail pass round the front of the loco and over the smokebox door, remaining concentric with the door and smokebox. This run of handrail has a cute kink round the Westinghouse pump.
I have stared at the cab side windows many times trying to convince myself that they are OK but they're not. They're not tall enough and the gap between the bottom of the roof and the top of the beading is too large, and it gives the loco the look of a Raven NER Pacific. I decided to sort it out and peeled the existing window beading off. I commissioned Mick Davies to etch me a new set of taller ones on the edge of his next set of etches.
This was all a bit unfortunate for two reasons. The cab was the only remaining part I used from the kit for the loco, and it was wrong. Virtually every part in the box supplied to build the locomotive was useless. Secondly there'll be a delay of a couple of weeks while I get the new window beading etches. I should have scrapped the whole thing and scratchbuilt. It would have been quicker.
I added some cast LGM lamp irons to the front of the footplate and one to the smokebox door. I have some lubricators on back order for the footplate area above the cylinders. So that's more or less it, cab window mods and lubricators to be added. Another day's work and it'll be done.
Here it will sit on my window ledge until the parts turn up.
If you really feel your life would be incomplete without a NBR Reid Atlantic, and there's no doubt it's a handsome loco, I would urge you not to buy this kit under any circumstances. It is a very very poor product and ought not to be on the market. Even if you're pretty handy at modifying kits, spend the £225 on gin and fags and scratchbuild one instead.
This was quite tricky round the firebox and boiler and less so on the front drivers. Bits of the top inside edges have to be ground away to clear the boiler, and the real thing has angle iron sitting between the splashers and boiler clothing this was made from annealed 0.8 x 0.8 mm brass angle.
The next job was to add the pipes not yet fitted to the Westinghouse pump and fit up the handrail. It always seems to take me a long time to fit up boiler handrails. I always fill the pre etched holes as they are never in the right place, but of course the kit boiler was in the scrap bin and there were none on mine. I used the pointy measuring thingy on my vernier calipers set to the correct height for the handrail, upside down balanced on a sheet of plate glass and pushed the assembled loco past them . This scribes the height of the handrail, and in this case the handrail is in the boiler centre line so the knobs are embedded in the boiler clothing there too. I always let some tube that is the same ID as the knob shanks into the boiler to ensure the knobs can be held securely. It's always tricky making the rail pass round the front of the loco and over the smokebox door, remaining concentric with the door and smokebox. This run of handrail has a cute kink round the Westinghouse pump.
I have stared at the cab side windows many times trying to convince myself that they are OK but they're not. They're not tall enough and the gap between the bottom of the roof and the top of the beading is too large, and it gives the loco the look of a Raven NER Pacific. I decided to sort it out and peeled the existing window beading off. I commissioned Mick Davies to etch me a new set of taller ones on the edge of his next set of etches.
This was all a bit unfortunate for two reasons. The cab was the only remaining part I used from the kit for the loco, and it was wrong. Virtually every part in the box supplied to build the locomotive was useless. Secondly there'll be a delay of a couple of weeks while I get the new window beading etches. I should have scrapped the whole thing and scratchbuilt. It would have been quicker.
I added some cast LGM lamp irons to the front of the footplate and one to the smokebox door. I have some lubricators on back order for the footplate area above the cylinders. So that's more or less it, cab window mods and lubricators to be added. Another day's work and it'll be done.
Here it will sit on my window ledge until the parts turn up.
If you really feel your life would be incomplete without a NBR Reid Atlantic, and there's no doubt it's a handsome loco, I would urge you not to buy this kit under any circumstances. It is a very very poor product and ought not to be on the market. Even if you're pretty handy at modifying kits, spend the £225 on gin and fags and scratchbuild one instead.
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and fleeces poor beginners thinking they are getting a cheap deal 
