On guard - In memoriam

AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
That's gorgeous, Pete - but I do think that beading must be c.100 per cent over scale... (sorry!).

One other question though - who would be operating such a beast by the mid '50s? Having been taxed off the roads for most purposes, steam lorries were pretty unusual by then - this one was (but Teignmouth Quay ran a '20s Sentinel tractor as a shunter): Sentinel S4P No. 8850 - The Lion

Adam
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Thank you JB and AJC.

Adam, I know that I am stretching the date boundaries a bit with this model, but the whole point of it is a memorial to our departed friend; Steve Baldock!

His greatest passion was for all things steam, and road traction in particular. I chose the last type of Sentinel built for the home market as the only appropriate and likely type to be seen operating at roughly the period of the railway.

Thanks too for The Lion link. Super isn't it? It is just a shame that it doesn't seem to have been updated lately!

Anyway, here is my latest...

wSAM_7993.JPG

It is not just the original, prototype doors that are flimsy!

It needed some very careful drilling of four holes into the leading edge of mine for the tiny loops.

wSAM_7994.JPG

When they were superglued and set in the door I gently tweaked them to a 45 degree angle, toward the outside of the door.

That part is critical!

The hoops are also slightly wide as well, but that will allow a bit of vertical play, thus ensuring that the door will both swing freely and seat snugly in it's frame.

wSAM_7995.JPG

This is the part that I described as being not too bothered about last night!

The moulding was going to be chopped up anyway.

This time, two 45 degree angle slots were cut into the pillar, again slightly wide to allow that vertical movement of the hinges.

Unfortunately, the overscale nature of said moulding is now a slight problem; the hinge gaps are much more prominent than I would like!

wSAM_7997.JPG

Two rather scruffy little pins were shaped, then sprung over the loops before insertion into holes drilled in the pillar slots!

This is the worst, and most wasteful part of the operation.

Parts that are inclined to ping away are a right pain in the postern?!

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But worth the aggro in the end...?

A happy chappie, after sipping from his mug of hot chocolate held in one hand, while merrily opening and slamming the door with the other, was able to sleep contented last night!

Pete.
 
AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Not at all - I like it as well, of course, but a specialist user is probably more likely than a general haulier - and The Lion was in use as late as the early '60s (it must have been because dad mentioned seeing it, though that may well have been laid up or it could have been the tractor in early preservation; I'll have to ask). The door is very ingenious and it'll mostly be open, right?

Adam
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
"Having been taxed off the roads for most purposes, steam lorries were pretty unusual by then"


Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
(Joni Mitchell)
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Thank you to all for your kind comments.

I not only enjoy the challenge of making doors work, but particularly like the story that an open one tells, in both model and art form!

On this occasion, and under extreme time pressure I had originally intended to simply stick it in the open position. However, I became increasingly fearful that it would prove to be far too vulnerable. One knock, and it could rather easily have come adrift and even be lost altogether? Hopefully, an accidental side swipe would do no more than make it flap out of the way, or with two hinges to destroy, one might break while the other tenaciously hangs on!

In retrospect it would have been nice to do both sides, but with a removable roof the structural integrity of the cab might be compromised?

Pete.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Pete,

With the craftsmanship that’s gone into this job, I doubt very much that there’s any risk to the structural integrity.

And it’s lovely.

Best
Simon
 
Oz7mm

Oz7mm

Western Thunderer
Robin (known as Boy Blunder in these parts) says he remembers steam lorries being operated by the Cambridge Gas Company when he was a kid and we was born after 1950. So almost feasible On Love Lane.

John
 
AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Oz7mm said:
Robin (known as Boy Blunder in these parts) says he remembers steam lorries being operated by the Cambridge Gas Company when he was a kid and we was born after 1950. So almost feasible On Love Lane.

John
Click to expand...

Indeed - I'd forgotten about those (and they had a shunter, too) and a quick web search shows one at least is preserved: 1933 Sentinel S6 Steam Waggon

That said, a specialist outfit for whom the fuel was either a consumable or a byproduct (if they work on coke?), so not that surprising. I think Limmer and Trinidad kept a few going as tar sprayers (and possibly tippers?). Where's Love Lane's nearest gasworks?

Adam
 
AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Lovely, Rob, but the Tarmac Sentinel is an earlier design - a chain driven 'Super Sentinel' (DG8). The S series had shaft drive, so were much more akin to oil-engined lorries, mechanically at least.

Adam
 
Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Thank you Rob and Wagonman for the fabulous pics of those twelve wheelers.

I'm rather glad I took the decision to only do a twin axle one though?!

While I still intend to make a set of nearer to scale wheels, I'm afraid that other pressures dictate a quicker fix for Warley. I already have a set, almost of the right diameter, pinched from an old toy tipper truck! There might just be enough time to do some chopping and filing to make them look a bit more presentable?

With that in mind, late last night, I cut four simple, snap-on bearings and attached them to the outside of the chassis frames:

wSAM_8004.JPG

Some time after the show, they should be relatively easy to cut away and be replaced with something better, or modified to become an extra (almost hidden) central support for more scale appearance leaf springs?

It is nice to see wheels on the wagon, even though it completes the Dinky effect?!

Early this morning, before breakfast, I managed to get a waft of paint on:

wSAM_8009.JPG

The hard tyres are a fairly tight push fit on the grey centres, but will rotate if a little twisting pressure is applied. I am really hoping that solvent will work on these plastics, and thus when set, can be confidently spun in the drill press for a bit of thinning and tread reduction?

Back to this evening;

The first coat of deep, rich, "Midnight Blue" has been applied with a soft brush:

wSAM_8014.JPG

A gentle rub down and second coat should make it even richer and more luxurious. It might then be too much of a shame to dull it down and weather it...?

Pete.
 

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Peter Insole

Peter Insole

Western Thunderer
Oh dear, I thought I was being so clever?! What had I said I was going to do; ...pop the wheels in the drill press and spin 'em to thin 'em?

Blimey, what a mess!

The tyres did seem to be quite a hard plastic, but for starters; the solvent had no effect. Perhaps a drop of superglue might just hold them for the job?

Mmm?

Well, spin them I did, but whatever tool I used either dug in, wandered or just bounced off the wretched stuff!

I had to resort to doing them all by hand and eye, chiselling carefully away with a brand new scalpel blade!

Even attempting to smooth them afterwards made the treads go fluffy!

Horrible!

The owners of this Sentinel might be taking a bit of a chance when driving on tyres in such a terrible state, but at least they are roughly the right shape?

wSAM_8036.JPG wSAM_8031.JPG

Doubles on the back too at last...!

Here is just a fraction of the debris left behind:

wSAM_8045.JPG

I suspect that I shall be finding some of those black shavings for quite while to come?

Spotted one already; bobbing around in my cup of tea!!

Slippery little beggar too, just when I think I've caught it in my spoon, whoop, off it goes again?!

Mumble, mumble!

Pete.
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Those tyres will do a few more hundreds of miles - There isn't any steel wire showing yet!

An old chap I know who ran a fleet of aggregate tippers would regularly take a truck down to a London Transport bus garage in north London to buy their bus cast-offs for further use.
I am led to believe the tyres remained owned, and their use managed, by the tyre manufacturers, and that they were paid for on a rental / mileage basis? And that he bought the old casings direct from the manufacturer?

The Sentinel 10!stud wheel discs were quite distinctive with just a couple of shallow scalloped cut-outs. Most trucks had a similar number of bigger cut-outs to the number of wheel studs, especially the lighter trucks (5, 6, 8 stud).

I have been trying for some time to find a source of high fidelity truck tyre / wheel castings - no joy yet.
 
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