Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
There have been hints dropped for a while, but I think it's time to let the cat out of the bag. I was asked by John Lewsey if I'd contemplate building the 9F that's been in his possession for some time. Perhaps foolishly, I said yes.
The kit is from Jim Harris, branded as Transport Age. The box, which is never going to accommodate the finished model, sadly, contains etched brass and nickel silver, a lot of whitemetal castings, and a few brass castings, plus wire and sundry bearings and fixings.
We've worked out the most likely loco number that might have run somewhere in the Midlands with the BR1C tender, that being 92082 shedded at Wellingborough (15A), around the end of the 1950s. Sadly, I've since discovered Severn Mill hasn't got 92082 (there's a trend developing here, as hinted at by my 57xx build thread), but he does have the next one down.
John had the manufacturer preform some of the complex curves, and roll and solder up the boiler, which saves me a bit of a faff if I'm honest. So, what's in the box?
Here we see the cab, firebox, boiler, smokebox, chassis and part of the motion. The second cylinder frame was in the box, lost among the instructions. The etches are very much of their time, with a little misregistration in places, but nothing to write home about. The firebox and one of the cab sides have been formed up, and the basic cab front/floor folded. At the top is the boiler, and the smokebox, which was rolled but hadn't had the rivets punched - until I got at it the other day.
Springs, rest of the motion, running plate, chassis spacers and rudimentary pony truck. The running plate looks a bit wonky because it has been separated from the main etch. I've just posed the bits roughly in place.
The parts for the tender, and some remaining motion bits. I need to check the chosen loco's tender was beriveted, as that'll keep me occupied for an hour or two.
Castings. I've elected, for the time being, not to break open the bags. At some point, I will decant the parts into various ziplock bags, and give them a good assessment as to suitability. Best Beloved has previous with an Oakville kit, the 350hp English Electric shunter kit, so the items here hold no fears for me. Some will be replaced by better items, others may scrub up with a little work, yet others may be replaced by scratch built parts. We'll see. Immediately I can see we need a better drawbar fixtures...
This is a long-term project. What this means is that John is quite happy for me to take my time, and I plan on spending a little time here and there when other builds get on top of me. We've been slowly acquiring bits and pieces, such as the tender wheels (reprofiled by Colin Dowling (eastsidepilot)). The pony and driving wheels are the subject of debate, as we might be able to acquire a nice set from a third party, with the main driven axle with the larger boss and lacking flange. Watch this space, as they say.
Thoughts have been given to the motion in the kit, what sort of suspension we might want, and where and how to fit the DCC and sound. Don't expect a lot of activity now I've broken the silence, but if there are any comments or experiences that might be shared about building Oakville kits, please feel free to post away.
The kit is from Jim Harris, branded as Transport Age. The box, which is never going to accommodate the finished model, sadly, contains etched brass and nickel silver, a lot of whitemetal castings, and a few brass castings, plus wire and sundry bearings and fixings.
We've worked out the most likely loco number that might have run somewhere in the Midlands with the BR1C tender, that being 92082 shedded at Wellingborough (15A), around the end of the 1950s. Sadly, I've since discovered Severn Mill hasn't got 92082 (there's a trend developing here, as hinted at by my 57xx build thread), but he does have the next one down.
John had the manufacturer preform some of the complex curves, and roll and solder up the boiler, which saves me a bit of a faff if I'm honest. So, what's in the box?
Here we see the cab, firebox, boiler, smokebox, chassis and part of the motion. The second cylinder frame was in the box, lost among the instructions. The etches are very much of their time, with a little misregistration in places, but nothing to write home about. The firebox and one of the cab sides have been formed up, and the basic cab front/floor folded. At the top is the boiler, and the smokebox, which was rolled but hadn't had the rivets punched - until I got at it the other day.
Springs, rest of the motion, running plate, chassis spacers and rudimentary pony truck. The running plate looks a bit wonky because it has been separated from the main etch. I've just posed the bits roughly in place.
The parts for the tender, and some remaining motion bits. I need to check the chosen loco's tender was beriveted, as that'll keep me occupied for an hour or two.
Castings. I've elected, for the time being, not to break open the bags. At some point, I will decant the parts into various ziplock bags, and give them a good assessment as to suitability. Best Beloved has previous with an Oakville kit, the 350hp English Electric shunter kit, so the items here hold no fears for me. Some will be replaced by better items, others may scrub up with a little work, yet others may be replaced by scratch built parts. We'll see. Immediately I can see we need a better drawbar fixtures...
This is a long-term project. What this means is that John is quite happy for me to take my time, and I plan on spending a little time here and there when other builds get on top of me. We've been slowly acquiring bits and pieces, such as the tender wheels (reprofiled by Colin Dowling (eastsidepilot)). The pony and driving wheels are the subject of debate, as we might be able to acquire a nice set from a third party, with the main driven axle with the larger boss and lacking flange. Watch this space, as they say.
Thoughts have been given to the motion in the kit, what sort of suspension we might want, and where and how to fit the DCC and sound. Don't expect a lot of activity now I've broken the silence, but if there are any comments or experiences that might be shared about building Oakville kits, please feel free to post away.
, who made that?, I think Severn models are the only Crosti builders, I do keep looking at their range LOL
But thanks to you I have just secured an 'in stock' signal box kit from Lasercraft!
