7mm On Heather's Workbench - the answer to life, the universe and…

[Heather Kay]

Time for a question of the GWR loco experts here.

ATC. I've fitted the shoe and bracket. I'm planning the conduit run along the hanging bar. Does anyone know where the battery box was fitted?

 

[Dog Star]

... the conduit run along the hanging bar...

Hoorah, the correct name for what so many call "valence".... .

Well, at least that is the correct name when discussing a GWR engine .

 

[Heather Kay]

Well, at least that is the correct name when discussing a GWR engine .

You are training me well, Mr B.

 

[daifly]

I note from photographs that in every case where ATC is fitted, the conduit stops below the forward corner of the cab suggesting (my speculation!) that the battery box might be lurking on the driver's side of the cab. Is it the box below the bell in this photo from Martyn's post in this very thread?

Dave

 

[Heather Kay]

Y'know what? That's a very good question!

In the light of any lack of further information, having peered intently at almost every 4200, 5200 and 7200 I can find, I'm going to leave the extra casting out. It is possible the larger box had a home somewhere on the cab back sheet, but I can't prove it.

If in doubt, leave it out!

 

[Compton castle]

Some times the battery box is under the cab, quite a popular place on panniers, I'll have a dig about and see what I can find

 

[Compton castle]

The conduit looks to turn in under the front of the cab so the battery box must be in there some where
I'll keep looking
Edit I just seen Daifly's post. I agree

 

[Heather Kay]

That would be much appreciated Steve, thank you.

 

[Heather Kay]

I have made an executive decision that I won't try and fit the battery box. The box under the bell seems an ideal candidate for it anyway.

Meanwhile, I've finished off the upperworks - I think.



The whistle gubbins looks a lot more like the real thing. I've added bracket strips inside the cab sides to hide daylight and provide a bit of support to the roof.



I have checked my checklist of remaining jobs. I'm down to underframe bits, so that's brake mechanism, sanding pipes and, um, injectors. I'm still hunting clearer images of how they fit together. Oh, and of course those pesky screw couplings and the hooks. That's probably tomorrow's job!

 

[SimonT]

Cab shutters if it is a war time/post war loco?

 

[Heather Kay]

Good point. I took the shutters off as the smaller ones had been fitted. I plan to replace them once painting is done.

 

[Heather Kay]

Injectors. I know these live under the cab. For various reasons I have four cast ones in the box for this kit. As its now time to stop putting them off, I've sat down and tried to work out how they actually fit to the loco.

The instructions, obviously, imply they mount outside, on a length of angle iron. I've found one reasonably clear image of a preserved loco - I know, I know - which seems to show the injectors are actually mounted inside the frames. All that can be seen on most photos is the drain pipe, snaking out and down below the coupling rods and attached to the cab footsteps.

GWR 2-8-0T 4200 class 4247 in service at Bodmin General 9Sept2015 by Malcolm Macdonald, on Flickr

So, before I spend ages drilling out the injector castings for the various pipes, can anyone explain to me why I shouldn't just leave the beggars out altogether?

 

[Steph Dale]

Heather,
I don't think the box under the bell is the battery, it looks more like a relay box to me : Railwayana Auctions UK - Gallery
No idea where the battery is though!
Also, are you fitting ATC or AWS? When did BR (W) change over?
Steph being nearly helpful, but not quite...

 

[Dog Star]

Injectors ... its now time to stop putting them off, I've sat down and tried to work out how they actually fit to the loco.

I've found one reasonably clear image of a preserved loco which seems to show the injectors are actually mounted inside the frames. All that can be seen on most photos is the drain pipe, snaking out and down below the coupling rods and attached to the cab footsteps.

Heresy maybe... I think that I would omit the injectors.

I have trawled ebay for photos of locos in service and I think that you are correct to say that neither injector is mounted outside of the frames and below footplate level... or put another way, not visible when the engine is on the track.

The injectors are probably keeping the company of the ATC battery box.

 

[Heather Kay]

Thanks Steph and Graham! More spare parts for the Bits Box.

The original scheme was to dangle the drain pipe out from wherever the injectors were fitted, and leave it so it touched the bottom cab step. This would allow the chassis to be removed for maintenance and future electronic fiddling about. Without the injectors, current thinking is to fix the pipe to the step, and lose it under the coupling rod. It would entail gently easing the step out to facilitate removal, but I reckon the client can manage that.

While I let that idea fester, I shall turn my attention to creating a reasonable facsimile of the brake weighshaft under the bunker.

 

[Dog Star]

I shall turn my attention to creating a reasonable facsimile of the brake weighshaft under the bunker.

The photo gallery for the 2-8-0T at the K&ESR has some good pikkies of the brake shaft being removed / renovated - the item is bigger than most peeps think so give it some heft.

 

[Heather Kay]

I know, and I looked at it earlier. The problem I have is I couldn't correlate it to the way it looks on a finished loco. I've found an image in one of the GWRJs (currently on loan from the Basingstoke Reference Library) which shows what it looks like in the gloom. The idea is to replicate that without getting too fussy about it.

Now, if this perishing neckache would go and pester someone else for a while, I could get on without feeling any more cranky than usual.

 

[Compton castle]

AWS didn't spread out over the western until the very late 60's so doesn't concern GW steam.

 

[Dave Bowden]

Hi Heather

Would a photo of 7202 from Didcot be of any use to you? This shows all below the buffer beam.

Dave

 

[Heather Kay]

Hi Heather

Would a photo of 7202 from Didcot be of any use to you? This shows all below the buffer beam.

Dave

If it's the rear buffer plank, yes please. I think you may have shared the front buffer plank in this thread earlier (and very helpful it was, too).