Loco Frames Rise Again
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Back to this build again, and time to consider the loco frames.
I have, so far, been sitting and considering the loco frames all morning. Somethin' ain't right somewhere.
Let's assess where I am with this. The client's wishes are for a sprung loco, with the kit pseudo inside motion. I want to be able to let the wheelsets drop out for assembly and maintenance reasons, which will need a little engineering to fit the cast leaf springs with screws. Leaving aside the erroneous slidebars and so on, this ought to be a straightforward build. So why am I finding it difficult?
Well, for a start, the cast brass hornguides are not designed to be sprung. Secondly, they have a bar across the bottom, which would require cutting out to enable the wheelsets to be dropped out, meaning a keeper plate needs making or procuring. Thirdly, and probably most egregiously, they too small for the etched slots in the loco frames. Finally, they will need some carving about to allow for the inside waggly bits. The cast leaf springs are a little anaemic, but would pass.
If you're reading this before I've edited it, it won't make much sense!
I have a JLTRT 8750 kit on the shelf, and on a whim I dug it out to compare the hornguide and spring castings. The lighter castings are from the 2251, the yellower ones from the pannier. I checked the pannier hornguides against the 2251 frames, and they fit nicely. They are also designed for springing. The spring castings include a bracket which attaches to the cast keeper plate. My reasoning, obviously, is to dump the 2251 parts for the pannier parts.
I'm looking for some wisdom from Thunderers before I make a concrete decision. Is my proposed path of using alternative parts workable?
Incidentally, having a frame spacer right where a spring mounting is supposed to fit doesn't seem like a clever idea…
I have, so far, been sitting and considering the loco frames all morning. Somethin' ain't right somewhere.
Let's assess where I am with this. The client's wishes are for a sprung loco, with the kit pseudo inside motion. I want to be able to let the wheelsets drop out for assembly and maintenance reasons, which will need a little engineering to fit the cast leaf springs with screws. Leaving aside the erroneous slidebars and so on, this ought to be a straightforward build. So why am I finding it difficult?
Well, for a start, the cast brass hornguides are not designed to be sprung. Secondly, they have a bar across the bottom, which would require cutting out to enable the wheelsets to be dropped out, meaning a keeper plate needs making or procuring. Thirdly, and probably most egregiously, they too small for the etched slots in the loco frames. Finally, they will need some carving about to allow for the inside waggly bits. The cast leaf springs are a little anaemic, but would pass.
If you're reading this before I've edited it, it won't make much sense!
I have a JLTRT 8750 kit on the shelf, and on a whim I dug it out to compare the hornguide and spring castings. The lighter castings are from the 2251, the yellower ones from the pannier. I checked the pannier hornguides against the 2251 frames, and they fit nicely. They are also designed for springing. The spring castings include a bracket which attaches to the cast keeper plate. My reasoning, obviously, is to dump the 2251 parts for the pannier parts.
I'm looking for some wisdom from Thunderers before I make a concrete decision. Is my proposed path of using alternative parts workable?
Incidentally, having a frame spacer right where a spring mounting is supposed to fit doesn't seem like a clever idea…
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