Rhymney Railway R class.

[Nick Dunhill]

So I have been sent quite a few pictures of AR class locos (Thank you Thank you) and yesterday I added a few bits and bobs which I hadn't noticed. The bottom of the firebox has some wash-out drain taps, there's some pipes sticking out of the sides of the tanks below the footplate (injector overflow?) and the air brake hoses. The latter are detachable to allow the painter to line out the buffer beam easier (and save him from breaking them off!)

I made a cab roof, and thanks to all those who were in touch about the long ventilator. It can be lifted off to gawp at the cab interior, and help the painter.

I also did my usual modification to the water gauges and cut away the cast square cover and replaced it with a length of square perspex rod. The rod has been drilled down the middle to represent the tube and a piece of paper with chevrons printed on it attached to the rear.

I had to make a regulator handle too.

So on monday I'll finish the backhead and start on the boiler. If anyone knows what the steam brake control on the backhead looks like please get in touch. Thanks.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Today I completed the cab detail. Quite a lot of the fittings were fabricated in house, as the controls are all a bit odd. It has the injectors in front of the cab windows, handy for spraying hot water and steam over passengers at railway stations. This means that there are no clacks or injectors on the backhead. Still it does have an odd combo of air brakes (Westinghouse) for the passenger trains it never pulled and a steam brake for the loco for extra grabbiness. There's no steam heating gear as the South Welsh are well hard and just put an extra pully on and took a brolly whilst travelling in the coal wagons, so none of those fangled Mason valves and such. Thanks to Fred L, Derek M, LaScala, Penrhos and Julian W for the pics and to DLOS for helping me with the educated guessing.

Oh and I added a proper whistle mechanism to the roof.

Last job of the day was the addition of the coal rails. The strip was bought from Hobby Holidays and this fabtication is hard and takes a while. Everything has to be parallel, straight and square.

Boiler tomorrow.

 

[Overseer]

Last job of the day was the addition of the coal rails. The strip was bought from Hobby Holidays and this process is hard and takes a while. Everything has to be parallel, straight and square.
.

I have always found Phil to be very efficient and pleasant to deal with. Oh, you meant forming the coal rails was hard.

 

[mickoo]

....................Everything has to be parallel, straight and square.........................

Just like the real thing of course But I know what you mean

 

[Nick Dunhill]

I decided that the coal rails looked like they'd been knicked off a 4 mm model so built some more, then I added the springs for the front drivers.

The kit had some nice parts for the top of the firebox, so I built what was supplied and blinged it up a bit with some boilerbands, screws and a cleat. The angle between the firebox and cab front was built into the firebox structure too.

The smokebox is one of those fabrications that is a series of wrappers round the rolled boiler. I decided to scratchbuild a smokebox as I thought I would get a better result. I have made a video that shows how the structures of the boiler were fabricated and fitted to the loco. Anyone who would like to see it will have to visit the GOG Virtual Show in March to see the premiere!

 

[Lancastrian]

Nick,

I'm not going to say it, although I want too, and I shouldn't, BUT, is the wrapper inside out ? There I've said it, only because it is interesting that "Rear" is etched on the outside if it isn't.

Anyway, what have you used to represent the wrapper screws along the centreline of the firebox ?

Ian

 

[mickoo]

It's a stepped joint I suspect, many earlier engines have a larger step between the wrapper and the flange fixing plate, both front and rear. Probably something to do with not having wrapper fixings too close to the formed bend in the flange plates (earlier materials/technology etc)

Later wrappers end almost inline with the front and rear plates, even then on close inspection there is often a small step still present.

Only picture I have to hand is this B1.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

I spent rather a long time today fettling castings and making a boiler. Then I ran into an unexpected problem, the front of the tanks are a close fit round the boiler so the firebox has to be attached to the cab front and the boiler to smokebox. Then the boiler and smokebox have to be fed in from the front to mate with the front of the firebox. All a bit tricky and the boiler bands and other stuff have to be fitted up to the boiler before it's soldered to the footplate and firebox. I spent a good while making sure the tubular bits and the firebox sat straight and square and all the 'shut lines' were equal. Phew, a proper test.

I thought that Ian, but there were guide lines for the boiler bands on the same side. The 'REAR' lands well below the tank top as well. The screws are from the fake range here Modellbauschrauben Imitat und Bolzen - GHW Modellbau

 

[Nick Dunhill]

The boiler is finished and attached to the loco and the front handrail made!

I have made a short 'howie-did-it' video on YouTube for the boiler/firebox/smokebox, and it will be available to view at the GOG Virtual Show on 6th March (plug plug.) Next week I'll make the plumbing for, and fit the Westinghouse compressor and injectors.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

The finishing line is in sight. I mounted the injectors and all the associated plumbing. I also made a mount for the Westinghouse pump. Tomorrow I just need to add the plumbing to the pump to finish the loco tomorrow. Then a quick road test, a scrub then off to a friendly painter on wednesday.

I may clean my workbench tomorrow too.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

It's done. Test assembled, road tested, scrubbed, packed up and off to Warren for some crayon action tomorrow.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Here it is back from Warren Haywood, and he's made a world class job of it. It will be a pleasure to assemble it over the next couple of days.

Here's a video I made of the boiler build (hope you like funky beats....)

And here's a few gratuitous pics of one I finished a few weeks ago

It's just a bog standard out-of-the-box Conniosseur build again with Warren's expertise.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Done

 

[Mike Garwood]

That is a beautifully finished loco. Does it have a home to run on?

Mike

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Hi Mike.
It'll be going out as soon as the lockdown ends.
Nick

 

[michael080]

Nick,

no update from you for four weeks? I hope everything is OK?

Michael