The Norwich & Mucklemouth Railway - Eastern Eccentricity in EM

[Herb Garden]

So here's the gen on the less well known items on the stand


The metropolitan A class, an EM gauge rescue rather than one of my own builds. It's the old Ks kit with Ks motor inside. Needs some work on the bogie and a new drive and it will be a great thing to have running about hopefully a new dome and a repaint will follow. #10 Cerberus was one of a few of these tanks on loan to the GER in 1872 so very much a contemporary of #74 in the background.


Thompson K1/1 another EM rescue a lovely runner and only needs some cosmetic repair. The plan is to repaint her into LNER plain black in the condition she was as #1997 when stationed at Norwich in the late forties.


The planet diesel I built (my first EM gauge loco) from the nonniminstere models range. I've got a new drive unit under way for it as mounted on a tenshodo bogie it has the tendency to go like the clappers!


And yes @AJC well spotted it is an OO9 windle Barclay wing tank. This little fellow was a 13th birthday present from my family and it's been with me through over 10 accommodation/house moves all through my school, uni and working years. It was the mainstay of the motive power on the narrow gauge section of our family layout when I was at school and then on Ryad my student years exhibition layout, it also still works even though it does look a bit worse for wear. I am hoping that the loco will be restored and return to service at some point. This will probably be with a better quality chassis built to 2mmfs standards.

I hope that was an interesting diversion from watching me solder things?

 

[Osgood]

I just checked (online search) and yes, the WSMR ex Met. loco was indeed a Beyer Peacock A Class, No. 37.

 

[Herb Garden]

I just checked (online search) and yes, the WSMR ex Met. loco was indeed a Beyer Peacock A Class, No. 37.

They did seem to get everywhere... Something to do with electrification and a fall out with the district railway meant that some ended up with the midland, Cambrian and various industrial users as well as that short loan to the Great Eastern.

Anyone know of anywhere else they ended up?

 

[Herb Garden]

So since April I feel I've gone round the houses and I'm back where I started with the 204


The wheels are on!



It looks the business but there's a little too much side play in the front wheels at the moment but it's getting there.... If I don't get distracted and get some pickups on it it might run before too long

 

[Osgood]

...

Anyone know of anywhere else they ended up?

 

[Herb Garden]

So I think it's time I let you all into a little side project I've been working on.

I've been collaborating with Peter from 52F models to make one of the missing classes of later GER locomotives available in kit form.

The pug to put perform all pugs yep it's the Hill B74/B77 later known by the LNER as a Y4.


My role is this project is research and test building. And now the test parts have arrived! Marvelous!




The kit is etched on nickel silver and features a 3d printed boiler and fittings

We are also making sure that the kit covers all variations of the prototype. From the first GER example to the BR condition machines.

We expect that the kit will only be a limited run as we don't think the loco will have wide appeal so I will let the readers of this thread know when we are about to place orders for parts.

In the meantime you can email Peter to register no obligation interest to make sure you don't miss out on one: peter@52fmodels.org

I will be getting on with the test build of the body in due course but I thought I might wet your appetite.

 

[AJC]

I don’t need such a thing, but they're pleasingly chunky beasts, like a modernised B4 on steroids to my Southern eyes. Now, @Lyndhurstman, how's your scratchbuild...

Adam

 

[Rob R]

The valve gear would be a little easier in S.....

 

[Lyndhurstman]

So I think it's time I let you all into a little side project I've been working on.

I've been collaborating with Peter from 52F models to make one of the missing classes of later GER locomotives available in kit form.

The pug to put perform all pugs yep it's the Hill B74/B77 later known by the LNER as a Y4.


My role is this project is research and test building. And now the test parts have arrived! Marvelous!




The kit is etched on nickel silver and features a 3d printed boiler and fittings

We are also making sure that the kit covers all variations of the prototype. From the first GER example to the BR condition machines.

We expect that the kit will only be a limited run as we don't think the loco will have wide appeal so I will let the readers of this thread know when we are about to place orders for parts.

In the meantime you can email Peter to register no obligation interest to make sure you don't miss out on one: peter@52fmodels.org

I will be getting on with the test build of the body in due course but I thought I might wet your appetite.

By all that turns a wheel, that's a thing if beauty. I particularly like the chassis. I don't suppose you'd consider selling the chassis on its own? #cheekyaskiknow
My own efforts pale into comparison. I picked up a wrongly-dimensioned effort from eBay and used it as a basis for my own. I scrapped everything in the end except the running plate!

4mm - Jan's 4mm WB: Crane-ium

Hill Walking Stuttering steps, in the wrong socks. Having gone around and around in TinkerCAD, the box of brass became more and more attractive. Thus, in the space over Christmas 202o, a start was made. Via the GERS drawing, it very quickly became apparent that something was awry: The Running...

www.westernthunder.co.uk

I've done some work on the chassis since (some even this year), but I've had to put it on the backburner again...

Cheers

Jan

 

[Flaxfield]

I really like the Y4. Sadly I feel I lack the ability to do the kit justice.

Rob

 

[Herb Garden]

By all that turns a wheel, that's a thing if beauty. I particularly like the chassis. I don't suppose you'd consider selling the chassis on its own? #cheekyaskiknow
My own efforts pale into comparison. I picked up a wrongly-dimensioned effort from eBay and used it as a basis for my own. I scrapped everything in the end except the running plate!

4mm - Jan's 4mm WB: Crane-ium

Hill Walking Stuttering steps, in the wrong socks. Having gone around and around in TinkerCAD, the box of brass became more and more attractive. Thus, in the space over Christmas 202o, a start was made. Via the GERS drawing, it very quickly became apparent that something was awry: The Running...

www.westernthunder.co.uk

I've done some work on the chassis since (some even this year), but I've had to put it on the backburner again...

Cheers

Jan

If you speak to Peter at 52F models I'm sure he can sort you out with just a chassis

 

[asterix2012]

Got my name down for one.

Peter is getting quite prolific at the moment, he has just completed a Caley 439 kit and has a 782 class in the works

3D printing seems to help with the process a lot

 

[Herb Garden]

It seems I've lost a couple of posts on the B74.

So here's the quick summary of where we got to:


Week 1 of build saw the construction of the basic body.


Week 2 saw the soldering on the body completed

So that's us caught up on to progress since then there's been a trip for the loco to railex north east. Where in addition it was lovely to catch up with a few WT members.

Week 3 has seen the chassis start to come together


The hot blocks, motor and gearbox will be all supplied with the final kit but for the prototype I'm using high level box and blocks with a motor from tram fabrik



It's only Wednesday of week 4 but with cooler weather and our friends wedding out of the way I've been able to make some significant headway.


The wheels are now on and the chassis rolling. (Yes that's a recently arrived Accurascale S56 in the background which will be getting the Canary Sidings treatment in due course).


But for now I'm focusing on the complex 3D puzzle that is the cylinders and valve gear... So far it's going well but I'm holding my breath at each stage

 

[Herb Garden]

So at a quick glance you may think that I haven't done much well look again


The loco now has brake shoes and rigging


Although easy to understand the rigging is especially complicated to put together and not very rewarding given no one will ever see it.


A lot of time has been spent getting a suitable running clearance on all the moving components. It's not easy and I miss simple inside cylinder locomotives


However the end is in slight for this labour of love. These are some of the remaining components to be fitted.... Just got to sort the valve linkage and get that fitted then repeat for the other side.

I don't think I've ever been so tested by a locomotive kit to-date. It's a lot of holding ones breath, being patient and hoping.

Here goes with the final chassis stages

 

[readingtype]

Delighted to discover this being made. It's a loco I would love to see on my club's London docks-inspired EM layout ('Orchard Wharf', MRC, blog posts are available). Although it would be entirely appropriate on historical grounds, the reason is mostly because it's such a great little loco. And a real challenge to make -- I looked at the GERS drawings and even in my ignorance the trickiness of the cramped valve gear passing through the motion bracket was very evident!

Ben

 

[Herb Garden]

Delighted to discover this being made. It's a loco I would love to see on my club's London docks-inspired EM layout ('Orchard Wharf', MRC, blog posts are available). Although it would be entirely appropriate on historical grounds, the reason is mostly because it's such a great little loco. And a real challenge to make -- I looked at the GERS drawings and even in my ignorance the trickiness of the cramped valve gear passing through the motion bracket was very evident!

Ben

Well Ben I hope this won't disappoint you

After much stress and a tense hand gripping the soldering iron a bit too tight I've finally completed the valve gear on one side of the loco



Ive no idea how but through sheer dumb luck I've successfully got it running smoothly expansion link and valve rod all moved too!


Just the other side to do and fit the cosmetic cylinders, sandboxes etc

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Lovely work. Well done. Following your advice, I’ve contacted Peter, and he’s been very helpful. Time to save up some pennies, methinks….

Cheers

Jan

 

[Mike Garwood]

I know nothing of the prototype, but the quality of the build is superb!

Mike

 

[James Spooner]

No, this is not an attempt to take over another thread! @Herb Garden has committed to exhibiting Skeetsmere towards the end of October and is finding the deadline somewhat challenging so has called in a few favours to keep the project on track. My small part in this is to build Skeetsmere house (I think that’s its name!). He is happy for me to post progress so long as it is on this thread. To start, George sent me an early drawing, which I scaled up and then gained his approval to enable me to start cutting plasticard.

I have been in Wales for the last week, much of the time enjoying spending time with my grandchildren, but they went home yesterday and this morning we had a visit from storm Floris. An excellent excuse to transfer the drawing to plastic and start cutting! By the time the weather had improved I had managed to mark out and cut the four sides of the main structure as well as the three sides of the lean to. Progress is going to be a bit hit and miss over the next few days as I have some meetings and we also have some friends coming up to stay but here is a photo of where I have got to so far…

Nigel

 

[Herb Garden]

So those who like their pugs will be pleased to know that the B74 is progressing slowly but surely the final stages of this valve gear are proving difficult.

In the meantime work has started on Skeetsmere again. It has been a difficult year and if I'd known what I know now about what would happen I might not have signed up for an exhibition in November. But I have so here we are. The problem is stress is not always a good thing for productive modelling and readers of the thread will know that some weeks of this year I was only able to do easy tasks like loco chassis building rather than try and get my head round loco work.


But the layout is now down from it's shelf, faults are being slowly delt with and we are on the way to make it operational again.


As folks will know there's a large piece of track missing making the layout inoperable.


Well after a bit of fettling on the work bench the new points are now in place. Thank you copydex which is new favourite adhesive!

Also balasting is now underway again.... I'm keen to get rid of the colour of raw polystyrene so this is an essential.


Still a way to go but quite satisfying.

Still there is a massive amount to do and it was quite a humbling experience to realise that I wouldn't be able to complete the layout to the level required for the show in November.

Ive always worked on my own but upon suggestion of a couple of friends I have taken the advice to ask for support from friends whose work I really admire and was surprised how freely help was given. Skeetsmere has a series of backdrop buildings that set the railway in the scene and friends Nigel (@James Spooner) and John E have been helping bring my drawings and concepts for these buildings to life.


John has recently delivered his model inspired by my drawing of the white cottage on Railway Hill in Starston and it is a thing of beauty. The model railway community is a very kind one and I'm lucky to have the support of such good friends and fine modellers.