Yorky D's Küchentisch - North Eastern - 'Ours graft f'nowt...

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
I have a couple of Mashima 1428 motors and Branchlines gearboxes in with mine which probably gives an idea as to how long I have had the kit.
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
The NER ES1 instructions include (to me) a scant paragraph relating to the pantograph - in short there are four options...

1. Build up etches as a dummy pantograph in raised position
2. Build up etches as a dummy pantograph in lowered position
3. Use a non-prototypical HO Sommerfeldt operating version
4. Make up etches as an operational model

And no prizes for the option muggins went for :) :rolleyes:

Hey presto! - an operating version.....

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Quite simply the instructions went out of the window and I turned to previous experience based on the 7mm Harton Colliery Siemens Elok (below).

Siemens 06.jpg

The NER ES1 pantograph (below) is not sprung in the conventional style (above) as the base is too short to include a hidden linkage to prevent the who ensemble rocking when in the raised position. It took alot of work as I cut off the dummy springs from the etch, made up upper arm end hooks from scrap etch and used four springs I had in stock.

This is a cruel crop from a photo on t'nterweb

Pantograph.jpg

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And to prove it does work...

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For a sense of scale here it is in between an O scale DB and a HO SBB pantograph.

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Having seen my photos, with hindsight I'm tempted to alter the upper arm spring hooks in order to extend them but as it currently works it may be best left alone. Just need to work on a locking mechansim for the lowered position. On the prototype the pantograph was raised and lowered by an insulated hand operated rod through the cab roof.
 
NER ES1 New

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Further developments...

The 6 panels (2, cab ends, 2 sides and 2 bonnet/hood covers) were made up. The laminates were soldered using a blowtorch and the bonnet/hood covers were formed after annealing the half etch lines. This still resulted in a slightly multi faceted curve which I gently removed with a file. All the external details such as the handrails, vents and sand box covers were added before assembling the body.

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Before adding the sand box covers on the bonnet/hood covers I drilled out a hole to aid soldering. In addition I also drilled out the coupling socket on the internal bufferbeam to take a coupling spring.

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Of the additional external buffer beam detail the electric socket is a casting from Precision Scale I had in my 1/48 US parts.

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The pantograph.... The lower arm etches have teeth which if built up as non-functional are fine as they do not engage.

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However as I made mine functional I squeezed the two supports (blue) together to make the teeth (red) engage. This has greatly increased the stability of the structure and reduced the fore and aft motion of the pantograph so the head remains level whilst touching the contact wire thereby allowing for variations in the contact wire height. Later diamond pantographs have a wider base which allows for a link arm to be installed as base level to prevent the fore and aft motion and keep the structure stable.

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While I was tinkering with the pantograph I also added two catches (one on each side) so it can be locked down.

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On the prototype the pantograph is raised manually by an insulated rod fixed centrally to the pantograph head and through the cab roof. It's absence is a compromise I've made (thus far) as I have made the pantograph removable with a central screw.
 
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NER ES1 New

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
The last few days have seen the brake gear added to the trucks/bogies..

.....and some details not provided for in the kit.

Sand pipes made up from 0.8mm brass wire fixed to the truck/bogie ends - one pair on the outer end of each truck/bogie.

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The truck/bogie swing limiting chains (and I've just spotted EMD :) on the electrical connection socket!).

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The one end of the chains are fixed to the truck frame via a bar. For the other ends I made up some small mounts from scrap etches and nickel silver wire to enable the chain to be fixed to the sill/chassis with a M1.4 screw.

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NER ES1 New

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
A few hours at the workbench today but not much to show...

The white lumps purport to be some of the underframe casting, together with the two white buttons/dots being the headlights ..... :eek:

..... so I made up some better looking versions and more to scale from pieces of brass wire, tube and scrap brass etch..... The wires are deliberately long and will be bent and trimmed when the parts are fitted to the underframe.

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It'd been better if this was included in the kit instead.... :)

Milky Bar.jpg
Just need to look at some of the other milky bar pieces in the kit....
 
NER ES1 New

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Another week, more hours at the workbench with not much to show.....:)

The fitting of Laurie Griffin lamp irons - I preferred these as they are a bit beefier and not likely to stab you (the kit supplied etch ones are thin and likely to do this!) - and my own home brewed headlamps.

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As I wanted the roof to be removable I added a brass strip across the centre line. (The brake wheel is the kit one mounted on a cut down Laurie Griffin Holden tender brake stand - after I had opened out the side holes).

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And the roof is held in by the pantograph retaining screw.

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I also built up interior walls from styrene onto which the glazing is fixed. The walls are not fixed in and self lock so I can remove them - which I'll need to do as these are incorrect for the NER loco. A new set will easily be made up.

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From scrap brass, brass wire and brass etch I made up a new switchgear board to replace the milky bar representation.

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which is held in by a countersunk M1.4 screw in the cab floor.

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Since the cab roof is removable I added spigots of 0.3mm brass wire to the roof fusebox bracket - made from scrap nickel silver etch - and the cab front.

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Onto which I can mount 0.3mm I/D silicone carp fishing rig tube to represent the electric power cable from the pantograph.

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And finally a comparison of scale with Met Bo-Bo Sir Ralph Verney.

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Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Thanks Rob, these are excellent. Just shows how spartan the cabs were and the reliability on common sense given the amount of exposed 600v DC electrical equipment.

I can easily make a new cab interior from styrene as the current one can be dropped out.
 

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
Thanks Rob, these are excellent. Just shows how spartan the cabs were and the reliability on common sense given the amount of exposed 600v DC electrical equipment.

I can easily make a new cab interior from styrene as the current one can be dropped out.
That was what struck me, just how little there actually was inside.
 
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